The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

Title: The Lying Game

Author: Ruth Ware

Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press

Release Date:  July 25, 2017

The text message is just three words: I need you.

Isa drops everything, takes her baby daughter and heads straight to Salten. She spent the most significant days of her life at boarding school on the marshes there, days which still cast their shadow over her now.

Something terrible has been found on the beach. Something which will force Isa to confront her past, together with the three best friends she hasn't seen for years, but has never forgotten. Theirs is no cosy reunion: Salten isn't a safe place for them, after what they did.

At school, the girls used to play the Lying Game. They competed to convince people of the most outrageous stories. But for some, did the boundary between fact and fantasy become too blurred?

And how much can you really trust your friends?

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"Draw the person I see."

The Lying Game didn't woo me. 

I have not read the Woman in Cabin 10 or in a Dark, Dark Wood. However, my friends who have read them, have enjoyed them. So I thought I would give her a try. 

The Lying Game was painfully slow for me. I understand that the author had to build up the suspense in her narrative. I'm good with suspense, in fact, I love it, but in this case, I felt like nothing was really happening. I didn't feel like I learned a lot about their lying game or the other three girls for that matter. The twist was not difficult to guess and the end felt too convenient for my taste.

The Plot:

It tells the story of four women who as teenagers became best friends during their time together in a boarding school in Salten. Two decades later and they have all moved on but then one of them, Kate Atagon, sends a message with just three words saying: I need you. Isa, Fatima, and Thea leave everything behind and take the trip back to Salten and Kate.  

Through Isa's perspective, which goes from the past to present, we learn about their game at lying and the secret all four shared. Isa's friends have changed but in some ways, they have remained the same. Isa's an attorney. She's on maternity leave when Kate calls her. She takes her six-month-old baby to Salten with her, leaving her boyfriend Owen behind. Fatima has become a doctor and now she's following her Muslim roots. Thea seems lost. She's drinking too much and she's too thin. Lastly, Kate is the same. Beautiful but hiding secrets from everyone. 

Positive point:

I actually liked all four women. I liked the diversity of their characters. They were there for each other. Just three words were enough to bring them together. I had no problems connecting with them and liking them despite their past mistakes. 

Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Gallery via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Woman in Cabin 10by Ruth Ware

Title: The Woman in Cabin 10

Author: Ruth Ware

Publisher: Scout Press (Simon & Schuster)

Release Date: July 19, 2016

From New York Times bestselling author of the “twisty-mystery” (Vulture) novel In a Dark, Dark Wood, comes The Woman in Cabin 10, an equally suspenseful and haunting novel from Ruth Ware—this time, set at sea.

In this tightly wound, enthralling story reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s works, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…

With surprising twists, spine-tingling turns, and a setting that proves as uncomfortably claustrophobic as it is eerily beautiful, Ruth Ware offers up another taut and intense read inThe Woman in Cabin 10—one that will leave even the most sure-footed reader restlessly uneasy long after the last page is turned.

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Addicting. Intoxicating. Thrilling. 

THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 is a gripping story about a woman who believes she witnesses a murder abroad a small intimate cruise ship.

Lo Blacklock is a writer doing a piece on a new ship called The Aurora. The ship is very intimate with only 10 luxurious cabins.  One night she’s woken by a woman’s loud scream and a splash that sounds like something heavy hitting the water. When she looks outside she notices a smear of blood on the other cabins door. 

After talking to security not only is no evidence of any foul play found, but there was never anyone occupying that cabin. But Lo KNOWS that there was a woman in that cabin, and she won’t stop digging until she finds out what’s happening.

**

I absolutely love Ruth Ware’s writing. It isn’t fast paced but very slow burning. She weaves the story perfectly to heighten the experience for the reader, which I absolutely adore. THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 kept me guessing throughout the whole book.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the intimacy of the characters. There were 10 cabins, and a handful of other staff members. The motives of the characters were unknown and made me question everyone. When I thought I had a good grip on what was going on, another character or situation would shine and prove I was completely off course. 

Ruth Ware has created another clever, unique, and well thought out novel. I really enjoyed IN A DARK, DARK WOOD (Ruth’s first novel), but was completely blown away by the chill factor in THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10. 

4.5/5 STARS