A review by brooksie03051
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

 
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

A teenager vanishes from her rich family's Adirondack summer camp, but this isn't the first time a child disappears here.

This dark historical fiction thriller flips back and forth from two timelines following the old campground, family, and local workers, and a case that was buried over a decade ago comes back to light when another child goes missing.  This was not just any child.  It's August 1975 and Barbara is the second child of the wealthy camp owners and is the sister of the last child, her brother nicknamed Bear who was never found and went missing before she was born. 

Lies, secrets, and an escaped convicted murderer is on the loose.  The local police have an old wound reopened in the town, and new eyes are looking into the camp and questioning everyone, including the police chief who closed that case 14 years ago.  How has this happened twice to the same family in the same place?

This story has layers that build over time, and the new police on this case aren't letting the last case go unquestioned.  The timelines flip back and forth leading up to the disappearance of both children.  The rich have secrets they don't want known and Barbara's mother has suffered greatly never getting over Bear and is convinced he's still out there.  Tragedy and many sketchy people surround this land. It's just a matter of time until the truth is revealed. 

I enjoyed this story and the author's effort to build up the characters surrounding both timelines and how they affected everyone.