The God of the Woods

In 1961 a young boy goes missing on the family property and fourteen years later has still not been found. Then in 1975 his sister, Barbara, also disappears. As the search for Barbara continues some of the police become interested in reopening the case concerning the disappearance of her brother. There is a feeling held by many of the locals that the wrong man was charged with causing the boy's death. 

In The God of the Woods by Liz Moore the story is revealed over many time frames and through the eyes of a variety of characters. The land where the story takes place is owned by the Van Laar family and consists of the family property and Camp Emerson - a summer campsite for children. Characters who help reveal the plot are Louise (a camp leader), Tracy who is attending the camp, Alice Van Laar (the mother of the missing children), Carl Stoddard who worked on the property, Judyta who is an investigator searching for Barbara, Jacob (an escaped criminal) and Victor Hewitt who managed the property when the boy disappeared.

As a party is being held at the house each time one of the children disappears there are many suspects to investigate and the thread of the story changes frequently before the reader discovers what happened to both of the children. The plot of the novel is a little like meandering through the woods until the ending is revealed. This is the story of a complicated family and friends who are determined to protect the family name and business.