The Woods are Waiting - Katherine Greene

 The Woods are Waiting - Katherine Greene

She read

Publication Date:  July 11, 2023

Blue Cliff is a small Appalachian town known as the town that “gobbles up” children because of the number of them who have gone missing in the woods and been found dead over the years.  When she graduated high school, Cheyanne couldn’t wait to leave the town and her eccentric mother who believed in the legend of the Hickory Man who stalked the woods and perpetuated a number of superstitions to keep him away.  Natalie had been Chey’s best friend and Jack her boyfriend.  When she left Blue Cliff, she also abandoned them.   Now, five years later when yet another child has gone missing after the assumed killer had been set free because found evidence exonerated him, Chey is called home by the police chief, a family friend, to tend to her mother who is getting more and more bizarre.  The town is boiling over in anger at the release of the presumed killer, yet Chey and her two friends believe him to be innocent.  Will they put their own lives in danger trying to seek the truth?

This is a great thriller debut by author Katherine Greene. The story is told from two POVs and takes place mostly in the present, although there is some going back in time as characters reflect on their earlier history.  It is a slow burn that is atmospheric and spooky. The rituals that some of residents of the small town follow to keep their children safe from the Hickory Man are no different from superstitious practices that many people preserve. Chey’s mother’s belief in herbs, poppets, and other practices have foundations in so many cultures.  Some may think they know the truth early in the read, but that doesn’t take away from an engrossing read and it may not be the entire story!    

Thanks to #netgalley and #crookedlanebooks for the ARC.

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