Julie's Review: In a Dark, Dark Wood

Author: Ruth Ware
Series: None
Publication Date: August 4, 2014
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Pages: 320
Obtained: friend
Genre:  Psychological Thriller, Suspense
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: A page-turner that will have you wondering what the heck happened
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab!

Summary: What should be a cozy and fun-filled weekend deep in the English countryside takes a sinister turn in Ruth Ware’s suspenseful, compulsive, and darkly twisted psychological thriller. Leonora, known to some as Lee and others as Nora, is a reclusive crime writer, unwilling to leave her “nest” of an apartment unless it is absolutely necessary. When a friend she hasn’t seen or spoken to in years unexpectedly invites Nora (Lee?) to a weekend away in an eerie glass house deep in the English countryside, she reluctantly agrees to make the trip. Forty-eight hours later, she wakes up in a hospital bed injured but alive, with the knowledge that someone is dead. Wondering not “what happened?” but “what have I done?”, Nora (Lee?) tries to piece together the events of the past weekend. Working to uncover secrets, reveal motives, and find answers, Nora (Lee?) must revisit parts of herself that she would much rather leave buried where they belong: in the past. ~amazon.com  
Review: In a Dark Dark Wood is a novel that will have you wondering what the heck happened on a hen night when Nora wakes up in a hospital. It will have you turning the pages late into the night and up early to finish it. It makes you hesitant of people's true motivations.

Nora is an interesting character. She lives a life of solitude and seems to be ok with it. Although as the book goes on, you really wonder if she's ok with it. She's made a successful life by being a thriller writer and then she ends up in a real life situation that could resemble a plot line. The book is also told from Nora's point of view and there's something about her that doesn't scream "reliable". You also wonder what Clare's motivation is for inviting Nora after they haven't spoken or seen each other in 10 years.

The book has a spooky, atmospheric pulse to it. Perhaps it's the house that seems to be all glass in a dark forest that seems out of place. Perhaps it's the group of people that have gotten together to celebrate Clare, it seems like an eclectic group. Maybe it's Flo, who is wound a little tight and wants everything to be perfect for Clare's hen.

As the plot starts to come together, the pages turn themselves. You want to find out as badly as Nora what the heck happened on the last night of the party. Why can't she remember? Is she to blame? How does this all fit together? Will she ever remember?

If you like thrillers, then you will definitely want to pick up  In a Dark Dark Wood. I think it would make for a great movie as well.

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