Orient's Reviews > In the Woods

3,5🌟


A cover for Lithuanian edition. Creepy, IKR! 😱

I must thank two of my GR friends, Ginger and Michael, for turning my attention to this peculiar book! Thanks, guys 😉💜


Interesting plot with mysteries and stuff.

The story started off very well, with funny bits, conversations and I was hooked in from the very beginning. The first person narrative really helped and I liked following Rob Ryan in his investigation, he made me a partner and I love it in my detective reads. The grim and real police work, the dead-ends, the annoying bureaucracy and the final countdown when you reach the very essence of the story. Smooth and gripping, huh? Well, it wasn’t so all the time.



The first two fourths of the story were really interesting to read, because the writing is very detailed and expresses a well-built mystery, the pages just flew upon my eyes. The description of the places, surroundings is gripping and simply charming, I liked the common people there, with their ordinary life, was disturbed by their dark side. The atmosphere in dark moments was really effective enough to inspire horror and keep me wondering, what is there between the façade of this place.
I mentioned a problem with smoothness and I stumbled upon it when reaching the ¾ of the book. The plot is really gripping but I lost the pull when the main character decided that it’s more “interesting” to whine endlessly, bathing in self-loathing while I really REALLY wanted to know what happened further in the investigation. It just dragged the story into long and a bit boring phase with lots of eye-rolling for me. But to my great joy, this changed when I reached to the final part of the book.

Memorable characters I can root for(or hate a lot!).

The story centers upon two colleagues and best friends at the same time, they supplement each other, they are interesting and fun to observe. Until…..until one of them decides to play the drama queen for too long! Oh, I know what you’d say: ‘But this character experienced so much trouble in the past!’ I understand it, but it doesn’t leave the right to hurt another character who experienced some psychological harm, too. Moreover, knowing it and being a total selfish bastard with a friend who’s closest to you! (view spoiler)[Yes, Rob, you asshole, you deserved to be alone and see Cassie happy without you! 😤 And that’s where I am stunned in a good way. Other authors could have played it safely with a nice HEA between Rob and Cassie as a couple. I marvel the author for this but it doesn’t mean that I like it. Mainly because it’s not fair and the friendship and partnership I was in awe for.., well, it’s gone…. (hide spoiler)]



Remembering all the characters, I think that the author did a great job, they are well fleshed-out and complicated personalities with strengths and weaknesses. Some may look minor and unnecessary but it’s def not so, they all have a place in making this book outstanding and move the story forward. I loved the psychological study of the human character there a lot, the sneak peeks into psychopath’s mind and the awesome mind of the person who sees it and cracks the mysteries open! It’s a gem in this book. And her name is Cassie 💜

Some fun parts from the book 😉

Cassie moved her stuff to the desk beside mine, and Costello got stuck with Quigley and gave us sad reproachful looks for weeks, like a martyred Labrador.

“I think I’ll transfer somewhere nice and peaceful, like ERU,” I said.
“ERU needs fast response times, sweetie,” Cassie said. “If it takes you half an hour to decide what to do with an imaginary worm, they’re not gonna want you in charge of hostages.”
At that point O’Kelly banged into the squad room and demanded, “Where is everyone?” Cassie hit Alt-Tab fast; one of her worms was named O’Smelly and she had been purposefully sending him into hopeless situations, to watch him get blown up by exploding sheep.




All in all, this book is not a happy story, but it is a gripping read with suspense, interesting detective spices, peculiar and mostly charming character development, disturbing insight into what’s behind the nice surface of the ordinary life. Not sure if I continue with the series, but we'll see 😉