They Fear Not Men in the Woods is a horror novel written by Gretchen McNeil, published by DAW Books. A slow-burn horror story that makes the best of the inherent fear of the wild places, vast forests, delivering an eerie and atmospheric plot bordering on a study of small towns and how difficult is to leave all the baggage attached to ourselves behind.

Six years after her father's disappearing in the Washington wilderness, Jen Monroe returns to her hometown to bury what seems to be his remains. Not really convinced that they are his, she soon finds herself on a new trek into the woods with a particular group: her ex-boyfriend (and son of the lumber company owner), her best friend and her boyfriend, two other male hikers and a mysterious Finnish girl called Sammy. As they venture deeper into the forest, strange things begin to happen; a build-up that keeps getting deeper into the mystery, into that danger that our group is experiencing.

Characterization can be one of the weak points of this novel: not only we have an unlikeable main character as Jen Monroe, but I would also argue that most of the rest of the group is a bit underdeveloped. The small-town trope is well used, almost becoming a synonym with the baggage that is attached to Jen's life, including the grief she still feels for her father: overcoming it is part of the reason for this trek.

Said that, the setting is one highlight of the novel: the vast forests of the PNW are the perfect place for such a kind of horror, with a heavy atmospherical component that also plays into some of the most primal fears of the mind. 
In terms of pacing, we have two clearly different parts: a first one, slower, that introduces us to the characters that will become part of the trek; and a second one, that starts around the 50% mark, that is where the horror elements are introduced. While it worked for me, I can understand it might not be for everybody.

They Fear Not Men in the Woods is an interesting horror novel, a good choice if you like atmosphere-heavy reads with a touch of character drama; a debut into the genre that shows promising ideas.