By Collection Management Librarian Kathy
I love how much our community uses the library. Sometimes that means waiting for the hottest titles. Don’t fret! I can help you find a similar reading experience to THAT book you are waiting for or that you finally read and loved.
God of the Woods readalikes
Knife River by Justine Champine
Why you should try it: A disappearance, siblings, family dynamics—sound familiar? If you enjoy the entanglement of mystery, suspense, and emotional heft, this is a good choice.
Description: When Jess was 13, her mother went for a walk and never returned. Jess and her older sister, Liz, never found out what happened. Instead, they did what they hoped their mother had done: survive. As soon as she was old enough, Jess fled their small town of Knife River, wandering from girlfriend to girlfriend like a ghost in her own life, aimless in her attempts to outrun grief and confusion. But one morning, 15 years after their mother's disappearance, she gets the call she's been bracing for: Her mother's remains have been found. Jess returns to find Knife River—and her sister—frozen in time.
The Searcher by Tana French
Why you should try it: If you loved the setting and atmosphere of God of the Woods, I think you will enjoy this suspenseful story as well.
Description: Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a bucolic Irish village would be the perfect escape. After 25 years in the Chicago police force and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens. But when a local kid whose brother has gone missing arm-twists him into investigating, Cal uncovers layers of darkness beneath his picturesque retreat and starts to realize that even small towns shelter dangerous secrets.
When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain
Why you should try it: Of course, there is a mystery, but maybe colliding timelines are your thing?
Description: Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When unspeakable tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino. She spent summers there as a child with her beloved grandparents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her to heal. Yet the day she arrives, she learns a local teenage girl has gone missing. Anna is in no condition to become involved with the search—until a childhood friend, now the village sheriff, pleads for her help. Then, just days later, a 12-year-old girl is abducted from her home. The crimes feel frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna's childhood, when a string of unsolved murders touched Mendocino. As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment.
Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
Why you should try it: This twisty thriller will satisfy your suspense needs, but the excellent writing and weighty themes make for a tremendously satisfying read.
Description: It's been 20 years since Detective Chelsey Calhoun's sister vanished when they were teenagers, and ever since she's been searching: for signs, for closure, for other missing girls. But happy endings are rare in Chelsey's line of work. Then a glimmer: local teenager Ellie Black, who disappeared without a trace two years earlier, has been found alive in the woods of Washington State. But something is not right with Ellie. She won't say where she's been, or who she's protecting, and it's up to Chelsey to find the answers.
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
Why you should try it: This literary thriller is also set in the 1970s and will appease the God of the Woods itch.
Description: 1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Muhammad Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing. When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake. Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.
About Kathy
Kathy is a Collection Management Librarian who loves reading, sharing, and talking about books. Her missions in life are to create communities of readers, convince folks that her official title should be "Book Pusher," and refute that "disco" is a dirty word.
