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.
*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.
BUY THE BOOK
These clubs recently read this book...
Community Reviews
What Bookclubbers are saying about this book
✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *In a Dark, Dark Wood* delivers a solid, twist-filled psychological mystery with a creepy atmosphere. Many agree the plot unfolds with int...
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.
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.
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.
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 :)
This book had a bit of a slow start but once it got going, it was definitely hard to put down! There are many people who say this book doesn't get the love it deserves and I agree.
Quick Synopsis: Leonora is invited to her friend Claire's hen weekend (bachlorette weekend). However, Nora and Claire haven't spoken in 10 years. Although she isn't sure why she was invited in the first place, she decides to go. She quickly learns that Claire didn't invite her to the wedding but wanted her at the hen because she needed to tell her who she was marrying - Leonora's ex. But there is more to the story than meets the eye. Switching between present and past (only a few days usually), Leonora has to piece together what happened over the weekend in order to solve the biggest secret of all. (Best summary I could write without any spoilers)
Although this book is often listed as a horror book, I would say it is much more mystery than horror. Many say it has a predictable plot but it wasn't for me. This has me guessing until the very end. I had an idea of who was responsible but there were other things thrown about that then made me question my own instict. It does have some other great mytery/thriller elements like an unreliable narrator, creepy atmospheric setting, and a delightful cast of (un)likable characters. We also have the added element of amnesia as an obstacle to piece together the puzzle.
Overall, I enjoyed it. It may have started a bit slow but about 1/3 of the way in, I was already trying to figure out each characters REAL motive and what exactly was going to transpire. It really seemed like you couldn't trust anyone - maybe not even our narrator herself. It may not be a super fast paced thriller but the ending definitely surprised me! If you are looking for a quick and easy read with a great cast of characters and twists at every chapters, then go for it!
Quotes:
- It is just as I’m drifting off to sleep that an image comes to me: a shotgun handing on a wall. And suddenly I know. The bruise is a recoil bruise. At some point in the recent past, I have fired a gun pg. 73
- Oh God, I must remember. I must remember what happened because someone is dead and the police are outside. They are going to come and ask me, and how can I know, how can I know what I’m saying, what I’m revealing, if I don’t know what happened? I see myself - running, running through the forest with blood on my hands and on my face and on my clothes… pg. 256
- Oh my god, Flo whimpered. The gun … the gun was loaded! pg. 262
- What I held that night was light as plastic with no shot at all. It was a blank. The blank. The blank that was supposed to have been in the shotgun. Clare had been the one to substitute the live round for the blank. Pg. 414
Quick Synopsis: Leonora is invited to her friend Claire's hen weekend (bachlorette weekend). However, Nora and Claire haven't spoken in 10 years. Although she isn't sure why she was invited in the first place, she decides to go. She quickly learns that Claire didn't invite her to the wedding but wanted her at the hen because she needed to tell her who she was marrying - Leonora's ex. But there is more to the story than meets the eye. Switching between present and past (only a few days usually), Leonora has to piece together what happened over the weekend in order to solve the biggest secret of all. (Best summary I could write without any spoilers)
Although this book is often listed as a horror book, I would say it is much more mystery than horror. Many say it has a predictable plot but it wasn't for me. This has me guessing until the very end. I had an idea of who was responsible but there were other things thrown about that then made me question my own instict. It does have some other great mytery/thriller elements like an unreliable narrator, creepy atmospheric setting, and a delightful cast of (un)likable characters. We also have the added element of amnesia as an obstacle to piece together the puzzle.
Overall, I enjoyed it. It may have started a bit slow but about 1/3 of the way in, I was already trying to figure out each characters REAL motive and what exactly was going to transpire. It really seemed like you couldn't trust anyone - maybe not even our narrator herself. It may not be a super fast paced thriller but the ending definitely surprised me! If you are looking for a quick and easy read with a great cast of characters and twists at every chapters, then go for it!
Quotes:
- It is just as I’m drifting off to sleep that an image comes to me: a shotgun handing on a wall. And suddenly I know. The bruise is a recoil bruise. At some point in the recent past, I have fired a gun pg. 73
- Oh God, I must remember. I must remember what happened because someone is dead and the police are outside. They are going to come and ask me, and how can I know, how can I know what I’m saying, what I’m revealing, if I don’t know what happened? I see myself - running, running through the forest with blood on my hands and on my face and on my clothes… pg. 256
- Oh my god, Flo whimpered. The gun … the gun was loaded! pg. 262
- What I held that night was light as plastic with no shot at all. It was a blank. The blank. The blank that was supposed to have been in the shotgun. Clare had been the one to substitute the live round for the blank. Pg. 414
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.