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In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
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In a Dark, Dark Wood (edition 2015)

by Ruth Ware (Author)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
4,3402482,675 (3.52)103
"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"--… (more)
Member:kayceel
Title:In a Dark, Dark Wood
Authors:Ruth Ware (Author)
Info:Gallery/Scout Press (2015), Edition: Later printing, 320 pages
Collections:Adult, Read but unowned
Rating:****1/2
Tags:2016, JennBkClub, suspense, murder, grief, friendship, writers

Work Information

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

  1. 20
    Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson (Nickelini)
    Nickelini: Suspense mysteries featuring unreliable memories and isolation
  2. 21
    And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (BookshelfMonstrosity)
    BookshelfMonstrosity: Although In a Dark, Dark Wood features people who know each other, and in And Then There Were None, they're strangers, both locked room mysteries, set in remote areas, have a menacing, foreboding tone: psychologically haunting and a little twisted.… (more)
  3. 00
    Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney (flying_monkeys)
    flying_monkeys: For readers who enjoy a thriller that starts off in the present, after the "incident" happened, told by someone who may (or may not) be an unreliable narrator, with flashbacks that lead up to the "incident."
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» See also 103 mentions

English (244)  Dutch (3)  Italian (2)  All languages (249)
Showing 1-5 of 244 (next | show all)
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… ( )
  OMBWarrior47 | Feb 29, 2024 |
Thriller
  BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |
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. ( )
  CelticLibrarian | Feb 13, 2024 |
So glad it rained today! What a story - looking forward to The Woman in Cabin 10. ( )
  aefsargent | Feb 6, 2024 |
Nice cozy mystery. Made me glad to be older than the characters! ( )
  maryelisa | Jan 16, 2024 |
Showing 1-5 of 244 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (13 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Ruth Wareprimary authorall editionscalculated
Nyström, OonaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
In a dark, dark wood there was a dark, dark house;
And in the dark, dark house there was a dark, dark room;
And in the dark, dark room there was a dark, dark cupboard;
And in the dark, dark cupboard there was ... a skeleton!
-traditional Halloween tale
Dedication
For Kate; for the other three-fifths. With love.
First words
I am running.
I am running through moonlit woods, with branches ripping at my clothes and my feet catching in the snow-bowed bracken.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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"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"--

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