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“[French] sets a vivid scene for her complex characters, who seem entirely capable of doing the unexpected. Drawn by the grim nature of her plot and the lyrical ferocity of her writing, even smart people who should know better will be able to lose themselves in these dark woods.”
— New York Times Book Review
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“[An] ambitious and extraordinary first novel...rank it high.”
— Washington Post Book World
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“Readers who like their hard-boiled police procedurals with an international flair will love Irish author Tana French’s debut novel...In the Woods is as creepily imaginative as it gets.”
— USA Today
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“[In The Woods] plies dark, shuddery suspense to the breaking point...[A] thoroughly taunting suspense novel.”
— New York Daily News
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“An auspicious debut...The theater-trained French clearly knows a thing or two about drama...The book’s plot and pacing are rock-solid, but its tender characterizations, particularly the deepening relationship between Ryan and his brainy, tough female partner, are what set it apart. Strong stuff.”
— Seattle Times
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“A terrific debut...French’s psychological insights into the damaged policeman’s torment combine grippingly with the clammy atmosphere that surrounds the lethal woods. As an example of a novel in which the past returns to haunt the present, this scores very high marks.”
— Times (London)
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“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.”
— Irish Independent
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“A masterpiece.”
— Evening Herald (Dublin)
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“A stunning debut that examines the complexities of the human mind and the cost of discovering the truth.”
— Barnes & Noble editorial review
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“Irish author French expertly walks the line between police procedural and psychological thriller in her debut.”
— Publishers Weekly
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“This is an amazing piece of work, taut, persuasive, and intricately constructed to stunning effect...Steven Crossley does an expert job...A dazzling performance.”
— AudioFile
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“In the Woods is a superior novel about cops, murder, memory, relationships, and modern Ireland. The characters of Ryan and Maddox, as well as a handful of others, are vividly developed in this intelligent and beautifully written first novel...Equally striking is the picture of contemporary Ireland, booming economically and fixated on the shabbiest aspects of American popular culture. An outstanding debut and a series to watch for procedural fans.”
— Booklist (starred review)
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“A readable, non-formulaic police procedural with a twist.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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[An] ambitious and extraordinary first novel...rank it high.
— The Washington Post
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“Part whodunit, part psychological thriller, and wholly successful...French’s plot twists and turns will bamboozle even the most astute reader...A well-written, expertly plotted thriller.
— NPR
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In the Woods is as creepily imaginative as it gets.
— USA Today
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Drawn by the grim nature of her plot and the lyrical ferocity of her writing, even smart people who should know better will be able to lose themselves in these dark woods.
— The New York Times Book Review
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When you read Ms. French — and she has become required reading for anyone who appreciates tough, unflinching intelligence and ingenious plotting — make only one assumption: All of your initial assumptions are wrong
— The New York Times
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Tana French is the most interesting, most important crime novelist to emerge in the past 10 years.
— The Washington Post
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"[Tana French] inspires cultic devotion in readers…most crime fiction is diverting; French's is consuming.
— The New Yorker
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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
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French is a poet of mood and a master builder of plots.” —The Washington Post
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One of the most distinct and exciting new voices in crime writing.
— The Wall Street Journal
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French does something fresh with every novel, each one as powerful as the last but in a very different manner. Perhaps she has superpowers of her own? Whatever the source of her gift, it’s only growing more miraculous with every book.
— Salon.com