The God of the Woods: A Novel 

When Barbara Van Laar Disappears by Liz Moore

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES’S NOTABLE BOOKS OF THE YEAR

A NEW YORK TIMES “BEST THRILLER” and “BEST CRIME NOVEL” OF THE YEAR

PEOPLE MAGAZINE’S #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR

ONE OF NPR’S “BOOKS WE LOVE”

ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S “100 MUST-READ BOOKS”

“Extraordinary . . . Reminds me of Donna Tartt’s 1992 debut, The Secret History . . . I was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air.” — Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR

“This expertly paced thriller …has the kineticism of a well-crafted miniseries.” — The New Yorker

When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide.

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old—she’s the daughter of the wealthy family that owns the camp and employs much of the surrounding community. But this isn’t the first tragedy to strike the Van Laars: fourteen years earlier, Barbara’s older brother vanished without a trace.

As the desperate search unfolds, Liz Moore weaves a gripping, emotional mystery that explores class divides, buried secrets, and the bonds that hold families together—and tear them apart. Richly atmospheric and deeply human, this is Moore’s most ambitious and far-reaching novel yet.

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