2025 Anthony Award for Best Hardcover Novel
2025 Barry Award for Best Novel (nominee)
2025 CrimeFest: eDunnit Award (nominee)
2025 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger (longlist)
2025 Edgar Award for Best Novel (nominee)
2025 Libby Award for Book of the Year - Adult Fiction (nominee)
2025 Macavity Award for Best Novel (nominee)
2024 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller (finalist)
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES’S NOTABLE BOOKS OF THE YEAR
A NEW YORK TIMES "BEST THRILLER" and "BEST CRIME NOVEL" OF THE YEAR
PEOPLE MAGAZINE’S #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR
‘Extraordinary . . . Reminds me of Donna Tartt’s 1992 debut, The Secret History . . . I was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air.’ —Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR
‘This expertly paced thriller …has the kineticism of a well-crafted miniseries.’ —The New Yorker
When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide
Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.
As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.
Genre: Mystery
A NEW YORK TIMES "BEST THRILLER" and "BEST CRIME NOVEL" OF THE YEAR
PEOPLE MAGAZINE’S #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR
‘Extraordinary . . . Reminds me of Donna Tartt’s 1992 debut, The Secret History . . . I was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air.’ —Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR
‘This expertly paced thriller …has the kineticism of a well-crafted miniseries.’ —The New Yorker
When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide
Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.
As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"A rare gem, an immersive and enthralling literary thriller: a novel about love in the aftermath of tragedy, and about families of the very best - and the worst - kind." - Paula Hawkins
"A brilliant, riveting fox trap of a novel - an epic mystery, a family saga and a survival guide. Liz Moore shows us how easy it is for any of us to get lost in the woods, and what to do if you want to be found. I loved this book." - Miranda Cowley Heller
"Riveting from page one to the last breathless word, The God of the Woods is about the many ways we find and lose both ourselves and others. This book flew by at lightning speed, but will stick with me for a very long time." - Rebecca Makkai
"A riveting tale of a missing child that widens into a vast, acute portrait of youth, friendship, family secrets, and conflicting social circles. Intelligently done, and with a gimlet eye for telling detail, it's a brilliant trap full of secrets and lies." - Douglas Stuart
"A brilliant, riveting fox trap of a novel - an epic mystery, a family saga and a survival guide. Liz Moore shows us how easy it is for any of us to get lost in the woods, and what to do if you want to be found. I loved this book." - Miranda Cowley Heller
"Riveting from page one to the last breathless word, The God of the Woods is about the many ways we find and lose both ourselves and others. This book flew by at lightning speed, but will stick with me for a very long time." - Rebecca Makkai
"A riveting tale of a missing child that widens into a vast, acute portrait of youth, friendship, family secrets, and conflicting social circles. Intelligently done, and with a gimlet eye for telling detail, it's a brilliant trap full of secrets and lies." - Douglas Stuart
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