In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

I really like this author. This is the third book I have read by her and I love how fast-paced they are. The setting of this story is actually creepy, to start things off. Leonora (aka Nora, Lee and Leo) Shaw joins a good friend, Nina, at an old friend's bachelorette party, or as the British call it, a "Hen" party. Nora has not seen their mutual friend, Clare, for ten years, since she was 16 years old and still in school. Nina, who is a doctor, has not seen Clare for three years. They are both invited to Clare's hen party regardless. Nora is confused by this invite, especially since she was not invited to Clare's wedding. (Nina was). She doesn't really want to go, but Nina tells Nora that they can go together.

So the setting is a "glass house" deep in the woods. Since it's isolated from other homes and has a long, unpaved driveway, it's the perfect setting for mayhem and murder. At night, the woods get extremely dark and the guests at the hen party feel like they are "on stage" at night when the lights are on in the house. Throw in fresh-fallen snow (it's November); mysterious footsteps in the early morning hours before anyone is (presumably) awake; a gun loaded with blanks hanging on the wall; a Ouija board;  a party activity shooting clay pigeons at a shooting range; drugs and alcohol; sarcastic wit; cruel jabs; secrets; old unresolved feelings between some of the guests; and you have a nice set-up for a scary story.

Nora has never been able to move on from an event that happened when she was 16 (the last time she saw Clare), so Nora spends a lot of time regretting coming to the party. In fact, one of the other guests, Melanie, leaves the party early. No one can get service on their cell phones and the landline service gets cut off after the first night. Melanie, being a new mother, can't handle not being in touch with her husband and baby and leaves after one night. Lucky her. The rest are "stuck" there with Clare's seemingly disturbed best friend and maid of honor, Flo.

The weekend ends with a death, although whether it's an accident or murder is not clear at first. Nora also loses her memory surrounding the events of their final night due to a head injury after being involved in a car crash, which she can't remember either.

There is foreshadowing and clues thrown in throughout the story. I definitely picked up on most of them, which Nora did not. I guess she was too emotionally involved. ;) It was a good read.

Wendy's Rating: ****