In the Woods, by Tana French
Normally, I read and review cozy mysteries, but In the Woods, by Tana French, is no cozy. This mystery is not for the faint-hearted. It’s full of foul language, violence, and sex—the three cozy “no-nos.” But I wanted to read it because Tana French is so widely admired, and because her writing is gorgeous and compelling.
It’s not unusual for me to have to force myself to finish a book. Not so with In the Woods. I started it three days ago and was unable to put it down, except to fulfill my everyday adult obligations. The narrator, Detective Rob Ryan, is a man with a heartbreaking past—the unsolved disappearance of his two closest childhood friends. Ryan’s character is multifaceted, with many layers, and his erratic behavior is subsequently unpredictable yet thoroughly believable. His detective partner, Cassie, is just as complex. Their easy banter as they work together to solve the murder of a child gives the novel some levity in an otherwise dark, disturbing tale. The pair of detectives make faces at one another, get annoyed with each other, playfully kick and punch and flip the other off—and yet always, always, have each other’s back.
You want to root for these two; and yes, they do solve the mystery, but not at all in the way you’d expect. This is a solid literary mystery, which means you cannot hope for a Hollywood ending. By the time I finished the book, I felt utterly exhausted and depressed. The author warns the reader in the first few pages that “Humans are feral and ruthless,” and so if you keep on reading, you get example upon example of that worldview. It’s a messy, sad, chilling, and ultimately, somewhat pointless world, as French portrays it. Yet I must say it’s been ages since I’ve read such a well-written novel. The sheer beauty of the language alone warrants this novel a 5-Star.