Into the Woods by Lorraine Murphy
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 25th August 2022
Published: 21st August 2022
★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)
DESCRIPTION:
A lost child. A broken marriage. A ticking time bomb.
Karen will do anything for her eight-year-old daughter, Scarlett. Even holding together a marriage that is way past broken.
So, when Scarlett disappears from their rural home, Karen is one hundred percent focused on a single goal – finding her little girl as soon as possible.
And time is of the essence. Because Scarlett is profoundly deaf and would live in utter silence if it wasn’t for her high-tech hearing aids. Karen knows that within hours their batteries will run out, leaving her daughter even more isolated and vulnerable.
As the search for Scarlett intensifies, shocking secrets are revealed and Karen realises she may have to look for answers closer to home.
When the reason for Scarlett’s disappearance finally becomes clear, Karen finds she is living her own worst nightmare – her daughter is in deadly danger and time is running out.
MY THOUGHTS:
Dreams can come true. So can nightmares.
The premise for this book intrigued from the beginning, not only for it's creepy storyline, but the fact that daughter Scarlett was profoundly deaf. Having a deaf uncle and known a few deaf people I'm always interested when this is added into a story arc because it opens up a whole new aspect of possibilities and whatnot. It's hard to believe that INTO THE WOODS is her debut because it is written with the expert hand of a seasoned writer. The tension throughout is palapable and the twists delicious. But above all, the the thrill of the ride is exhilarating.
Karen O'Hara is a vlogger and social media influencer, raising awareness for pre and post-partum depression and anxiety as well raising a child who is deaf. Her husband Paddy works long hours some distance away leaving her home alone with their 8 year old daughter Scarlett. Although she is profoundly deaf, Scarlett wears cochlear implants which enable her to hear and communicate as a hearing person. While Karen has devoted her life to her awareness campaigns, her focus on Scarlett shifts.
One afternoon as she has just begun a video conference with a world-renowned child psychologist in New York, Karen is startled to discover Paddy has returned home when he is supposed to be in London for the weekend, which he then explains was cancelled. He goes in search of Scarlett and unable to find her enlists Karen's help as she abandons her conference mid-stream. The couple begin to panic when they search every nook and cranny of their isolated house and property to no avail. Scarlett has vanished.
Time is of the essence as it has been an hour since Karen last saw their daughter and even more worrying is...her cochlear implant batteries will be running low having been charged the night before and will only have a few more hours left in them before plunging Scarlett into complete silence.
The police are called and Karen and Paddy are questioned but believing they are wasting precious time, demand they continue the search for their daughter. The more time passes, the longer she is out there...
But then the cracks begin to show and secrets come to light. And nothing is as it seems for either Karen or Paddy. What have they done? Will they find Scarlett in time? Or will it be too late...for all of them?
INTO THE WOODS is a thoroughly enjoyable tale with a dark edge to it that is a touch creepy making it an exciting psychological thriller. It touches on the world of social media and how quickly one can lose themselves to it and how quickly public opinion can turn...not to mention how fickle they can be. Added to that, we have two parents who are equally unlikeable and so obviously keeping secrets from one another.
I didn't like Karen as I found her to be completely self-absorbed bordering on narcissistic. The first thing she does after searching is go online and stream a live video about Scarlett's disappearance. I mean, what sort of person gives out so much of her personal life online to a bunch of random strangers from a complete description of where they live to her mobile phone number? It's mental. Who would do that? I'm not surprised she got crank calls. And then there's Paddy. I can't even begin to say what I disliked about him as it would give too much away. But really, is he that stupid? I did however feel a little bit of sympathy for him with regards to being married to Karen. But really, the only one to show any nous is Scarlett. That girl is clever beyond her years. Way to go, girl!
And I have to mention the daughter's name...Scarlett O'Hara. Very "Gone with the Wind"...as Scarlett soon was.
Unfolding through the various narratives between the past and present, INTO THE WOODS is a fast moving riveting story that had me absorbed from the prologue. And despite the two unlikeable (main) characters, I really did thoroughly enjoy it. Although there were twists, they weren't surprising to me as I figured the direction very early on for a number of reasons and it all just fell into place as it went. But still, that didn't spoil my enjoyment of this fast paced thoroughly addictive and compelling psychological thriller.
Overall, INTO THE WOODS is a solid gripping thriller and well plotted for a debut. A lot of thriller can feel a little "samey" like it's been done before but this one had a unique take on the missing child trope. I liked it. I mean REALLY liked it. I would be interested to see what the author presents us with next.
I would like to thank #LorraineMurphy, #Netgalley, #InkubatorBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #IntoTheWoods in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
A software engineer by profession, Lorraine as had many jobs including slimming club leader, adult educator, charity co-founder, chairperson, activist and entrepreneur. Oh, and mother and carer. As a teenager, she adored Stephen King and later found herself on the jury of Ireland’s longest Murder Trial.
When she's not writing, she's always into something, whether it be competing in/ for her Toastmasters club or jumping out of a fully functional airplane.
Lorraine lives in Westmeath, Ireland with her husband Brendan and three taller children.
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