Staff Pick
Nora begrudgingly agrees to attend the "hen do" of the best friend from whom she's been 10 years estranged: bad mistake. Set in a glass manor in the English countryside — away from all civilization, and with a storm on the way — the party collapses rapidly. There's an Ouija board, free-flowing alcohol, footsteps in the snow, a shotgun...
Examining themes of duplicity, jealousy, ruined friendships, mental illness, and the importance of the opinions of others, In a Dark, Dark Wood is the perfect answer to a reading rut, a long vacation, or simply what to read next. Wickedly delicious. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
An Entertainment Weekly Summer Books Pick
A Buzzfeed “31 Books to Get Excited About this Summer” Pick
A Publishers Weekly “Top Ten Mysteries and Thrillers” Pick
A BookReporter Summer Reading Pick
A New York Post “Best Novels to Read this Summer” Pick
A Shelf Awareness “Book Expo America 2015 Buzz Book” Pick
What should be a cozy and fun-filled weekend deep in the English countryside takes a sinister turn in Ruth Wares 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 hasnt 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.
In the tradition of Paula Hawkins's instant New York Times bestseller The Girl On the Train and S. J. Watsons riveting national sensation Before I Go To Sleep, this gripping literary debut from UK novelist Ruth Ware will leave you on the edge of your seat through the very last page.
Review
I started IN A DARK, DARK WOOD on an airplane, kept dipping into it whenever I was left alone, devoured another big chunk on the flight home, and after that surrendered myself to it until the last revelation had bloomed, the final surprise had exploded, and the bittersweet conclusive turn had folded the final page. Ruth Ware has written an exciting, and in fact amazing book that never stops circling around behind the reader and clapping its cold hands over her eyes. Peter Straub, New York Times bestselling author
Review
I raced through this, totally unable to put it down...Dark, smart and compulsive. Nicci Cloke, author of Lay Me Down
Review
"So gripping. So glad my hen days are behind me. Its going to be huge." Tamar Cohen, author of Dying for Christmas and The Broken
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“The next Girl on the Train…Ware hews [close] to the new genre of twisty-mystery womens books.” Vulture
Review
"Who pulls a gun at a bachelorette party? The answers are unveiled with Gillian Flynn-style trickery." O Magazine
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"Likely to be the next Gone Girl." Elizabeth Willse
Review
"Haunting."
Review
"Eerie and mysterious!" Style Boston
Review
"An English psychological thriller...compared to Gone Girl and Girl on the Train." EBookClassics
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“[In a Dark, Dark Wood] will appeal to fans of Gillian Flynns Gone Girl and Paula Hawkinss The Girl on the Train.” Steve Bennett - My San Antonio
Review
"If the premise might be the sort that Agatha Christie would have toyed with had she been a 21st-century graduate, Wares analysis of the power-games some women revel in - and the toxicity in the undertow of some female friendships - is more reminiscent of Sophie Hannah, Christobel Kent, or even Gillian Flynn and Harriet Lane." Publisher - ' - s Weekly
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“In a Dark, Dark Wood packs a noirish punch that would make the Queen of Crime herself proud.” Patricia Nicol - Independent
Review
“[In a Dark, Dark Wood] mixes tropes popularized by such suspense novels as S.J. Watsons Before I Go to Sleep and Gillian Flynns Gone Girl… with Agatha Christie touches. Ware writes with verve and energy, building up the suspense and keeping the pages flying." Bustle
Review
“Wares debut novel sets the stage for her to become a household name… Engaging, suspenseful and mysterious.” Library Journal
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"Just try to guess how sinister this plot can get (hint: VERY)." RT Book Reviews
Review
"Youll find it almost impossible to put this twisting, electrifying debut down...[The] foggy atmosphere and chilling revelations will leave you breathless.” Marie Claire
Review
“WARNING: This book is hot. Do not pick it up late at night or if you are in a dark, dark wood...Ruth Ware has a gift. This British authors first foray into fiction is a hit…it delivers a punch and keeps you guessing—an ideal August psychodrama that reminds us why mysteries remain such fun—except at night.” Entertainment Weekly
Review
“An enchantingly unsettling thriller with mysterious characters and a classically spooky setting.” The New York Journal of Books
Review
“The best thing about In A Dark, Dark Wood is the eerie atmosphere it creates for this ill-fated weekend, never overwrought, just ominous enough, the glass house where the guests are trapped ‘dark and silent, blending into the trees, almost invisible.” Shelf Awareness
Review
"The pulse-quickening plot of In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware will keep you up until the small hours." USAToday.com
Review
"Ruth Ware's stunning first novel (catch it before the inevitable film) digs into all the hidden horrors of female 'friendship'; suddenly, the old playground secrets come slithering out." Good Housekeeping, UK
Review
"A sinister mood lurks in [In a Dark, Dark Wood]." Saga, UK
Review
"Haunting." Surrounded by Books
Synopsis
AUTHOR OF THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER
SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
An NPR Best Book of the Year, 2015
A ShelfAwareness Best Book of the Year, 2015
An Entertainment Weekly Summer Books Pick
A Buzzfeed "31 Books to Get Excited About this Summer" Pick
A Publishers Weekly "Top Ten Mysteries and Thrillers" Pick
A BookReporter Summer Reading Pick
A New York Post "Best Novels to Read this Summer" Pick
A Shelf Awareness "Book Expo America 2015 Buzz Book" Pick
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.
In the tradition of Paula Hawkins's instant New York Times bestseller The Girl On the Train and S. J. Watson's riveting national sensation Before I Go To Sleep, this gripping literary debut from UK novelist Ruth Ware will leave you on the edge of your seat through the very last page.
About the Author
Ruth Ware lives in London and has worked as a waitress, bookseller, teacher of English as a foreign language, and most recently, a book publicist. In a Dark, Dark Wood is her debut novel. Her bachelorette weekend was very tasteful and nobody got murdered.