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In the Woods They Wait
Not yet published
Expected 22 Sep 26A park ranger in Devil’s Den becomes obsessed with the case of a missing child—a case that mirrors the disappearance of her own brother, whom she lost in the woods many years ago—and the possibility that both were taken by something vicious and unnatural that lives deep in the Ozarks.
Fifteen years ago, Audrey Figg's little brother, Benny, vanished on a family vacation to Devil's Den state park, a day that split her life in two.
Now, Audrey is a park ranger in the very same woods with expertise in wilderness search and rescue. Audrey has found a rhythm to her training new rangers, tending to injured hikers, protecting the backcountry, and still, searching.
When a little girl, Ivy, suddenly goes missing on the trails, Audrey can’t help but notice the similarities to her own brother’s case. As Audrey widens the scope of her search, she begins to believe Ivy wasn't merely lost; it looks like she was taken by something—and maybe Benny was too. Yet the closer Audrey comes to answers, the more old memories push to the surface. Audrey is haunted not only by her brother's loss, but a terrible secret from that day. A secret she has never shared with anyone.
Utterly absorbing and disquieting, In the Woods They Wait is an enthralling page-turner, one that asks how far you would go for a sense of closure—and what would you be willing to face to get it.
Fifteen years ago, Audrey Figg's little brother, Benny, vanished on a family vacation to Devil's Den state park, a day that split her life in two.
Now, Audrey is a park ranger in the very same woods with expertise in wilderness search and rescue. Audrey has found a rhythm to her training new rangers, tending to injured hikers, protecting the backcountry, and still, searching.
When a little girl, Ivy, suddenly goes missing on the trails, Audrey can’t help but notice the similarities to her own brother’s case. As Audrey widens the scope of her search, she begins to believe Ivy wasn't merely lost; it looks like she was taken by something—and maybe Benny was too. Yet the closer Audrey comes to answers, the more old memories push to the surface. Audrey is haunted not only by her brother's loss, but a terrible secret from that day. A secret she has never shared with anyone.
Utterly absorbing and disquieting, In the Woods They Wait is an enthralling page-turner, one that asks how far you would go for a sense of closure—and what would you be willing to face to get it.
304 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 22, 2026
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April 3, 2026oooh this one sounds so good! I love missing person mysteries!
*** ARC REC'D THANK YOU SO MUCH!! **
*** ARC REC'D THANK YOU SO MUCH!! **
June 8, 2026
I was invited to read this eARC by Little, Brown & Company and NetGalley. When I read the description, I knew I had to read it. Set in the Ouachita National Forest at Devil’s Den in West Fork, AR, which is a mere 40 minutes north of where I live, I knew there was no way I was passing this one by.
Audrey lost her brother in this very forest when they were teenagers, and 15 years later, she is a ranger at the park and has spent those 15 years continuing to look for her brother. Strange things are happening here that she can’t quite put her finger on, as though there is something out there lurking in the woods. It had a “Stranger Things” vibe to it. The book goes back & forth to when her brother went missing to the current, where a 6 year old girl just went missing. It was a fast-paced, entertaining read with a darkness to it that still kept things interesting.
Many thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for an invitation to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
Audrey lost her brother in this very forest when they were teenagers, and 15 years later, she is a ranger at the park and has spent those 15 years continuing to look for her brother. Strange things are happening here that she can’t quite put her finger on, as though there is something out there lurking in the woods. It had a “Stranger Things” vibe to it. The book goes back & forth to when her brother went missing to the current, where a 6 year old girl just went missing. It was a fast-paced, entertaining read with a darkness to it that still kept things interesting.
Many thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for an invitation to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
March 17, 2026
Thank you to Net Galley for the eARC!
In The Woods They Wait is a great suspense thriller/horror story and a victorious debut novel for Carrie Lee South. Unlike some other suspense thrillers I’ve read, this one lacked super surprising plot twists, but it did not lack character development, spookiness, dread, or gore.
Things come to a nice resolution at the end as well. I very much enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from Carrie Lee South. And remember, don’t follow the cairns 😱
In The Woods They Wait is a great suspense thriller/horror story and a victorious debut novel for Carrie Lee South. Unlike some other suspense thrillers I’ve read, this one lacked super surprising plot twists, but it did not lack character development, spookiness, dread, or gore.
Things come to a nice resolution at the end as well. I very much enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from Carrie Lee South. And remember, don’t follow the cairns 😱
May 9, 2026
✨✨✨Oh, a creature…✨✨✨
I thought In the Woods They Wait was just a mystery/thriller. A search for a missing child in the Ozarks, but it definitely changed into a bit of a creature book also. It does say “unnatural” in the synopsis but I forgot about that. I didn’t mind that at all, but the direction it went (the reveal) was not anything I found exciting to be honest. I ended up wishing it didn’t go that supernatural direction since for me it was a bit lackluster. Also, some parts of the book were quite repetitive. Audrey was an interesting MC. At first I didn’t love her character, but as we got more depth with her I did start to really like her!! I loved the overall atmosphere and vibe of the book, but it was slow and just didn’t quite land for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released September 22, 2026.
I thought In the Woods They Wait was just a mystery/thriller. A search for a missing child in the Ozarks, but it definitely changed into a bit of a creature book also. It does say “unnatural” in the synopsis but I forgot about that. I didn’t mind that at all, but the direction it went (the reveal) was not anything I found exciting to be honest. I ended up wishing it didn’t go that supernatural direction since for me it was a bit lackluster. Also, some parts of the book were quite repetitive. Audrey was an interesting MC. At first I didn’t love her character, but as we got more depth with her I did start to really like her!! I loved the overall atmosphere and vibe of the book, but it was slow and just didn’t quite land for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released September 22, 2026.
April 20, 2026
I must have skipped over the whole “unnatural” mention in the description, because I TOTALLY thought this was just your run of the mill thriller/kids gone missing in the wilderness.
Let me tell you, this was a PLEASANT surprise. I literally could not put this down. Carrie Lee South’s writing is absolutely addicting. Every single chapter ended on a note that left me wanting more. The pacing is such that you can literally feel Audrey’s every emotion: the panic, the confusion… I was right there with her.
There was an exceptional amount of character development and that made me that much more invested. There is also just something about going missing in a state or national park that makes me feel incredibly uneasy. Add in that funky, supernatural element…my goodness. Was literally biting my nails.
If you are a thriller/mystery reader looking to bridge the gap into horror, this would be really wonderful place to start.
I can’t wait to read more from this author!
Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this advanced copy for my unbiased opinion.
Let me tell you, this was a PLEASANT surprise. I literally could not put this down. Carrie Lee South’s writing is absolutely addicting. Every single chapter ended on a note that left me wanting more. The pacing is such that you can literally feel Audrey’s every emotion: the panic, the confusion… I was right there with her.
There was an exceptional amount of character development and that made me that much more invested. There is also just something about going missing in a state or national park that makes me feel incredibly uneasy. Add in that funky, supernatural element…my goodness. Was literally biting my nails.
If you are a thriller/mystery reader looking to bridge the gap into horror, this would be really wonderful place to start.
I can’t wait to read more from this author!
Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this advanced copy for my unbiased opinion.
April 9, 2026
Thank you to Carrie Lee South and NetGalley for the ARC offer!
It’s honestly best to go into this book knowing as little as possible, but suffice it to say I will never ever look at hiking cairns the same way again. Genuinely terrifying and deeply emotional, In the Woods They Wait is as much about the mystery as it is the nature of grief. I cried, but I also don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.
It’s honestly best to go into this book knowing as little as possible, but suffice it to say I will never ever look at hiking cairns the same way again. Genuinely terrifying and deeply emotional, In the Woods They Wait is as much about the mystery as it is the nature of grief. I cried, but I also don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.
May 17, 2026
This book terrified me so much that I had to stop reading with 60 pages left, but I was so invested I made my boyfriend finish it for me and tell me everything that happened (minus the horrifying, unnerving descriptions). I fear I may be scarred for life just listening to it second-hand. I’m still counting this as read to compensate for my emotional damage.
April 17, 2026
4.25 ⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC!
I enjoyed this book far more than I expected to. The writing style pulls you in immediately and never lets go. There wasn’t a single slow chapter. The author kept the tension and momentum high throughout without ever feeling overstuffed or chaotic. Whether it was any action/suspenseful scenes or characters interacting in a social setting. I especially liked the unique structure. Instead of traditional chapters, the story is told through the past and present with the specific time stamps tied to the disappearances.
At first, I didn’t think I’d connect with Audrey. She came across as a typical annoyed older sister in the early pages. I just wanted to hug Benny in that chapter. The authors writing made me feel like when he disappeared, I lost someone I knew.
As the story progresses, you watch her grapple with deep guilt and grief as an adult, and it gets you to feel it with her. She’s also a smart, capable main character. She pieces things together quickly, trusts her instincts, and doesn’t waste time denying the impossible when it’s staring her in the face.
Her relationship with Corbin was one of my favorite parts. Their 15 year friendship felt warm and authentic, with just enough subtle tension to hint that something deeper might have been there. The ending hit me hard. I did not see Corbin’s death coming.
The only reason I’m not giving this a full five stars is that I was a little disappointed by the reveal of the creature. I was hoping for something more mythological or entirely original, so landing on a giant spider (or spider-like being) felt a bit underwhelming compared to the direction I thought the story was heading. Overall, I liked this book and I’m already looking forward to whatever this author writes next!
Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC!
I enjoyed this book far more than I expected to. The writing style pulls you in immediately and never lets go. There wasn’t a single slow chapter. The author kept the tension and momentum high throughout without ever feeling overstuffed or chaotic. Whether it was any action/suspenseful scenes or characters interacting in a social setting. I especially liked the unique structure. Instead of traditional chapters, the story is told through the past and present with the specific time stamps tied to the disappearances.
At first, I didn’t think I’d connect with Audrey. She came across as a typical annoyed older sister in the early pages. I just wanted to hug Benny in that chapter. The authors writing made me feel like when he disappeared, I lost someone I knew.
As the story progresses, you watch her grapple with deep guilt and grief as an adult, and it gets you to feel it with her. She’s also a smart, capable main character. She pieces things together quickly, trusts her instincts, and doesn’t waste time denying the impossible when it’s staring her in the face.
Her relationship with Corbin was one of my favorite parts. Their 15 year friendship felt warm and authentic, with just enough subtle tension to hint that something deeper might have been there. The ending hit me hard. I did not see Corbin’s death coming.
The only reason I’m not giving this a full five stars is that I was a little disappointed by the reveal of the creature. I was hoping for something more mythological or entirely original, so landing on a giant spider (or spider-like being) felt a bit underwhelming compared to the direction I thought the story was heading. Overall, I liked this book and I’m already looking forward to whatever this author writes next!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2026
Thank you Carrie Lee South & NetGalley for the eARC!
This is genuinely one of the best ARCs I’ve read in a long time. I connected with Audrey from the very beginning - her grief, her fear, and the way trauma reshaped every part of her life felt so raw and believable. Watching how her pain impacted her relationships, her choices and even her sense of self was done so well.
This story had my emotions everywhere. I can’t wait to share this one with friends when it releases!
This is genuinely one of the best ARCs I’ve read in a long time. I connected with Audrey from the very beginning - her grief, her fear, and the way trauma reshaped every part of her life felt so raw and believable. Watching how her pain impacted her relationships, her choices and even her sense of self was done so well.
This story had my emotions everywhere. I can’t wait to share this one with friends when it releases!
Read
May 26, 2026I went in expecting a mystery and got much more horror than I anticipated. That is partly on me, but anyone drawn in by the “Ozarks, missing child, park ranger” premise should know this is far darker than it first appears.
The setup is strong: Audrey is a park ranger in the same park where her younger brother vanished fifteen years earlier, and when another little girl disappears in similar circumstances, she is determined not to lose her too. The parallel structure works well, and the Ozarks setting creates an unsettling atmosphere.
My biggest issue was Audrey. A central secret in her past asks the reader to understand her choices and possibly hope for her redemption, but I never fully got there. Many readers may find her story compelling, but I could not get past the pain her secret caused.
I did appreciate the small thread of hope in the ending. Still, the overall darkness was not for me. It is not a bad book—just not one that worked for me.
I liked Audrey more as the book went on, but the back-and-forth timeline made the plot feel slow until the final quarter. The graphic animal deaths—especially the horse—were also deeply upsetting to me. For that reason, I cannot recommend it.
The setup is strong: Audrey is a park ranger in the same park where her younger brother vanished fifteen years earlier, and when another little girl disappears in similar circumstances, she is determined not to lose her too. The parallel structure works well, and the Ozarks setting creates an unsettling atmosphere.
My biggest issue was Audrey. A central secret in her past asks the reader to understand her choices and possibly hope for her redemption, but I never fully got there. Many readers may find her story compelling, but I could not get past the pain her secret caused.
I did appreciate the small thread of hope in the ending. Still, the overall darkness was not for me. It is not a bad book—just not one that worked for me.
I liked Audrey more as the book went on, but the back-and-forth timeline made the plot feel slow until the final quarter. The graphic animal deaths—especially the horse—were also deeply upsetting to me. For that reason, I cannot recommend it.
March 14, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Carrie Lee South for the opportunity to spend time with this story early and share my honest response.
In the Woods They Wait pulled me in immediately with its eerie atmosphere and emotional mystery. The story follows Audrey, a forest ranger still haunted by the disappearance of her younger brother years earlier. When another child goes missing in the same forest, Audrey is forced to confront the past she has never escaped.
The author does a fantastic job building tension through atmosphere—strange sounds in the woods, unsettling clues, and a creeping sense that something isn’t quite right. The forest setting felt vivid and haunting, and the suspense kept me turning the pages.
Audrey was a very compelling protagonist. Her guilt, determination, and vulnerability made her easy to connect with, and I found myself deeply invested in her search for answers. One particular rescue scene gave me literal goosebumps.
Even though the story took a different direction than I initially expected, everything came together in a way that felt thoughtful and well constructed. This was an atmospheric, emotionally driven thriller that kept me engaged from beginning to end.
In the Woods They Wait pulled me in immediately with its eerie atmosphere and emotional mystery. The story follows Audrey, a forest ranger still haunted by the disappearance of her younger brother years earlier. When another child goes missing in the same forest, Audrey is forced to confront the past she has never escaped.
The author does a fantastic job building tension through atmosphere—strange sounds in the woods, unsettling clues, and a creeping sense that something isn’t quite right. The forest setting felt vivid and haunting, and the suspense kept me turning the pages.
Audrey was a very compelling protagonist. Her guilt, determination, and vulnerability made her easy to connect with, and I found myself deeply invested in her search for answers. One particular rescue scene gave me literal goosebumps.
Even though the story took a different direction than I initially expected, everything came together in a way that felt thoughtful and well constructed. This was an atmospheric, emotionally driven thriller that kept me engaged from beginning to end.
May 18, 2026
I was given In the Woods They Wait by Carrie Lee South ARC from NetGalley and the Publisher Little, Brown & Company in exchange for my honest Review.
I am always up for a in the woods thriller that follows a disappearance and the mystery that hangs heavy in the air with all the unknowns. This book was packed full of suspense and fear and got my heart rate up multiple times.
I liked the writing and it had a very nice flow to it but once I got into the thick of the reveal I was left a bit let down not just by the unrealistic circumstances but by the fact that the characters development was guiding you one place and took you some where else entirely. I felt let down by how certain long-term relationship were left unfinished and without closure or with what felt like the wrong wrap up.
This book moved along so quickly for me and was headed for a 4-5 star finish but didn't deliver. I am not one to give spoiler reviews so I am doing my best to steer clear of that but I was disappointed in the ending. It was a little disappointing and felt unfinished. There needed to be so much more as far as Audrey's relation ship with her life long BFF Corbin as well as with Audrey's mother. I also felt like Audrey's mentor Scott deserved so much more as well...
For some this book may hit the mark but for me I craved more body and completion to the characters relationships. Especially since it felt like it was leading you there just to conclude in a way that left you with a sense of disbelief and sadness that you weren't going to get it...
But I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher, Little, Brown & Company for this ARC!
Happy Reading!
I am always up for a in the woods thriller that follows a disappearance and the mystery that hangs heavy in the air with all the unknowns. This book was packed full of suspense and fear and got my heart rate up multiple times.
I liked the writing and it had a very nice flow to it but once I got into the thick of the reveal I was left a bit let down not just by the unrealistic circumstances but by the fact that the characters development was guiding you one place and took you some where else entirely. I felt let down by how certain long-term relationship were left unfinished and without closure or with what felt like the wrong wrap up.
This book moved along so quickly for me and was headed for a 4-5 star finish but didn't deliver. I am not one to give spoiler reviews so I am doing my best to steer clear of that but I was disappointed in the ending. It was a little disappointing and felt unfinished. There needed to be so much more as far as Audrey's relation ship with her life long BFF Corbin as well as with Audrey's mother. I also felt like Audrey's mentor Scott deserved so much more as well...
For some this book may hit the mark but for me I craved more body and completion to the characters relationships. Especially since it felt like it was leading you there just to conclude in a way that left you with a sense of disbelief and sadness that you weren't going to get it...
But I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher, Little, Brown & Company for this ARC!
Happy Reading!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
“In the Woods They Wait” is exactly the kind of book that reminds me why forests are terrifying. Carrie Lee South took every deeply unsettling thing about isolated wilderness like caves, strange noises in the dark, things moving just outside your line of sight, the feeling that nature is hiding something ancient and wrong and turned it into one of the creepiest survival horror stories I’ve read in a while.
This book hooked me immediately.
The story alternates between two timelines following Audrey, first as a teenager and then fifteen years later as an adult park ranger working in the exact same national park where her younger brother Benny vanished during a camping trip. The past timeline follows the day Benny disappeared after Audrey selfishly ran ahead and intentionally lost him in the woods for a little while, fully expecting him to wander back safely. Except he never does. The guilt Audrey carries from that moment absolutely defines her entire life afterward, and honestly the emotional weight of that loss hit just as hard as the horror elements for me.
In the present timeline, Audrey has never truly left the park or escaped what happened. She’s now a ranger trained in search and rescue, still quietly searching for answers all these years later. And then another child disappears. That’s when this book really sinks its claws into you.
Even before the horror fully reveals itself, the atmosphere is SO unsettling. Audrey hears strange clicking noises deep in the woods that immediately trigger this instinctive fear in both her and her horses. There are bizarre cairns stacked in the forest, unexplained gouges in the earth, missing cave records, and a constant sense that the wilderness itself is watching. Carrie Lee South does such an incredible job building tension through tiny sensory details with cicadas droning endlessly in the summer heat, distant screeches in the dark, caves that feel far too tight to safely crawl through, branches snapping somewhere you can’t quite see.
And then the caves. Absolutely not.
The cave exploration scenes were genuinely some of the most stressful parts of the book for me. The descriptions of squeezing through tiny tunnels, army crawling through narrow rock passages, and feeling something brush against you in total darkness made my skin crawl. I already hate caves, and this book somehow made them even worse. There’s one moment where Audrey feels something touch her ankle in the dark and I think my soul briefly left my body.
The creature itself was honestly terrifying to me because it feels just believable enough to trigger that primal fear of “what if there really is something undiscovered out there?” It has huge claws, mimics the voices of victims to lure prey, seems to possess almost human intelligence, and has been hiding within these interconnected cave systems for decades. The idea that it sometimes keeps victims alive made everything even more horrifying. Also, slight warning: if you are terrified of spiders, then this book may ruin your entire week.
What I really appreciated though is that beneath the creature feature horror, this is also a deeply emotional story about unresolved grief, guilt, and survival. Audrey’s emotional journey across the two timelines was honestly one of the strongest parts of the novel. In the past, she’s frantic and desperate to find Benny. In the present, she’s exhausted and resigned in some ways but still clinging to hope after years without closure. Watching how grief reshaped her entire life felt incredibly realistic.
I also liked how grounded the relationships felt. Audrey’s friendship with her best friend and her growing connection with her new coworker Porter added warmth to the story without distracting from the horror. Porter especially was such a lovable addition with his bug obsession and eagerness to help despite being inexperienced. Those relationships made the characters feel human in a genre that sometimes focuses more on monsters than emotional depth.
The pacing was fantastic too. This is one of those books that becomes almost impossible to put down once things start escalating. Every chapter ends in a way that makes you immediately want to keep going, and the tension just keeps building until the final stretch becomes a full survival horror nightmare with some genuinely graphic gore. And the book does not hold back once the violence starts.
I will say the final confrontation with the creature felt a tiny bit anticlimactic compared to the incredible buildup, but emotionally the ending still really worked for me. Audrey finally getting answers and closure after carrying this unbearable guilt for so long was genuinely satisfying. There’s also an underlying theme throughout the story about humanity’s arrogance toward nature and the idea that there are still things in the wilderness we cannot control or fully understand.
Overall, “In the Woods They Wait” was an atmospheric, emotionally charged wilderness horror story that completely got under my skin. It balances creature horror, survival thriller tension, grief, and mystery incredibly well while delivering some truly nightmare-inducing cave scenes. If you love isolated forest horror, missing persons mysteries, creepy creatures, and stories where nature itself feels hostile and unknowable, this is absolutely worth picking up.
“In the Woods They Wait” is exactly the kind of book that reminds me why forests are terrifying. Carrie Lee South took every deeply unsettling thing about isolated wilderness like caves, strange noises in the dark, things moving just outside your line of sight, the feeling that nature is hiding something ancient and wrong and turned it into one of the creepiest survival horror stories I’ve read in a while.
This book hooked me immediately.
The story alternates between two timelines following Audrey, first as a teenager and then fifteen years later as an adult park ranger working in the exact same national park where her younger brother Benny vanished during a camping trip. The past timeline follows the day Benny disappeared after Audrey selfishly ran ahead and intentionally lost him in the woods for a little while, fully expecting him to wander back safely. Except he never does. The guilt Audrey carries from that moment absolutely defines her entire life afterward, and honestly the emotional weight of that loss hit just as hard as the horror elements for me.
In the present timeline, Audrey has never truly left the park or escaped what happened. She’s now a ranger trained in search and rescue, still quietly searching for answers all these years later. And then another child disappears. That’s when this book really sinks its claws into you.
Even before the horror fully reveals itself, the atmosphere is SO unsettling. Audrey hears strange clicking noises deep in the woods that immediately trigger this instinctive fear in both her and her horses. There are bizarre cairns stacked in the forest, unexplained gouges in the earth, missing cave records, and a constant sense that the wilderness itself is watching. Carrie Lee South does such an incredible job building tension through tiny sensory details with cicadas droning endlessly in the summer heat, distant screeches in the dark, caves that feel far too tight to safely crawl through, branches snapping somewhere you can’t quite see.
And then the caves. Absolutely not.
The cave exploration scenes were genuinely some of the most stressful parts of the book for me. The descriptions of squeezing through tiny tunnels, army crawling through narrow rock passages, and feeling something brush against you in total darkness made my skin crawl. I already hate caves, and this book somehow made them even worse. There’s one moment where Audrey feels something touch her ankle in the dark and I think my soul briefly left my body.
The creature itself was honestly terrifying to me because it feels just believable enough to trigger that primal fear of “what if there really is something undiscovered out there?” It has huge claws, mimics the voices of victims to lure prey, seems to possess almost human intelligence, and has been hiding within these interconnected cave systems for decades. The idea that it sometimes keeps victims alive made everything even more horrifying. Also, slight warning: if you are terrified of spiders, then this book may ruin your entire week.
What I really appreciated though is that beneath the creature feature horror, this is also a deeply emotional story about unresolved grief, guilt, and survival. Audrey’s emotional journey across the two timelines was honestly one of the strongest parts of the novel. In the past, she’s frantic and desperate to find Benny. In the present, she’s exhausted and resigned in some ways but still clinging to hope after years without closure. Watching how grief reshaped her entire life felt incredibly realistic.
I also liked how grounded the relationships felt. Audrey’s friendship with her best friend and her growing connection with her new coworker Porter added warmth to the story without distracting from the horror. Porter especially was such a lovable addition with his bug obsession and eagerness to help despite being inexperienced. Those relationships made the characters feel human in a genre that sometimes focuses more on monsters than emotional depth.
The pacing was fantastic too. This is one of those books that becomes almost impossible to put down once things start escalating. Every chapter ends in a way that makes you immediately want to keep going, and the tension just keeps building until the final stretch becomes a full survival horror nightmare with some genuinely graphic gore. And the book does not hold back once the violence starts.
I will say the final confrontation with the creature felt a tiny bit anticlimactic compared to the incredible buildup, but emotionally the ending still really worked for me. Audrey finally getting answers and closure after carrying this unbearable guilt for so long was genuinely satisfying. There’s also an underlying theme throughout the story about humanity’s arrogance toward nature and the idea that there are still things in the wilderness we cannot control or fully understand.
Overall, “In the Woods They Wait” was an atmospheric, emotionally charged wilderness horror story that completely got under my skin. It balances creature horror, survival thriller tension, grief, and mystery incredibly well while delivering some truly nightmare-inducing cave scenes. If you love isolated forest horror, missing persons mysteries, creepy creatures, and stories where nature itself feels hostile and unknowable, this is absolutely worth picking up.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of In the Wood They Wait, by Carrie Lee South, from Little, Brown and Company/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.
⭐ 4 ⭐
Funnily enough, just recently The Beloved Husband and I had a discussion about which would be the scarier scenario: Being alone on a dark city street, or being alone out in the dark in the wilderness somewhere.
The latter, we both agreed without hesitation. And when I brought the subject back up yesterday after reading this very good book, he said, “In the city they’re gonna mug you and hurt you and take your wallet. In the wilderness they’re gonna take you back home and put you in the basement.”
Yep.
This was definitely a page-turner, and not just because I love mysteries that feature park rangers as main protagonists. Carrie Lee South also did a great job of writing about the locale and its people (although I personally would’ve spelled the grandmother’s name as MawMaw), and even made a lot of the implausible plausible.
Definitely want to read more by her.
PS
I have had an innate terror of the Ozarks since I was just a little girl, because one of the first real memories I have is being on a ferry on a trip to said Ozarks with Mother and Daddy and his parents (MawMaw and PawPaw, fittingly enough) and seeing the rough water between the boards below my feet and being convinced I was going to slip between them and drown.
Also, I’m kin to some people in those parts. Don’t know ’em, don’t want to know ’em. As a matter of fact, I spent the entire 11 months (which were some of the most miserable of my life) that I lived in Memphis, Tennessee, actively avoiding crossing the bridge over the Mississippi River and going into West Memphis for real fear I’d see somebody and realize they looked waaaaaaaaayyyyyyy too much like me.
There’s just parts of me that are best let lie.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll get up from this computer and go salt all our doorsteps.
DESCRIPTION
A park ranger in Devil’s Den becomes obsessed with the case of a missing child—a case that mirrors the disappearance of her own brother, whom she lost in the woods many years ago—and the possibility that both were taken by something vicious and unnatural that lives deep in the Ozarks.
Fifteen years ago, Audrey Figg's little brother, Benny, vanished on a family vacation to Devil's Den state park, a day that split her life in two.
Now, Audrey is a park ranger in the very same woods with expertise in wilderness search and rescue. Audrey has found a rhythm to her days: training new rangers, tending to injured hikers, protecting the backcountry, and still, searching.
When a little girl, Ivy, suddenly goes missing on the trails, Audrey can’t help but notice the similarities to her own brother’s case. As Audrey widens the scope of her search, she begins to believe Ivy wasn't merely lost; it looks like she was taken by something—and maybe Benny was too. Yet the closer Audrey comes to answers, the more old memories push to the surface. Audrey is haunted not only by her brother's loss, but a terrible secret from that day. A secret she has never shared with anyone.
Utterly absorbing and disquieting, In the Woods They Wait is an enthralling page-turner, one that asks how far you would go for a sense of closure—and what would you be willing to face to get it.
Received a complimentary copy of In the Wood They Wait, by Carrie Lee South, from Little, Brown and Company/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.
⭐ 4 ⭐
Funnily enough, just recently The Beloved Husband and I had a discussion about which would be the scarier scenario: Being alone on a dark city street, or being alone out in the dark in the wilderness somewhere.
The latter, we both agreed without hesitation. And when I brought the subject back up yesterday after reading this very good book, he said, “In the city they’re gonna mug you and hurt you and take your wallet. In the wilderness they’re gonna take you back home and put you in the basement.”
Yep.
This was definitely a page-turner, and not just because I love mysteries that feature park rangers as main protagonists. Carrie Lee South also did a great job of writing about the locale and its people (although I personally would’ve spelled the grandmother’s name as MawMaw), and even made a lot of the implausible plausible.
Definitely want to read more by her.
PS
I have had an innate terror of the Ozarks since I was just a little girl, because one of the first real memories I have is being on a ferry on a trip to said Ozarks with Mother and Daddy and his parents (MawMaw and PawPaw, fittingly enough) and seeing the rough water between the boards below my feet and being convinced I was going to slip between them and drown.
Also, I’m kin to some people in those parts. Don’t know ’em, don’t want to know ’em. As a matter of fact, I spent the entire 11 months (which were some of the most miserable of my life) that I lived in Memphis, Tennessee, actively avoiding crossing the bridge over the Mississippi River and going into West Memphis for real fear I’d see somebody and realize they looked waaaaaaaaayyyyyyy too much like me.
There’s just parts of me that are best let lie.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll get up from this computer and go salt all our doorsteps.
DESCRIPTION
A park ranger in Devil’s Den becomes obsessed with the case of a missing child—a case that mirrors the disappearance of her own brother, whom she lost in the woods many years ago—and the possibility that both were taken by something vicious and unnatural that lives deep in the Ozarks.
Fifteen years ago, Audrey Figg's little brother, Benny, vanished on a family vacation to Devil's Den state park, a day that split her life in two.
Now, Audrey is a park ranger in the very same woods with expertise in wilderness search and rescue. Audrey has found a rhythm to her days: training new rangers, tending to injured hikers, protecting the backcountry, and still, searching.
When a little girl, Ivy, suddenly goes missing on the trails, Audrey can’t help but notice the similarities to her own brother’s case. As Audrey widens the scope of her search, she begins to believe Ivy wasn't merely lost; it looks like she was taken by something—and maybe Benny was too. Yet the closer Audrey comes to answers, the more old memories push to the surface. Audrey is haunted not only by her brother's loss, but a terrible secret from that day. A secret she has never shared with anyone.
Utterly absorbing and disquieting, In the Woods They Wait is an enthralling page-turner, one that asks how far you would go for a sense of closure—and what would you be willing to face to get it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
In the Woods They Wait: A Novel | Carrie Lee South
🖤🖤🖤🖤/5
"In the Woods They Wait" by Carrie Lee South is one of those books that quietly walks you into the forest, smiles politely… and then absolutely ruins your sense of safety in nature. 🌲
In this story, we follow Audrey Figg, a park ranger in Devil’s Den who has built her entire adult life around the same woods that took her little brother fifteen years ago. Back then, Benny vanished on a family trip; a moment that split Audrey’s life cleanly into “before” and “after,” and left her carrying a kind of grief that never really settles, only reshapes itself over time. ⌛
Now, Audrey works in those same woods, trained in search and rescue, trying to function inside the very place that broke her. When another child disappears under eerily familiar circumstances, everything she thought she understood about that day (and about the forest itself) starts to unravel.
And listen… I need to be very clear here: I thought I knew what kind of book this was. I really did. Missing child mystery? Creepy forest? Maybe a little supernatural unease? Sure. 👀
I was wrong. Repeatedly. Confidently. Spectacularly. 💥
This book is atmosphere heavy in the best way. The woods feel alive in that deeply unsettling "eyes everywhere" kind of way. Every sound matters. Every silence feels intentional. And the cave moments? I genuinely need to know what Carrie Lee South has against oxygen and comfort, because absolutely not. 😧
What makes this story so effective is how it balances that creeping horror with something much more grounded and human. Audrey’s grief is not a subplot, it is the structure holding everything together. The dual timelines work beautifully here, showing how one moment of loss can echo outward for years, shaping guilt, memory, and obsession in ways that don’t let go easily.
And yes, I was surprised. Nonstop. Every time I thought I had the narrative pegged, the book shifted. The pacing is addictive and every chapter ends like it’s personally offended you'd consider not reading on immediately. 📖
As the story escalates, it leans harder into survival horror and something much more primal lurking beneath the surface. The blend of grief, isolation, and “something is wrong in these woods and it has always been wrong” is handled so well that it starts to feel less like reading and more like slowly realizing you should not have gone into the forest in the first place. 🙈
I loved where this went. Genuinely. It’s unsettling, emotional, and just unpredictable enough to keep you fully off balance in the best way. No spoilers from this ghoul, but I will say: I will be treating wooded areas with suspicion and emotional distance for the foreseeable future.
Tropes & Themes:
🪵 Wilderness / forest horror
👣 Missing child mystery
⏳ Dual timeline
🩸 Survival horror escalation
👹 Creature feature elements
🔦 Search & rescue procedural elements
💔 Grief, guilt, and long-term trauma
If you like your thrillers atmospheric, emotionally charged, and just a little bit feral, this one delivers. Just don’t expect to walk away feeling like the woods are your friend. They are not. And they never were. 🪵
Thank you to Little, Brown & Company, NetGalley and Carrie Lee South for the opportunity to devour and dish about this book.
🖤🖤🖤🖤/5
"In the Woods They Wait" by Carrie Lee South is one of those books that quietly walks you into the forest, smiles politely… and then absolutely ruins your sense of safety in nature. 🌲
In this story, we follow Audrey Figg, a park ranger in Devil’s Den who has built her entire adult life around the same woods that took her little brother fifteen years ago. Back then, Benny vanished on a family trip; a moment that split Audrey’s life cleanly into “before” and “after,” and left her carrying a kind of grief that never really settles, only reshapes itself over time. ⌛
Now, Audrey works in those same woods, trained in search and rescue, trying to function inside the very place that broke her. When another child disappears under eerily familiar circumstances, everything she thought she understood about that day (and about the forest itself) starts to unravel.
And listen… I need to be very clear here: I thought I knew what kind of book this was. I really did. Missing child mystery? Creepy forest? Maybe a little supernatural unease? Sure. 👀
I was wrong. Repeatedly. Confidently. Spectacularly. 💥
This book is atmosphere heavy in the best way. The woods feel alive in that deeply unsettling "eyes everywhere" kind of way. Every sound matters. Every silence feels intentional. And the cave moments? I genuinely need to know what Carrie Lee South has against oxygen and comfort, because absolutely not. 😧
What makes this story so effective is how it balances that creeping horror with something much more grounded and human. Audrey’s grief is not a subplot, it is the structure holding everything together. The dual timelines work beautifully here, showing how one moment of loss can echo outward for years, shaping guilt, memory, and obsession in ways that don’t let go easily.
And yes, I was surprised. Nonstop. Every time I thought I had the narrative pegged, the book shifted. The pacing is addictive and every chapter ends like it’s personally offended you'd consider not reading on immediately. 📖
As the story escalates, it leans harder into survival horror and something much more primal lurking beneath the surface. The blend of grief, isolation, and “something is wrong in these woods and it has always been wrong” is handled so well that it starts to feel less like reading and more like slowly realizing you should not have gone into the forest in the first place. 🙈
I loved where this went. Genuinely. It’s unsettling, emotional, and just unpredictable enough to keep you fully off balance in the best way. No spoilers from this ghoul, but I will say: I will be treating wooded areas with suspicion and emotional distance for the foreseeable future.
Tropes & Themes:
🪵 Wilderness / forest horror
👣 Missing child mystery
⏳ Dual timeline
🩸 Survival horror escalation
👹 Creature feature elements
🔦 Search & rescue procedural elements
💔 Grief, guilt, and long-term trauma
If you like your thrillers atmospheric, emotionally charged, and just a little bit feral, this one delivers. Just don’t expect to walk away feeling like the woods are your friend. They are not. And they never were. 🪵
Thank you to Little, Brown & Company, NetGalley and Carrie Lee South for the opportunity to devour and dish about this book.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you to Kathleen Quinlan at Little, Brown and Company for the ARC of In the Woods They Wait, and for the nightmares I'll be having.
This book just reinforces how much of a city girl I am. Just when you think you know all of the things that can get you in the woods, bears, snakes, poison ivy, poison oak, etc, etc, author Carrie Lee South presents one more (which I desperately hope springs only from her imagination, not actual evidence).
Teenager Audrey is stuck on a dumb camping trip with her family, and the worst part is her annoying little brother won't stop following her around and being gross and annoying. One afternoon she heads off for a hike, hoping for some alone time, when here comes Benny, asking her a million questions and chewing with his mouth open. She tries going faster to discourage him, but that only makes him whine more, begging her to wait up for him. She decides to teach him a lesson and sprints ahead into the woods, off the marked trail. When she sees a cave, she ducks inside and keeps quiet as he lumbers past, still calling out for her. When he doesn't immediately return, she builds a stone cairn so he can find his way back and returns to their campsite. Only Benny never returns.
We learn that adult Audrey never left the park grounds, going on to become a park ranger stationed there. She is trained in Search and Rescue and works under Scott who was the ranger in charge of the search for her brother all those years ago. Now a little girl named Ivy has gone missing in the park and this brings up all the memories of Benny and the search for him that never turned up anything.
We follow both timelines, teenage Audrey's guilt and desperate need to help find the brother she ignored but loved, and present-day Audrey, training a young eager beaver ranger named Porter, who loves bugs. She thinks he's too green to be involved in the search, but Ivy is only 6yrs old and time is of the essence.
At one point Audrey takes a group of experienced cave explorers to go look inside some of the caves on the grounds. Scott has gated several of the caves, claiming it's to prevent hikers from bringing in spores that are harmful to the bats that live in the caves, but Audrey can't shake the feeling that a cave is exactly where a child would hide. South's description of how tight the space is, and how at one point they have to crawl and then army crawl to get through a small, low passage made my heart race. And that was before they made it to an opening large enough to stand in and something touches Audrey's ankle - ACK!!! (Bad Author, bad author giving your unsuspecting readers the heebee jeebees.)
From the endless cicadas droning, to animal screeches in the distance, and mysterious clicking sounds, you can feel the oppressive summer heat and all the ways nature can be unpleasant even before something grabs at you.
This book balances the ways people deal with grief, loss and neglect with a big pinch of things that go bump in the night in a way that feels grounded and realistic even when you don't want it to be.
This book just reinforces how much of a city girl I am. Just when you think you know all of the things that can get you in the woods, bears, snakes, poison ivy, poison oak, etc, etc, author Carrie Lee South presents one more (which I desperately hope springs only from her imagination, not actual evidence).
Teenager Audrey is stuck on a dumb camping trip with her family, and the worst part is her annoying little brother won't stop following her around and being gross and annoying. One afternoon she heads off for a hike, hoping for some alone time, when here comes Benny, asking her a million questions and chewing with his mouth open. She tries going faster to discourage him, but that only makes him whine more, begging her to wait up for him. She decides to teach him a lesson and sprints ahead into the woods, off the marked trail. When she sees a cave, she ducks inside and keeps quiet as he lumbers past, still calling out for her. When he doesn't immediately return, she builds a stone cairn so he can find his way back and returns to their campsite. Only Benny never returns.
We learn that adult Audrey never left the park grounds, going on to become a park ranger stationed there. She is trained in Search and Rescue and works under Scott who was the ranger in charge of the search for her brother all those years ago. Now a little girl named Ivy has gone missing in the park and this brings up all the memories of Benny and the search for him that never turned up anything.
We follow both timelines, teenage Audrey's guilt and desperate need to help find the brother she ignored but loved, and present-day Audrey, training a young eager beaver ranger named Porter, who loves bugs. She thinks he's too green to be involved in the search, but Ivy is only 6yrs old and time is of the essence.
At one point Audrey takes a group of experienced cave explorers to go look inside some of the caves on the grounds. Scott has gated several of the caves, claiming it's to prevent hikers from bringing in spores that are harmful to the bats that live in the caves, but Audrey can't shake the feeling that a cave is exactly where a child would hide. South's description of how tight the space is, and how at one point they have to crawl and then army crawl to get through a small, low passage made my heart race. And that was before they made it to an opening large enough to stand in and something touches Audrey's ankle - ACK!!! (Bad Author, bad author giving your unsuspecting readers the heebee jeebees.)
From the endless cicadas droning, to animal screeches in the distance, and mysterious clicking sounds, you can feel the oppressive summer heat and all the ways nature can be unpleasant even before something grabs at you.
This book balances the ways people deal with grief, loss and neglect with a big pinch of things that go bump in the night in a way that feels grounded and realistic even when you don't want it to be.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Wow! This was a title that I was invited to view by NetGalley, and accepting this book to read was one of the best decisions I’ve made this year regarding books. I’ll admit, I was a bit hesitant at first, because I’m not sure if the cover appealed to me that much (sorry, I still judge a book by its cover 🤷🏻♀️). However, this was a book that I did not want to put down! I also had to double check to see if this was a debut from the author, and it is! Which means, if this book was this good, I can only imagine what we will get moving forward- and I will be reading it!
This story centers on Audrey Figg, who works as a park ranger at Devil’s Den State Park, in Ozark National Forest in Arkansas. This is the same State Park that her brother, Benny, disappeared from fifteen years ago. Audrey has made it her life mission to find out what happened to her missing brother that was never found. Through this, the story goes back and forth between present day (2019), and also the year of Benny’s disappearance (2004).
While Audrey is training her new ranger/coworker, Porter, another young girl goes missing in Devil’s Den. The young girl, Ivy, is only six years old, and Audrey promises the parents that she will find this girl. Through this search mission, many memories of Benny occur, along with the secret that Audrey has kept for years. Audrey also begins to detect many unnatural and unusual happenings in the woods.
I haven’t read such an atmospheric book in a very long time. I felt claustrophobic in the woods with Audrey and her search troops. I felt entrapped in the darkness, and felt every chill run down my spine. I felt the mosquitoes biting my skin, the humming of the cicadas, and spiderwebs getting tangled in my hair as I swatted the webbing off of my face. I also learned a lot about cairns, and the disadvantages of moving rocks and rock stacking in protected areas, such as national state parks.
I also connected with Audrey’s character immensely. I felt every ounce of pain and grief that she was carrying, and I understood why she made the life choices that she did.
The writing in this book was just superb, and this is one book that I would definitely recommend. However… the ending was a little inconceivable for me- and for that I am knocking half a star.
(4.5 stars ⭐️)
Many thanks to NetGalley, Little, Brown & Company, and the author for an advanced DRC, in which I had the pleasure of reading. All opinions are my own.
Publication date: September 22, 2026
Genre~ General Fiction (adult), Horror
This story centers on Audrey Figg, who works as a park ranger at Devil’s Den State Park, in Ozark National Forest in Arkansas. This is the same State Park that her brother, Benny, disappeared from fifteen years ago. Audrey has made it her life mission to find out what happened to her missing brother that was never found. Through this, the story goes back and forth between present day (2019), and also the year of Benny’s disappearance (2004).
While Audrey is training her new ranger/coworker, Porter, another young girl goes missing in Devil’s Den. The young girl, Ivy, is only six years old, and Audrey promises the parents that she will find this girl. Through this search mission, many memories of Benny occur, along with the secret that Audrey has kept for years. Audrey also begins to detect many unnatural and unusual happenings in the woods.
I haven’t read such an atmospheric book in a very long time. I felt claustrophobic in the woods with Audrey and her search troops. I felt entrapped in the darkness, and felt every chill run down my spine. I felt the mosquitoes biting my skin, the humming of the cicadas, and spiderwebs getting tangled in my hair as I swatted the webbing off of my face. I also learned a lot about cairns, and the disadvantages of moving rocks and rock stacking in protected areas, such as national state parks.
I also connected with Audrey’s character immensely. I felt every ounce of pain and grief that she was carrying, and I understood why she made the life choices that she did.
The writing in this book was just superb, and this is one book that I would definitely recommend. However… the ending was a little inconceivable for me- and for that I am knocking half a star.
(4.5 stars ⭐️)
Many thanks to NetGalley, Little, Brown & Company, and the author for an advanced DRC, in which I had the pleasure of reading. All opinions are my own.
Publication date: September 22, 2026
Genre~ General Fiction (adult), Horror
Review of advance copy
3.5 ⭐
This was a solid ARC. The writer has a beautiful handle on character development and emotion, as well as grief. It was a little repetitive but I liked the repetition ... it felt like 2 weeks in the life of a park ranger, and I found I enjoyed it.
A few reviews have alluded to the supernatural. It isn’t supernatural. It is, however, a little science fiction-y toward the end.
I would have liked more of a wrap up on Audrey's mother.
I think I would have preferred that we didn't know until the end that Audrey caused her brother’s disappearance (not a spoiler; it's in the summary). Then again, knowing from the beginning put her intense grief into perspective.
I'm confused about the parrots on the cover. There are no parrots in the book.
I was also confused as to why the culprit fed and kept a few kids alive but not all? This was never explained. Why keep any of them cared for? I didn't understand that.
There was also a contradiction with a child (won't say who) being hoarse and crying with terror, then a page later that same kid is almost preternatually calm and TOTALLY unafraid. Didn't go together.
Corbin rocked. Would have gone for a different conclusion with his storyline myself. Oh well.
Actually all of the characters were stellar. The author is wonderful at character exploration and depth. I'd read more books with Audrey in them. She was a strong female lead without relying on the usual tropes (she was messed up without it being her personality, her grief was palpable, she was stubborn and unrelentless without it being aggressive or 'not like the other girls', etc). Also was nice to have a female MC who isn't in her 20s. I'm almost 40 now. I'm tired of reading about 20 somethings. Lolol
For me, the climax wasn't frightening. It was sad and disturbing but at no point did I feel fear. But I suspect that will be different for people whose phobias run in a certain direction (won't say more for spoilers). Some aspects of the build-up were creepy.
This has nothing to do with the novel's quality AT ALL, but the conclusion I personally had hoped for wasn't what ended up happening.
***SPOILER ALERT AHEAD***
I was hoping the creature in the woods was Audrey's missing brother. That somehow he'd morphed into something monstrous OR even a benevolent guardian of missing kids. But alas. This wasn't it at all. Again, not a critique; that was just my own little theory.
Overall a solid read. Perfect for summer. I read most of it outside at night with a reading light, which fit the vibe!
This was a solid ARC. The writer has a beautiful handle on character development and emotion, as well as grief. It was a little repetitive but I liked the repetition ... it felt like 2 weeks in the life of a park ranger, and I found I enjoyed it.
A few reviews have alluded to the supernatural. It isn’t supernatural. It is, however, a little science fiction-y toward the end.
I would have liked more of a wrap up on Audrey's mother.
I think I would have preferred that we didn't know until the end that Audrey caused her brother’s disappearance (not a spoiler; it's in the summary). Then again, knowing from the beginning put her intense grief into perspective.
I'm confused about the parrots on the cover. There are no parrots in the book.
I was also confused as to why the culprit fed and kept a few kids alive but not all? This was never explained. Why keep any of them cared for? I didn't understand that.
There was also a contradiction with a child (won't say who) being hoarse and crying with terror, then a page later that same kid is almost preternatually calm and TOTALLY unafraid. Didn't go together.
Corbin rocked. Would have gone for a different conclusion with his storyline myself. Oh well.
Actually all of the characters were stellar. The author is wonderful at character exploration and depth. I'd read more books with Audrey in them. She was a strong female lead without relying on the usual tropes (she was messed up without it being her personality, her grief was palpable, she was stubborn and unrelentless without it being aggressive or 'not like the other girls', etc). Also was nice to have a female MC who isn't in her 20s. I'm almost 40 now. I'm tired of reading about 20 somethings. Lolol
For me, the climax wasn't frightening. It was sad and disturbing but at no point did I feel fear. But I suspect that will be different for people whose phobias run in a certain direction (won't say more for spoilers). Some aspects of the build-up were creepy.
This has nothing to do with the novel's quality AT ALL, but the conclusion I personally had hoped for wasn't what ended up happening.
***SPOILER ALERT AHEAD***
I was hoping the creature in the woods was Audrey's missing brother. That somehow he'd morphed into something monstrous OR even a benevolent guardian of missing kids. But alas. This wasn't it at all. Again, not a critique; that was just my own little theory.
Overall a solid read. Perfect for summer. I read most of it outside at night with a reading light, which fit the vibe!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley and Kathleen Quinlan at Little Brown & Company for this advance reader’s copy, in exchange for an honest review. “In the Woods They Wait” is scheduled for release on September 22, 2026.
At the outset it felt like this was a missing person’s story written in dual timelines. And it was … until it also became a bit of a sci-fi/horror story.
That’s okay. But the shifting of gears made for a slightly uncomfortable ride.
Fifteen years ago, Audrey Figg’s little brother, Benny, disappeared while hiking during a family vacation to Devil’s Den state park in the Ozarks. Audrey blames herself – which is technically accurate because she attempted to hide from him during the hike – and the guilt (which she hasn’t shared with anyone) haunts her to this day.
Fast-forward and Audrey is now a park ranger in the same park. And when a little girl named Ivy goes missing, all the bad memories (which never left) bubble to the surface. Audrey, as you would imagine, becomes obsessed with finding Ivy.
The dual timelines work well as they illustrate what Audrey and her family experienced fifteen years ago in the aftermath of Benny’s disappearance. They also provide depth to Audrey’s character so it’s easier to understand her motivations.
The story moves slowly, however, which can be frustrating at times. And when it does pick up, it does so at a frenetic pace. That can be jarring; kind of all or nothing. And once the pace quickens, it’s not hard to forecast where the story is going (because parts of it seem familiar from other novels) and how it will end. So, no surprises.
But the narrative is well written. Several sequences of hikers moving through narrow tunnels within caves are likely to unnerve readers who are claustrophobic. And the descriptions of Devil’s Den state park (a real location in Arkansas) are vivid and help bring some of the slower-moving sections to life.
“In the Woods They Wait” is not an edge-of-your-seat horror story, nor is it a keep-them-guessing missing person’s story. But it is well written and entertaining. Just be prepared for the slower pace through the first three-quarters before it shifts quickly into high gear.
Three stars for a book that doesn’t quite qualify as a page-turner but will still hold your interest throughout.
And you can read all my reviews at my Raised on Reading (www.raisedonreading.com) blog site. New reviews posted every Monday.
At the outset it felt like this was a missing person’s story written in dual timelines. And it was … until it also became a bit of a sci-fi/horror story.
That’s okay. But the shifting of gears made for a slightly uncomfortable ride.
Fifteen years ago, Audrey Figg’s little brother, Benny, disappeared while hiking during a family vacation to Devil’s Den state park in the Ozarks. Audrey blames herself – which is technically accurate because she attempted to hide from him during the hike – and the guilt (which she hasn’t shared with anyone) haunts her to this day.
Fast-forward and Audrey is now a park ranger in the same park. And when a little girl named Ivy goes missing, all the bad memories (which never left) bubble to the surface. Audrey, as you would imagine, becomes obsessed with finding Ivy.
The dual timelines work well as they illustrate what Audrey and her family experienced fifteen years ago in the aftermath of Benny’s disappearance. They also provide depth to Audrey’s character so it’s easier to understand her motivations.
The story moves slowly, however, which can be frustrating at times. And when it does pick up, it does so at a frenetic pace. That can be jarring; kind of all or nothing. And once the pace quickens, it’s not hard to forecast where the story is going (because parts of it seem familiar from other novels) and how it will end. So, no surprises.
But the narrative is well written. Several sequences of hikers moving through narrow tunnels within caves are likely to unnerve readers who are claustrophobic. And the descriptions of Devil’s Den state park (a real location in Arkansas) are vivid and help bring some of the slower-moving sections to life.
“In the Woods They Wait” is not an edge-of-your-seat horror story, nor is it a keep-them-guessing missing person’s story. But it is well written and entertaining. Just be prepared for the slower pace through the first three-quarters before it shifts quickly into high gear.
Three stars for a book that doesn’t quite qualify as a page-turner but will still hold your interest throughout.
And you can read all my reviews at my Raised on Reading (www.raisedonreading.com) blog site. New reviews posted every Monday.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In the Woods They Wait is the new book by Carrie Lee South, and is as emotionally charged as any book can possibly be.
Audrey is a young teen when her family goes camping at Devil's Den in the Ozark Mountains. When she wants to hiking and spend time by herself, her parents make her take her younger brother Benny along. When he gets on her last nerve, Audrey decides to play a trick on Benny and lose him for a little while, fully expecting him to show back up at the camp site, only he never returns. A quick search turns into several weeks. Search personnel are called off. A family is torn apart. Audrey never stops looking.
Fifteen years later, Audrey is working at Devil's Den for one of the same men that searched for her brother. He taught her everything he knows about the area except for one thing. And when a six year old girl goes missing, Audrey runs into something she can't be sure is real. When her mentor disappears, Audrey gets help from her best friend and the new kid working along side her, and they set out to bring her mentor back, only they run into the creature everyone told Audrey wasn't real. When they manage to get rid of the creature, Audrey and her co-worker find the missing six year old girl, and Audrey finds the proof she needs for her and her mom to finally lay her brother to rest.
Ms. South relies a lot on descriptive words to help bring In the Woods They Wait to life. Readers immediately get sucked into Audrey's life, and feel everything she is going through, often wondering how real this story is as they in many instances can't tell what is their emotions or the characters. By the end of the book, readers will feel a sort of euphoric release as they realize Audrey gets only part of her happily ever after and wonders if she will ever get the rest of it.
In the Woods They Wait is a book that will grab readers by their throat and squeeze, putting more pressure on it the further along readers get into the story, only to have the pressure instantly released at the end of the book when readers know what the status of Audrey is going to be. This book is absolutely one of the best horror books of the year, and will keep readers coming back for more long after they finish it for the first time.
Audrey is a young teen when her family goes camping at Devil's Den in the Ozark Mountains. When she wants to hiking and spend time by herself, her parents make her take her younger brother Benny along. When he gets on her last nerve, Audrey decides to play a trick on Benny and lose him for a little while, fully expecting him to show back up at the camp site, only he never returns. A quick search turns into several weeks. Search personnel are called off. A family is torn apart. Audrey never stops looking.
Fifteen years later, Audrey is working at Devil's Den for one of the same men that searched for her brother. He taught her everything he knows about the area except for one thing. And when a six year old girl goes missing, Audrey runs into something she can't be sure is real. When her mentor disappears, Audrey gets help from her best friend and the new kid working along side her, and they set out to bring her mentor back, only they run into the creature everyone told Audrey wasn't real. When they manage to get rid of the creature, Audrey and her co-worker find the missing six year old girl, and Audrey finds the proof she needs for her and her mom to finally lay her brother to rest.
Ms. South relies a lot on descriptive words to help bring In the Woods They Wait to life. Readers immediately get sucked into Audrey's life, and feel everything she is going through, often wondering how real this story is as they in many instances can't tell what is their emotions or the characters. By the end of the book, readers will feel a sort of euphoric release as they realize Audrey gets only part of her happily ever after and wonders if she will ever get the rest of it.
In the Woods They Wait is a book that will grab readers by their throat and squeeze, putting more pressure on it the further along readers get into the story, only to have the pressure instantly released at the end of the book when readers know what the status of Audrey is going to be. This book is absolutely one of the best horror books of the year, and will keep readers coming back for more long after they finish it for the first time.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5/5 stars rounded up.
This book really had everything that I love in it which is why I'm incredibly happy that this ended up being a strong read. Any book with unexplained disappearances in the woods and I'm sat. It all worked for me—the pacing, the writing, the setting, the suspense. I've been having a lot of hit-or-miss reads recently but this one was a breath of fresh air. This story had me gripped from start to finish. The mystery and atmosphere were both incredibly compelling to me. While reading, I was reminded a bit of the I was excited to get that same feeling again, here. I found that I was not expecting the reveal, at all. I had a bunch of guesses, but they weren't quite right.
My only complaint is that the ending was a bit more rushed than I was hoping for. I think this book could've benefited from being longer than it was. I would've liked to see the action be more drawn out once they went "hunting" in the woods. It wrapped quicker than I had hoped for. I think there was an opportunity to increase the terror if this section was expanded on. I would've liked a more well-rounded conclusion as well. I thought there could've been more closure between certain characters. Minor complaints, and they didn't take much away from my enjoyment of this book.
I'll also mention that this might be a difficult book for you to read if you struggle with animal deaths or anything pertaining to insects. There are a few different mentions and descriptions of animal deaths and the same with insects throughout the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
CW: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
This book really had everything that I love in it which is why I'm incredibly happy that this ended up being a strong read. Any book with unexplained disappearances in the woods and I'm sat. It all worked for me—the pacing, the writing, the setting, the suspense. I've been having a lot of hit-or-miss reads recently but this one was a breath of fresh air. This story had me gripped from start to finish. The mystery and atmosphere were both incredibly compelling to me. While reading, I was reminded a bit of the I was excited to get that same feeling again, here. I found that I was not expecting the reveal, at all. I had a bunch of guesses, but they weren't quite right.
My only complaint is that the ending was a bit more rushed than I was hoping for. I think this book could've benefited from being longer than it was. I would've liked to see the action be more drawn out once they went "hunting" in the woods. It wrapped quicker than I had hoped for. I think there was an opportunity to increase the terror if this section was expanded on. I would've liked a more well-rounded conclusion as well. I thought there could've been more closure between certain characters. Minor complaints, and they didn't take much away from my enjoyment of this book.
I'll also mention that this might be a difficult book for you to read if you struggle with animal deaths or anything pertaining to insects. There are a few different mentions and descriptions of animal deaths and the same with insects throughout the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
CW: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Review of Digital Galley
Sixteen-year-old Audrey Figg and her thirteen-year-old brother, Benny, are hiking along the trail in Devil’s Den State Park while their parents, Joanne and Paul are sitting under camouflage gear. They are bird-watching, hoping for a glimpse of the Grail Bird.
Audrey had wanted to hike alone; annoyed with Benny’s teasing, she leaves the trail and heads into the underbrush. Benny hesitates, then races to catch up with his sister. Audrey teases him, then runs off, leaving Benny to race after her. She squeezes into a crevice in a rock wall; when he cannot find Audrey, he trudges away.
And Benny is never seen again.
Fifteen years later, Audrey is a park ranger, giving educational presentations and guiding hikes. She trains new rangers and cares for injured hikers. But the disappearance of six-year-old Ivy Summers bears striking similarities to her brother’s disappearance and, as Audrey searches for answers, she is haunted by the past.
What happened to Benny? And Ivy? And what is Audrey’s secret?
=========
Told in dual timelines, the unfolding story focuses in the past on Benny’s disappearance and in the present on the search for Ivy. Hints of something lurking in the woods keeps readers guessing while an ever-increasing sense of dread mounts.
Relatable characters, a strong sense of place, and an intriguing mystery all work together to pull the reader into the telling of the tale from the outset. As the search for Ivy widens, the tension builds, unsettling readers and keeping them guessing. Audrey’s grief over her brother’s loss and her loneliness add a component of devastation to the telling of this mesmerizing tale.
Readers who enjoy strong characters, mysteries, and suspense will find much to appreciate here.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#IntheWoodsTheyWait #NetGalley
Sixteen-year-old Audrey Figg and her thirteen-year-old brother, Benny, are hiking along the trail in Devil’s Den State Park while their parents, Joanne and Paul are sitting under camouflage gear. They are bird-watching, hoping for a glimpse of the Grail Bird.
Audrey had wanted to hike alone; annoyed with Benny’s teasing, she leaves the trail and heads into the underbrush. Benny hesitates, then races to catch up with his sister. Audrey teases him, then runs off, leaving Benny to race after her. She squeezes into a crevice in a rock wall; when he cannot find Audrey, he trudges away.
And Benny is never seen again.
Fifteen years later, Audrey is a park ranger, giving educational presentations and guiding hikes. She trains new rangers and cares for injured hikers. But the disappearance of six-year-old Ivy Summers bears striking similarities to her brother’s disappearance and, as Audrey searches for answers, she is haunted by the past.
What happened to Benny? And Ivy? And what is Audrey’s secret?
=========
Told in dual timelines, the unfolding story focuses in the past on Benny’s disappearance and in the present on the search for Ivy. Hints of something lurking in the woods keeps readers guessing while an ever-increasing sense of dread mounts.
Relatable characters, a strong sense of place, and an intriguing mystery all work together to pull the reader into the telling of the tale from the outset. As the search for Ivy widens, the tension builds, unsettling readers and keeping them guessing. Audrey’s grief over her brother’s loss and her loneliness add a component of devastation to the telling of this mesmerizing tale.
Readers who enjoy strong characters, mysteries, and suspense will find much to appreciate here.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#IntheWoodsTheyWait #NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Whoaaaa okaaaaay. I flew through this book so quickly. Fans of "Stranger Things" will enjoy this one. I wasn't sure where this was going at first but I was addicted from page one and could not put it down. I read this in less than 24 hours.
Audrey and her little brother Benny go out into the woods for a hike while their family is camping in Devil's Den. Audrey plays a prank on Benny and hides from him for a few minutes to spook him...and he is never seen again. Month after month her family stays behind to search for him in hopes of making some sort of a recovery. Her dad can't handle the pain of not knowing what happened to Benny after a while and abandons them, so it's just her and her mom left. As the years pass her mom falls into a deep depression but Audrey stays working in the park into adulthood unable to leave without closure over Benny's disappearance, eventually becoming a ranger that aides in SAR missions similar to her brother's.
There are some strange unnatural things going on at this park and this left me feeling so unsettled. Camping in the Ozarks won't be in my near future, I'll tell you that much! I would give a trigger warning for those with a certain phobia but it will spoil the whole reveal sooo, yah, not going to do that. But what I can say is that if you are looking for a campy, dread-inducing, summer horror you're going to love this book.
I am very excited to see what this author has in store for future horror novels and I will 100% be reading whatever she writes next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Audrey and her little brother Benny go out into the woods for a hike while their family is camping in Devil's Den. Audrey plays a prank on Benny and hides from him for a few minutes to spook him...and he is never seen again. Month after month her family stays behind to search for him in hopes of making some sort of a recovery. Her dad can't handle the pain of not knowing what happened to Benny after a while and abandons them, so it's just her and her mom left. As the years pass her mom falls into a deep depression but Audrey stays working in the park into adulthood unable to leave without closure over Benny's disappearance, eventually becoming a ranger that aides in SAR missions similar to her brother's.
There are some strange unnatural things going on at this park and this left me feeling so unsettled. Camping in the Ozarks won't be in my near future, I'll tell you that much! I would give a trigger warning for those with a certain phobia but it will spoil the whole reveal sooo, yah, not going to do that. But what I can say is that if you are looking for a campy, dread-inducing, summer horror you're going to love this book.
I am very excited to see what this author has in store for future horror novels and I will 100% be reading whatever she writes next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
I was hooked on this book from the very first page, and it absolutely did not disappoint. The story was fast-paced, intense, and impossible to put down. I especially loved Audrey as a main character. Her guilt over losing her brother fifteen years ago in those same woods, and her refusal to ever stop searching for answers, was heartbreaking. Seeing how his disappearance completely shattered her family made the emotional weight of the story hit even harder.
When a little girl goes missing in the exact same way her brother did, Audrey becomes relentless in her determination to find her. I loved how driven and fearless she was, even when it felt like everyone else had given up.
Scott and Corbin were two of my favorite characters, so their deaths genuinely hurt. Scott becoming a father figure to Audrey and the way he cared for her was such a bright spot in such a dark story. And the unspoken love between Audrey and Corbin, knowing they both felt it but never allowing it to become anything was honestly tragic.
I also really liked Porter. Even though he was inexperienced, he still stepped up and ended up being far more helpful than I expected.
And the horror element? Absolutely terrifying. A giant spider in the woods is already nightmare fuel, but the way it lured its victims and killed them was beyond disturbing. Creepy, disgusting, and genuinely unsettling.
Overall, this was a thrilling, emotional, and horrifying read that kept me on edge the entire time.
I was hooked on this book from the very first page, and it absolutely did not disappoint. The story was fast-paced, intense, and impossible to put down. I especially loved Audrey as a main character. Her guilt over losing her brother fifteen years ago in those same woods, and her refusal to ever stop searching for answers, was heartbreaking. Seeing how his disappearance completely shattered her family made the emotional weight of the story hit even harder.
When a little girl goes missing in the exact same way her brother did, Audrey becomes relentless in her determination to find her. I loved how driven and fearless she was, even when it felt like everyone else had given up.
Scott and Corbin were two of my favorite characters, so their deaths genuinely hurt. Scott becoming a father figure to Audrey and the way he cared for her was such a bright spot in such a dark story. And the unspoken love between Audrey and Corbin, knowing they both felt it but never allowing it to become anything was honestly tragic.
I also really liked Porter. Even though he was inexperienced, he still stepped up and ended up being far more helpful than I expected.
And the horror element? Absolutely terrifying. A giant spider in the woods is already nightmare fuel, but the way it lured its victims and killed them was beyond disturbing. Creepy, disgusting, and genuinely unsettling.
Overall, this was a thrilling, emotional, and horrifying read that kept me on edge the entire time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thought it was skewing to a supernatural ending, but it went towards using the skills of the characters as little hints to the horror hiding in the woods. An intriguing take on missing kid in the woods, but Audrey is so self-flagellating that it gets to be a bit much. 3.5/5
Fifteen years ago, Audrey was sixteen years old and thought she knew everything. She definitely knew she didn't want her thirteen-year-old brother, Benny, tagging along while she went hiking on their family trip in Devil's Den State Park. When her distaste for his companionship leads to him getting lost in the woods, Audrey expects a reprimand and to find her brother quickly. But her entire life changes, Benny is never found, her parents get divorced, and Audrey becomes a park ranger at Devil's Den. Audrey finds a sense of peace in her role, knowing she can help other families, and she has never truly given up hope of finding out what happened to Benny.
When a young girl, Ivy, goes missing, Audrey automatically begins comparing it to Benny's case. As she begins the search she becomes convinced there is more to these woods than anyone knows, and there is something kidnapping these children. As she works on the case, her memories and guilt are stirred up from fifteen years ago. As she searches for Ivy and has to train the new ranger, Porter, she notices that her boss Scott seems to be keeping something to himself, something that might help her find Ivy and learn what really happened to Benny.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.
Fifteen years ago, Audrey was sixteen years old and thought she knew everything. She definitely knew she didn't want her thirteen-year-old brother, Benny, tagging along while she went hiking on their family trip in Devil's Den State Park. When her distaste for his companionship leads to him getting lost in the woods, Audrey expects a reprimand and to find her brother quickly. But her entire life changes, Benny is never found, her parents get divorced, and Audrey becomes a park ranger at Devil's Den. Audrey finds a sense of peace in her role, knowing she can help other families, and she has never truly given up hope of finding out what happened to Benny.
When a young girl, Ivy, goes missing, Audrey automatically begins comparing it to Benny's case. As she begins the search she becomes convinced there is more to these woods than anyone knows, and there is something kidnapping these children. As she works on the case, her memories and guilt are stirred up from fifteen years ago. As she searches for Ivy and has to train the new ranger, Porter, she notices that her boss Scott seems to be keeping something to himself, something that might help her find Ivy and learn what really happened to Benny.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC!
Although In the Woods They Wait was not what I expected based on the description, I did end up liking the story. Audrey, our heroine, is a park ranger in the very same place her brother disappeared from 15 years ago. She carries a lot of guilt over what happened to Benny and she’s dedicated her life to finding her brother. She doesn’t like to let anyone get close to her and her people skills aren’t great. But she does her job well even as she continues the search for Benny.
I really enjoyed the writing and the author did an excellent job at building up tension. I could easily relate to Audrey and my heart ached for her. She was a very well-written character with real flaws that made it hard for her to let people close. I didn’t even mind the direction this story took (even though I was not expecting it to go that way and I can see some people not enjoying said direction).
There was one thing that kept this book from being a five star read: the ending. Obviously, I don’t want to spoil, but there’s an event that happens near the end which I felt was unnecessary and kind of made me unhappy. Also, the ending felt rushed. There was all this buildup and then the last 10% or so fell kind of flat. Still, I found the book engaging enough to read in one day. In the Woods They Wait took an unexpected route but I still enjoyed the journey. 4/5.
Although In the Woods They Wait was not what I expected based on the description, I did end up liking the story. Audrey, our heroine, is a park ranger in the very same place her brother disappeared from 15 years ago. She carries a lot of guilt over what happened to Benny and she’s dedicated her life to finding her brother. She doesn’t like to let anyone get close to her and her people skills aren’t great. But she does her job well even as she continues the search for Benny.
I really enjoyed the writing and the author did an excellent job at building up tension. I could easily relate to Audrey and my heart ached for her. She was a very well-written character with real flaws that made it hard for her to let people close. I didn’t even mind the direction this story took (even though I was not expecting it to go that way and I can see some people not enjoying said direction).
There was one thing that kept this book from being a five star read: the ending. Obviously, I don’t want to spoil, but there’s an event that happens near the end which I felt was unnecessary and kind of made me unhappy. Also, the ending felt rushed. There was all this buildup and then the last 10% or so fell kind of flat. Still, I found the book engaging enough to read in one day. In the Woods They Wait took an unexpected route but I still enjoyed the journey. 4/5.
May 5, 2026
I went in for the mystery and got a whole lot more horror than I bargained for. That's on me for not doing my homework, but fair warning to anyone else who's squinting at the synopsis thinking "Ozarks, missing child, park ranger" — this skews much darker than the mystery packaging suggests.
The premise is genuinely compelling. Audrey is a park ranger stationed at the very park where her little brother vanished fifteen years ago, and when a little girl goes missing under eerily similar circumstances, she refuses to give up on her. The mirroring structure works, the atmosphere is thick, and the Ozarks setting does well in building that unease.
My issue is Audrey herself. I need a champion; that is the kind of reader I need.
There's a secret at the center of her character that I won't spoil, but it's the kind of thing that asks you to sit with her, understand her, maybe even root for her redemption. I couldn't get there in 300 pages. I know that's going to be entirely subjective — plenty of readers are going to find her complicated past rich and her arc toward forgiveness meaningful. I'm just not an easy forgiveness person. I kept putting myself in the shoes of the people hurt by her secret, feeling that weight acutely, and I couldn't shake it long enough to connect with her journey.
There's a sliver of hope woven through the ending, and I do appreciate that — I'm a sucker for even a little bit of light. But the overall darkness of this one wasn't quite my flavor of horror. Not a bad book, just not my book.
The premise is genuinely compelling. Audrey is a park ranger stationed at the very park where her little brother vanished fifteen years ago, and when a little girl goes missing under eerily similar circumstances, she refuses to give up on her. The mirroring structure works, the atmosphere is thick, and the Ozarks setting does well in building that unease.
My issue is Audrey herself. I need a champion; that is the kind of reader I need.
There's a secret at the center of her character that I won't spoil, but it's the kind of thing that asks you to sit with her, understand her, maybe even root for her redemption. I couldn't get there in 300 pages. I know that's going to be entirely subjective — plenty of readers are going to find her complicated past rich and her arc toward forgiveness meaningful. I'm just not an easy forgiveness person. I kept putting myself in the shoes of the people hurt by her secret, feeling that weight acutely, and I couldn't shake it long enough to connect with her journey.
There's a sliver of hope woven through the ending, and I do appreciate that — I'm a sucker for even a little bit of light. But the overall darkness of this one wasn't quite my flavor of horror. Not a bad book, just not my book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you NetGalley, and Little, Brown and Company for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of In the Woods They Wait by Carrie Lee South. This novel will be published on September 22, 2026.
This atmospheric horror was an intense emotional read. It gravitated between two timelines. In 2004, Audrey Figg’s little brother, Benny, disappears while her family is on vacation in Devil’s Den state park. In 2019, Audrey, now a park ranger still searching for her little brother, becomes part of the search and rescue team to find six-year-old Ivy Summer’s who disappeared under similar circumstances at the very same park.
The character development is deep as we watch Audrey grow from teenager to adult. As a reader, I’m invested in her story. We see the effect this has on her, her parents and her relations with other people. It tells a story about grief and how family deals with the deemed loss of a loved one as they look for their own closure with it.
The story is superbly written. The tension is built at a steady pace. It’s suspenseful and at times, very uncomfortable to read due to the tragic subject matter. Where some horrors rely on the supernatural, what waits in the woods in the Ozarks could be very natural. Though a bit extreme, that’s what makes this such a good horror.
The outcome is not always what a reader wants but it’s more truthful to the story as a whole.
This atmospheric horror was an intense emotional read. It gravitated between two timelines. In 2004, Audrey Figg’s little brother, Benny, disappears while her family is on vacation in Devil’s Den state park. In 2019, Audrey, now a park ranger still searching for her little brother, becomes part of the search and rescue team to find six-year-old Ivy Summer’s who disappeared under similar circumstances at the very same park.
The character development is deep as we watch Audrey grow from teenager to adult. As a reader, I’m invested in her story. We see the effect this has on her, her parents and her relations with other people. It tells a story about grief and how family deals with the deemed loss of a loved one as they look for their own closure with it.
The story is superbly written. The tension is built at a steady pace. It’s suspenseful and at times, very uncomfortable to read due to the tragic subject matter. Where some horrors rely on the supernatural, what waits in the woods in the Ozarks could be very natural. Though a bit extreme, that’s what makes this such a good horror.
The outcome is not always what a reader wants but it’s more truthful to the story as a whole.
June 23, 2026
In the Woods They Wait is a dark, creepy blend of mystery, thriller, and folk horror. The story jumps between timelines, and I thought that worked really well, slowly revealing pieces of the mystery while adding depth to Audrey’s story and the events that shaped her.
Audrey wasn’t the easiest character to connect with at first, but as the novel peeled back the layers of her grief, guilt, and trauma, I found myself much more invested in her. Carrie Lee South does a great job exploring what loss does to a person and how far someone might go in search of answers, closure, or redemption.
The horror elements are genuinely unsettling, and the book doesn’t shy away from graphic or disturbing moments. Fair warning: this is a pretty bleak story. I struggled a bit with just how much Audrey loses along the way, and the ending left me feeling more heartbroken than satisfied. That said, there was enough of a glimmer of hope at the end to keep it from feeling completely hopeless.
Overall, I loved this one. It’s atmospheric, well-written, and emotionally devastating in the best way. Beneath the mystery and supernatural elements, it’s really a story about grief, guilt, and the possibility of redemption. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys dark, character-driven mysteries with a folk horror twist.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance digital copy.
Audrey wasn’t the easiest character to connect with at first, but as the novel peeled back the layers of her grief, guilt, and trauma, I found myself much more invested in her. Carrie Lee South does a great job exploring what loss does to a person and how far someone might go in search of answers, closure, or redemption.
The horror elements are genuinely unsettling, and the book doesn’t shy away from graphic or disturbing moments. Fair warning: this is a pretty bleak story. I struggled a bit with just how much Audrey loses along the way, and the ending left me feeling more heartbroken than satisfied. That said, there was enough of a glimmer of hope at the end to keep it from feeling completely hopeless.
Overall, I loved this one. It’s atmospheric, well-written, and emotionally devastating in the best way. Beneath the mystery and supernatural elements, it’s really a story about grief, guilt, and the possibility of redemption. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys dark, character-driven mysteries with a folk horror twist.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance digital copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Park ranger Audrey Figg has been obsessed with the woods since she lost her younger brother to them more than a decade ago. Audrey had been on a family camping trip when she hid from her brother, Benny, on their day hike. When she came out of hiding, Benny was gone.
Now, Audrey spends her days protecting the park and working the occasional search and rescue (SAR). When young Ivy goes missing, all of the unresolved grief related to Benny’s disappearance comes back to the surface for Audrey.
The book starts out feeling like a straightforward thriller, searching the woods for a missing child. At some point, it becomes clear that the reason Ivy, and maybe others, have gone missing is more nefarious than that. Is it a monster? Something extraterrestrial? A violent animal predator?
Audrey, alongside her compatriots, is determined to rescue Ivy and find out.
This book was a fast, easy read with some interesting character development (for example, Audrey’s mother who is a depressed hoarder). I liked it, but was confused by some of the narrative choices (which I won’t share to avoid spoilers). Overall, recommended. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Now, Audrey spends her days protecting the park and working the occasional search and rescue (SAR). When young Ivy goes missing, all of the unresolved grief related to Benny’s disappearance comes back to the surface for Audrey.
The book starts out feeling like a straightforward thriller, searching the woods for a missing child. At some point, it becomes clear that the reason Ivy, and maybe others, have gone missing is more nefarious than that. Is it a monster? Something extraterrestrial? A violent animal predator?
Audrey, alongside her compatriots, is determined to rescue Ivy and find out.
This book was a fast, easy read with some interesting character development (for example, Audrey’s mother who is a depressed hoarder). I liked it, but was confused by some of the narrative choices (which I won’t share to avoid spoilers). Overall, recommended. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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