Suspense! Ruth Ware Mystery Novels
This month's read for book club was In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. Ware is a mystery/suspense writer and she's also known for the novel The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Lying Game. I was looking forward to this one. I tend to like suspense novels and I needed something fun and easy to read since my brain is mush from lack of sleep. My adorable daughter seems to have gotten her days and nights confused recently. I had also read some reviews that described this book as scary, something that needs to be read with the light on. I do love a scary book. This proved to be exactly what I needed and I finished it so quickly that I immediately checked out The Lying Game from the library. I cannot stress enough what a wonderful resource your local library can be. I've made a resolution this year to not buy as many books as I typically do. My goal is to only purchase books that I know I'm going to read multiple times, or are written by an author I love. On to the reviews! I'm going to start with In a Dark, Dark Wood.
I don't know who decided this book was a scary one that should be read with the light on but boy they must be used to some tame books. I read this mostly during late night feedings, in a dimly lit room and I didn't feel at all scared. The plot involves a group of people at a bachelorette party being held over a weekend at a cabin in the woods. Our main character, Nora, has been invited to the party even though she hasn't spoken to the bride, Clare, since they were in school together. Throughout most of the novel we're trying to decipher why the two stopped talking and why Nora has been invited to this party while the main character tries to remember what happened over the weekend because she has been in a car accident and now has amnesia. Someone has died, but she doesn't know who and she can't remember if she did it. It was mildly suspenseful, but not scary.
I say mildly suspenseful because it's fairly easy to figure out who did the killing, even if it takes a while to figure out who has been killed. Ware obviously wants you to think Flo is the murderer. She paints it on so thick that I don't even think it's a spoiler to tell you that Flo didn't do it. I thought it was just as easy to figure out who did, but I won't say what it was because I don't want to risk ruining it for anyone who hasn't read it yet. I will say that none of the characters are likeable. Not one. Nora is so stuck in the past she's practically immobilized by it. Clare seems perfect at first, but once you find out why she wanted Nora at the party you realize she's really kind of mean. Tom is stuck on himself, Flo is too dependent on Clare, and also a little crazy, and Nina is a pot stirrer. The only character I liked a little bit was Melanie and I mostly think that's because I relate to her since she's a new mom who just wants to be with her baby and I also get anxious if I'm away from my daughter for too long. I found myself hoping that the murderer was a random wood dwelling psychopath who would come in a murder them all.
It does seem like I didn't like this book very much but I do think it would make a nice vacation read. It was easy to read and didn't take a lot of thought or effort. It was fluffy, yet entertaining enough to make me want to pick up another of her books. I think it is decent for what it was intended to be. Now on to The Lying Game.
This book follows a group of friends as they attempt to continue to cover up something that happened in their past. Ware seems to enjoy burying the lead because the most suspenseful thing in both novels is trying to figure out what happened. In this one you don't find out exactly what the friends are trying to cover up until about 2/3s of the way through. I think most of what kept my attention on this one was because I wanted to know what they were all worked up over.
Again, it was difficult to find a likeable character in this book. Thea is an argumentative alcoholic, Isa brings her infant into a situation that she knows to be dangerous, Kate is manipulative and has forced her friends into a situation that could result in all of them going to jail. Fatima is the exception, she seems like the only decent human being in the bunch. I don't necessarily need a likeable character in a novel, but it's nice to have someone to pull for in a suspense novel.
I didn't like the ending of this one. It seemed a little implausible and I can't really say why without getting into spoilers so if you plan to read the book and don't want the ending partially spoiled skip the rest of this paragraph. Everything in this novel happens because Kate and Luc are in love. They end up living in the same small town and the whole murder mystery mainly involves the two of them. I really don't see why Kate had to call back her childhood friends when really all she had to do was try to get a story straight between herself and Luc. I mean they are angry with each other, I get that, yet they still love each other enough to die together when their childhood home burns down in the end. They couldn't have sat down and had a conversation about what happened and what they should tell the police? Kate had to text her childhood friends, disrupt their lives, and drag them into a situation that could cause them all to go to jail? I mean they already knew what they should say if the police questioned them. They could have kept saying that they had no idea what happened and Kate and Luc could have settled things themselves. I think it was selfish of her to get them involved in the first place and it was even more selfish of her to call them back.
At any rate, both of these books kept me entertained for a bit even though they weren't the best things I've ever read. They're nothing ground breaking but they could be fun to take on a vacation or to read on a rainy day. If you like suspense novels and don't mind reading about characters you don't like these books aren't terrible.
I say mildly suspenseful because it's fairly easy to figure out who did the killing, even if it takes a while to figure out who has been killed. Ware obviously wants you to think Flo is the murderer. She paints it on so thick that I don't even think it's a spoiler to tell you that Flo didn't do it. I thought it was just as easy to figure out who did, but I won't say what it was because I don't want to risk ruining it for anyone who hasn't read it yet. I will say that none of the characters are likeable. Not one. Nora is so stuck in the past she's practically immobilized by it. Clare seems perfect at first, but once you find out why she wanted Nora at the party you realize she's really kind of mean. Tom is stuck on himself, Flo is too dependent on Clare, and also a little crazy, and Nina is a pot stirrer. The only character I liked a little bit was Melanie and I mostly think that's because I relate to her since she's a new mom who just wants to be with her baby and I also get anxious if I'm away from my daughter for too long. I found myself hoping that the murderer was a random wood dwelling psychopath who would come in a murder them all.
It does seem like I didn't like this book very much but I do think it would make a nice vacation read. It was easy to read and didn't take a lot of thought or effort. It was fluffy, yet entertaining enough to make me want to pick up another of her books. I think it is decent for what it was intended to be. Now on to The Lying Game.
Again, it was difficult to find a likeable character in this book. Thea is an argumentative alcoholic, Isa brings her infant into a situation that she knows to be dangerous, Kate is manipulative and has forced her friends into a situation that could result in all of them going to jail. Fatima is the exception, she seems like the only decent human being in the bunch. I don't necessarily need a likeable character in a novel, but it's nice to have someone to pull for in a suspense novel.
I didn't like the ending of this one. It seemed a little implausible and I can't really say why without getting into spoilers so if you plan to read the book and don't want the ending partially spoiled skip the rest of this paragraph. Everything in this novel happens because Kate and Luc are in love. They end up living in the same small town and the whole murder mystery mainly involves the two of them. I really don't see why Kate had to call back her childhood friends when really all she had to do was try to get a story straight between herself and Luc. I mean they are angry with each other, I get that, yet they still love each other enough to die together when their childhood home burns down in the end. They couldn't have sat down and had a conversation about what happened and what they should tell the police? Kate had to text her childhood friends, disrupt their lives, and drag them into a situation that could cause them all to go to jail? I mean they already knew what they should say if the police questioned them. They could have kept saying that they had no idea what happened and Kate and Luc could have settled things themselves. I think it was selfish of her to get them involved in the first place and it was even more selfish of her to call them back.
At any rate, both of these books kept me entertained for a bit even though they weren't the best things I've ever read. They're nothing ground breaking but they could be fun to take on a vacation or to read on a rainy day. If you like suspense novels and don't mind reading about characters you don't like these books aren't terrible.
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