I had trouble initially connecting with the characters and sadly I didn't find myself on the edge of my seat. However, I did enjoy the ending! It had a great buildup and a great deal of suspense.

This book was a bit repetitive and I couldn’t understand how the man was convicted with little evidence. The main character made stupid decisions but was very relentless in trying to find out the truth. It was a bit predictable. And I saw the first twist coming. But not the second. It was a decent read tho. I was invested in the characters and it kept me interested throughout the story

Honestly this book was terrible. Very repetitive and dull. I'm usually pretty fair in reviewing a novel and I try to find something redeeming in the storyline or writing but, this just falls flat on all aspects. Would definitely not recommend.

Enjoyed this book! Read it in one sitting, couldn't put it down. I've never read Patricia MacDonald before so I was thrilled to find a new author to follow. 

Enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, I wasn't a fan of the ending that was very similar to a popular movie. If that was played out a little differently I would have really loved this. 

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my review.

A 15 year old unsolved murder, a deathbed confession, and an innocent man in jail is a brief summary of this mystery. Blaire’s sister confessed something on her deathbed that leads her to look for the real killer of her best friend 15 years ago. I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a quick and easy read.

Wow!  What Ana absolute thriller!  This writing really pulls you in and has you interested from Ch. 1
This story follows Blair, whose best friend Molly was murdered in their hometown 15 years ago.  Blair’s sister, Celeste, is dying.  However, she makes a shocking confession that rocks everyone’s world.  Blair doesn’t rest until she finds the absolute truth about what happened to Molly 15 years ago. 
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

The Girl in the Woods
By Patricia MacDonald

Thirteen year old Molly was visiting Blair and Celeste fifteen years ago.  Blair and Celeste live with their vile Uncle Ellis who is a racist and a Nazi collector.  Uncle Ellis is burdened by taking in Celeste and Blair because their mother died and they have no place else to live.  Molly walks home in the rain because Uncle Ellis makes her feel uncomfortable and unwelcomed.  The wrong man is convicted of killing Molly and has sat in jail for the past fifteen years.

Blair is successful and is summoned home because Celeste is dying of terminal cancer.  Celeste burdens Blair with a lie in her deathbed  confession to Blair that Celeste was too afraid of her bigoted Uncle to admit that she had been the wrongly accused man's alibi.  Blair makes it her mission to investigate and put her life in danger because the real murderer still walks a free man and the question is will he strike again?

This was slow at times and there are some unlikable characters.  This reminded me of the blockbuster book that I already read called,"Room."  A psychological thriller should be original to wow me.  Too many these days are replicas of prior books that are too closely related that I have already read.  This was an allegory into what lies can do to ruin many lives and also a caution to the ripple affect systemic to racism.  I think overall this Author is talented and I have read a more compelling book by her prior to this one.

This story was a fast beach read.  Some people who enjoy taut narratives and unlikable characters would possibly like this if they have not read, "Room."  For this reason I would rate this one 3.5 stars rounded up.  I guessed who the real murderer was far too early.  For a smart woman Blair makes some pretty poor choices.  I still think this is a worthy read and look forward to this Author's next book and future work.

Thank you to Net Galley, Patricia MacDonald and the publisher for my ARE in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All opinions are my own.

3-4 stars.  Thought this was definitely a chilling, thrilling psychological thriller.  Well written and developed in a manner that grabbed and kept my attention.  I think it was pretty intense in some spots, but lacked some of the punch I absolutely love!  Overall, a good solid read.  
I’ll make sure to buzz it up!

I could not put this thriller down! Blair is such a wonderful heroine determined to uncover the truth of the decades old murder of her childhood friend.  Really captured the woods of the Poconos.  Plan to block aside time to read the last third in one sitting because you will be haunted needing to know how it ends.  I would love more stories featuring Blair and Tom- there was some slow burn chemistry there!

The Girl in the Woods is a intriguing, suspenseful mystery. Blair Butler is called home to her uncle's house due to her sister, Celeste's emminate death. On her deathbed, Celeste confesses that she knows more about the murder of Blair's childhood best friend, Molly, then she originally omitted to police. She asks Blair to make it right. Blair sets out to clear the name of the wrongly convicted man, with the help of a private detective, but she gets too close to the truth and ends up a victim. Who killed Molly all those years ago? Will Blair be able to save herself before she is killed by the same person?

I enjoyed this thriller - it was very suspenseful, easy to read, and entertaining. The twist at the end was surprising and my favorite part of the book. Very unpredictable! Blair was such well developed character and her growth during the story was huge. If you are looking for a classic mystery, this is a great book to pick up.

Great psychological thriller!  Blair Butler comes home to see her dying sister.  Her sister makes a death bed confession regarding a friend's murder from nearly 15 years ago. She has to revisit painful memories and work to see if they sent an innocent man to jail. 
Really good read! 
Thank you NetGalley

Blair's best friend Molly was murdered fifteen years ago. Blair grew up, moved away and has a business to run. When Blair's sister, Celeste gets sick Blair returns to her hometown. There on her deathbed, Celeste tells Blair the terrible secret she has been keeping for all these years. The wrong man is serving time for the murder. Blair feels she must right this wrong, but the police are not interested. She hires a private investigator she really doesn't trust, so she stays to help with the investigation. This puts her in the real killer's site. Can they solve this mystery before someone else is killed? Some 'didn't see that coming' moments in the book. Good story overall. I would like to thank NetGalley for a copy of this book that I voluntarily reviewed.

Blair Butler returns to her hometown 15 years after the death of her best friend when she sister makes a deathbed confession that the man who spent 15 years behind bars could actually be innocent. 

This was such a brilliant concept and could have been a outstanding book, but for me, this fell a little flat. 
There were so many sub plots to this, that had no place within the actual story and just didn’t belong. 

The killer is far to easy to guess, and I had it figured from the start, and when all the jigsaw pieces start falling into place it doesn’t answer everything. There is still so many unanswered questions. This felt rushed.

This psychological thriller had me captivated from page one.  Blair must keep a promise to her late sister that she will find out who killed her friend Molly when they were children, and have an innocent man released from jail. The book travels from past to present and blends well. I liked the characters and they were realistic.  This book was fast paced and spine chilling.  
Many thanks to Blackthorn and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have read this author before so I was excited for this one! It did not disappoint. It was quite the page-turning mystery and had me on the edge of my seat right up until the end! Would definitely recommend.

Patricia MacDonald has written many books but this my first of hers to read which is exciting now for me as I have found a new author to add to my favourite authors. 
Blair Butler returns home to her dying sister and is traumatised by a death bed confession which she promised the dying woman to rectify. 
Not an easy task trying to revisit a crime from 15 years earlier and nobody is interested in as a person was tried and convicted at the time of said crime. 
Well worth a read..

Blair Butler escaped the unhappy home she grew up in and fled to Philadelphia where she created a fulfilling life. But now her sister, Celeste, is dying and she’s forced to return to say “goodbye”. What she doesn’t expect, however, is Celeste’s death-bed confession about the night her friend Molly Sinclair was murdered. Knowing there is a man in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, Blair can’t turn her back on this situation. Who killed Molly Sinclair? How did they get away with it? Are they still living in this small town in the Pocono Mountains? Armed with these questions Blair sets off to find the truth — but will the killer’s face be the last thing she sees? “The Girl in the Woods” is a good read and well-written. It held my interest and I became invested in the story and its characters. This is definitely a page-turner and I recommend it to all mystery lovers!! Disclaimer– I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Net Galley for this great book!! #NetGalley

As a fan of Patricia MacDonald for years, I really looked forward to this latest psychological suspense, and I must say that I was not disappointed.  This was the story of two sisters who were sent to live with their very bad-tempered uncle after the death of their mom.  Ellis didn’t want the girls there and made it clear that he considered them a burden.  When Blair had her friend Molly over for a visit one day after school, everything goes very badly.  Ellis sends Molly home, in the rain and through the woods and Molly is murdered.  The murderer is behind bars, or that is what everyone thinks until Celeste, Blair’s sister, confesses on her deathbed that she could have given Yusef an alibi but was too afraid of Ellis to do that.  So the wrong man is in prison and Blair spends the rest of the book trying to find who the real murderer is so that Yusef can be freed.  After fifteen years, Blair faces a real challenge and enlists the help of PI Tom Olson.  Following the clues is a twisted trail through the woods and into the lives of people who have moved on.  Blair feels guilty because of Molly’s death and is absolutely determined to find the real killer.  Her quest endangers her and the ending is a really stunning surprise.  I really enjoyed this book and know that fans of MacDonald and others who love suspense will enjoy it as well.  It does deal with the mature topic of abuse.

Great mystery/thriller and a quick read.  Blair returns to her childhood home to be at her dying sister's side only to receive a deathbed confession that sends her reeling.  Her sister admits lying to police officers years before that resulted in the wrong man being sent to prison for the murder of Blair's childhood best friend, Molly.  Blair teams up with a local private detective and risks her life to learn the truth.  Fast-paced thriller with several twists.
***Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC***

I'm not sure why but I couldn't really engage in this book. Wasn't really for me, but overall would recommend to someone who likes a quick psychological thriller.