Literary Leftover Book Review: The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

A child goes missing in 1975 from a summer camp in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. This book club book is set in both 1975 and 1961 when the last child went missing. The reader quickly finds out that both of the missing children are from the same family. This can’t be a coincidence can it? And if it isn’t, what is happening?

This stand alone book was released in 2024 but it is set in 1975. As local detectives search for yet another missing child, the time frame of the novel also puts the development of women in law enforcement as a major storyline. Follow new detective Judyta Luptack as she works to solve 2 missing children cases.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Literary Leftovers are book reviews and recommendations that do not contain recipes, but are books that I highly recommend.

Outline and Tone:

If you are a fan of the movie Love Actually or New Year’s Day, you will love this book. The connection between those movies and this book is there are several storylines that seem as though they can’t possibly be connected, but as the story reaches its climax and resolution, the reader finally sees how each storyline has come together to make a fantastic novel. Author Liz Moore wrote each storyline as a mystery and when the plots do finally come together, it is in a way that I could not have guessed.

Set in a palatial reserve in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, in both the 1960s and early 1970s. The setting is a character in itself, not just because of the mountainous terrain but because of life in those times and what women could and couldn’t do. Judyta Luptack is a female detective, and she is breaking a glass ceiling as the first female detective of the small town. Additionally, even though she is 26, she has limits placed on her from both her family and her boss. Early in the novel, the reader meets two families. One family is rich and as the saying goes, more money; more problems. This family has faced the tragedy of a lost child and that seems to influence all of the family dynamics. When another child from this family goes missing the story begins. A large group of law enforcement officials come to the preserve to search for this second child. The storyline does not follow the search chronologically, but quickly goes back to the first missing child and the reader spends much of the book trying to figure out who to trust and who is lying.

The second family that plays a large part of this novel is the working class family that runs the summer camp where the child went missing. This family does not seem to be any more innocent than the wealthy family. Author Liz Moore will keep the reader going back and forth on guessing which family has the most to hide.

The Best Quote:

Her voice, it seemed, had been continuously decrescendoing since birth, so that by age twelve, she could scarcely be heard.

Point of View:

The novel is in third person, and switches through several different characters point of view.

The author: Liz Moore

Described as “fiercely intelligent” by Louisa Hall of The New York Times, this novel seems to prove Ms. Hall’s point. Liz Hall has not only published critically acclaimed novels, but has also written what is termed as creative nonfiction. God of the Woods won the Lolly Award for best Book of the Year. It was nominated as a Good Reads Choice Award for Best Mystery & Thriller in 2024. Ms. Moore’s website reports that she uses Instagram to post news and events. She also has a Facebook account and an account on X.

What is not to like?:

The only thing I didn’t love was how the story spent so much time on the first missing child from 1961. But trust me, I did not feel that way when I got to the end of the novel.

The verdict:

The reason I read this novel is because it was selected for me as part of the book club from my alma mater, Kansas University. I doubt I would have picked it up if it wasn’t selected by the club. And that is why I love book clubs.

I highly recommend this book and I hope you can find someone to discuss and make guesses with as you read. I found a set of great group discussion questions from the website Book Companion. I have linked the questions HERE.

Book Statistics

The God of the Woods

by Liz Moore

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Book Club
Setting: Adirondack summer camp
Pages: 490 pages
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Paperback, Audio Book
Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Published by: Riverhead Book (July 2, 2024)
Information Sources: Amazon, Goodreads, and Author’s website

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