I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book even though I did not finish this book.

I started off liking this book. I liked the premise--Blair hears her sister's deathbed confession that the man arrested for Blair's best friend's murder has been wrongly convicted and imprisoned for the past 15 years. Blair decides that it is her duty to get the man freed, but it isn't as easy as she thinks at first.

The narrative of this book is very uneven. Lots of stops and starts, although Blair is super smart and owns her own company she makes MANY terrible decisions that seem contrary to her purported intelligence.

And let me just mention that the book totally jumps the shark toward the end [ The blatant rip-off of the book/movie Room is just unforgivable. And Blair is a total idiot when she walks right into the situation. Although she makes poor choices throughout the book, this one was so stupid it just made me roll my eyes. An entire star off for the rip off plot and Blair's stupidity]

There were so many plot holes--how this guy got convicted with no evidence was one of them. And so many non-issues just absolutely harped on--the uncle's Nazi collection, the fact that the convicted guy converted to become a Muslim and changed his name--totally no relevance yet mentioned over and over and over and over again.

This one just did not work for me at all. I have liked other books by this author so maybe this is a fluke.

Very enjoyable book. Good mystery and was a real page turner! Looking forward to reading more by this author!

Blair’s friend Molly was found murdered in the woods when they were 13. 15 years later, Blair’s sister makes a deathbed proclamation that the convicted murderer is actually innocent. Blair takes it upon herself to right the wrong, find the real murderer and overturn the conviction of an innocent man.

I love how Blair, with no detective skills, goes against all odds to serve justice with little help from others. She’s a scrappy, determined woman who is determined to prevail. The characters in this were not all likable, but they were definitely believable. The plot moves along at a quick pace and, despite meeting with adversity along the way, Blair never gives up, right up to the shocking and unexpected conclusion.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Severn House and Patricia McDonald for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Great storyline with good strong characters. Very well written. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good paced story that kept me interested until the end. The characters were well developed and the storyline was well thought out.

Patricia MacDonald is an internationally renowned author of some pretty dark tales. Girl in the Woods is no exception! This story relates the details of a sad and dysfunctional family whose actions and choices leave an innocent man in prison for 15 years and a murderer on the loose.

Some of the story is a bit hard to swallow (abandoning your job and business to do the work you’ve hired someone else to do?), but if the reader truly believes in suspension of disbelief, these points of questionable decisions become minor blips that enable the story.

MacDonald tells a good story. Fans of amateur detective fiction – and particularly fans of MacDonald – will enjoy the twists and turns and little surprises hidden throughout the story. Hold on, because this page turner may surprise you in the end.

Armchair detectives get ready!

Great writing style., believable characters. It took me on an amazing journey and I felt as though I really knew the characters . I was thinking about the book all the time and this is a sign of a good book. !!

The Girl in the Woods by author Patricia MacDonald was a very twisty story. It is the story of Blair both before and after her move from home. At the age of 13, Blair's best friend Molly is murdered after her Uncle Ellis sends her home alone in the rain. Blair has always felt guilty about this situation. Uncle Ellis took the girls in after their mother died and he was not a very good guardian. he was bigoted, cheap, mean, and more. The only thing he did not seem to do was sexually or physically assault the girls. When Blair got the opportunity, she left, got a great education and started her own business. When she gets the call that her sister is now in hospice, she returns home to spend time with her in her last few days or weeks. Shortly before Celeste dies she whispers a confession to Blair that reveals that the man who has been in prison for 15 years for killing Molly is innocent. Blair is shocked and promises Celeste that she will do everything she can to free him. It is not easy to get those in authority to listen, believe, and become involved in freeing a convicted man. Blair realizes that it is up to her to find the real killer in order to keep her promise to Celeste. There are a lot of clues still out there and as Blair finds more and more information, the story takes several turns.

The characters in the story are all fascinating. Ellis Dietz, the crotchety uncle, is easy to dislike, until he does something that makes you think, maybe he is not all bad. The P.I. that Blair hires seems to not care about the case, but then does everything he can to help Blair. The newspaper reporter who starts off helping Blair, leaves her high and dry when it benefits her. Even Blair's young nephew has to make some pretty heavy decisions and as young people often do, takes a misstep along the way that could be very dangerous.

The Girl in the Woods by author Patricia MacDonald was a good story. I enjoyed the book not only for the psychological suspense but also for the questions it brought to my mind about the whole plot of the story. What would you do in this situation? The thing I did not like was that there were several themes that seemed to be taken from various stories and lumped together in this book. I did figure out who the murderer was early in the story, but not why. I liked this book and once I started reading I finished it quickly as I wanted to see what would happen next. Those who enjoy thriller/suspense stories, will enjoy this one.

This is a gripping tale of a young girl whose best friend is found murdered in the woods and who, many years later, returns to her childhood home as her sister is dying. Her sister then makes a deathbed confession that changes everything.

It's really well written and keeps up at a pace throughout. I was reasonably sure that I'd figured it out about 25% of the way through, but, no! Love it when I'm wrong! And, even when it's gaining momentum and you do have a good idea who the perpetrator(s) is/are....it doesn't spoil the book as there are still surprises to come.

The lead character of Blair is a confident young woman with a successful company and I thoroughly enjoyed the way she progressed her discovery of the truth, but, in a way that felt honest and true to life.

It's a really good mystery whodunit with believable characters and storyline.

Thanks to netgalley and Severn House for the opportunity to preview this really good read.

An exceptionally well-thought-out plot.

Blair Butler and her sister Celeste had moved in with her uncle, Ellis shortly before their mother died. Ellis is a complicated man with Nazi leanings, and this prevents the girls from bringing friends home, as the house is filled with Nazi memorabilia.

Blair had a best friend Molly Sinclair and had warned her about her uncle and what she might expect in the house, invites her home one afternoon after school as her parents will be away until the evening. Ellis is in one of his foul moods and shouts at Blair. Molly tries to intervene and is told in no uncertain terms to leave the house. Being as confident as she is, she leaves and Blair being as introverted and terrified of her uncle, lets her go. Unfortunately, Molly never makes it home. She’s later found dead – her body dumped in the woods. A man is arrested and found guilty of her murder. Unfortunately, there is only one person who can bear witness to the fact that she was with him at the time, but Celeste’s fear of her uncle throwing her and Blair out stop her from telling the police that she was with Adrian Jones, an African-American.

Patricia MacDonald has constructed an exciting plot with protagonists who are real and who you, as the reader can completely relate to. Thanks to the brilliant writing I was able to follow and empathise with every step that Blair takes after this fateful day when her best friend is murdered until she returns to nurse her dying sister Celeste and because of the visit, must set an appalling miscarriage of justice to be overturned. In the process, she starts healing and seeing her life in a very different picture.

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

I love Patricia MacDonald. Her characters are always complex and idiosyncratic. This book, however goes above and beyond her usual prose...and completely bowled me over.

The Girl in the Woods is an excellent book. My heart was literally racing at the end. My only complaint would be that she neededkbe more chapter to tie up Tom and Blair.

Other than that - amazing!!!

I would like to thank Patricia MacDonald, NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

Blair Butler has seldom been home since her best friend Molly was found murdered in the woods fifteen years earlier . Blair's sister is dying and gives her a deathbed confession that she was with the man that was convicted of Molly's murder and he was innocent . This was a incredibly gripping page turner that took me on an intense and suspenseful ride . I highly recommend this book ! This author is a remarkable storyteller ! Thanks to #Netgalley and #SevernHousePublishers for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review ! #TheGirlInTheWoods

While I typically enjoy Patricia Macdonald's books, I really enjoyed this one....for about 70% of the book. The last 30% - the ending - was just too far-fetched for me, and a bit unbelievable. I'm sure our library will purchase the book as many patrons love reading her, but personally, I could not recommend it. Thank you for the advanced reader copy.

This book started great had me hooked...what happened to Molly when she left Blair's house? Was the wrong man convicted of her murder or is someone else walking around town getting away with murder? Very intriguing read but by the middle of this book it lost it's steam . I couldn't wait to finish just to find out what actually happened to Molly otherwise it didn't have the suspense of most thrillers I enjoy so to me this book was just ok needed more suspense but still a good book.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it and I loved this book and highly recommend it. Fifteen years after the murder of a young girl, is the person serving time in prison really the guilty one? I could not put it down. I was a little disappointed in the end that it did not have an epilogue.

Oh Celeste. Keeping a secret that could have saved a man from prison for fifteen years because you are afraid of your guardian? The best I can give her is that at least she told her sister Blair before she died. Blair now carries the burden of trying to untangle what really happened when her friend Molly was murdered, an act that echoes through so many lives. The racism. Adrian, who is now known as Mohammed, is an intriguing character in his own right but this belongs to Blair. who finds herself in a position she never expected to be. There are some twists but the story is fairly straightforward. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Blair is going home to see her older sister who is dying from cancer. Her last few moments of life are given to a deathbed confession. What Blair hears start the wheels turning. Not only is an innocent man innocent of murder, but the mystery of her friend's death may finally be solved.
An amazing storyline, great characters. Entertainment at it's best.
5 Stars

Blair’s best friend Molly is sent home alone from Blair’s house by Blair’s hateful, unpleasant, racist guardian, Uncle Ellis. Molly is murdered and her body dumped in the nearby woods before she ever reaches home. A young African American man, Adrian/Mohammad is convicted of the murder and evidence of Molly’s phone found in his car is damming.

Fifteen years’ later Blair’s sister, Celeste, on her deathbed reveals that she was with Adrian that night and could have provided an alibi that, they gave Molly a lift home and drove off with no incident. Celeste’s dying request of Blair is to put the record straight and help get Adrian (now Mohammad) released from jail. Do principles, loyalty, promise or guilt drive you forward to put things right. No-one has any interest in reopening the case, even if it means releasing an innocent man from jail and finding the real killer. But Blair made a promise to a dying sister.

The characters and their interactions all felt very real. Thankfully we have no superheroes or convenient plot lines to make this story work. Instead, we have a well written, believable plot where the natural investigation line, although at times extremely daunting and challenging, eventually bears fruit. The best approach to freeing Mohammad and finding justice is to find the real killer – but with that comes danger and how close may he/she be?

The story is well developed and introduces surprises and backgrounds that interweave to provide a wonderful murder mystery. We could probably classify this book as a cosy mystery, in that it is based in a local remote community, an amateur sleuth (Blair) leads on solving the crime, there were no strong instances of violence (even though there was a murder) and there were no gratuitous sex scenes.

This was a really good enthralling read and I was thinking about the story while I wasn’t reading it, which is always a great sign. The end finished well and wasn’t dragged out to cover information which should have been relayed in the narration. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Severn House Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review.

A slow burning tale that finally flickered into life towards the end. With a possible romances emerging, could lead to a sequel?