The Woods

by Vanessa Savage

Overview

ONE OF BUSTLE'S MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF SUMMER 2020






From the acclaimed author of The Woman in the Dark: a young teacher struggles to solve the mystery of her sister's death while battling hallucinations of her own.


Two girls went down to the woods...
But only one came back.



There's a lot from Tess's childhood that she would rather forget. The family who moved next door and brought chaos to their quiet lives. The two girls who were murdered, their killer never found. But the only thing she can't remember is the one thing she wishes she could.


Ten years ago, Tess's older sister died. Ruled a tragic accident, the only witness was Tess herself, but she has never been able to remember what happened that night in the woods.


Now living in London, Tess has resolved to put the trauma behind her. But an emergency call from her father forces her back to the family home, back to where her sister's body was found, and to the memories she thought were lost forever...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538730126
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	08/25/2020
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	401,362
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Vanessa Savage is a graphic designer and illustrator. She has twice been awarded a Writers' Bursary by Literature Wales, most recently for A Woman in the Dark. She won the Myriad Editions First Crimes competition in 2016 and her work has been highly commended in the Yeovil International Fiction Prize, short listed for the Harry Bowling Prize, and the Caledonia Fiction Prize. She was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award.

Editorial Reviews

06/15/2020

London teacher Tess Cooper, the unreliable narrator of this tangled psychological thriller from British author Savage (The Woman in the Dark), can’t refuse her father’s request to return to her family’s house in West Dean to see her dying, cancer-stricken stepmother, despite her lingering trauma over the accidental death of her older sister, Bella, then 18, in the nearby forbidding forest a decade earlier. Her one hope is that returning home might finally trigger memories of her sister’s last hours—a period that Tess, who was found unconscious near Bella’s body, has never been able to recall. When the discovery of a skeleton by a demolition crew at a vacant neighboring property prompts the police to take a fresh look at Bella’s death, the trouble really begins. Since the characters, most of whom are guarding secrets they’re keen to keep buried, behave in ways that serve to jack up the suspense but don’t otherwise make much sense, readers may struggle to engage with their plights. One is left feeling like the lost hiker in the woods who belatedly realizes they’ve been going around in circles. Agent: Juliet Mushens, Caskie Mushens (U.K.). (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Dark and thoroughly compulsive . . . a definite up-all-nighter."—Kate Hamer, author of The Girl in the Red Coat

"A beautifully told tale of family secrets . . . highly recommended."—Nuala Ellwood, author of Day of the Accident

"'Tense and creepy . . . brilliant."—Harriet Tyce, author of The Lies You Told

"Gripping."—Daily Mail

"Creepy, atmospheric, unpredictable . . . utterly addictive and impossible to second guess."—Claire Douglas, author of Do Not Disturb

"Taut, tense and brilliantly gripping."—Simon Lelic, author of The Liar's Room

"Immersive and eerie."—Heat

From the Publisher