1997
In the Woods1997 is a historical marker in the novel’s author’s note: it dates a reorganization of Irish criminal investigation and clarifies the difference between real police structures and the fictional Murder squad used in the story.
Police Reorganization
The author states that Ireland had no Murder squad and that, in 1997, various units were amalgamated to form the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The Bureau assists local officers with serious crimes, including murder.
Relation to the Novel
The author explains that the story required a Murder squad, so its use is a deliberate liberty with the workings of the Garda Síochána. The note separates this fictional structure from the real institutional change associated with 1997, cautioning readers not to treat the squad as an accurate account of Irish police organization.
