The nitty-gritty: Secrets, lies and shocking plot twists will have readers scrambling to find out the truth in this excellent thriller.

What Lies in the Woods is a slow burn mystery that was nearly impossible to put down. With this book, Kate Alice Marshall has made it onto my auto-buy list of authors, it was that good. With impeccable pacing, deep character development, and stellar writing, this is a definitely a "must read" thriller of 2023.

Naomi survived a vicious attack when she was only eleven years old. She and her best friends Olivia and Cassidy were playing in the woods when Naomi was attacked and stabbed seventeen times. Cass and Liv saw the attack and were able to identify a man named Alan Michael Stahl, a suspected serial killer who the authorities were only too happy to send to prison.

Twenty years later, Naomi gets word that Stahl has died in prison, and wanting to bring some closure to her horrible experience, she decides to go home and reconnect with Liv and Cass. But rather than bringing her comfort, seeing her old friends only opens up old wounds. Liv is clearly distressed about something and claims she has a big secret she wants to tell Naomi. And that isn’t the only secret threatening to spill out. The three girls discovered something in the woods all those years ago and swore never to tell, but when tragedy suddenly strikes, Naomi begins to question her memories. What really happened that day in the woods? And how is the girls’ big secret connected to it? With the help of a podcaster who has his own doubts about what happened, Naomi embarks on a dangerous quest to find the truth.

Marshall brilliantly shows how fragile memories can be and how over time you can convince yourself that something is true, even if it isn’t. I loved watching Naomi come to the realization that perhaps the events from the past happened differently than she remembers. Naomi was an interesting protagonist in many ways. She still has terrible scars on her face from the attack, a daily reminder of what happened to her. She changed her last name because she was tired of the notoriety that came with surviving a serial killer attack, and she just wants to be left alone. Coming back to the scene of the crime, so to speak, isn’t doing her mental health any favors, but you can see how badly she wants to discover the truth and put the past to rest.

There are quite a few characters in the story, but the author gives each one an important role, and of course casts suspicion on many of them, making it nearly impossible to guess the final outcome. All of the characters seem to be damaged in one way or another, and none of them are very good people, but honestly, doesn’t that make the story more interesting? I ended up really enjoying the relationship between Naomi and her estranged hoarder dad, who was never a very good father to her growing up and didn’t give her the support she needed after the attack. But seeing them interact as adults was, believe it or not, one of the more heartwarming parts of the story.

I also loved the feeling of nostalgia I experienced during the flashback scenes, when Naomi, Liv and Cass spent hours playing something called the Goddess Game. The “game” revolved around Greek goddesses and magic, a heady experience that ultimately spiraled out of control. These scenes in the past leading up to Naomi’s attack were steeped in mystery, as the author only sparingly hands out details of the game and the actual events. I remember as a child myself having an overactive imagination, and I could see how the machinations of such a game could lead to misunderstandings and high emotions. The author brought the past and present together in spectacularly thrilling ways, and even readers who don’t like dual timelines will probably find themselves riveted by Marshall’s skillful plotting.

There were so many twists and turns in the last twenty percent of the story, I couldn’t stop gasping from shock! In fact, that might be the only negative for me, that there were just too many crazy twists so close together, I couldn’t keep up. I did love that Marshall chose a feel-good, emotional ending that felt highly satisfying. I cannot wait to read more from this talented author!

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

🌲Book Review 🌲
What Lies in the Woods
Kate Alice Marshall
January 2023
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Qotd: How do you feel about daily affirmations? Do you use them?

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for my digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I chose this book strictly on the cover and title and it did not disappoint. Full of plenty of suspense and mystery with just enough red herrings to keep you guessing. I did not figure this one out and was quite surprised by the ending. The writing was fluid and easy to readand I found myself disappointed when it was over.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend this one for a beginner thriller reader but maybe middle of the road. Not too gorey but plenty descriptive. Looking forward to reading others by this author. If you enjoy thrillers, go find this one.

Synopsis: "Naomi Shaw used to believe in magic. Twenty-two years ago, she and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent the summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder. They called it the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly when Naomi was attacked. Miraculously, she survived her seventeen stab wounds and lived to identify the man who had hurt her. The girls’ testimony put away a serial killer, wanted for murdering six women. They were heroes.
And they were liars.
For decades, the friends have kept a secret worth killing for. But now Olivia wants to tell, and Naomi sets out to find out what really happened in the woods—no matter how dangerous the truth turns out to be."

#review #mondayreview #bookreviews #Reviewer #whatliesinthewoods #netgalley #netgalleyreview #thriller #thrillerbooks #katealicemarshall #digitalcopy

This was my first five star read of 2023. It had everything you want in a murder mystery plus some. Our MC was a survivor of an attack when she was only a child. Seventeen stab wounds and the ability to not only survive but name a wanted killer her attacker sure did put her on the map. It also instilled some crucial emotional and social survival skills that outlined the last 22 years of her life. She was a riveting main character filled with trust issues, isolation, and skepticism.

So what brings her back to the small town she had always been desperate to escape - even before the attack that solidified her reasons to leave? The killer she pronounced responsible for her attack dies. Her best friend calls her back asking for the truth to be set free. Naomi was always curious how she was able to identify her killer seeing as she couldn't remember anything about the attack besides the excruciating pain of being stabbed seventeen times. She had always been able to compartmentalize this "wounded" side of herself but returning back to her hometown opens the floodgates.

I appreciated Naomis unwavering personality but willingness to use her brain to decipher what didn't seem right. I loved the writing of this author. The first page had me sucked in and glued to the book. Her writing is enchanting like a fantasy book but invigorating as a murder mystery should be. I had read it alone at night and was spooked at every small noise going through my house. It had me double and triple checking the locks at night. Everything about this book was perfected. It creeps into your mind and festers, calls to you. Loved every second of this read.

Wow!! I will admit this one was a bit of a struggle to get in to for me in the beginning but man I’m glad I stuck with it. Kate Alice Marshall has woven together a wild ride of a thriller with so many questionable characters, it’s hard to know who to trust. Definitely didn’t see the many twists coming, but in the end they made sense. Such a well-written thriller that should be on every thriller lovers tbr!!

Thank you NetGalley for providing this audiobook for an honest review. I absolutely loved this book. The narrator did a great job! Normally when I read a mystery/thriller I can usually guess the ending. This book had so many twists and turns. I kept changing my mind about what was going to happen and I was still wrong. I will definitely look for more books by this author.

This book was ok. At times I thought I thought it had potential to be better then it ultimately was. The main reason that I found it to be just ok is that none of the characters were likable and I figured out where the book was heading almost from the beginning.

Slow burner. I usually do not like that about thrillers, but this one made you want to keep reading because you wanted to find out what happened. Baby when you get to the end. Ohhhh childdddd. Go listen while reading!

Three young women, a serial killers, lies, and repercussions. I'm sold already! As you should be too. You will need to sleep with the lights on for a while after reading What Lies in the Woods! It kept me up reading the entire thing in just two days. I was seriously annoyed that I had to stop reading and sleep in the middle. Being an adult is dumb. Lol. But it really was that good, it kept me reading through the entire thing. This was the first Kate Alice Marshall novel I've read, and from what I understand, her first adult thriller novel. Which for being her debut novel for adults, I found I really enjoyed it, and I hope she continues writing thrillers in the future, because I'll definitely be reading them.

I really liked this book. I don’t usually reach for thrillers first, but generally like them once I read. This one however really pulls you in from the beginning and there’s no slow spots to speak of. I enjoyed getting to know the women in the book and learning their history as girls in school. The ending really surprised me, though I did think it had to be something like that. Really good! Would recommend!

I do not recommend this book. And I am Editing my original review down to 2 stars.

(New edit) Spoiler:
This story is extremely disrespectful to the real life family in Waukesha, WI…where the victim is also still alive. (See below)
This book is also so problematic! We basically let a child rapist go and tell the reader it’s OK, they didn’t murder someone, so nothing needs to happen further. Ugh! The fact that this is a debut adult novel with all of these trigger touchpoints with no resolve to any of it and the rest of what I have to say below is why I’m notching it down.

Thank you to Flatiron Books, the author and NetGalley for an advanced eCopy for review
—Pub date, January 2023

TW: Child sexual abuse, rape, alcoholism, hoarding, suicide thoughts, vicious friends and much more…

**** MAJOR PLOT SPOILER ALERT*** (because this just couldn’t be overlooked by me)

The main the reason for 2.0, I have to spoil the plot. Here’s the thing— after just a couple of chapters, I shared with a friend that this story had Major SLENDER MAN vibes!!! I live near Waukesha, WI where this case made national headlines. So, as I read through the book that I was enjoying for the most part, I thought I was wrong. This book is no less than 2.0 stars for the simple fact that the author did a good job of placing at least four suspects on my radar. She made me think and “plot point” in my head multiple times. HOWEVER, in the end, I was correct— and to be honest, I hated it!... I really wanted to see something come out of left field because it was so predictable to me in the beginning. I didn’t want to have to come all that way just to be right. I want to be fooled!! For that reason, and the fact that we kept hearing about all the statutory rape that occurred with our protagonist —but the perp got nothing and we received ZERO “outcome” with this major plot point! What the hell— not even in the “post wrap up”, of 10 months later. The ending was a disappointment for me in that way.

One last thought— the story of a make-believe game in the woods between 3 girls that requires a sacrifice (and stabbing!) was too similar in nature to the story in WI. And like the story, the girl lives to tell about it and put her friends behind bars in a highly televised court case. The author could not have come up with this on her own… She keeps interviewing stating she came up with it on her own bc her friends played a game in the woods. Nothing was mentioned in the acknowledgments about the case in Waukesha nor out of respect to the family. Google it for yourself, but here’s a tiny blurb:

On May 31, 2014, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States, two 12-year-old girls, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, lured their friend Payton Leutner into a forest and stabbed her 19 times in an attempt to appease the fictional character Slender Man. The stabbing took place in David's Park, a wooded area during a game of hide-and-seek. The perpetrators, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser pinned down Payton Isabella Leutner (also known as Bella, a nickname used at the time of the crime)and stabbed her nineteen times in the arms, legs, and torso with a five-inch-long (13 cm) blade. Weier and Geyser told Leutner to lie down while they would find help, but they did not get any upon leaving. Afterwards, Leutner dragged herself to a nearby road where she was found by a cyclist.

"To believe is to hold dear, to cherish, to claim as a truth more fundamental than fact. I believed in magic. We all did."

Wow. To say this book kept me on my toes would be the understatement of the century. I couldn't put it down and ended up staying up until 2am to finish and figure out who did it!

Being a thriller reader, I knew to keep myself wary of everyone, but every single time I thought I knew what was coming, another twist was thrown in. I could never decide who it was. Cass's pervy older brother, the actual serial killer, Ethan the podcaster? Heck, EVERYONE was a suspect in this book. Everyone seemed to be hiding something and no one was trustworthy. I loved it.

There were so many moments throughout this book that I had to second guess my perceptions of a character's morality. Just when you thought you had everything figured out, the author would throw in something small that made you question your opinion of someone. Was Cody really a good golden boy and loyal husband? Was Cass really a protective friend? Was Liv mentally stable and trustworthy? Was Ethan playing Naomi? Were Naomi's memories even reliable? Kate Alice Marshall did an amazing job outlining everyone's secrets and making the reader believe that everyone had a motive for murder.

This was an all around great thriller. I loved everything about it. The magical Goddess elements in the girls' game, the description of the woods, the development of the relationships between characters, the description of each character's personality and how the Marshall really made you hate some and love others, It was just....*chef's kiss.*

5/5 stars

Huge thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Overall i thought this book was strong but nothing super different than most thrillers. I did enjoy that there was so many twist and turns and unreliable memory to account for a long that (i’ve been reading a lot of books with memory issues…odd but okay).

I like the set up of the book and how everything unfolded. The moral of the study is stop being jealous over stupid things and then don’t lie.

Mysteries abound in Kate Alice Marshall's debut adult novel, set in the forests of the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle photographer Naomi Shaw was just eleven when she was attacked in the woods near her home town of Chester, Washington. Stabbed 17 times, she barely survived and still bears the scars from the incident — both physical and psychological. Her friends Cassidy and Olivia witnessed the violence, and together the three girls identified a suspected serial killer as Naomi's assailant, sending him to prison for life. Now, 22 years later, news of the man's death resurrects old memories among the three women. Olivia summons Naomi back to Chester, telling her and Cassidy that she wants to reveal secrets about that day and setting off a chain of events that will send their small town reeling.

At first the mystery at the novel's heart seems fairly simple — what really happened that day and why — but as Naomi peels back the layers of memory, more questions are raised than are answered. The novel is intricately plotted, with an unusually large cast of potential suspects and a liberal sprinkling of red herrings throughout. But although the story is quite involved, Marshall lays it out skillfully for the reader, keeping its complexity from becoming confusing as one navigates its many twists and turns. Reading the novel feels a bit like riding a roller coaster: enjoying a slow build-up followed by a breakneck rush to the conclusion. The book eventually becomes absolutely unputdownable, as the revelations come fast and furious near the novel's conclusion.

A great thriller relies not only on a gripping plot, but also on compelling characters, and Marshall is brilliant here as well. She imbues all her characters with depth and personality, but Naomi in particular is a marvelous balance of toughness and vulnerability. She's cynical and self-destructive — often unlikeable — yet someone readers will root for in the end. Her voice comes across as authentic, too; she knows she's damaged and has her faults, and this self-awareness ultimately makes her an appealing heroine.

Finally, Marshall's writing is gorgeous, conjuring up the misty forests of the Pacific Northwest as well as the atmosphere in Chester, a town so small its mayor is also the owner of its only sawmill. I was particularly struck by the passages concerning the girls' childhood:

We raced down narrow trails, hair flying wind-wild behind us…We made ourselves into warriors, into queens, into goddesses. Fern leaves and dandelions became poultices and potions, and we sang incantations to the trees. We gave ourselves new names: Artemis, Athena, Hecate. Conversations were in code, our letters filled with elaborate ciphers, and we taught ourselves the meanings of stones.

Marshall is known for her young adult novels, but readers should be aware that What Lies in the Woods, her adult debut, is definitely tailored to a more mature audience, with plenty of violence and rough language. Naomi consumes a lot of alcohol and engages in intimacy with random men, and also recalls an attempted rape. Although the depictions of sex aren't graphic, they're explicit enough that at minimum I'd give it a PG-13 rating if it were a movie.

Truly engrossing mysteries are hard to find, and when I stumble across one, I treasure it. What Lies in the Woods is one of the most absorbing entries in the genre I've encountered. With the exception of one small plot twist most will likely see coming, I was kept guessing "whodunnit" until the very end. This well-constructed novel is sure to be a hit with mystery and thriller lovers.

The games we play as children can help cement friendships for a lifetime. In the case of Naomi, Olivia, and Cassidy, the magical games they played as children lead to an attack that nearly took Naomi's life, forever changing the three girls.

Two decades later, Naomi receives a phone call that the man that she claimed attacked her all those years ago has died. She is called back to the town where it happened, where she reunites with her old friends, sending the small town gossiping. It's clear the friendships have changed due to what happened in those woods, and Naomi obviously carries trauma from that night.

But the longer Naomi stays in town, the murkier the story seems. One friend tells her there is a secret to spill, and the other one seems to want to forget the whole ordeal. But it's clear that maybe Naomi doesn't remember that night exactly the way it happened. And she knows she needs to find the truth.

What I loved about this book is how it kept me wanting more. I truly wanted to see the best for Naomi, and I had to know how it was all going to end. It got every so slightly slow at times, but still was a such a great ready with a really interesting ending. Highly recommended!

I've read from this author before and while this is her debut adult novel, the voice of it still oddly feels YA to me. That's not necessarily a bad thing because I enjoyed the plot of this the most!

We all know this story. 3 girls go into the woods and two come out claiming the other is killed. Our girl Naomi is the one that was stabbed in the woods like 17 times or something and left for dead. She survives miraculously and all 3 girls point to a known serial killer as the attacker. He is put in prison but 20 years later he dies in that same prison and the now adult women claim that they lied about what went down in the woods.
Ok, now see, I didn't like any of these chicas. Especially Liv, what a bitch.
It's very obvious where this book is taking us and how it's gonna end but the lead up was good.
I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding the goddess games and Persephone.
I enjoyed the slight podcast bit we got but I did want more of both!

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy!

This book was so twisted, and of course that drew me in even more. What happened to Naomi when she was a child was horrible enough, but imagine realizing as adult that maybe she got it all wrong. That would make her two best friends wrong, too. After all, they swore they saw the man who stabbed Naomi 17 times. Naomi has a lot of secrets to uncover. Secrets some will kill to keep hidden. With a climax that left me speechless, Kate Alice Marshall has written a story full of pain, tragedy, heartache, and betrayl. It will make you question everything you think you know, and wonder how much one person can take in their lifetime.

This one is new the shelves and is a great read. It started off a little slow and I was worried it would lose some points in my book, but it caught up and earned my love back.

Naomi was brutally attacked at 11 years old while her and her two best friends were playing what they thought was an innocent game of magic and spells. Naomi returns to her hometown after the convicted serial killer and attempted murderer of Naomi dies in prison and all three girls want to have a reunion. Olivia "Liv" Barnes has had mental health issues most of her life that were only propelled by the attack and she has found out some information. More death, lies and mayhem occurs in the small town and Naomi makes it her mission to find the truth....or remember it...or understand it...or hear the truth. Which does she decide is the truth in finding out what really happened that day?

Marshall does a great job capturing sheer terror without losing a wink of sleep...this is not the type of horror produced by Stephen King, but rather one of a great psychological thriller novelist like Marshall. Don't miss this new novel that was released on 01/17/23.

#NetGalley #WhatLiesintheWoods

In the small town of Chester, the news of gossip and events travel like wildfire. Naomi, Liv and Cass were 11 when tragedy struck their best friend trio. While playing a game in the woods during their summer break, Naomi is violently attacked. All three girls are traumatized but have identified the same man as being responsible. The girls have several secrets they're keeping... is the identity of the killer one of them?

I really enjoyed this title. It definitely held my attention; I was dying to find out what happened next! Several twists and turns were unexpected, but I did end up guessing part of the major plot twist early on. Secretive small town trying to protect their own feels like a plot that is a little bit overdone in this genre. Overall, I'd definitely recommend this title to anyone who loves mysteries or thrillers.

Gah, this one was good. It's exactly what I hope for in a mystery/thriller, but with the added bonus that I actually cared about the characters! I loved that it was a story that was woven into three women's very long-term friendship. At first look, it seems like these three friends have undergone a pretty serious trauma, with Naomi being attacked and the others having borne witness at just eleven years old. That is a lot, right? Obviously, things in Naomi's life have been pretty rocky since then, no one really bothered to get her any kind of real help, and now she's just sort of slogging through her life.

But the attack and her friends (and by extension, her former life) are never far from her thoughts. When she finds out that the man she and her friends identified as her attacker has died in prison, there are many, many mixed feelings and old wounds brought to the surface. So Naomi heads home, to reconnect with her best friends, and maybe try to bury her trauma once and for all.

Only nothing is as it seems. A bad man died in prison, sure. Naomi absolutely was viciously attacked as a young girl. And her friends Olivia and Cassidy are certainly always still on her mind. But when she gets back to her small hometown, she's reminded of more than just the one past trauma. And now she has to decide if she wants to figure out all the truths, or just live and let die.

The story itself is absolutely chock full of twists and kept me guessing. I kept thinking I knew who had done what, but the truth was that I had no idea. And a big chunk of the story involves the emotions and growth of Naomi, which I loved. Not only is this a mystery/thriller, but it really delved deep into Naomi's psyche and her relationships- made them part of the story, really. Could not put this one down until I knew everything, basically.

Bottom Line: What Lies in the Woods is both thrilling and emotionally provocative, a rare (and much appreciated) find in a thriller novel.

Three eleven year old girls entered the woods and two came out. One of them had been stabbed so the other two girls got help and testified that a serial killer rapist was to blame. Years later, when the three girls have become adults, the killer dies in prison. The three women meet and discuss how relieved but worried they are about a secret they’re hiding. The mystery of their secret becomes many mysteries buried, one on top of another. This is a delightfully twisted and unexpected mystery, 5 stars!