A review by sdecoste
The Witch Elm by Tana French

4.0

Toby is young, single, in love with Melissa, and gainfully employed. His world comes crashing down around him, literally, when he is beaten near to death by intruders in his apartment. He needs to rest and heal his confused brain, so he moves into the ancestral home with his Uncle Hugo, who has terminal brain cancer. Toby's two cousins, Susanna and Leon, whom he grew up with, come to visit often. Toby remembers their childhood fondly, but he recently detects a note of tension when they visit. When one of Susanna's young children find a skull in an old tree on the property, things get really tense and suspicions arise. I love a character driven book. And this novel was wonderfully written, but it is the most wordy book I've read in a long, long time. Every single thought that goes through Toby's head is shared with the reader. The build up to the actual mystery takes forever. Very interesting, but not for someone looking for a fast read.