In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

There is a poem in the beginning of In a Dark, Dark Wood that is one of those sit around the campfire/ ghostly tale/ urban legend stories. It usually goes something like this:

In a dark dark wood, There was a dark dark house. And in that dark dark house, There was a dark dark room. And in that dark dark room, There was a dark dark cupboard. And in that dark dark cupboard, There was a dark dark shelf. And on that dark dark shelf, There was a dark dark box. And in that dark dark box, There was a ___________!! (You make up what was in the box!)

That may be one of the scariest parts of this novel.

The cover is really well done too.

And it's being compared to Girl on the Train and Gone Girl.

And it's a first novel that is getting a lot of hype.

You know those movies where the audience knows that the guy with the ax is behind the door/in the closet/under the stairs, etc. Well, the audience for this book knows it too, but none of the characters can figure it out and really, they just look stupid. And kind of whiny.

Without giving too much away (even though you will figure it out quickly for yourself), old friends are invited to a "hen" party (which is Britain's equivalent of a bachelorette party) way, way out in the country. The home where they are staying is a glass house in the woods. It turns out, there are reasons why these old friends have not seen each other in awhile. Secrets come out. Someone dies. Accident or murder?

So many questions. Easy answers.

Shake your head sadly and wonder how it is that Reese Witherspoon wants to turn this into a movie.

Karen