The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore. Pub 2024

A gift from a friend and fellow book lover, both he and his wife recommended this as a vacation read and it fit the bill. A multigenerational mystery story set in the third quarter of the 20th century, the novel covers many characters and timelines, and offers several layers of exploration.

The vastly privileged (and insufferable) Van Laar family is beset by multiple tragedies over the 60s and 70s, losing first one then a second child in mysterious circumstances. Around them, an array of both equally privileged (and insufferable) and many more struggling families and characters provide a small universe of experiences and perspectives.

While an enjoyable read, the ultimate resolution of the mysteries and the stories felt somewhat flat. The convoluted solution to the first mystery is highly contrived; the rationale for the cover-up is weak and the number of people in on the lie is unbelievable, serving only to reinforce how abusive and repugnant are the Van Laars and their ilk. The final mystery is both obvious and disappointing; it might have seemed shocking in the 70s, but today is not surprising.

The novel felt overly long, with additional complications introduced almost randomly. It started to feel like a long Midsomer Murders episode, with red herrings and emerging suspects left and right. When the story finally ends, there’s hardly a character who hasn’t been a suspect. The extreme leaps of logic by the investigators (as well as their remarkable gaps in collecting evidence) only added to the unbelievability of the resolutions.

All that said, I did enjoy the book, a bit like enjoying a grocery-check-out pulp novel, with just a bit more heft. It’s easy to see why this is a bestseller, with the “period” element of the 60s and mid-70s (which absolved the author of some of the more sophisticated police approaches) and the complex family connections.

Fate: will leave at the cabin, as this is truly a perfect holiday read for a future guest.

1 – a murder
4 – published 2024
8 – female author
9 – being made for tv
13 – somewhere I’ve never been
25 – new author to me
27 – a gift