I listened to this on on Audible while we were home over the holidays and I was doing so much running around in the car. It was good. Read by Saskia Maarleveld, who reads many other Audible’s including the Kate Quinn books. Lots of family drama and a murder mystery too. Here is my book review The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.
Location
For me personally I enjoyed the region this book is placed in upstate New York and the Adirondacks. I enjoy this area very much. Moore’s description of the area, the summer camp and the geographical beauty was accurate and engaging.
The Plot
The novel is set in an area of up state New York where a family owns a remote but opulent summer home that employs much of the nearby town. The estate was originally a hunting and fishing lodge, and it retains a part of the land for a summer camp for wealthy kids. This is how we are introduced to the story. Like many books the mystique of the plot relies on jumping around between the mid 1950’s, an event that happens in 1961 and the current time of 1975.
Parts of the plot are good, but other parts were a stretch as far as believable..despite the fact the story is set in the 1960’s and 70’s. Even back then I don’t think a missing person/murder investigation would be handled the way the one in this story was handled. I had my own set of suspects for most of the book…I turned out to be wrong. There are some intense moments, and plot twists I didn’t see coming, including the ending. You will encounter addiction, loneliness, poverty, corruption and wealth as well as gender issues during a time when women were only beginning to advance.
The Characters
There are a lot of characters in the book. I didn’t have any trouble keeping them straight in my mind, and most are well developed. Some are very annoying, but that was in keeping with the story line; a simpering wife who turns to alcohol; an overbearing husband who uses his wealth and prestige to get what he wants; a quiet hard working camp director who seems to be hiding something; and a female detective trying to solve the case despite the roadblocks thrown her way as the first women Investigator in New York.
There are many more characters too who move the plot forward, some more believable than others.
Book Review The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
I liked but didn’t love this book despite the great reviews it has received from many other reviewers. I do recommend it for suspense and the topic of female characters navigating the changing times.
****Four stars for The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. Thanks for reading my book review The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. See last week’s book review A Sterling Life by Mark Hester.
We love it when you pin, share and comment on our book reviews. Thank you.
