In the Woods is the first installment in the Dublin Murder Squad series by author Tana French. The novel follows detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox, members of Dublin's Murder Squad (DMS), as they investigate a case of a 12-year-old girl who went missing in a neighboring town. In the Woods introduces readers to the unique challenges faced by detectives in a major metropolitan city while digging into the depths of a mysterious and haunting crime.
Chapter 1: The terror of the woods is introduced when a 12-year-old girl is discovered dead in a local location, Knocknaree, with the only trace of the perpetrator being a note with a single word: sorry.
Chapter 2: The investigation begins, and the detectives are taken to the scene of the crime by the lead detective on the case, Colm. Colm is a stern and pragmatic figure who guides them throughout the novel and opens their eyes to both the horror of the scene in front of them as well as the numerous questions and paths the team will have to take to solve the case.
Chapter 3: The detectives begin their interviews with the family and acquaintances of the victim. Through the interviews, they are able to piece together a timeline of potential suspects and motives.
Chapter 4: Ryan and Maddox travel to the crime scene and are able to put together a list of potential evidence that could lead to the murderer.
Chapter 5: The bodies of two more victims are discovered in the woods proving that the original murder was not an isolated incident.
Chapter 6: The DMS team discovers a sinister symbol carved into the corpses that could be linked to an ancient and mysterious secret cult.
Chapter 7: With the evidence gathered, Ryan and Maddox begin to theorize and piece the puzzle together to come to the conclusion that the killer could in fact be a figure from their own past.
Chapter 8: The detectives return to the woods in order to find any more evidence that can help them to come to a conclusion.
Chapter 9: Ryan and Maddox track down the suspect and attempt to figure out his motive.
Chapter 10: Through further investigation, Ryan and Maddox lay out the web of evidence connecting the suspect to the crime and are able to build a case against him.
Chapter 11: The suspect is taken into custody and the team is able to close the case.
Epilogue: After the conclusion of the case, Rob Ryan is left to reflect on the events and try to make sense of how it all unraveled. The novel ends with Ryan realizing that though justice has been done, he must also take responsibility for some of his own actions.
