August 1975: Teenage Barbara Van Laar, daughter of the region’s wealthiest family, has disappeared from her summer camp bunk bed. Complicating matters severely is the fact that her family owns the camp and employs most of the region’s working-class residents. Also: Barbara’s older brother disappeared much the same way 14 years ago.

This book was something else and I’m so grateful that I got to read an advance copy. Told from several viewpoints both in character and time, the story focuses on the Van Laar family. The story is a tragedy told beautifully and realistically, I could picture Camp Emerson perfectly and the grand house Self-Reliance set in the grounds. Flicking between the 1950s, 1961 when Bear went missing and 1975 (present day in the book) when Barbara has disappeared the characters interwoven stories emerge and untangle themselves.

A true summer powerhouse novel, focusing around the lives of several women - I loved the themes of each woman’s story, Alice’s secrets, Judyta’s dreams. Combine that with the location in the Adirondacks, the historical setting, the mystery and police procedural elements and you have an outstanding read.

Louise ist Betreuerin in einem Sommer Camp. Sie ist für die Gruppe von neun 13-jährigen Mädchen zuständig. Eines Morgens beim Aufwachen fehlt eines der Mädchen. Barbara, die Tochter der Camp Betreiber. Louises 17-jährige Camp Helferin sollte über Nacht aufpassen, kam der Pflicht aber wohl nicht nach. Noch bevor sie andere informiert beginnt sie Überreste ihrer eigenen Freizügigkeit schnell verschwinden zu lassen und tut ahnungslos.

In den folgenden Kapiteln werden andere maßgebliche Figuren aus der Gruppe und dem Camp eingeführt, ihre Hintergründe werden schnell klar.

Wir bekommen mit, wie die Camp Leiterin TJ einige Wochen zuvor den Vorschlag von Barbaras Mutter, dass sie am diesjährigen Camp teilnimmt, zunächst ablehnt. Barbara hat sich in letzter Zeit als immer schwieriger gezeigt. Doch ihre Mutter möchten sie für die bevorstehende Party zum Hundertjährigen Bestehen aus den Füßen haben. Nach all den Jahren erinnert sie sich noch viel zu oft schmerzlich an ihren Sohn, der vor 14 Jahren spurlos verschwand. Manche Tage kann sie nur durch Tabletten und die zahlreichen Tipps ihres Therapeuten funktionieren.

Zunächst sucht Louise allein nach der Vermissten bevor sie die Camp Direktorin TJ informiert. Und gleich bei der ersten Rückfrage lügt sie sie an.
Auch wenn zunächst nicht viel passiert, ist das Buch spannend geschrieben. Die Atmosphäre des Camps und die Art der Reichen zu leben werden lebendig. Die Autorin kann die vergangenen Zeiten um 1961 und 1975 für die Leser neu beleben.

Durch die vielen Camp Teilnehmer und Beschäftigten und die komplexen Familienverbände gibt es zahlreiche interessante Nebenfiguren. Das und die zahlreichen Sprünge in der Zeitlinie erfordern die Aufmerksamkeit des Lesers.

Nach dem ersten Drittel wird die 26-jährige State Trooperin Judyta Luptack eingeführt. Sie ist neu aufgestiegen in das New York Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Sie wurde mit ihrem Partner und Mentor dem Vermisstenfall zugewiesen. Aber nun wird auch noch ein weiteres Mädchen vermisst. Getrennt durch verschiedene Zeitebenen und wechselnde Kapitel erleben wir parallel die Suche nach Barbara und nach ihrem jungen Bruder vor 14 Jahren. Die Autorin versetzt einen gelungen in die vergangenen Zeiten zurück.

Obwohl ich noch nie in einem Sommer Camp war, ist es der Autorin mit diesem Roman gelungen alte, verschollene, sommerliche Kindheitserinnerungen in mir wach zu rufen. Trotz der spannenden und teils erschütternden Ereignisse hat mich die Geschichte wohlig umfangen.

I found myself completely engrossed in this captivating mystery/thriller set in the 1970s. This is not typically the genre I thought I’d enjoy—historical reads just don’t do it for me. However, ‘The God of the Woods’ has destroyed this theory.

The evocative portrayal of the nostalgic summer camp atmosphere provided the perfect setting for the unfolding events, creating a sense of tension that was expertly constructed.

What truly stood out to me was the author's exceptional storytelling ability, which diverged from the usual thriller conventions. The rich dialogue and the well-developed characters make for an unforgettable read. The unexpected twists and revelations in the conclusion took me by surprise making a perfect finish.

The alternating viewpoints throughout the story were skilfully executed, seamlessly transporting me through the different decades and leaving me in awe. While there were moments when the pacing was a little too slow for my preferences, the payoff at the end made it all worthwhile.

This is undeniably a book that I would highly recommend.

“How many times in her life has she said yes to a boy or a man just because it was the easiest thing to do? How many times has she let a man take what he wanted, instead of taking something for herself?”

In 1975, 13-year-old Barbara Van Laar goes missing from the bunk bed of her summer camp. She's the daughter of the wealthy family that owns the camp, and a massive search is launched. It's an echo of a search that took place 14 years prior when Barbara's brother Bear went missing in the woods next to the camp. He was never found. Did Barbara leave of her own accord? Or is an escaped serial killer to blame?

The author gives us the perspectives of multiple people involved in the story, which also takes place across multiple timelines, for example, exploring what happened during the search for Bear. From Barbara's camp counsellor to her only friend there, her mother and one of the rangers sent to find her, Liz Moore strips the mystery down layer by layer until only a shocking truth remains.

I could not help but empathise with Barbara, whose family is largely made up of truly awful people who treat her horrendously. Then there is Louise, the counsellor, who is treated just as shabbily by the Van Laars because of her perceived low status.

I enjoyed this book immensely. The author brilliantly explores this mystery in a multi-faceted way, showing how the past is prologue, and exploring the ripple effects secrets have years later. It's about the damage families can do to each other and those around them, and about how wealth rarely protects you from tragedy.

Trigger warnings: domestic abuse

This was the first book that I have read by Liz Moore.
Initially, I struggled with the multiple points of view and remembering everyone's names. But as the story developed I enjoyed the character of the female investigator and her background, and the role she played in the thriller.
Good twist at the end, too, when we find out what actually happened to Bear.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

thanks to net galley and the publishers for an advanced ecopy for a review. I liked that the book flicked between past from 1950s up to the present in the 70s. The book is told from a variety of characters points of views which I liked as you gradually were able to build a picture up from all their lives. The book is based around land in America occupied by woods and a camp. Follows the Van Laars family who have had their son go missing 12 years prior and now their daughter Barbara has also gone missing. I liked the female led roles especially Judyta who is the investigator in a male led career and environment. The books is full of families secrets and lies and this is different to other books I have read and very enjoyable I will be recommending.

Good read. Strughled in the beginning with all the characters but got into it. Page turner and get twist. Can't wait to too if a sequel

This book is well written, but so very long. I found it difficult keep track of the multiple POVs and the ever switching back and forward of the timelines. At times it was really confusing trying to decide who was in which timeline. The different stories around the missing children were not as gripping as they should have been. Eventually this book just became a real hard slog to keep reading, with the result that I skim read much of it.
This did not live up to the hype for me, I was disappointed.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Thank you @lizmoorebooks for restoring my faith in reading! I've been dragging myself through a few books lately but they either bombed for me or were DNF but this was absolutely Fandabbidozzi!!

Summer camp+ missing kids+unsolved mysteries= a captivating thriller!

Loved so much about this perfect summer thriller! The story is set over numerous timelines (loved how all the timelines are listed at the beginning of each chapter with just the era concerned highlighted...see pic 2).
Two siblings go missing decades apart and its up to a fresh faced investigator named Judy to solve the deep twisted mystery. It bobs between timelines featuring a generous plethora of intriguing characters yet I never found it confusing..that could be because I devoured it I 48 hours! Literally COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN...its the first time a book has kept me up past midnight reading under the covers by kindle light in a loooong time

Highly recommend this to all but especially to thriller lovers and those after a dark and twisted summer beach read!

The God of the Woods came to me at the height of summer and felt preordained to be the right book read at the right time. I was engrossed by it, invested in the parallel storylines of missing Van Laar children in and around Camp Emerson, Bear in 1961 and Barbara in 1975.

I struggle to pinpoint exactly what it was that struck a chord with me. Character development is key, certainly. Particularly regarding Alice, and Judy, too. Intelligent capable women, both, one wealthy yet a prisoner of circumstance, the other working class but a smart, diligent worker who gave her all to break from expectation and societal limitations. The haves and the have nots bring into sharp relief a class imbalance within this text that weaves flawlessly within the mystery of these two disappearances. Those with money and influence can do no wrong whilst those hardly getting by seem to pay a steep price for their lowly status. This does feel strongly of that era, especially the casual sexism, though I suspect that imbalance is just as strong now as it ever was.

This is a bittersweet tale that gripped my imagination in a subtle way. Every tid bit of information in the search for the truth, as well as the children, themselves, was gently and thoughtfully delivered. There is an atmospheric power that ratchets the tension ever so slightly as the drama unfolds. Brilliant stuff well worth reading, I promise you.

The God in the Woods is set in the Adirondacks in 1975. The Van Laar family run a yearly children’s camp in the grounds of their estate and this year they have finally allowed teenage Barbara Van Laar to attend.
However, within a few weeks Barbara has disappeared, echoing the disappearance of her brother Bear 14,years before. Soon old secrets are unearthed and the police investigating have far more to deal with than they first imagined.
This is an intense and detailed read, close to 500 pages, it’s a pretty long one too. However, it’s is very absorbing and kept me reading. The sense of time and place is perfect as the book moves between 1961 and 1975. The details of the grand estate with its parties and the 70s children’s camp are beautifully drawn. The cast of characters is large and most are vivid, particularly Bear and Barbara’s tragic mother and the the young policewomen working the case. Both are women constrained by what society wants from them and either failing or succeeding to break free.
This is a really intelligent literary thriller and the end is satisfying in the strangest of ways.

An atmospheric and intriguing mystery set in a summer camp in 1975 that starts with the disappearance of a teenager. Interesting characters, great sense of time and place and the denouement is satisfying and concludes the story well.

It’s 1975 and summer camp at a remote preserve in the Adirondack mountains, Northeastern New York, is drawing towards a close. Then one of the teenagers, Barbara, goes missing. But she isn’t just any camper, she is the daughter of the affluent Van Laar family, whose picturesque lands of forests and lakes around their grand lodge have hosted these summer campers for several generations. She also isn’t the first Van Laar child to go missing, with the disappearance of her brother Bear 14 years earlier.

Moving back and forth in time, and spanning three decades, The God of the Woods is a gripping literary thriller and family saga, centering around a powerful family that both looms above and remains intricately linked to the local, hard-working community around it, written in short propulsive chapters from a diverse mix of key perspectives. Louise, the camp counsellor who is trying to work her way to a better life than what she has come from, and who was in charge of Barbara when she went missing. Tracy, a shy and awkward camper whose summer is changed when the defiant but magnetic Barbara chooses her as a friend. Alice, Barbara’s mother, drawn into the Van Laar family at a young age. Judyta, the brilliant young investigator who has to fight for responsibility and respect. And several other characters, each one of whose storyline contributes new pieces bit by bit to this intricately crafted puzzle, as we draw closer to an end that I didn’t see coming until just before all was revealed.

From well-developed characters with compelling back stories, that we can’t help but become invested in, and vividly captured settings, to a fully immersive writing style and a clever, compulsive plot, Moore’s novel explores everything from privilege, misogyny and abuse of power, to complex families and betrayal, loss and trauma, well kept secrets, and the ties that bind and break people. I loved absolutely everything about this book, to say it’s a page-turner would be putting it lightly, and it was one of those ones that, as soon as I finished it, I wished I could start all over again for the first time. Highly recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the DRC.

Quite an intriguing read. A thirteen year old girl disappears from summer camp and echoes a past disappearance. There are many past secrets to be uncovered, together with a healthy dash of family pride and loyalties. As we might expect there is a lot of money at stake and jealousies.
I enjoyed the sense of mystery and desperation of the story and it was quite atmospheric. A recommend from me.

I thought this novel was an excellent page turner. Set in a small rural community a young girl goes missing just like her brother years ago. She is the daughter of the Van Laars , a powerful family who own a camp that young people go to , to engage in activities. In comes Judy who is investigating, she comes across a lot of hostility and a web of lies that span many years. I love the atmosphere of small communities where there are secrets galore. It is told from various people so you get a slow mystery where the plot is revealed over time. It is a novel about privilege and money and what it can buy you. It’s a coming of age story with consequences. It’s a story about family and loyalty, as well as love and grief. I have read Long Bright River by this author and loved it. I am definitely going to read more.

I remember reading Long Bright River by Liz Moore and enjoying it (although I can't remember a thing about it!) so when I saw God Of The Woods on netgalley I had to request it!

Let me tell you this book felt so long!! At 496 pages (and this number annoyed me so much as it's so close to 500 but goes in the 300-499 category on story graph 🥴). The story is slow. There are a ton of characters and a dual timeline (and the netgalley format made this so much more confusing than it needed to be!).

There are 2 missing children in this book. Barbara Van Laar has gone missing from summer camp in 1975. Back in 1961 her younger brother Bear Van Laar also went missing. The story was intriguing but it was so slow that by the time it was all revealed at the end, I wasn't really sure I cared!

It is very well written but I found I just didn't get invested into the characters and the story the way I was hoping to! In the end I found it a bit of a slog! Can't like them all I guess!

This is currently in my 'favourites of 2024' list. I couldn‘t put it down! The Van Laars own a camp in the middle of the woods. In 1975 Barbara, their daughter, is missing from her camp bunk. 15 years earlier her brother, Bear, also went missing in the woods and was never found. Are the two disappearances connected?

I loved all of the characters (or loved to hate some of them!) and there were so many twists and turns, which I didn‘t see coming at all.

Highly recommended!

This was a fascinating story with lots of ups amd downs. Well described characters that brought the story to life. I did like the conclusion, very clever!!

Police procedural family drama.
Set in 1975, Judy, the only female police investigators in her division, is called to help find missing teenager Barbara Van Laar who disappeared from her family's kids camp.
As she investigates, she reveals that there are questions about her brother's disappearance 14 years ago. But Barbara's family are powerful and rich and many locals rely on the estate for work. Somehow Judy needs to find the truth.

This is a well-written psychological thriller which keeps you turning the pages right up to the end. This double mystery weaves two timelines together about the community surrounding a summer camp. Told from multiple perspectives this clever novel interrogates themes of misogyny, agency, coercion and class. Twisty and intelligent - a good summer literary thriller.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.