Fifteen years ago Blair's best friend was murdered. When she returns to her hometown to be with her dying sister, Blair finds out fifteen years too late that the wrong man may be in jail. When the police don't want to listen to this new "evidence" she takes matters into her own hands and sets out to find the real killer. With the help of a private investigator, and her sheer need for closure, she stumbles into the past to find an answer. 

The first part of the book drags and it took me a bit to get into the story, but once Blair starts her true investigation the story moves along swiftly. I liked being able to feel Blair's struggle with finding the truth when so many questionable things were going on around her. The last half of the book played out like a Criminal Minds episode and I loved every second of it! I also appreciated that I was surprised by the twist in the end. I read a lot of thrillers so it's always a good sign when an author can still surprise me. 

If you can push through the slow beginning and get to the action I think this is a unique mystery/thriller and would definitely recommend.

This was an enjoyable summer read (for those of us with a thriller bias of course). The author masterfully laced suspense throughout to create a new 5 star psychologically gripping fave of mine.

Blair Butler returns to her childhood home in the Pocono Mountains in order to say goodbye to her terminally ill sister.  It is not a visit that Blair looks forward to, not least because she is always reminded of the brutal murder of her best friend, Molly, fifteen years ago.  While the killer was caught and punished, Blair has never gotten over the horror of the event.  Blair certainly expects the visit to be sad, but she is not prepared for the confession that Blair's sister, Celeste, makes on her deathbed.  Celeste claims that the police convicted the wrong man.  As Celeste proclaims his innocence, she also insists that Blair find and apprehend the real killer.

As Blair realizes the horror of her sister's claim, she understands that she must find the real killer.  However, it becomes clear early on that someone does not want Blair investigating this case.  As she delves deeper into the web of lies that was created, she begins to realize that Celeste is right.  The person sitting in jail for Molly's murder is innocent.  But, if that is the case, who is the real killer?  Is he still in the area?  And will he kill again in order to protect himself?

Awesome book.  Patricia MacDonald delivers with a mystery full of twists and turns.  Just when I thought I was onto something, the book would veer off into a different direction.  Full of suspense and intrigue, "The Girl in the Woods" will have you up late at night, wondering just what secrets might exist in YOUR town.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Blair Butler receives a phone call she was dreading. Her sister Celeste has just about lost her battle with cancer. She is now on hospice and Blair must travel to help settle her affairs, and that includes sorting out Celeste's young son's future. Blair barely makes it home in time. When she approaaches Celeste's bed, she hears a deathbed confession that rocks her to her very core. 

When Blair was 13 years old, her best friend Molly was murdered and a man named Adrian Jones was convicted and has been in prison for years. Celeste tells Blair that Adrian is innocent and that another man has literally gotten away with murder.

Blair sets out to do two things. She desperately strives to exonerate Adrian, and she also tries to find the killer. Blair has no idea what secrets are about to be exposed and what danger she will soon be facing. For starters, the police do not take much stock in what Blair has to say, nor does Adrian or her mother. It appears to be a lost cause, but Blair is relentless.

So. Blair goes around the police by seeking the aid of a reporter named Rebecca Moore and even gets the help of a private investigator, Tom Olson. As a former police officer, Tom might really be able to help Blair. She wants justice served, not only for Molly's murder, but for the innocent man behind bars.

This was a fairly good story, and it went back and forth between the past and present. The history Blair and Celeste had, and how they came to live with their uncle was explored. However, when it came to getting close to discovering Molly's killer, there was an entirely different atmosphere and level of danger. This is my first read by Patricia MacDonald. I will definitely try another one of her books in the future.

Many thanks to Black Thorn and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

A deathbed confession has a chilling consequence in this gripping novel of psychological suspense. 
Every since her bestfriend Molly was murdered fifteen years before, Blair Butler has returned to her small hometown in the Poncono mountains as a seldom as possible. She now has to go back home because her sister is terminally ill. On her death bed Celeste reveals a secret on her deathbed, and a innocent man mat have went to jail for the murder of her friend Molly all those years ago. 
The book is fast paced, and the characters are very believable...

Enjoyed the book very much. Excellent narrative and wonderful depiction of the characters. Highly recommended!

I have been a fan of Patricia MacDonald since way back in the day with The Unforgiven, followed by all of her others.  I was thrilled to receive this ARC!!  While not as fast-paced as some of her previous titles, this is still a pretty solid, suspenseful story. Easy to read and perfect for Summer!

Thank you to NetGalley, Patricia MacDonald and Black Thorn for the Arc of The Girl in the Woods
I have also reviewed on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was torn with this book. I wanted to read to see what happened next but at every point, I was underwhelmed by what happened. Blair's sister makes a death bed confession that a man was wrongly convicted 15 years earlier for murder. This I found very odd as she just refused him an alibi at the time as she was scared of her uncle's reaction. This just seemed callus I am not sure many people could live a happy life for 15 years knowing an innocent man was incarcerated. When Blair tells police after her sisters death they are not interested so she hires a private investigator to help get this man out of prison. This man had also convert to Islam and changed his name but at no point is this explained or given significance yet it was mentioned a lot?! The holes continue. The uncle breaks into a house to leave a strange gift for his ex leaving blood everywhere yet Blair thinks it's a good idea to clean up and snoop for someone portrayed as clever her actions were very different. The final twist, in my opinion, was too similar to Room and was far too predictable. Overall I gave 3 stars as it was easy to read but I think I have been quite generous.

This is a really enjoyable, easy to read story of a girl who disappears on her way home from a friend's house. The book was an easy quick read for the summer.

School friends Blair and Molly are going to Blair's home after school until Molly's parents can collect her.  Blair lives with her uncle Ellis with her sister Celeste.  It is far from a happy home but since their mother died, it is at least somewhere to live.

Molly left their house after an argument with a disgruntled Ellis and was never seen again.

The main character at the heart of this is Blair who, despite a difficult childhood, runs a successful business in Philadelphia.  Her life in her old home town had been left far behind, even though Celeste had had to move back to Ellis's house with her son Malcolm.

On her sister's deathbed, Celeste tells Blair something shocking and she finds that she cannot leave her Uncle's house after the funeral until the truth is uncovered.

A man is in prison for a murder he did not commit, the difficulties in the police reinvestigating the case and the injustice of the situation is what powers Blair to seek out the truth.

After a slowish start, the pace of the plot speeds up and I found myself caught up in this, and it is definitely worth reading to the end.

I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are all my own and completely unbiased.  My thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity.

Wow okay so this was really good and I didn't want it to end! The ending though kills me. I feel like her sister dying so quick after they spoke should have gotten drawn out a little bit more, and also the information on what happened to her best friend. I would have liked to have heard more of what they found and who was where. Uncle Ellis annoyed me and I'm honestly surprised he didn't get beat up lol. I also would laugh because I would forget who Mohammad was (Adrian) and would have to be like oh right haha. I love the plot and this definitely had me on the edge of my seat, but the ending felt so abrupt to me. I just wanted a little more time with Blair. 

I totally recommend this and thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed all of the twists and turns in this book, and look forward to reading more books by this author.

Excellent read. Hard to put the book down. Right from the start you were sucked in and new this was going to be a good one. The storyline was wicked. Not quite knowing where it was going next. There was lots of twists and turns in the road.

This was a great psychological thriller!  Lots of crazy twists and turns.  Wonderful character development!  It made some easy to love and some easy to hate. Very well done. Highly recommend! 
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A woman who thought she had escaped her tragic past is compelled to return. She then finds herself torn between her new life or seizing the opportunity to right an old wrong. By doing the right thing, she stirs up old issues in the community, and risks exposing herself and others. Believable characters and strong plot

This is a great thriller.
 I did not want to put it down. I loved the characters. The only one I did not fully understand was Darlene...did she know what was going on?
Its a quick, easy book to get lost in. 
Plus I see that the author gave a nod to Ariel...from the Ohio case of kidnapping.
GREAT BOOK!

Ok, where to start... this was a good book but it just wasnt for me. As the story went on it started to sound like the movie Room that came out in 2015 and I just could get past that aspect. The beginning had me captivated on trying to figure out who killed Blairs best friend Molly when she was 13. And how Blair was going to get the man convicted of her murder released after being wrongfully sentenced 15 years ago but as soon as you find the killer and his secrets it seemed to follow the same story line of the movie Room and that bothered me. Like I said it's a great book if you've never seen the movie room or the similarities of plots doesnt bother you read this book

When a death bed confession is revealed the suspense and twists and turns begin.  Gripping, thrilling, will keep readers racing on.

This was a very average psychological thriller in my opinion. The suspense was not there. it started out really good, but quickly lost my interest.

I give this book a 3.5.

Blair is running a successful and groundbreaking medical-related business in Philadelphia when she has to return to her small town roots because her older sister is dying and leaving behind her 10-year-old son. But her sister and nephew still live with Blair's unpleasant and horribly racist uncle, so she wants to make sure her son goes to live with her best friend instead of the uncle or Blair. But, that's really just a subplot. On her deathbed, Blair's sister confesses that years earlier, when Blair's best friend was murdered, she lied to everyone about who had done it. The wrong man has been in prison for 15 years. Now it's up to Blair to find the real killer.

This was a fast read. It drew me in, and I wanted to know what would happen next. But, without giving too much away, what did actually happen came out of left field and didn't really fit in with the rest of the story. 

I did like that for once there wasn't a random love affair half way through the book. There was a love interest, but it was not a focus anywhere, so the focus stayed on the crime and the mystery the whole time, which was a nice change from most of these mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the arc of this book. It did not influence my review.