In the Woods
- 596
- Pages
- about 11 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“In the Woods” is a crime novel read for its prose and its detectives as much as for the murder they investigate. French writes with a lyricism unusual in the genre, and the opening half holds the attention. Over nearly six hundred pages some readers feel the pace sag, guess the culprit well before the end or find the resolution flat. Better for lovers of character-driven mysteries than for anyone wanting a quick puzzle.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
In the Woods is a 2007 mystery novel by Tana French about a pair of Irish detectives and their investigation of the murder of a twelve-year-old girl. It is the first book in French's Dublin Murder Squad series. The novel won several awards such as the 2008 Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author, the 2008 Barry Award for Best First Novel, the 2008 Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel, and the 2008 Anthony Award for Best First Novel. In the Woods and The Likeness, the second book of the Dublin Murder Squad series, are the inspiration for the BBC and Starz's 2019 Dublin Murders, an eight-episode series.
Reading order · Dublin Murder Squad
Full order & progress →- In the WoodsThis book
7.47.4 / 10 - The Likeness
7.97.9 / 10 - Faithful Place
7.87.8 / 10 - Broken Harbour
–Not ranked yet - The Secret Place
7.67.6 / 10 - The TrespasserThe Trespasser–Not ranked yet
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.3 across 572 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 80% of the weight and the score stays at 7.4 — the Crime & mystery average of 7.6 barely moves it.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.3 | 20 | 4% |
| Hardcover | 7.3 | 552 | 97% |
Frequently asked
How long is In the Woods?
It has 596 pages — longer than 95% of the ranked books in Crime & mystery.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Crime & mystery — and a score of 7.4, the closest to this book.
