The Killing Woods

by Lucy Christopher

Overview

"[A] tense and nimbly crafted psychological thriller," about a father accused of murder, the daughter defending him, and the victim's alluring boyfriend (Publishers Weekly).
Ashlee Parker is dead, and Emily Shepherd's dad is accused of the crime. A former soldier suffering from PTSD, he emerges from the woods carrying the girl's broken body. "Gone," he says, then retreats into silence. What really happened that wild night? Emily knows in her bones that her father is innocent—isn't he? Before he's convicted, she's got to find out the truth. Does Damon Hilary, Ashlee's charismatic boyfriend, have the answers? Or is he only playing games with her—the kinds of games that can kill?
"A gripping, heartbreaking, emotionally substantial look at war wounds and the allure of danger."
—Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545576710
Publisher:	Chicken House
Publication date:	08/17/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	389
File size:	10 MB
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Lucy Christopher's novel STOLEN was named a Printz Honor Book by the ALA and received England's Branford Boase award and Australia's Gold Inky for best debut. In a starred review, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY called it "an emotionally raw thriller...a haunting account of captivity and the power of relationships." She is also the author of FLYAWAY, a novel for younger readers, and THE KILLING WOODS, a novel for young adults. Lucy lives in Monmouth, Wales. Visit her at www.lucychristopher.com and follow her on Twitter @LucyCAuthor.

Read an Excerpt

From THE KILLING WOODSSomething was draped across Dad's outstretched arms. A deer? A fawn that was injured? It was sprawled and long-legged, something that had been caught in a poacher's trap, maybe. A mistake. So this is where Dad had been: in the woods, cutting this creature free . . . I tried to make out the shape of the deer's body, but it was all wrong. The legs weren't long enough, neither was its neck. I took a step toward them. And that's when it made sense . . .It wasn't a deer Dad was carrying. It was a girl.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for THE KILLING WOODS:*"A gripping, heartbreaking, emotionally substantial look at war wounds and the allure of danger."—KIRKUS REVIEWS, starred review"[A] tense and nimbly crafted psychological thriller."—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Praise for STOLEN:"Complicated and beautiful — it left me doubting my emotions and missing a place I'd never been." —Maggie Stiefvater"All the tension of lightning, all the terror of thunder. A stunning, scary, and beautiful book." —John Marsden*"An emotionally raw thriller...a haunting account of captivity and the power of relationships." —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred reviewMichael L. Printz Honor BookALA Best Fiction for Young AdultsUSBBY Outstanding International Book

From the Publisher

★ 2013-11-20
This taut, psychologically realistic murder mystery knits trauma, danger, tragedy and hope into one cohesive tale. In a horrifying opening scene, Emily watches her father return from the forest carrying what looks like an injured deer but turns out to be a girl--dead. Dad's having a flashback to the military event that gave him PTSD. As a soldier, he'd accidentally killed a civilian; did he kill this girl, Ashlee, as well? Ashlee's boyfriend, Damon, awakens hung over the next morning, confused that Ashlee's not in his bed. They'd been in Darkwood the night before with his mates, playing the Game. Ashlee gave Damon hallucinogenic drugs, and he can't remember how the night--or the Game--ended. Damon and Emily alternate chapters in distinct first-person voices. Damon's traumatized by Ashlee's murder and his father's military death; Emily's devastated that her sometimes-violent yet "scared of everything" father--possibly innocent--is pleading guilty to manslaughter. Darkwood's thick forest, high peak and leftover war bunker make a vivid setting. Readers will be riveted by slow, potent reveals about the rough nature of the Game, Ashlee's insistence on danger and adrenaline, and what happened that night. The answers hurt, but they feel right and they make sense. A sprout of hope at the end is fragile and unforced. A gripping, heartbreaking, emotionally substantial look at war wounds and the allure of danger. (Mystery. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews