The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

I was excited to get this book from my library as I had read so many excellent reviews about it. I admit I liked it, but it didn't live up to its hype for me.

Set mostly in 1975, the story begins with a missing camper at a summer camp, primarily for teens from wealthy families. The camp is part of the Van Laar compound, and the missing camper is the family's daughter, Barbara. As the search begins, law enforcement is called in, and they soon find a case similar to another missing person case they investigated: fourteen years earlier, Barbara's brother went missing; his body never to be found. The more they investigate, the more secrets they uncover. Just what is the Van Laar family hiding?

This book started with a bang. The story grabbed me, and the narrative, from multiple points of view and timelines, was engrossing. Unfortunately, about halfway through, it started to wander, and at almost 500 pages, it seemed like the author was never going to clarify what happened to both Van Laar children. I wasn't sure if this was a murder mystery or just a well-written family saga. The characters and setting were good; I just got lost at times. 

3.5/5 stars. 

For more information:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

 

I loved the premise of this book: a stranger predicts the cause and age of your death. Assuming you believed her, what would you do? Live life to the fullest or try and cheat the death sentence? That is the dilemma facing the characters in this book.

On a packed flight, a woman stands up and goes down the aisle, pointing at each person in turn and telling them how and when they will die. She is so convincing that the passengers take her revelations seriously. Just who is this woman? Is she a psychic or a mentally deranged person? As deaths begin to occur, the hunt is on to find the woman and find answers to these questions. What follows is how a handful of the passengers take the news and a look at what provoked the woman to share the information.

This is excellently plotted, and the characters face interesting problems—some are moral dilemmas, and others involve life-changing decisions. I especially liked how the author revealed why the woman, Cherry, came to make the predictions. I also wondered how I would react to the news as I read the book. If I were told I'd live a long life, would I take life-threatening chances with the knowledge I'd survive? Would I be more frugal and more kind to those around me? This book both entertained and gave me reason to pause. 

4.5/5 stars.

For more information:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble