In a Dark, Dark Wood

12:58 am 4 December 2016
In a Dark, Dark Wood - Ruth Ware

Nora goes to the Hen Night of her high school best friend that she hasn’t spoken to in a decade. Someone dies, and Nora can’t remember what’s happen. We start this book in the hospital and then jump back to the start of things and it proceeds linearly from there.

This book has a character with amnesia so if that bugs you I’d probably skip this one.  Also this book was very predictable if you read many mysteries.  I enjoyed Ware’s writing, a few of the side characters, and the atmosphere but I read a lot of mystery thrillers and this one didn’t pack the punch I was looking for.   That being said I did bring it for a giveaway because I enjoyed it enough and was on a display table when I was walking though the bookstore looking for a book. Reese Witherspoon blurbed this as “Prepare to be scared…really scared!” it is a light crime mystery with a good atmosphere and writing but scary it is not.

I did have one serious gripe with this book that is totally a spoiler so

While I can understand why James would be willing to break off his engagement since Clare convinced or at least pushed Nora to have an abortion and then lied to everyone about what was going on, I do not understand Nora.  She says that she wasn’t that upset about the abortion but rather the breakup. Now either she’s lying and needs some counseling to reconcile her actions with herself OR she needs counseling because she is still emotionally distraught over a high school relationship a decade later.  I’m just saying, that was by far the most unrealistic thing to me that was really hard to suspend my disbelief for. Also James going to the house in the first place seemed…convenient but easier for me to suspend my disbelief for.

(show spoiler)
audiobook mystery