In a Dark, Dark Wood is the first psychological thriller written by British author Ruth Ware. It is about a woman who is invited to a bachelorette party for an ex friend of hers. She arrives out of curiosity as she has not seen this friend in a decade and a murder ensues.
I like Ware’s writing style, it is easy to read and flows nicely. The story overall is a quick, action packed thriller. The main character is likeable and the other characters are well rounded and she does a good job of expressing each individual personality.
I was a little disappointed by this one as I previously read It Girl and that one was much better. I will give her credit as this was her first in the genre. In It Girl I didn’t see the murderer coming…in this one I figured it out right away. There are also scenarios at the end that were not realistic.
This book also has taught me not to trust Reese Witherspoon’s choice in books. As her quote on the front of the book states that she was really scared during this story…literally nothing is scary about it…..
★★★ I’d recommend It Girl over this one… ( )

Thriller

A weekend hen party goes awry in this suspenseful psychological thriller.

Leonora, a somewhat reclusive writer, accepts an invitation to attend a weekend house party given for an old school friend and bride-to-be, Claire, whom she hasn't seen for about 10 years. The big house, nestled out in the dark woods, is perfectly suited for entertaining and all starts off well. The hostess, Flo, is Claire's new BFF and has organized all the events, weird as some of them may be. The six guests try to make the best of it for Claire's sake.

Leonora wakes in the hospital unable to remember details about what has happened. All she knows is that someone has died. And the police are questioning here under caution.

This is Ware's debut novel and I enjoyed it for the most part even though I heartily dislike the unreliable narrator trope and the convenient memory loss device. The plot is fairly predictable, and most readers will guess where this is going as the clues are dangled and slowly fall with the revelations. Can't say that any of the characters were appealing or likeable and Leonora especially seemed really slow on the uptake.

I'd previously read several of Ruth Ware's other books, but this was actually better than some of the later ones -- at least I think so. I listened to the audio of this book and the narrator was decent although some of the character voices made me cringe. I also had the e-book handy which helps me when I listen because I can go back and look up something or double check I "got it" as sometimes my attention wanders while listening!

Anyway, solid mystery thriller that entertained for several hours. I got the audiobook from my local library and the ARC way back when from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books. ( )

So glad it rained today! What a story - looking forward to The Woman in Cabin 10. ( )

Nice cozy mystery. Made me glad to be older than the characters! ( )