What Waits in the Woods by Terri Parlato

In this riveting thriller from a new master of suspense, a young dancer’s homecoming is marred by a grisly discovery—and the realization that nothing in her past may be quite what she believed.

When Esmé Foster left the Boston suburbs to become a professional ballerina, the future shimmered with promise. Eleven years later, her career has been derailed by an injury, and Esme knows it’s time to come back to Graybridge to help her brother care for their ailing father. But her return coincides with an unthinkable crime. Kara Cunningham, one of Esme’s high school friends, is found dead in the woods behind the Fosters’ house.

Esmé is shocked and grieving, but also uneasy. In her dreams, she still sees the man who showed up at the scene of the car accident that killed her mother—and told Esmé he was going to kill her too. Family and friends insisted the figure was a product of Esmé’s imagination, that she was concussed after the crash. But she and Kara looked alike, sharing the same petite build, the same hair color. Could Kara’s murder have been a case of mistaken identity?

Detective Rita Myers is familiar with close-knit communities like Graybridge, where, beneath the friendliness, there are whispers and secrets. The town has seen other tragedies too, including the long-ago drowning of a young girl in a pond, deep in the woods. Even within the once-close circle of friends that included Kara and Esmé, Rita discerns a ripple of mistrust.

Day by day, Esmé discovers more about the place she left behind—and the friends and family she thought she knew. Soon, shining a light into the darkness to learn what really happened the night Kara died is the only way she can bring the nightmare to an end . . .

Published by Kensington
on December 26, 2023

Review:

I received an advance galley of this book courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this one expecting an edge-of-my-seat thriller, but what I actually got was more of a mystery. The novel is narrated from the dual perspectives of Esme and Rita, providing insight into the investigation of a murder and the unraveling of secrets in a small Massachusetts town.

Esme Foster, a former ballet dancer, is forced to return to her hometown of Graybridge after a career-ending injury. Her homecoming is marred by the discovery of her high school friend Kara Cunningham’s lifeless body in the woods behind her family’s house. Literally, the day she returns home, Esme pulls up to her father’s house to find the police packing up Kara’s body in the woods behind their home. How’s that for a welcome home gift?

Esme is devastated and immediately on edge. When she was a kid, she was riding in a vehicle with her parents when her father lost control of the car. Her mother was killed in the accident, and Esme distinctly remembers a man pulling her from the car as he shouted, “I will kill you.” The problem is that her father claims there was no man there with them, and the police didn’t indicate that anyone else was present at the scene of the accident. With Kara and Esme sharing a striking resemblance, Esme wonders if maybe the man WAS real, and he’s come back all of these years later to fulfill his promise. Was her friend’s murder a case of mistaken identity?

Detective Rita Myers, a seasoned officer, is assigned to the investigation. As she delves deeper into the case, she uncovers a web of secrets surrounding several suspects. Esme’s brother had recently dated Kara. Esme’s neighbor – an eccentric costume designer – had recently been working with Kara. Esme’s other neighbor, Ray Ridley, also likes to hang out in the woods that connect their properties, and many say he’s a shady character who could have been responsible. And then we have Ray’s sister, Cynthia, who was accused of killing her sister years earlier. Cynthia recently returned home after a stay in an institution. Could she be involved?

As I mentioned earlier, this one plays out as more of a mystery than a thriller. Aside from a couple of chapters, I was never really on the edge of my seat with this one.; it all felt a little formulaic to me. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I never really connected with Rita. Her chapters lacked depth, and I wonder why the author chose her as our second narrator, as she really didn’t offer much aside from giving us insight into the suspects and setting up several red herrings. I felt that the investigation went in circles and didn’t add much to the story. Her chapters were my least favorite in the book.

I feel like had the second narrator been Cynthia – the young woman accused of murdering her sister years earlier who has now returned – it would have been more interesting. Not only would we have been provided with an unreliable narrator, but I feel like it would have added depth and a sense of unease that was otherwise missing. Cynthia’s character is rich and complex, and I wanted more from her.

Despite these shortcomings, the novel succeeds in creating a haunting and atmospheric setting. The small-town dynamics added depth and intrigue. As Esme peels back the layers of her hometown, readers are taken on a journey of discovery. Through her exploration of the town’s history and the people she thought she knew, Esme slowly uncovers the truth behind Kara’s death.

While it wasn’t the heart-pounding thriller I’d hoped for, it is an intriguing mystery. While the pacing and some characters may have room for improvement, the atmospheric setting and the unraveling of secrets make it a worthwhile read for fans looking for a good mystery to cuddle up with in the colder months.