BOOK REVIEW-The Lying Game

THE LYING GAME

By Ruth Ware

384 Pages

Publisher: Scout Press

Amazon Synopsis:
On a cool June morning, a woman is walking her dog in the idyllic coastal village of Salten along a tidal estuary known as the Reach. Before she can stop him, the dog charges into the water to retrieve what first appears to be a wayward stick, but to her horror, turns out to be something much more sinister...

The next morning, three women in and around London—Fatima, Thea, and Isabel—receive the text they had always hoped would NEVER come, from the fourth in their formerly inseparable clique, Kate, that says only, “I need you.”

The four girls were best friends at Salten, a second rate boarding school set near the cliffs of the English Channel. Each different in their own way, the four became inseparable and were notorious for playing the Lying Game, telling lies at every turn to both fellow boarders and faculty, with varying states of serious and flippant nature that were disturbing enough to ensure that everyone steered clear of them. The myriad and complicated rules of the game are strict: no lying to each other—ever. Bail on the lie when it becomes clear it is about to be found out. But their little game had consequences, and the girls were all expelled in their final year of school under mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the school’s eccentric art teacher, Ambrose (who also happens to be Kate’s father).
My Thoughts:
Ruth Ware's suspense novels are like a fine red wine. They just keep getting better and better with time. Her first novel that came out in 2015, "In a Dark, Dark Wood" was good, filled with suspense. Her next novel that came out in 2016 was called "The Woman in Cabin 10" and it had me on zipping through the pages and up late into the night trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. This latest novel, "The Lying Game" had me wanting to call in sick and stay home just to finish it. It had the perfect balance of suspense, intrigue, and mystery. I loved the twists and turns it took. Just when I thought I had it figured out, it took me in a completely different direction. This is one of those "golden ticket" mystery/thriller novels that you pick off the shelf and hope that you don't figure out the culprit halfway through the book. If mystery/thriller is your thing, give this book a shot. Along with the other two I mentioned. I don't think you'll be disappointed.