The God of the Woods

Bookseller recommendation

“Moore’s writing is vivid and deliberate. Anyone who was a camp kid will relate to Tracy, a 12-year-old who had “grown a year in two months” or Louise, her young counselor. I love how characters echo each other, the foreshadowing, and the narrators who would be peripheral characters in a traditional police procedural”

— Whitney • Bookworm of Edwards

Bookseller recommendation

“This one is hard to stop listening to. I’m not done yet and I don’t want it to end. ”

— Faith • Lake Country Booksellers

Bookseller recommendation

“It’s time to lose yourself in the Feel Bad Hit of the Summer! But first: have you ever been a camp counselor? You're barely an adult yourself, your second-in-command is a teenager, and you are responsible for the well-being of at least a dozen kids who could be your little siblings. It's an adventurous time- you're free in the woods, maybe you're sneaking off at night with other counselors. Everything is on the edge of a thrill- until- you are short a camper at your next head-count. I've been on the search for a missing camper; the alarm bell rings and you take off for stations. Maybe you're running trails, maybe you are lining up with a dive team to comb the lake. Maybe you are combing through the buildings. You hope the search is called off, the kid is found, everyone is spooked but okay. You hope. For Liz Moore's camp full of characters, hope is not enough. It's 1975 and a camper is missing. It's been just over a decade since another child went missing on the nature preserve; a child that was never found. A child with ties to both the disgustingly wealthy family that owns the land and the rugged locals who maintain the camp. Tension between the Haves and Have Nots is at an all-time high. And you, lucky reader? You’re plowing headfirst into the woods right along with the rest of town. The one thing I can guarantee you’ll find out there is a whip-smart thriller and a coming-of-age nightmare.”

— Cait • Gibson's Bookstore

Bookseller recommendation

“Don’t sleep on this book! Twists and turns and great characters. The audio is excellent, really good narrator. ”

— Marisa • Chapter One Book Store

Bookseller recommendation

“Liz Moore deftly weaves multiple viewpoints and timeframes into a taut literary thriller. A great summer read after your kids are safely home from sleep away camp! ”

— Thiloma • Four Points Books

Bookseller recommendation

“As a lifetime camper and camp counselor I can say that every bit of camp life in this novel rings true—EXCEPT in this suspenseful novel there are missing people, class struggles, a girl coming of age and mysteries. Great narrative, rich characters and a fast-paced plot make it a really good read right to the rip roaring ending. ”

— Patience • Underground Books

Bookseller recommendation

“With the intrigue of a deep woods 'whodunnit?' and character drama that evokes Kiley Reid or Rebecca Makkai novels, The God of the Woods had me stunned by its brilliant characterization and jaw dropping twists. Spanning decades and following a host of characters and their backstories, this book begins with the disappearance of a teen from an Adirondack summer camp in 1975, and shifts to her brother’s disappearance and the investigation that took place 14 years earlier.”

— Olivia • Author's Note

Bookseller recommendation

“Selected as the number one pick from indie booksellers from across the country in July, Liz Moore's novel lives up to the hype. Set in a summer camp in the Adirondacks where a girl goes missing a decade after her brother faces the same fate, Moore deftly peels back the layers of all the people connected to the camp through taut, absorbing, and atmospheric storytelling. Are you looking for a riveting escape this summer? If so, this is it.”

— Casey • Bookshop Santa Cruz

Bookseller recommendation

“One of my favorites for this year! ”

— Nichole • Bryant Books & Music

Bookseller recommendation

“I love a psychological thriller, and this one has all that entails, plus murder and missing kids. The shocking discovery of a teen's disappearance from a 1975 Adirondack summer camp in much the same way her brother disappeared 14 years earlier drives us to explore how these events precipitate the madness of their mother and those surrounding them. Wealth meets poverty, beauty fights intelligence, men shape women, and truth claws at fiction. Gripping, chilling... all the things. I loved every minute of this one. ”

— Yvonne • Author's Note

Bookseller recommendation

“This slow burn family suspense was a worthwhile listen. It will draw you into the disappearance of not one but two children from the same family, a wealthy one in the Adirondacks, who also house a summer camp on their property. It will take you back to another time, the 1960s and 70s, and the feel of an old school family dynasty that will go to any length to protect its reputation. This book will surprise you at who is allied and what is really going on. I recommend this on audio!”

— Lisa • The Bookshelf on Church

Bookseller recommendation

“It’s the mid 1970’s. It’s summer camp. But this is no nostalgic, comedy or cheap slasher novel. An unnamable, ever present danger hovers and lurks in the woods of the Adirondack mountains, seemingly encircling Camp Emerson, and lingering on every page of this totally enveloping novel. Moore paints a highly convincing ecosystem surrounding Camp Emerson, paying special attention to the class based hierarchies and antagonisms that simmer all around. The novel also portrays an ugly, decadent upper class, and is interested in the strict confines of gender roles which all really add depth to the novel. Moore absolutely sticks the landing in the end.”

— Matthew • The Common Good