The God of the Woods

AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF 2024

WINNER OF GOODREADS MYSTERY & THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024

'I was totally gripped' DOUGLAS STUART

'Immersive and enthralling' PAULA HAWKINS

'At first hard to put down. By page 200, impossible' STEPHEN KING

A white-knuckle ride of a literary thriller from the author of Long Bright River, The God of the Woods centres on the inscrutable Van Laar family and whether their odd reactions to the disappearance of two of their children hides a guilty secret.

Waterstones Thriller of the Month for August 2025

When their thirteen-year-old daughter Barbara goes missing at summer camp, all eyes fall on the Van Laars family.

They're cold, rich people. They own the camp. And it's happened to them before.

Fifteen years ago their little boy, Bear, vanished without a trace.

Two children lost to the same wilderness.

Is it a tragedy… or a crime?

MEDIA REVIEWS

'Impressive and immersive' Literary Review

'Gripping, intricately plotted' Mail on Sunday

‘An intricate and emotionally engaging exploration of class and family dynamics, and a top-notch literary thriller’ Guardian

‘Very entertaining’ Vogue

‘Transfixing’ Elle

‘A literary thriller that will leave you gasping for air, a haunting and evocative novel that you won’t be able to put down’Glamour

'A brilliant trap full of secrets and lies… I was totally gripped' Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain

'A brilliant, riveting fox-trap of a novel – an epic mystery, a family saga and a survival guide … I loved this book' Miranda Cowley Heller, author of The Paper Palace

'A wonderful double mystery, brilliantly plotted and perfectly paced … I can't remember the last time I felt so entangled in a novelist's coils' Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures

'At first hard to put down. By page 200, impossible' Stephen King 'A rare gem, an immersive and enthralling literary thriller' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train

'I inhaled this … A perfect engrossing holiday read' Megan Nolan, author of Ordinary Human Failings

'A beguiling novel with a relentless grip. You won't be able to put it down' Claire Fuller, author of Untamed Ground

'Like watching a great TV series … great characters, a great plot, momentum, and that magic that makes it almost impossible to stop reading' Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha

‘A masterful literary thriller … As layer upon layer of mysteries are revealed, this intelligently constructed story draws the reader into a breathtaking denouement’ Lucy Clarke, author of The Hike

‘At once an immersive family saga and utterly propulsive mystery. Beautifully written’ Emilia Hart, author of Weyward and The Sirens

'With every book, Moore does something different […] this new novel is an atmospheric thriller about a girl from a wealthy family who goes missing 16 years after her brother disappeared' Good Housekeeping

'Brilliantly plotted and perfectly paced ... I can't remember the last time I felt so entangled in a novelist's coils' Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures

'A beguiling novel with a relentless grip. You won't be able to put it down' Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground

'At once an immersive family saga and utterly propulsive mystery. Beautifully written' Emilia Hart, author of Weyward

'A masterful literary thriller' Lucy Clarke, author of The Hike

'Riveting from page one to the last breathless word ... This book flew by at lightning speed, but will stick with me for a very long time' Rebecca Makkai, author of I Have Some Questions For You