#56 [2024/CBR16] The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

I've read two books by Liz Moore so far, and I've been very impressed with both of them. Long Bright River and The Unseen World have interesting, three-dimensional characters, original plots, and are well written. I was also surprised and impressed by how different these two novels were. So, when I saw that Liz Moore had a new book coming out, I immediately put it on hold at the library. The God of the Woods (2024) is another completely different story. Although it is a well-written page turner with very interesting characters, it is probably my least favorite of the three.

In the early morning of August 1975, a thirteen-year-old girl, Barbara Van Laar, is discovered missing from her summer camp cabin. Any missing child is big news, but Barbara Van Laar is the daughter of the very rich family that owns the camp and summers in the big house up on the hill. Not only that, but Barbara's older brother, nicknamed Bear, disappeared sixteen years before when he was only eight years old. 

When Barbara's disappearance is reported, the police come charging down to help with the search and begin the investigation. Judyta has just been promoted to investigator, and she is the only female investigator in the state. Her mentor is both helpful and condescending. There are many potentially suspicious characters and/or witnesses, including: Louise, the camp counselor in charge of Barbara; TJ, the woman who runs the camp; Barbara's family; one of the camp cooks; Tracy, Barbara's best friend at camp; Louise's boyfriend, who is also a friend of the Van Laar family, and more. 

The book jumps back and forth, both in time and perspective, sometimes from the mother's point of view before she is even married, to Louise's perspective when she is arrested for possession of drugs shortly after Barbara's disappearance. This may have been one of my least favorite aspects of the book. We'd just be getting somewhere, and then the story would jump over to someone else. However, it also sometimes increased the tension. After reading a chapter from Louise's perspective, I knew what Louise had actually done and where the police were going wrong.

Once again, I was very impressed with the writing and Moore's ability to keep the mysteries straight and the characters feeling like real people with unique motivations. However, I was a little disappointed with the final revelations. Although Moore set up the story to make it believable, it was just a very unsatisfying ending for me.

I'm still very impressed by Moore and would definitely recommend this book. I think Judyta and Bear's mother Alice were some of the most memorable characters for me.