Author: Ruth Ware

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press

Pages: 320

Crime fiction author Leonora (Nora, as she now goes by) is taken aback to be invited to the hen of an old school friend, Clare, whom she hasn’t seen in ten years. She is really debating as to whether she is going to go, but decides that she will go if another of their school friends whom she has kept in touch with goes as well. When they arrive, they soon begin to regret their decision as they are thrust in to a glass home in the middle of the woods, in an unfamiliar area, with people that they do not know. Nora decides to go for a run, and meets Clare in the drive as she is returning to the house. While in the car, Clare informs her of the reason for her invitation. This drags up many old memories and hard feelings that make Nora want to bolt from the house immediately, but she doesn’t have her own vehicle, and she would have to contend with Clare’s new BFF who is just a touch on the insane side! She, instead, joins in the party and drinks and drugs her way in to dealing with the weekend. Throw in one home invasion, one murder, one car accident, and one bout of amnesia (Nora’s), and you have the rest of In a Dark, Dark Wood.

I will admit that this book began just a bit slow for me. It took me a couple of chapters to really get in to it. Once I did, though, I didn’t want to put it down! I had to know what happened. Ware’s writing in this novel has been compared to Christie, and I guess that I can see where they were coming from in some areas of her writing- she placed the characters in a contained space where it would be difficult for them to escape, etc. She has her own style, though, and I really enjoyed it. The suspense was drawn out, and had me changing my mind about who I thought the murderer was until the last couple of chapters, which is rare for me. That was incredibly enjoyable. If you’re looking for a fun psychological thriller, I would recommend this one!