What a mystery/thriller! I could not put this down. A teenager from a wealthy family disappears from a camp in the Adirondacks .
Years before, another child had disappeared from the same area. What connects these two characters? A fascinating read of who done it and who knew what. The character development and description of the area are superbly written. I did not have a clue as to the ending. I plan to go back and read the author's previous books; this one I will strongly recommend.

This book is fantastic. I am very hard on thriller/mystery type books because I had crazy plots and lazy writing/twists. None of that is in The God of Woods, which is everything I love in literary fiction mysteries. (My own personal classification.)

One early morning in August 1975, a camp counselor finds that one of her campers is missing from their cabin. The missing girl, Barbara Van Laar, is the daughter of the Van Laar family who owns the camp sits and live in a mansion up near the camp. Fourteen years ago, Barbara’s younger brother, Bear, went missing in the same woods and was never found. Among the characters we meet are:

Tracy: A shy girl who becomes Barbara’s best friend at camp.
Louise: Barbara’s counselor who comes from a tough family situation and is stuck in a cycle she cannot break out of.
T.J.: The camp director who has a long history with the Van Laar family
Judyta: A young Polish woman who has become a police investigator and is on the case.

Thank you to Riverhead Books and Netgalley for the advanced reader’s copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are honest and my own.

Go in blind. It’s a long book, but it NEVER dragged for me.

Oh, how I wish I could read this book again for the first time! Instead, I’ll be telling every reader I know to pre-order it.

This was my most anticipated book of the summer, and it truly did not disappoint. I always say that while I love all genres, I REALLY love two kinds of books: character studies and thrillers. This was truly a perfect blend of both.

I cared so much about the characters. I loved Tracy and her vulnerabilities; I loved Barbara with her rough edges and kind heart; I loved Hayes’s mentorship; and I especially loved Judy, with her intelligence and caring and integrity.

I could not tear myself away from this book. I had to know what happened, and I truly did not see any of it coming. To immensely enjoy a book all the way through and then be surprised by the ending: what a treat.

In the summer of 1975, Barbara Van Laar, a resident at an Adirondack Camp that her family owns, goes missing. Fourteen years earlier, Bear Van Laar, the bright, charming son of the same owners, disappeared there without a trace. The stunned rural community questions how the only two Van Laar children could vanish in similar ways! Both were trained in woodcraft to keep them safe while exploring the massive property that surrounds the camp.

State troopers are called in, among them Judyta, the only woman on the force. Her ability to look beyond the obvious proves extremely effective, as she interviews, not only the family but the camp staff, as well. The Van Laars remain aloof, limiting their contact with the searchers and the police. Alice Van Laar, trapped in an unhappy marriage, has become an alcoholic, which insulates her reaction to the loss of her children. Lastly, add to this cocktail of mystery and suspense, a murderer has escaped from prison and may be in the area.


This novel, which spans decades and generations, centers around a particular Adirondack Camp, its owners and directors. Both of whom, retain equal but disparate claim, to the unspoiled woodlands. Told from multiple viewpoints and a number of historical perspectives, the story gradually unfolds. Set against the brooding forest of the Adirondacks, this book doesn't let go until the final page!

It's interesting that I have a hard time recalling an author's name but I never forget an author's style. I knew as soon as I started this novel, that I'd read this author before, but couldn't put my finger on the book. Roughly a quarter of the way in, I finally did a "look up" and realized that Liz Moore also wrote "Long Bright River" which I also loved.

With "The God of the Woods," she's got a real and true best seller. There is a solid mystery and the way the storytelling unfolds is simply magical. I was swept in from the first paragraph and help completely captivated until the last page.

This is one of those books that you need to put on your TBR list today. And if it's already on there? Move it to the top and prepare yourself for a fantastic really great experience.

I received this ARC from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion. I feel like I've done that here. When this title hits my library, I'm definitely marking it "Staff Pick."

So enthralling! I was skeptical when I picked up "The God of the Woods" because the premise seemed too similar to a summer-camp-killer style movie, but I was wrong. With lifelike characters and a totally unique plot, Moore avoids stereotypes and keeps the reader wanting more. Despite the large size of this book, it felt like a quick read because I couldn't put it down. This is definitely a book I'd recommend to anyone, not just horror lovers.

She is only thirteen. Barbara is only thirteen when she disappears from the summer camp her parents, the Van Laars, own. Her counselor, Louise, is only twenty-three and struggling to get her little brother out of a fraught living situation with her mostly-absent mother when she wakes to find Barbara's bed empty. The camp leader, T.J. is only trying to care for her ailing father, stuck under the financial control of the Van Laars, when she must notify the family their daughter is gone. Judyta, an officer who arrives to work the disappearance of Barbara, is the only female detective in the nation, determined to prove herself on this big of a case. Alice, Barbara's mother, is already a grieving mother after her young son disappeared in similar circumstances nearly two decades prior. Flickering between the past and the present in lyrical prose, The God of the Woods explores the lives of these women and the men around them, as they orbit the Van Laar family who have enough money to bend morals to their will.

As much of a love letter to the great outdoors, specifically The Adirondacks, as a dual timeline mystery and exploration of two families through time.

Barbara Van Laar vanishes from her bunk one night while attending the camp up the hill from her family's mansion. Further complicating matters is that Barbara is not the first Van Laar child to disappear. Her older brother went missing from the same area nearly 15 years earlier. The investigation into exactly what happened to both of these children will unearth secrets some people would do anything to keep buried.

This book draws you in and wraps around you like a blanket on a chilly night around the campfire. Rich in both atmosphere and characters, God of the Woods is a book you want to take your time with and linger in. Thank you to Netgalley and Riverhead Books for the review copy.

A solid mystery from a great mystery writer. This book has great deep-woods vibes with sufficient twists and turns that kept me guessing. A lot of POV switching, which can make it a little more challenging to fully invest in any particular character, but a satisfying read nonetheless.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore was absolutely riveting. Moore masterfully weaves multiple timelines, story arcs, and a great many different character points of view into a truly engrossing and satisfying read. Perfect for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

In August 1975, Barbara Van Laar vanishes from her summer camp in the Adirondacks. This was fourteen years after her older brother Bear, had gone missing from the same camp, never to be found again. The premise seems intriguing and I was excited to read this one, but I was bored with it about halfway through. Unfortunately this book didn't work for me.

Opening in the summer of 1975 at a fancy sleep away camp in the Adirondacks, this generation spanning story follows the Van Laar family and those closest to, and hired by, them over the years. When Barbara Van Laar goes missing, it is a haunting echo of her older brother’s unsolved disappearance thirteen years prior. Moore layers perspective and plots one upon the other, but never does the novel feel muddled or unwieldy. In fact, the multiple voices lend depth to the story and create a complete picture of this community and the characters within it.

A fantastic character study and exploration of class and gender roles. Moore deftly blends social and historical commentary into this thriller.

This is definitely the best mystery/thriller I’ve read in a long time! I would give it 10 stars if I could.

When Barbara Van Laar is discovered missing from her summer camp bunk one morning in August 1975, it triggers a panicked, terrified search. Barbara isn’t just any camper; she’s the daughter of the wealthy family that owns the camp. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared in this region: Barbara’s older brother also went missing sixteen years ago, never to be found.

Following the timelines of each disappearance, Moore slowly and skillfully unravels the layers of mystery and secrets that the Van Laar family is hiding and the impact this has had on their family and on the people from the small town that led the hunt for both missing children. We meet a lot of people who are hiding things that they desperately don’t want discovered, but we also meet Judy Luptack, a brand new investigator at a time when there weren’t many female investigators. Judy follows her instincts instead of following orders and you can’t help but like her.

I have already read Long Bright River but now I’m going to read everything she’s written!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was interesting! I feel like I should have expected the turns it took, as it turned out to be a mystery much more about trauma and wealth then actual violence. All in all a good story, just dragged a little for me!

I thought that this book was a bit slow. It wasn’t the page turner that I was hoping for. There is a lot of character development which I thought deterred from building the momentum of the story. That being said it’s a good summer read on camp setting.

When Barbara Van Laar goes missing from her ritzy, upperclass summer camp, the past is brought forth again through the fresh eyes of an up and coming female investigator, Judyta Luptack, the only woman officer in the service. Coincidently, Barbara's own older brother, Bear, had disappeared years before and Barbara's absence forces Bear's closed case to be reexamined. As secrets are gradually brought to light throughout the investigation, characters discover the importance of self-advocacy and the dire consequences that can occur when they allow themselves to be pushed aside.

Engagingly written and enthralling throughout, "God of the Woods" is an analysis of relationships, family, and public status, asking the question: how far are you willing to go to preserve your public persona? And how much are you willing to go through in order to stand up for yourself? I love how it is set in the '60s and '70s, a time that presents itself without the distraction of digitized personas. Impressively, Liz Moore takes the pressures that online media bring forth and applies them to the characters in the story, emphasizing that there has always been that social pressure in the public sphere. It is a mystery that always keeps you guessing until the satisfying resolution at the end. There are some cliffhangers at the end of certain chapters, which I am not a fan of personally; if the book is good (which this one is), readers won't need cliffhangers to keep them reading. This is an original, gripping story, one that I would definitely recommend.

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an impartial review.

Excellent! Great story, smartly plotted, interesting characters--all the hallmarks of a very successful literary mystery and a notable instance where multiple POV and timelines don't hinder the storytelling. Moore's sophomore effort indicates she continues to up her game!

This book might be a bit much if you're not in the mood to keep track of multiple narrators and all the time hopping, but I think the author did a really good job weaving everything together to create this slow burn mystery!

"The God of the Woods" is my favorite sort of mystery, one that seems very straightforward on the outside, but the more time you spend with it the more gnarled its paths become. A rebellious teenager goes missing from the summer camp her family owns. She is the second person to go missing from this area - her brother disappeared over a decade before. This new mystery throws the old, supposedly solved case into turmoil, and exposes some of the friction between the different classes. Is old money hiding secrets? Or are urban legends true?

I loved this book because every character was so empathetically realized, even the one that were objectively awful people. I ordinarily do not enjoy books that bounce around in terms of time period and point of view, but this one sucked me in so efficiently that I was excited for each perspective's tale. I thought I knew where this book was going; I did not. This gloomy, eerie story held such compassion for its characters; I can't wait to read Moore's other book.