What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

Kate Alice Marshall has published quite a list of books since 2018, when her first novel was released. She has previously focused on young adult and middle grade books, including the Thirteens series for middle grade readers. What Lies in the Woods was her first foray into adult thrillers and was published back in 2023. Since then she has released two more adult books with a fourth set to come out in 2026. What Lies in the Woods deals with a lot, but I never found it to be gruesome or particularly difficult to read, only touching on most things briefly, with the exception of 2 (still not gory) scenes at the end.

Naomi, Cassidy, and Olivia were 11 years old when they sent the serial killer Allan Michael Stahl to prison after Stahl nearly killed Naomi in the woods. Their identification and testimony in the wake of the attack, especially Naomi's, was the only non-circumstantial evidence that anyone had on Stahl and he swore to kill them if he ever got out of prison. 22 years later, Naomi gets a surprise phone call saying that Stahl died while still in prison, dredging up interest in the case again. She later agrees to a visit with her friends Olivia and Cassidy, who still live in their hometown of Chester, to give them a chance to process this news together. But when Naomi arrives to Chester, Olivia shocks both her and Cassidy by not talking about Stahl's death. Instead, she thinks it's time to tell the truth about what happened that day in the woods - she is tired of lying. Olivia wants to reveal the secret the three of them swore to take to their graves and tell the public that the 11 year old heroes that put away a serial killer were lying all along.

It has been a while since I had a decent thriller and Kate Alice Marshall really delivered with What Lies in the Woods. The characters were all flawed yet mostly likeable, the main character most of all. Naomi was irreverent and sarcastic, which I loved, all while struggling with her personal trust issues and PTSD stemming from her attack. You really want her to grow. The setting was really well done, I can easily picture the town the girls grew up in that felt small and bleak while the woods that they played in was a magical, ethereal haven. The writing was well done though it was nothing special. But the pace was quick with new truths being uncovered often enough to keep the reader on edge and the plot kept me guessing until the very end. Kate Alice Marshall allows you to slowly uncover the trauma that Naomi faced when she was attacked before, as well as the punishments she afflicted on herself afterward so that a full picture is slowly revealed - just as Naomi herself discovers what happened that day. I made several early predictions - none of which were right, followed by some mid book predictions - which were a little bit right but not really, before I finally got to the end and all was revealed to me.

I'm giving What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall 4.25 stars out of 5 - the highest rating I've given a straightforward thriller in quite some time. It was definitely the best I've read in a while. And it has a gothic feel to it as well, making it good for the spooky season as it features 3 girls on the edge adulthood trying to make the magic of childhood last as long as they can. I'll definitely be looking into more of the author's work when I'm looking for something to make me nervous.

For more from Kate Alice Marshall, check out her website at https://katemarshallbooks.com/

Pairs well with chocolate chip cookies and decluttering your house before it gets too overwhelming.

Favorite quotes: "That was the problem with writers. They couldn't help digging the edge of a fingernail under your scabs to feel the shape of your wounds."

"'That's the thing about trust, isn't it?' Ethan said, 'You gather all the evidence you can. Use your brain. Weigh character and past actions. But that final inch of it, that's faith.'"