Caffeinated Reviewer | What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
11th May
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall delivers a mystery thriller when Naomi, Cassidy, and Olivia revisit the events that occurred when they were eleven. The year they sent a killer to prison. Narrated by Karissa Vacker, I quickly found myself pulled into the story.
What Lies in the Woods
by Kate Alice Marshall
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
Length: 11 hours and 29 minutes
Genres: Thriller
Source: Library
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible | Libro.fm *affiliate
Rating: 
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.45x
They were eleven when they sent a killer to prison. They were heroes . . . but they were liars.
Naomi Shaw used to believe in magic. Twenty-two years ago, she and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent the summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder. They called it the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly when Naomi was attacked. Miraculously, she survived her seventeen stab wounds and lived to identify the man who had hurt her. The girls’ testimony put away a serial killer, wanted for murdering six women. They were heroes.
And they were liars.
For decades, the friends have kept a secret worth killing for. But now Olivia wants to tell, and Naomi sets out to find out what really happened in the woods―no matter how dangerous the truth turns out to be.
When Naomi, Cassidy and Olivia were eleven, they spent their summers in the woods playing the Goddess game until Naomi was attacked and stabbed over seventeen times. She survived and could identify her attacker. Together, the girls’ testimony put a serial killer in prison. They were called heroes. But they were really liars, and now Olivia wants to come clean.
Naomi does not know what actually happened that day; she just repeated her friend’s story, but now she is determined to find answers. What does Olivia want to reveal? The author delivers the tale in both past and the present. The point of view is delivered by Naomi and I quickly found myself pulled in.
I thought this was very well done with plenty of suspense, twists, and detail. We even get a little romance. I felt for Naomi, and even as I eventually guessed what Olivia wanted to reveal, I still felt surprised about a few things.
I highly recommend listening. The narration by Karissa Vacker was outstanding, perfectly portraying Naomi and the other characters. She set the tone and ensured a smooth transition from the past to the present.
Whether you read or listen, it’s the perfect book for a road trip or beach day. It’s easy to see why it was nominated for a Goodreads Award and lives up to the hype.
*kindleunlimited
About Kate Alice Marshall
Kate Alice Marshall writes horror and thrillers for all ages, from middle grade to adult. Her books have been nominated for the Washington State Book Awards and Bram Stoker Awards. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, where she spends her time gardening, gaming, and concocting stories of the uncanny.
About Karissa Vacker
Karissa is an Audie Award Finalist and AudioFile Earphones award winning narrator. She is a classically trained actor with credits from major regional theaters and also has numerous film and TV credits. Karissa has narrated over 300 books for Penguin Random House, Macmillan Audio, Hachette, Brilliance, Tantor, Dreamscape, Harper Collins and Scholastic, among others. She excels at narrating suspense/thrillers, literary fiction and romantic comedies.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat.
