avanta7 | BOOK REVIEW: In the Woods by Tana French

Detective Rob Ryan and his partner Cassie Maddox are called to an archaeological site in the Dublin neighborhood of Knocknaree because the body of a young neighborhood girl, apparently murdered and raped, has been found on the ancient sacrificial altar.

Rob was once very familiar with this neighborhood and the wooded area of the archaeological dig: twenty years earlier, and then known as Adam, he lived here, went to school here, played in the woods and fields with his best friends Jamie and Peter...and, at the age of 12, was discovered alone, terrified, covered in blood, and clinging to a tree with no memory of what happened to him or his friends. Peter and Jamie were never found, the mystery was never solved, and shortly afterward, Rob's parents sent him away to school and left the area. No one outside of Rob's immediate family is aware he is that surviving child, and Rob himself still has no memory of the events of the fateful afternoon nor of any events of childhood prior to that day.

Until beginning the investigation into the murder of Katie Devlin, Rob hadn't given much thought to his missing childhood. But as he and Cassie delve deeper into Katie's case -- interviewing suspects, ferreting out possible motives, gathering forensic evidence -- memories begin to surface. And Rob begins to fall apart.

Tana French's story is told completely in first person: we see through Rob's eyes, we suffer along with him from his ever-more-frequent migraine headaches. And we feel his increasing tension and bewilderment as he struggles to maintain his professional cop demeanor throughout an investigation that jangles every nerve and threatens every relationship he holds dear. Still, Rob's inner dialogue is almost clinically detached, even as he realizes his world is about to come undone.

The story is extraordinarily well-told: taut, clear, precise, and completely without melodrama. The steps the detectives follow to get to the truth are logically presented and completely credible. There is no deux ex machina here, and plenty of uncertainty right through to the last word on the last page.

Truly, this is one of the best crime thrillers I've read in years. I have absolutely no hesitation in telling you, "Read it. Now. Really."

Ms. French's new novel, The Likeness, will be published soon in hardcover. As soon as it's available in trade paperback, I'll be at the front of the line to plunk down my $15 or $16 for the privilege of taking it home with me. Tana French, you have a new fan.