Liz Moore is back at it again, this time trading the gritty streets of Long Bright River for the eerie expanse of the Adirondack wilderness. And let me tell you, this book doesn’t just flirt with mystery—it slow dances with it in the moonlight.
Set in 1975, The God of the Woods unravels the disappearance of 13-year-old Barbara Van Laar from her family’s exclusive summer camp. But this isn’t the first Van Laar to vanish—her older brother, Bear, pulled a Houdini act 14 years prior, and the wounds never quite healed. Enter Judy Luptack, a young investigator with more determination than experience, ready to sift through the tangled mess of privilege, power, and paranoia surrounding the Van Laar dynasty.
Moore juggles multiple timelines and perspectives like a literary acrobat, crafting a world where the woods aren’t just a setting but a character in their own right—beautiful, ominous, and always watching. The writing is sharp, the atmosphere thick with tension, and the mystery? Oh, it mystifies, my friends. But fair warning: if you have the attention span of a goldfish, the narrative shifts might leave you blinking in confusion.
The real brilliance of The God of the Woods lies in how it explores generational trauma and the weight of secrets, all while keeping readers perched on the edge of their seats. The final act doesn’t so much shock as it satisfies, tying up loose ends while leaving just enough threads to tug at your imagination long after you close the book.
Final Verdict: ★★★★☆ (4/5 stars)
A haunting, intelligent mystery steeped in nostalgia and suspense. A touch slow in places, but Moore knows how to reel you in and keep you hooked. Fans of The Secret History and Where the Crawdads Sing will eat this up.