In the Woods

In the Woods by Irish author Tana French is the story of two Dublin police detectives assigned to the Murder Squad. Published in 2007, this is the first book in the Dublin Murder Squad mystery-thriller series. The novel debuted to much critical praise for its intelligent plot and clever pacing. The novel’s main protagonist and narrators is Detective Adam Robert Ryan, who experienced a horrific ordeal as a child.

At age 12, Adam loses his best friends Jamie Rowan and Peter Savage while playing in the woods. Adam is eventually discovered standing in the woods with his back to a tree, his fingers digging into the bark. His shoes and socks are soaked with blood. Adam doesn’t speak for two weeks afterward and has no memory of what happened to him or his friends. Jamie and Peter are never found.

Adam’s parents move away from Knocknaree, a suburb of Dublin, where the disappearance occurred. They send their son to an upscale boarding school where he acquires a polished British accent and goes by his middle name, Rob. As an adult, Rob puts the past firmly behind him and eventually becomes a detective with the elite Dublin Murder Squad.