The God of the Woods: The unmissable new mystery thriller, a New York Times bestseller and 2024 Obama Pick Paperback – 24 Oct. 2024

Sometimes you wonder what all the hype was about when you get to read a book for yourself, but not with 'The God of the Woods'. My immediate, not very articulate, reaction is - wow! With two mysteries in two different timelines 14 years apart there is plenty to keep you reading. The characters, some likeable, some not and others in between, are all credible, helping to keep you involved in the plot. The use of multiple points of view in both timelines is a great way of drip feeding information about the disappearances and the short chapters really encourage a 'just one more chapter' attitude to reading the book - so much so that it appears I have a very tenuous understanding of the concept of one! There are plenty of red herrings and so many scenarios you can construct as the plot is slowly revealed - though I have to admit when a particular piece of information came to light, I knew a large part of the solution to one of the mysteries, but with the other case, I didn't have my eye on the ball in the same way when it came to the vital clue. So overall the novel presents an intriguing, unputdownable duo of mysteries which I couldn't quite crack - the best sort of mystery or detective novel.Finally, just a note for Liz Moore. Judyta was a great character whom I would love to meet again!

As a mood reader, I have a tendency to pick books up from a TBR so large it would leave Atlas trembling; so there are times that I challenge myself to complete goals or see if I can read books that are selected by one of the three book clubs which I am part of. It was one of these outside goals that prompted me to read “The God of the Woods”.Eclectic as my taste may be, mystery/thrillers are not my go to genre, even though I will go there from time to time. But this one was a purchase I made unwittingly and it fulfilled a set goal.The first thing I will say is that you should expect to have to read until page 70 before getting into the feel of this book. Not only do the events of the two incidents unfold back and forth in time but the story is told from so many viewpoints that it is a bit jarring. However, it does get easier as you go forward.This is a mysterious and tragic take that is equal parts thriller and family saga. What keeps your interest is that each character (most of whom have characters that would have me crossing the street to avoid them) seems to omit things or lie for one reason or another and that leads to greater tragedy. But then again, that is the nature of lying. I will admit this made for a fascinating and atmospheric read but it does make the whole experience quite dark.For those readers out there who like a good book with multiple POVs, all of which are furnished with back stories, then this is a book to add to your TBR.All in all, a well written, well plotted and surprising book that gets 4.75 stars with points lost due to its slow start.For book lovers looking for a tale with a twist.

A well written, clever story that had you guessing to the end

It is just a who done it in a different setting. It seemed a bit pointless with not much happening. The female investigator seemed to star of the book but there was no real understanding of who she was. I did not hate it and it was easy to read. A lot of characters made it a bit confusing at times but it was not an insurmountable problem.

To a degree this is slow burning, and there’s nothing groundbreaking or world-shattering - but it is a goooood read and there’s not many of those around frankly.But immediate intrigue (caused by small exposures of the different characters and events, piece by piece and swinging between past & present) genuinely cranked up the tension at a tantalising and satisfying pace.I wasn’t convinced I’d enjoy this but in the end I wanted it to both draw-out the suspense as long as possible and also satisfy my need to know immediately!The character building and era vibe/tone is written excellently - portrayed precisely and incredibly detailed without deviating your attention - not even the lowliest of characters was forgettable.This is the first book I’ve read from this author but now I’m dying to explore the others.

This is a very well-written book and the author had me hooked from the very first page. A variety of characters with emotive story lines. Think intrigue, twists and turns all against a beautiful backdrop. Brilliant!

I absolutely loved this book. To be frank it is not the sort of book I would have chosen myself, but my daughter recommended it to me and thankfully she did. Generally flashbacks in time irritate me and so do large casts of characters but in the case of this book it all works so well. The plot weaves ever more densely as the tempo picks ups and I found I couldn’t put the book down .. I thoroughly recommend !!

It’s a long time since I’ve read such a well written book, highly recommend.Loved the characters and how their stories are told.