IN THE WOODS presents two mysteries and only one is resolved, so much of the reaction revolved around whether there will be a sequel. Tana French has written a second book from the perspective of Cassie, one of the detectives who helps to solve the murder in the forest, but she leaves Rob Ryan's childhood trauma open to interpretation.

Ryan does not find out what happened to his missing friends, and this annoyed some of you. But I would argue that these doubts make In the Woods a better book. Readers must fill in the gaps and construct their own theories. Anthony Holden mailed to say that he might reread the novel to make sure he has not missed any clues. Certainly, Ryan's personality is moulded by a terrible ordeal, even if he cannot remember the details.

Even frustrated readers praised French's style and dialogue. She writes with spark, wit and pace. Ivor Mason was surprised how quickly he finished the novel; but it pulls you in with a mixture of ghostly reminiscence and the gory present.

The Likeness by Tana French is out on August 21

Star letter

This is a tale of missed opportunities, missed chances and a missing childhood. The characters were well drawn, if not necessarily sympathetic, and the story was engrossing. The picture of Ireland portrayed both in flashback and in the present was vivid, almost touchable at times.

Although I found the novel ultimately frustrating with too many plot devices and felt that it trailed off toward the end, it is definitely worth reading.

If there is a sequel then I will be in the queue to get a copy.

C. Horne, London

January 10, 2008

How does an actress and self-confesed dreamer get into the mind of a damaged, cynical detective?

Tana French trained as an actor at Trinity College Dublin and is a member of PurpleHeart Theatre Company. In the past couple of years she has focused on writing.

Why did you opt to write in the voice of a male character?

When I had the basic idea for In the Woods the character of the narrator came with it: intelligent, proud, secretive, too badly damaged to be honest either with himself or with his readers - and male. I've always had a lot of good male friends, so I think that made it easier. And, after all, as soon as you create any character, you're writing from the perspective of someone else.

Did you draw on your theatrical background to help create the characters?

Definitely. The book is first-person — everything is seen through Rob Ryan's eyes, filtered through his perceptions and described in his voice. That was my job for years: to create a character and bring an audience into her world.

Which detective writers do you most admire and did they influence you?

Donna Tartt, Josephine Tey, Dennis Lehane, Sophie Hannah; they've all influenced me - maybe not in direct ways, but in their willingness to walk those fine lines at the edge of the conventions.

Knocknaree - is this an imaginary place?

Imaginary, but unfortunately there are a lot of places in Ireland that fit the general description: hugely important archaeological sites destroyed by development. Ireland's at a very strange point - over the past ten years the economic boom has hit us with decades' worth of changes, and we're still trying to assimilate them and find a way to balance past, present and future.

Will readers be divided over Rob Ryan?

As I said, he's intelligent, sarcastic, self-deprecating, arrogant - but above all, he's damaged. What happened in his childhood cracked his mind straight across: he's not capable of trusting anything either around him or within him. A lot of readers love him; others have asked me if he's a killer, or even a psychopath. What means most to me is that they talk about him like he's someone they know.

Did you begin with a clear idea of the story?

When I started writing I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I knew the basic premise - three children run into a wood to play, only one comes out, he has no memory of what happened, and 20 years later he's a detective on a murder case that draws him back to that wood. And I had a very clear sense of the narrator; but that was it. I didn't even know whodunnit until I was about a third of the way through. I've just finished the second book [The Likeness, with Cassie as the narrator] and I wrote this one the same way: dived into it blind. I'm deeply envious of writers who have full outlines in place before they start.

Is the book to be made into a film?

There's been some talk, but nothing concrete.

How much of you is Cassie?

She's someone I'd love to know, but she's definitely not me. Cassie's a murder detective; she's chosen a career that involves being very practical, very down-to-earth, very focused. Me, on the other hand, I chose a career that involves huge amounts of daydreaming. She deals in high-stakes reality; I make stuff up for a living. She has to come face to face, without flinching, with the worst evils our society has to offer; me, there are days when I can barely stand watching the news.

Did you make a conscious effort to produce a detective story that would break new ground?

It didn't even occur to me that that was what I was doing! On the most basic level, In the Woods sticks to the genre boundaries: a little girl is murdered at the beginning, and over the course of the book Rob and Cassie find out who killed her. In some ways, though, it does push at the conventions. My favourite mystery books are the ones that do exactly that. Books set on the jagged edge where conventions meet reality - a reality in which people are flawed and complicated, justice isn't always done, truth isn't as simple as it seems, and the search for answers doesn't always have a happy ending.

THE KEY QUESTIONS

Is Tana French convincing as the voice of a male detective?

How successfully does she “bend the formula” of the detective story?

French is an actress; does this influence her writing?

Is the ending satisfactory?

Is this good enough to recommend to someone not keen on murder mysteries?

December 14, 2008

A boy suffers a trauma in a forest ... years later he must return there to investigate a murder

This is a real treat for Christmas. In the Woods is a classic murder mystery with plenty of twists and macabre detail. Adam Ryan is found in the woods near Dublin, with his shoes full of blood. But the blood is not his and it seems that the shoes were filled with it, then placed on his feet. His two friends are missing, but he cannot remember what happened. His family changes his name to Rob and sends him to boarding school so that he can escape his past and the questions he cannot answer. Ryan becomes a detective and his past resurfaces when he is sent to investigate a body found 24 years later in the same forest.

It is that of 12-year-old Katherine Devlin, who was about to go to ballet school. Ryan and his partner, Detective Cassie Maddox, are immediately suspicious of the girl's family. The father says that he has received threatening phone calls, he and his wife do not console each other, their eldest daughter seems nervous and Ryan is stunned to see the victim on the stairs — Katherine has a twin.

This is Tana French's debut and is startlingly accomplished. Many detective stories are described as “superior” to differentiate them from the many lazy and predictable thrillers out there — but this really is. French writes beautifully and is far from lazy when it comes to sprinkling clues and red herrings and developing the characters. Ryan convinces Cassie that he can handle the case even though his own mystery may be linked to Katherine's murder, but he begins to crack as his memory starts to return.

In the Woods by Tana French

Hodder, £6.99, 608pp

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