In a Dark, Dark Wood

*AUTHOR OF THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 and THE LYING GAME
*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 * 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 Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year * 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.

Sometimes the only thing to fear…is yourself.

When reclusive writer Leonora is invited to the English countryside for a weekend away, she reluctantly agrees to make the trip. But as the first night falls, revelations unfold among friends old and new, an unnerving memory shatters Leonora’s reserve, and a haunting realization creeps in: the party is not alone in the woods.

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Published Apr 19, 2016

352 pages

Average rating: 7.15

531 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *In a Dark, Dark Wood* offers a slow-to-medium paced, traditional British-style mystery with atmospheric tension. Many agree it creates a ...

Caitlin Drake
Mar 03, 2026
The club generally found the book to be formulaic and the premise to lack believability. The description, cover, and title reference made it seem like it was going to me more on the thriller/horror side. Ultimately, this would be a good pick for readers looking for a traditional, British-style mystery novel with a slow-medium pace.
Deborah Trahan
Oct 23, 2025
8/10 stars
I can't say I enjoyed The Woman in Cabin 10 as much as I enjoyed In a Dark, Dark Wood, Ware's debut novel. As per expectation, the plot twists and turns a few times as the reader is teased into the novel's resolution. A solid read, though, I find it most interesting that Ware says she's surprised that readers think the book is "scary" at times.
kylie_fitz
May 26, 2025
6/10 stars
All and all not too bad of a read. I might of liked it a bit more but was not a fan of the main character so it was difficult for me to care about her. Actually none of the characters particularly wowed me.
Kristin Rose
Nov 01, 2024
8/10 stars
This book hovered somewhere between a creepy horror book and a psychological/murder mystery. It could’ve gone either way but the beginning didn’t really match the end. You cant really do both of those things in one story. The book was enjoyable though, a quick read and if did have you guessing throughout. I just would’ve went about things differently and wouldn’t have marketed it as a ghost story.
LadyFe
Jun 27, 2024
7/10 stars
I enjoyed reading this book - it was my first mystery/thriller! It was a bit slow initially and the set up of the creepy atmosphere was decent but it started feeling very predictable. My initial thoughts about the plot were correct :)

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