The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

The God of the Woods

A Novel

Liz Moore

Penguin Publishing Group · Print & ebook · October 28, 2025

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 “Extraordinary . . .

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Who it’s for
Fans of psychological and domestic thrillers
Themes
family secrets, disappearance, thriller
Pacing
Fast

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About this book

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 “Extraordinary . . . Reminds me of Donna Tartt’s 1992 debut, The Secret History . . .

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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 family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

Who it’s for

  • Fans of psychological and domestic thrillers
  • Readers who enjoy multi-threaded family secrets and suspense

Where it sits

Suspense30%
Literary Fiction21%
Psychological Thrillers19%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Literary Fiction
  • Psychological Fiction
  • Family Life
Authors
Liz Moore
Publisher
Penguin Publishing Group
Published
October 28, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
family secrets · disappearance · thriller
Reading lane
Literary Fiction