What Lies in the Woods: A Novel

Written by Kate Alice Marshall

Narrated by Karissa Vacker

"Vacker's overall performance, especially her solid pacing, will keep listeners guessing." - AudioFile Magazine

"Clever and deliciously dark.” - Alice Feeney, bestselling author of Rock Paper Scissors

"Narrator Karissa Vacker, with scores of audiobooks under her belt, provides a pitch-perfect performance in what, for some, would be a tough ask. Vacker's voice is a solid touchstone guiding listeners through shocks and twists."- Booklist

They were eleven when they sent a killer to prison. They were heroes . . . but they were liars.

Kate Alice Marshall's What Lies in the Woods is a thrilling novel about friendship, secrets, betrayal, and lies - and having the courage to face the past.

Naomi Shaw used to believe in magic. Twenty-two years ago, she and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent the summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder. They called it the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly when Naomi was attacked. Miraculously, she survived her seventeen stab wounds and lived to identify the man who had hurt her. The girls’ testimony put away a serial killer, wanted for murdering six women. They were heroes.

And they were liars.

For decades, the friends have kept a secret worth killing for. But now Olivia wants to tell, and Naomi sets out to find out what really happened in the woods—no matter how dangerous the truth turns out to be.

“What Lies In the Woods is a gorgeous fever dream of a novel about the dangers lurking in the hearts and imaginations of little girls. Kate Alice Marshall deftly charts a winding path through her creepy woods, doubling back and changing course to build a labyrinth of secrets and lies in which I was delighted to lose myself for hours. Hands down, it's the best thriller I've read in a long, long time.”—Chandler Baker, bestselling author of The Husbands

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Jan 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9781250882448

Kate Alice Marshall

Kate Alice Marshall is the author of the young adult novels I Am Still Alive, Rules for Vanishing, and Our Last Echoes, as well as the Secrets of Eden Eld middle grade series. She lives outside of Seattle, where she spends her time playing board games, tending a chaotic vegetable garden, and wrangling dogs and children. No One Can Know is her second adult novel.

Reviews for What Lies in the Woods

[Eyra Winchester · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed it ! I sort of figured a bit of the ending but was definitely surprised by the other plot twists ! I’m happy I spent my day listening to this but I’m sad it’s gone

[Brandon Czechowski · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m very picky when it comes to audio books and USUALLY within a few minutes of starting a new book, I can tell if the book will be good/keep my attention.. It all depends on the narrator and the pace of the material. This book is another one that hooked me right in the first couple minutes and kept me hooked till the end. I’m very weary about reading reviews because with books you either like it or you dont(for the most part). This book had a lot of twists and turns right till the end! The narrators voice/tone made it easy to listen to/understand and on the writing side of things, the book was well written and had a good/steady pace. Would I recommend this book? Hell yeah! Will YOU like it? Maybe… maybe not. Everyone’s different. Hope those few points I made help!

[Emily Lassiter Branch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you like dark and twisty tales, this could be right up your alley. Three young girls, childhood friends from very different backgrounds, spend lots of time playing a fantasy game that they make up as they go along until at age 11, one of them suffers a brutal, near-fatal stabbing attack as they play the game in their beloved woods. Now adults, news about the convicted attacker brings them back together in their small hometown and Naomi, the victim of the attack, begins to question what she really remembers about that day. Don't want to say too much but I enjoyed this one - it kept me guessing and I was sometimes correct with my guesses, but often surprised. I listened to the audiobook, and Karissa Vacker's narration was excellent as always.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

[Danice Stone · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was just ok. Wasn't very suspenseful. Audible was good

[Nancy Culp · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Couldn’t stop! Had to keep reading through all the plot twists. Very well done.

[Patricia Cruz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Middle of the road thriller. Nothing special, but also fast paced and entertaining

[Cara Betcher · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It was an ok book.
I am done with listening to this narrator. All her men are the same for every book she has done.
It would be nice to read a book that didn't have so much narration between the charecters.

[Shruti · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was enjoying myself despite the broken girl repeated storyline. Then the first reveal happened just as I predicted. Then the final climax and the villain was also someone I suspected.

So, I don't think this was a path-breaking thriller. But I didn't see a couple of things at the end coming. So, if you are new to thrillers- this is great!
if you read a lot of thrillers, you might predict some parts but it was still a fun time.

[Tamara Walters · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing book!! Sad ending but very very good! Enjoyed both story and narration

[Aminata Miller · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really loved how the story unfolded and the characters were very well developed. It kept you guessing until the end. Great story! I loved it!

[Brown Charlotte · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great audio voice and very good twisty turny book for everand

[Taylor A. · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Such a wonderful book! What I loved was that I never would have guessed the end and only started putting the pieces together when Naomi did. I had my theories of course, but they were incredibly wrong lol. Truly I was caught off guard by the reveal, but it did make sense. This book is perfect if you're a fan of whodunit type mysteries. Plus, the audio was great and that's saying something since I don't typically enjoy audio books where all the characters are narrated by one person

[Bea Jin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This would serve as a great introduction to the genre for newcomers.

[kitty2lou2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Nor normally an audio book listener, but between the excellent plot, writing and the narrator this was the first audio I made all the way through

[Paige · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story had me guessing from the very beginning. Perfect narration and the best thriller I listened to this year. Must listen for thriller/mystery readers.

[lovelymadnest · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this! Perfect ending for the story, lots of twists and turns towards the end. Amazing narration!

[melinda Burgis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoyed this book. There were some good twists in it, some more predictable than others but still definitely worth a read

[Eedge Eeva · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can't believe there is no more talking about this book! This was just a brilliant book!

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall was an insane psychological thriller with jaw-dropping twists one after another and one more on the top! I am still trying to process the twists... They were insane!



I don't remember how this book landed on the TBR list but I am happy it did!
This book grabbed my attention from the beginning till the last page of this book!
I love heart-pounding thrillers where you need some extra time to process - what is going on? When your heart is pricing in line with character hearts. When your shock is the same as the character's shock!

3 best friends Naomi, Cassidy, and Olivia survived a tragic summer when they were just 11 years old! Naomi was attacked but survived her seventeen stab wounds. Each of them dealt with the trauma differently but they felt safe as this attack helped to put in the prison long looked serial killer. But not everything was so straightforward as they were keeping secrets that couldn't come out. If everything would be so simple!


As I said, I am surprised that there are no more talks about this book! This psychological thriller is full of twists, full with crazy emotions, and surprises!

If you looking for your next twisty thriller - this is the one!

[Jessica Bockover · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Narration- I honestly spend a lot of time trying to figure out where I have heard Karissa's voice, but in fact after searching her library I haven't listened to other titles by her. Her voice was so familiar it was bugging me. I think her voice is just very similar to other narrators. Anyways. I think she did an okay job with the performance. I don't particularly care for the male voices as it sounds pretty forced.

Story- I have spent the last three days listening to this on 1.2x. To begin I will let you know that this story is more of a slow burn for most of the book, and much of the excitement happens closer to the end. I actually ended up enjoying Naomi's character because she is not perfect, she's been a victim, but she won't let that stop her. We follow Naomi as she goes back to where it all began. Where she was viciously attacked and left for dead. She and her friends were just playing their game in the woods, and then Naomi is attacked. A man is put in prison, but is he really the one Naomi saw? Follow Naomi as she tries to fill in the gaps and figure out what actually happened that night when they were 11. Not everything is at is seems.
I have to say while I did start to put the pieces together I was still pleasantly surprised by the twists this one had to offer. I would recommend giving this one a chance!

[Sharon Whittock · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really good book, but a bit slow to get in to! Good ending though

[Shannon Lamb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Parts of the story line were a little corny but I still really enjoyed the book. I thought I expected the twist but it did end up being unexpected. Overall a good listen

[erin pease · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book. Once you think you know what’s happening, a twist is thrown in. Many times! Definitely recommend.

[Kassie Proffitt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gripping, twisty, fast paced. Overall good but the ending was a little too much.

[Morgan Bennett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved each word, and the twists and turns were pretty unpredictable. Beautifully written!

[Shawna · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Three girls have been bound to each other thru tragedy. At age 11, one of them is stabbed, and the other two in fear are forced to watch. They all survive, and the man they named as the attacker is sent to jail. Later, as adults, they are notified when he dies in prison. Naomi lives in Seattle and immediately heads home to her two friends, Olivia and Cassidy. Once she gets there, she is forced to confront her past. Details about that day and the different people who were involved become clearer once she returns. Things her young self now has to confront. This is a twisty one with lots of suprises so hang on.

[RichardKevinWilson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I would have NEVER ever figured out how this thriller was going to turn out!! I LOVED the writing of Kate Alice Marshall! How she wove this story of 3, 11 year old girls playing in the woods when one of them is attacked by a man, who slices and stabs one of the girls 17 times!! Then 20 years later one of the girls comes back home and the terror of a local serial killer starts again. Twists and turns all the way to the VERY END made this a book that I will praise and recommend highly to anyone who likes or LOVES a greatly told story. This will have you guessing all the way.

5 Stabbies ????? all the way!

[Kathryn Huck · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not a fan of the narrator but a good story that kept me interested until the end to see how it wrapped up

[Fran Wingard · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Total plot twist!! Just when i thought i know, i had no idea. Fast read!!!

[Danielle Stilson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love all the twists and turns. The book keeps you on your toes and you just can’t put it down!

[Miriam Gomez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoy the reading first time I read from this aurthor lots of turn and twist very well done just when I thought I knew the killer put again thru dead end anyone who looking for type of case I would recommend this book