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In the Woods

A truly stunning thriller and psychological mystery from one of our greatest living crime writers

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In the Woods

By: Tana French
Narrated by: John McCormack
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About this listen

 THE ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME THRILLER FROM THE MILLION-COPY, SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

'To say Tana French is one of the great thriller writers is really too limiting. Rather she's simply this: a truly great writer' GILLIAN FLYNN

'[Crime fiction's] biggest contemporary star' GUARDIAN

'One of the finest writers of contemporary crime fiction' DAILY MAIL

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Three children went into the woods to play . . .

One came out.

When he was twelve years old, Adam Ryan went playing in the woods with his two best friends. He never saw them again.

Their bodies were never found, and Adam himself was discovered with his back pressed against an oak tree, his shoes filled with blood. He had no memory of what had happened.

Twenty years on, Rob Ryan - the child who came back - is a detective in the Dublin police force. He's changed his name. No one knows about his past.

But when a little girl's body is found at the site of the old tragedy, Rob is drawn back into his own haunted memories.

Knowing that he would be thrown off the case if his past were revealed, Rob takes a fateful decision to keep quiet, as he begins a desperate quest to solve the twenty-year-old mystery of the woods.

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Adapted, along with The Likeness, into the iconic BBC series Dublin Murders

EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL
ANTHONY AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL
BARRY AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL
MACAVITY AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL

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Praise for the talismanic Tana French and her novels

'I can do you no greater favour in life than recommending that you read her books' GUARDIAN

'The most interesting, the most important crime novelist to emerge in the last ten years' WASHINGTON POST

'The most breathtakingly brilliant and close-to-perfect thriller I've read for a long time' SOPHIE HANNAH

'I'm a big fan of Tana French' IAN RANKIN

'This is a tour de force of suspense and storytelling. Comes closer to perfection than anything I've read in the last decade' SARAH HILARY

'French offers a masterclass in unreliability' SUNDAY TIMES

'An audacious departure for this immensely talented author . . . not to be missed' NEW YORK TIMES

'A wonderfully assured and beautifully written debut novel' IRISH INDEPENDENT

'I didn't want it to end' HARRIET TYCE©2007 Tana French Crime Thrillers Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Thriller Fiction Crime Murder

Critic reviews

Sharply written and insidiously creepy, this is a mesmerising read that grabs hold of the reader from the very first page and doesn't let go until well past two in the morning.
This is a wonderfully assured and beautifully written debut novel, a multilayered psychological thriller that digs beneath the surface of ordinary lives and delivers excitement and insight in large helpings.
Lyrical and haunting
A real show-stopper of a thriller . . . Author tightens the tension slowly until squealing point; Ryan's increasingly taut relationship with Maddox is woven cunningly around the crime plot. A splendid, page-turning debut.
A rich multi-layered thriller
This is a real treat for Christmas. In the Woods is a classic murder mystery with plenty of twists and macabre detail. This is Tana French's debut and it's startlingly accomplished . . . French writes beautifully and is far from lazy when it comes to sprinkling clues and red herrings and developing the characters.
An intricate and edgy top-notch psychological thriller.
All stars
Most relevant
This was one of the best choices I have made on Audible. Brilliantly written, excellent characters and dialogues. It was a joy to listen to, kept me on edge the whole time.



My only problem was with the narrator who was a bit annoying. I have never heard anyone speak like this. Not even the Queen pronounces individual words so carefully within a sentence, it just doesn't sound authentic. The accents are great though. When he switches to one the character suddenly comes alive and it doesn't sound like a narrator reading from a book anymore.

Brilliant thriller

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A crime drama that relies on the story line, the characters and quality writing rather than the usual formula of graphic sex and violence. I am new to Ms French but she stands alongside Susan Hill, PD James and the like and I will certainly be looking out for further boks from this author.

Quality crime drame

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The tale of the missing children running parallel to the main plot was very intriguing. I was sorry it came to nothing in the end. Never the less the book was a good read even if the answer to the prime murder mystery was a bit improbable. But then, most of them are. They have to be to keep the mystery alive. I did find the psychological aspect to the story, very interesting and well put.

Intriguing

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The book starts up fantastic as it presents various different enticing mysteries that the main characters, which have great chemistry, will have to solve. The book builds up on the mystery of the burial ground, Adam Ryan's past and how it could all be connected, with some eerie implications that something supernatural is afoot. As one finds themselves on the edge of their seats, the book ends on a dud, with a lot of loose ends and a very unsathisfying finale. Without spoiling the book, the case ends up being even more mondane than expected, one of the best characters gets turned into an unsympathetic c*nt and a lot of details are left either without closure or longing for details that sadly will never be there. I wouldn't recomend just because the ending is so disapointing and makes the book feel like a waste of time. Other than that, the narration was fantastic.

A whole lot of build up for a whole lot of nothing

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found this one very difficult to get into and finish.
It was ok. but wouldn't recommend for first time trying Tana French.

Not the best.

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