BookBrowse Reviews What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

BookBrowse:

Mysteries abound in Kate Alice Marshall's debut adult novel, set in the forests of the Pacific Northwest.

Seattle photographer Naomi Shaw was just eleven when she was attacked in the woods near her home town of Chester, Washington. Stabbed 17 times, she barely survived and still bears the scars from the incident — both physical and psychological. Her friends Cassidy and Olivia witnessed the violence, and together the three girls identified a suspected serial killer as Naomi's assailant, sending him to prison for life. Now, 22 years later, news of the man's death resurrects old memories among the three women. Olivia summons Naomi back to Chester, telling her and Cassidy that she wants to reveal secrets about that day and setting off a chain of events that will send their small town reeling.

At first the mystery at the novel's heart seems fairly simple — what really happened that day and why — but as Naomi peels back the layers of memory, more questions are raised than are answered. The novel is intricately plotted, with an unusually large cast of potential suspects and a liberal sprinkling of red herrings throughout. But although the story is quite involved, Marshall lays it out skillfully for the reader, keeping its complexity from becoming confusing as one navigates its many twists and turns. Reading the novel feels a bit like riding a roller coaster: enjoying a slow build-up followed by a breakneck rush to the conclusion. The book eventually becomes absolutely unputdownable, as the revelations come fast and furious near the novel's conclusion.

A great thriller relies not only on a gripping plot, but also on compelling characters, and Marshall is brilliant here as well. She imbues all her characters with depth and personality, but Naomi in particular is a marvelous balance of toughness and vulnerability. She's cynical and self-destructive — often unlikeable — yet someone readers will root for in the end. Her voice comes across as authentic, too; she knows she's damaged and has her faults, and this self-awareness ultimately makes her an appealing heroine.

Finally, Marshall's writing is gorgeous, conjuring up the misty forests of the Pacific Northwest as well as the atmosphere in Chester, a town so small its mayor is also the owner of its only sawmill. I was particularly struck by the passages concerning the girls' childhood:

We raced down narrow trails, hair flying wind-wild behind us…We made ourselves into warriors, into queens, into goddesses. Fern leaves and dandelions became poultices and potions, and we sang incantations to the trees. We gave ourselves new names: Artemis, Athena, Hecate. Conversations were in code, our letters filled with elaborate ciphers, and we taught ourselves the meanings of stones.

Marshall is known for her young adult novels, but readers should be aware that What Lies in the Woods, her adult debut, is definitely tailored to a more mature audience, with plenty of violence and rough language. Naomi consumes a lot of alcohol and engages in intimacy with random men, and also recalls an attempted rape. Although the depictions of sex aren't graphic, they're explicit enough that at minimum I'd give it a PG-13 rating if it were a movie.

Truly engrossing mysteries are hard to find, and when I stumble across one, I treasure it. What Lies in the Woods is one of the most absorbing entries in the genre I've encountered. With the exception of one small plot twist most will likely see coming, I was kept guessing "whodunnit" until the very end. This well-constructed novel is sure to be a hit with mystery and thriller lovers.

This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in February 2023, and has been updated for the January 2024 edition. Click here to go to this issue.