I may have read fewer books this year but made an effort to start reading the ones I own. I owe it to my bookshelves to continue the trend in 2024. Tana French’s In the Woods has been on my shelf for way too long. It lived up to all the expectations from past CBR reviews. And I got to “travel” to Dublin for the CBR15 passport challenge.

CBR15 Passport Challenge: Books from different countries (book 1 of 3)

The first Dublin Murder Squad novel is from Detective Rob Ryan’s perspective. As a child, he was lost in the woods with his two childhood friends. He was the only one who came back. Years later as an adult, he investigates a child’s murder in the same woods. Needless to say, it unearths some dark memories. His partner Cassie and he have a great rhythm and solve rate. But things deteriorate as he desperately wants to solve the case. The novel muses on the effect of murder cases on the detectives. Rob shouldn’t be on the case, but it’s pathological for him to want to fill the lost time he had in the woods.

So many Cannonball readers love the Dublin Murder Squad series, and now I see why! It’s not a classic whodunnit mystery, but more of a psychological study of Rob and Cassie. The best part was the development of the partner relationship. I loved their dinners together to go over the case. They had this spoken and unspoken rapport. Cassie was one of the first women on the squad. She impressed Rob and tried to help him when he got in too deep. Rob was such a mess by the end, but it all made sense. It just was disheartening. They figured out who murdered the present-day victim, but things were less clear for Rob. All we learn for sure is that murder cases take a toll. Believe the hype and start these books. If you love The Wire or True Detective (season 1 of course), try this Irish mystery focused more on the inner mind of the detective.

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