I started off liking this book. I liked the premise--Blair hears her sister's deathbed confession that the man arrested for Blair's best friend's murder has been wrongly convicted and imprisoned for the past 15 years. Blair decides that it is her duty to get the man freed, but it isn't as easy as she thinks at first.

The narrative of this book is very uneven. Lots of stops and starts, although Blair is super smart and owns her own company she makes MANY terrible decisions that seem contrary to her purported intelligence.

And let me just mention that the book totally jumps the shark toward the end: Spoiler: [ The blatant rip-off of the book/movie Room is just unforgivable. And Blair is a total idiot when she walks right into the situation. Although she makes poor choices throughout the book, this one was so stupid it just made me roll my eyes. An entire star off for the rip off plot and Blair's stupidity)]

There were so many plot holes--how this guy got convicted with no evidence was one of them. And so many non-issues just absolutely harped on--the uncle's Nazi collection, the fact that the convicted guy converted to become a Muslim and changed his name--totally no relevance yet mentioned over and over and over and over again.

This one just did not work for me at all. I have liked other books by this author so maybe this is a fluke.

This book was just okay for me. This is one of my favorite authors. I have read just about everything that she has written. Somewhere along the line the story fell flat and it was a struggle to even connect with the characters. it was a bit predictable also. I’m not hard to please with my literary taste but I found myself struggling to get through this book. Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book for my honest opinion..I give this book 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blair once had a best friend Molly. Fifteen years ago, Molly was murdered. Blair has never forgotten her best friend and when her dying sister tells her about the lie she told regarding the murder 15 years ago, Blair promises her sister that she will do all she can to help right a wrong.

The wrong man is sitting in prison for Molly's murder if her sister's story is to be believed. Blair knows she has to help him even if he isn't looking for help and resents her trying.

Between the death of her sister, returning to her hated hometown and the uncle she despises, Blair is caught up in danger that may be more than she can handle.

Very good book, I wanted to get into the mind of the baddies a little more. Straightforward story that will keep you up at night!

The Girl in the Wood was a fantastic thriller that had me perplexed until the finish. It had me memorized from the very first page, and staying up late into the night reading. So many twists and turns, I sometimes wondered where the story was going next. It was such a tragic story, but so realtisic too. This book was my first book by Patricia MacDonald, and defintely wont be my last.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley to the advanced copy of the book.
#Netgalley
#TheGirlInTheWoods

I didn't really connect to the characters but still enjoyed the story. Interesting premise. Sometimes I find that thrillers fall a little flat.

This was a really dark, tense thriller. I found the story engrossing and I enjoyed the ways the layers of the mystery were gradually un-peeled. There was a lot of depth to the characters and it was really well written. Looking forward to reading more from the author.

The Girl in the Woods
Patricia MacDonald
3 ⭐⭐⭐

Description:
Fifteen years ago, Blair's best friend Molly was murdered.
Fifteen years ago, Adrian Jones went to prison for it.
Fifteen years ago, the real killer got away with it. And now, Blair's terminally ill sister has made a devastating deathbed confession, which could prove that the wrong man has been imprisoned for years - and that Molly's killer is still out there. Blair's determined to find him, but the story behind Molly's death is more twisted than she could imagine. If she isn't careful, the killer will ensnare her and bury Blair with his secret
📔📗📘My Review📔📗📘
This book sounded like it would be good and i had such high hopes for it.
I usually love anything this author writes but this one failed to gain and keep my attention. The characters were not fully devolped and i could not really connect with any of them. Some parts of the book were a little repetitive. I figured out who the killer was very, very early in the story. So many things in this book were just so unbelievable. All in all this was an ok read. Not something i would care to buy or ever reread. However i am looking foward to her next book and hopefully it will be as amazing as all of her other books are.

This book was fast paced and exciting! I honestly couldn’t put it down! I just had to know what Blair was up to and what would happen next. The characters were great and really made the story come together. I truly loved everything about this book, I honestly can’t say enough good things!

I loved this hugely suspenseful and engrossing thriller! The author, Patricia MacDonald's descriptive writing and dialogue were lively and fast-paced, and the characters were well-drawn, highly defined and credible.

In this multi-layered page-turner, there were many surprises and the exciting plot was greatly appreciated as, for me, it was executed with subtlety and skill. I loved that the story culminated in a chilling, exciting and very intense finale. The Girl in the Woods was a delightfully enthralling and captivating read that evoked feelings of frustration and determination needed to resolve the crime.

A very highly recommended and worthwhile read!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Black Thorn via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This wasn't my favorite book. The premise was good but I had a really hard time getting into the characters. I ended up skimming through the last part of the book.

In my opinion, this was not one of Patricia McDonalds best offerings. The storyline lacked depth and the characters were not relatable. I did finish it, but was ready for it to end right away. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review

The Girl in the Woods by Patricia MacDonald
Severn House Publishers: 2/1/19 (reprint)
eBook review copy; 240 pages
ISBN-13: 9781847518941

The Girl in the Woods by Patricia MacDonald is a so-so/recommended mystery surrounding a murder that occurred fifteen years previously.

Blair Butler has returned to the small town where she and her sister, Celeste, grew up with their Uncle Ellis after their mother died. Blair left as soon as she was able and never looked back, especially after her best friend, Molly, was murdered there fifteen years ago when the girls were thirteen. Now Celeste is dying and Blair returns to her bedside, only to have her sister tell her a shocking secret that means the man convicted of killing Molly is not guilty and the real killer is still out there. Molly begins to investigate and let people know about her sister's secret, but this only seems to stir up more secrets and resentment.

This is all in all, an okay mystery/thriller, with nothing to really set it apart or make it stand out. Blair is an annoying character/caricature, but she is set in a novel full of annoying characters/caricatures who all are representative of a certain type of person. Descriptions of characters are simply a repeated rehashing of their negative personality traits and actions. The narrative itself is very derivative and takes huge plot elements from several other novels (two novels in particular) so there is no real original story telling here. You will likely know where the story is going. It is, however, a fast and quick read. (I've rounded up to three stars.)

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Severn House Publishers.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2019/07/the-girl-in-woods.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2882997545
https://www.librarything.com/work/20847973/book/170500252
https://twitter.com/SheTreadsSoftly/status/1146850783301947393

This feel the story of two sisters, when one dies she tells the other a secret. A secret she is left to act upon.
The premise was good and the start promising but I just didn't enjoy this. A big part of which being that I guessed the killer correctly very early on, and I felt the story followed a predictable pattern, with predictable characters.
I ended up skim reading the second half as it just didn’t hold my interest.
Not one for me I’m afraid but ok for a non taxing beach read maybe.

A little girl dies on her way home from her best friend, Blair Butlers house. Fifteen years late, Blair returns to visit her dying sister, Celeste. Celeste reveals a secret on her deathbed. A secret that might have seen an innocent man go to prison. Blair sets out to find what exactly what happened the day Molly died.

Blair hires PI Tom Olson to help her find the truth and the person that murdered Molly. Blair had always blamed herself for the circumstances surrounding Molly's death. The pace is fast and the characters believable. There are a few surprises along the way. I liked the authors style in writing. A chilling and quite intense read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Black Thorn and the author Patricka MacDonald

4.5 stars! I was really intrigued by the synopsis for this book, and I’m so glad I read it!

The story begins with the last day Blair sees her best friend, Molly, alive and I was immediately drawn in. Fifteen years go by, and Blair returns to her hometown to be by her sister’s side as she ends her battle with cancer. But just before Celeste passes, she confesses that the man who went to prison for Molly’s murder is innocent and she could have been his alibi. Blair is determined to help free Adrian, but in order to do she needs to find the real killer. She hires Tom Olsen, a private investigator who was a patrolman at the time of Molly’s murder, and together they dig through the past and and try to piece together what really happened.

I really enjoyed this book! The story was well-paced and the dialogue and narrative flowed so well that I couldn’t put it down. Some parts of the book were a little repetitive, and I was a little disappointed that I figured out who the killer was pretty early on in the story, but overall I thought it was great read.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2878606379

It’s been 15 years since Molly was killed, 15 years since Adrian Jones was wrongfully convicted of the murder and sent to jail. Now, Molly’s best friend Blair hears a shocking story from her dying sister. A story that tells Blair that her best friend’s killer got away with murder. Determined to set Adrian free and find the real killer, Blair is willing to do whatever it takes to get justice for her friend. But she will be unprepared for what she ultimately uncovers

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review this book. A interesting book on a very common topic that the author was able to add a element of surprise to. A murdered teen, her young teen best friend who blames herself, and a deathbed confession all add up to a decent read. Add a verbally abusive, alcoholic, racist, Nazi collector and you have a perfect character to hate. 4 stars

This.....this was not good. It's the same story over and over. Cancer, racists, murder. I'm tired of these kinds of stories. It felt like a computer just spit this out.

The characters and their interactions all felt very real. I myself once had an uncle much like Uncle Ellis (except worse) so I was completely able to relate to Blair’s unfavorable view of her uncle and his beliefs.

The thought processes and emotions of the characters all felt appropriate and realistic as the story progressed.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the natural progression of the storyline and Blair’s reaction to the investigation that she has been thrown into is a believable one. She is overwhelmed and unsure of where to start. She understands that she is not a lawyer, a cop or an investigator. She knows that she will need assistance to figure this out.

The only part that I didn’t think was necessary was Blair’s working with the reporter. I think that whole part could have been left out and she could have gone straight to working with the private eye. I think everything that was accomplished in that part of the narration could have been achieved without that character or maybe with smaller involvement of that character.

I enjoyed this mystery much more than I did the mystery that I read last month. These characters seemed much more realistic and the writing was 100x better.

This was a really enthralling and captivating read that enables the reader to feel the frustration, guilt and determination Blair needs to resolve this crime.

I would definitely recommend this book. It was the perfect mystery that I needed. It was an interesting easy read with the perfect amount of suspense and thrill.

My rating would actually be 3.5 but half stars are not an option here. The story itself was great but i found myself not connecting well with the main character and i also found the plot a little bit drawn out until the end. The fast rush unexpected ending made up for the darn out earlier story. It was fantastic and amazing! I only wish i had liked the characters a little more.