'Dublin Murders'...'In The Woods'
Photo Credit: Euston Films/ Element Pictures
Spoilers for: Dublin Murders (U.K) (2019- ); In The Woods (U.K.) (2007) (novel #1 of the Dublin Murder Squad series); The Likeness (U.K.) (2008) (novel #2 of the Dublin Murder Squad series)
"You always think that the ones who get away are the lucky ones..."
"What if the ones that are killed are the lucky ones?"
- Dublin Murders (U.K. 2019)
Dublin Murders (2019- ), created by Sarah Phelps is based on the Dublin Murder Squad Series of novels. The first season delves into the stories contained within the novels titled: In The Woods (2007) and The Likeness (2008) by Tana French.
Both series follow main characters Cassie Maddox (Sarah Greene) and Rob Reilly (Killian Scott), police detectives in the Dublin Murder Squad. The duo is assigned to a homicide case in the Irish woods of the town of Knocknaree. The case is eerily similar to one that occurred in nearly the exact same location two decades prior, and is very close to home for Detective Rob Reilly.
Back in the 80s in Ireland, three children went to play in the woods and didn't return. One child was eventually found, but the other two were not. That solitary child found traumatized in the woods of Knocknaree was twelve-year-old Adam Robert Reilly, now known as Detective Rob Reilly. Reilly changed his name to distance himself from the past.
Twenty years later Reilly returns to the woods after another child has gone missing. Twelve-year-old Katy Devlin is found deceased.
This crime and mystery beg the many obvious questions: Is this case related to the one from twenty years before? Has the criminal struck again after a long hiatus? Were the other children also killed? The less obvious query this new case conjures is, whether it is better to be found alive, dead, or found at all.
Lost vs. Gained in Translation
In both mediums, the narrative is told out of chronological order. The story seamlessly jumps back and forth between the events of twenty years prior and the present case repeatedly before moving into the future. Some circumstances and details surrounding the content and context of those differently-ordered events are also altered slightly in the adapted TV series.
In fact, the non-linear storytelling in the novel that the television series emulates actually seems more suited for the televised medium. The non-chronological order of events helps to build suspense and mislead the audience in an interesting way, all culminating to new revelations in the ongoing mystery.
At the start, the tone of the show feels much bleaker than the novel.
The main character, Reilly, narrates the book, In The Woods. Due to his protective mental distance from the past crime, the novel also starts with a distanced feeling from the tragedy. The visuals of the show, however, keep the viewer close to the crimes, with the heaviness of it all ever present.
Additionally, Reilly is going through an internal struggle and turmoil, which is not as apparent at the start of the television series as it is in the novel. In the novel, the reader is able to freely explore his unfiltered thoughts and mind as the narrator.
However, as a reader it is not only the character of Reilly we get a better understanding for in the novels. Readers get a better sense of the background of each of the characters introduced, where as a viewer you get bits and pieces of information gradually for the sake of suspense and efficiency.
Final Thoughts:
Dublin Murders and the novels it is based on are both strongly intricate and intriguing stories. Though the story is told somewhat differently through altered details and stylistic choices across the two mediums, the core story remains.
Whether one prefers to read books, or watch television shows, Dublin Murders and the Dublin Murder Squad series are filled with stories for you to get lost in as you stay in this St. Patrick’s Day or any day.
For more about the creators:
In The Woods; The Likeness; Dublin Murder Squad series: Tana French
Dublin Murders: Sarah Phelps
About the Writer
Angela M. Thomas is a Co-Founder & Administrator of the WODC where she serves as the Write or Die Chicks Social Media & Branding Specialist. She captains the international media column Lost in Translation.