A Solve The Murder Book Club Read
In a Dark, Dark Wood is a gripping murder mystery set over a hen party weekend. It is written by Ruth Ware.
Available from City Adventurers Solve The Murder and Amazon
Review
In the dark, dark wood, there was a dark, dark house. And in that dark, dark house, there was a dark, dark room……is a traditional rhyme and is the basis for this story. In fact it is quoted at the start of the book, but instead of ending with “a Ghost”, it ends with “a Skeleton”. And this story is all about a skeleton hiding in Nora’s past……or could it be a ghost?
Twenty-six year old Nora narrates the story of being invited to a former best friend’s hen party. She tells us she was more than a little surprised to be invited as (1) she had not been invited to the wedding (2) and she has not spoken to this friend for 10 years!
It turns out that 10 years previously Nora had walked away from her best friend, her childhood sweetheart and everything else in her life, never to return. There is obviously something hidden in the past, and what it is gets disclosed, bit by bit as the story progresses.
There is an one page prologue to the story, where we learn there is about to be an accident, then we leap into the story with Nora waking up in hospital. It continues to move the present day (Nora in hospital) and flashbacks to the hen party itself.
We learn that the hen party was made up of an eclectic mix of people. The bride-to-be (Clare), her university friends (Flo – organiser – and Melanie – new mum), her gay friend (Tom), an old friend from school (Nina) and Nora. Apart from knowing Nina at school, Nora doesn’t know any of the others. And none of the others know each other, apart from the ones at University together.
As they compared notes on how they know the bride, their uncertainty surrounding each other was convincing. I’m sure we’ve all been to parties like that.
The party was set in a remote house with large glass windows overlooking woods. So not so much as dark dark house but certainly atmospheric. Especially its setting in the middle of the dark dark wood.
I enjoyed the book. This would make a good TV show, without the preface, which would spoil the ending.
I found I wanted to know what dark secret was Nora that was hiding from 10 years ago. I also wanted to know why the accident described in the prologue did not marry up with the injuries sustained in the narrative.
And if you want to find the answers to this and more, buy the book.
Available from City Adventurers Solve The Murder and Amazon
The City Adventurers love reading about mystery, so we’ve started our own book club. Click here to join!