Fiction, Mystery: In the Woods

I don’t read a lot of fiction. Occasionally a setting like Cape Cod or an island in Maine may draw me to a fictional story. I also don’t read many mysteries, except for Sherlock Holmes pastiches. That said, I do enjoy mixing up my reads. So I was intrigued when Diane gave me “In the Woods” (2007) by Tana French as a Christmas gift. She bought it based on a recommendation by the owner of the Frenchtown Bookshop. 

I immediately was drawn to the language and vocabulary. It led to a slow, measured, thoughtful reading. The setting was an estate (suburban development), in the village Knocknaree, outside of Dublin. The present time is in the early 2000s; with flashbacks to 1984. The central characters are Rob Ryan, a detective on the Dublin Murder squad and his partner Cassie Maddox. In 1984 a young Rob (Adam was his birth name) and two friends, Peter and Jamie disappeared “in the woods” adjacent to the estate. Adam was found; his friends were not. Adam’s parents changed names and moved away as protection, precaution.

Now he was back in the neighborhood and assigned to investigate the disappearance and yes murder of Katy Delvin. Her mutilated body is found on a burial stone at an archaeological dig prior to the construction of a Motorway. Ryan and Maddox are assigned to the case. 

There are constant plot twists and turns. The Devlin family is strange. Jonathan and Margaret, Katy’s parents both have issues. Jonathan is a leader in a protest against building of a Motorway in the woods on the site of the dig. He claims he received threatening telephone calls related to his protests. He and his wife respond strangely to Katy’s murder.  Katy’s sisters also have issues. Younger Jessica is sickly and vulnerable; older sister Rosalind is complex. Is she friend or foe?  And the plots twist and turn. Jonathan is under suspicion of child abuse. Rosiland is infatuated with Detective Ryan (is it a ploy?). 

The professional and developing romantic relationship between Ryan and Maddox is a major subplot. Regular dinners, sleepovers and eventually sexual encounters. Another detective Sam is often hangs out with them. They also need to deal with the skeptical, demanding commander of their unit, O’Kelly. He wants results. 

Could Katy’s death be related to the Motorway protest. Who stands to win or lose? Is it related to the archaeological dig. Mark the director and Damien who first discovered Katy’s body come under suspicion. But the big question is, does Katy’s murder, death, connect to the 1984 disappearance of the three kids. Ryan and Cassie interview the parents of Peter and Jamie. Contact with the past is traumatic for Ryan (or Adam). He also worries that his role in the 1984 disappearances will be discovered by his boss, O’Kelly. And it is; Rosiland may have told. 

Ryan and Cassie have their ups and downs. Arguments and suspicions. Ryan decides to spend a night “in the woods” reliving his childhood experience. Flashbacks often seem to provide information. He gets agitated and runs out of the woods to Cassie’s apartment. 

It’s a dramatic story. A “who done it.” I won’t reveal who but Rosiland and the archaeologist Damien may have some clues . . . answers. “In the Woods” an Edgar Award winner is fiction worth reading. My thanks to Scott at the Frenchtown Bookshop for the recommendation. It’s also good to support local bookstores.

Black Bass, Lumberville

January 18, 2024. We’re expecting snow tonight, so it seemed like a good afternoon for a lunch outing. Decision was the Black Bass in Lumberville. It’s a nice ride upriver. It was fairly crowded. we got a nice riverside table. Their version of a Manhattan for me; Bloody Mary for Diane.  Diane had the traditional crab cake but I tried the Cassoulet, with lamb, sausage, duck, veggies and beans. Delicious. As was our Crem Broulee. 

We have a long history with the Black Bass. Scott Ralston, my sister Vicky’s boyfriend and husband worked there as a bartender when they were in high school and college. I recall going there at that time with them. It would be fifty years ago. How time flies. 

Diane and I stayed overnight several times in the 1980s. We won gift certificates from the Friends of the Delaware Canal fund raising auctions. A room and dinner. Memorable Bucks County overnights. The view of and from the walking bridge and river is always pleasant. The food consistently good. I.m thinking about an overnight this year. 

“Built in the 1740s, the Black Bass Hotel served as a haven for travelers, traders, and sportsmen. The famous tavern had many names through the years including Wall’s Tavern, Lumberville Hotel, Temple Bar, The Rising Sun and finally The Black Bass Hotel.” It is one of the oldest inns in the country, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. “The Bass seeps with a rich history. One of the most notable documents that while George Washington is known to have slept in several historic properties throughout the Delaware Valley, he notably did notstay at the Bass. As Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, Washington was turned away by the innkeeper of the Bass who was a Tory and loyal to the British Crown. He made it clear that Washington was not welcome to stay.”

“In 1833 a fire broke out in the Tavern resulting in extensive damage. Major Anthony Fry, the proprietor at the time, broke open the cellar doors and, at the risk of his own life, carried out a huge quantity of gunpowder that was being stored there. This stopped an inevitable explosion and saved the Bass from total destruction. We thought this feat worthy of naming one of our suites after him!”

“In the late nineteenth century, the Black Bass fell into decline and passed through several owners until it was purchased in 1949 by Herbert Ward. Herbie, as he was fondly known, rescued the Bass and ran it until just before his death 54 years later. He was passionate about history and was a devoted Anglophile. His expansive collection of British memorabilia, as well as hundreds of antiques and notable artwork, were lovingly restored under the guidance of the Thompson family. Herbie purchased the famed pewter bar in the Tavern at auction which originally resided in Maxim’s of Paris” (Black Bass website). 

As part of a Holy Ghost Prep Explorer’s canoe trip in the 1980s, Bill Gallagher, Tom Corley and I took a dozen students canoe trip and camped on Bull’s Island across the footbridge to New Jersey. The kids left the campground to go to the Black Bass. An hour later the adults headed there for a nightcap. The kids greeted us, “Wow, it was expensive.” They had spent every last penny and had to borrow money the next day for a soda in New Hope. 

“In 2008 the Black Bass Hotel was in desperate need of repair and was put up for auction. Jack Thompson purchased the property and embarked on a total restoration of the historic hotel. Spearheaded by Laura Thompson Barnes, the extensive renovations were meticulously restored taking into consideration the original appeal and history of the building. The various dining rooms and bars were painstakingly redesigned to bring them close to their original integrity but with modern comfort in mind. A building across the street along the woods was transformed into the Baxter Suite, a pet-friendly cottage named after Thompson’s beloved Golden Retriever, Baxter.”

In 2017 Diane and I celebrated our fiftieth anniversary at the Black Bass. It was delayed a bit due to my surgeries. But the immediate family gathered for a celebration overlooking the river. More recently we headed there with Barbara and John Paglione. River Road was closed. In New Jersey we parked in the Bull’s Island parking lot and walked the footbridge to the Black Bass. Our waitress today said that NJ had cracked down on the parking. 

Another memorable lunch followed The Friends of the Delaware Canal “Faces and Places” tour in 2019. We met at the Black Bass and traveled south to Phillips Mill exploring the heritage of the New Hope Impressionists and their colony at Phillips Mill. Great tour which ended back at the Black Bass for food and drinks. 

And today we have a nice snowfall. So glad we went to the Black Bass yesterday.