Tuesday, August 8, 2017

The Lying Game

The Lying Game

The Lying Game is an awesome read. Isa Wilde comes back to Salten in southern England when she gets a text message- "I need you"- from her old friend Kate. Her and Kate, along with Thea and Fatima, were inseparable when they attended school just outside the village, at a boarding school that was in some ways a last chance destination for some. The girls forged lifelong friendships with each other at the school, and played the Lying Game- a game with five rules that they used to make other people's lives miserable and to protect themselves.

The point of the game was to strike back at mean girls and teachers, anyone who would have looked down on the group or targeted them. And frankly they did it for fun too- they felt stronger together, and watched each other's back. One of the rules is to never lie to each other, and that is put to the test when they come together, all these years later, when the other three women receive that text from Kate. Something happened all those years ago, the girls were expelled from the school and between that and a mysterious death it's obvious the women are hiding something.

They've all changed of course, married and had kids or advanced in their careers, become religiously observant- they're all so different but they are still there for each other. And when they find out what has happened, why Kate has called them back, it looks like their lives may be in turmoil going forward. A bone has been found in the marsh, and that mysterious death all of a sudden is coming back to haunt everyone. There's a lot of secrets, between themselves and in the fishing village that they once called home, and who knows who's lying?

Ruth Ware seems to be getting better as an author with each book. I really liked The woman in Cabin 10 and when I saw this one I knew I had to read it. I wasn't disappointed. The book took right off and I felt for Isa as she navigates her old friendships, the old secrets, while trying (and failing) to not lie to her husband. In many ways she feels like her whole life is built on lies, but at the same time she can't help but be there for her friends. We all know how tight the bonds are from the teenage years, our formative time, and imagine now that those bonds involve possible crimes that you've spent twenty years hoping no one finds out about. And then someone does...

I thought that each of the four were drawn well and developed nicely, although there was one I was a little unsure of. As interesting as the mystery was, it was the relationships between the four women here that really drove the story for me. Isa is afraid her role in what happened will cost her the child she loves, and her marriage too, and I could feel her terror come through. The village has secrets of its own, and when the women go back to the school for an alumnae dinner it was nice to see them interact with friends- and enemies- from the past. I had a pretty good idea who was lying and what happened, but there's a twist at the end that upends things just a bit. There's a lot of atmosphere to this story too, due to the marshy setting and the tension that Ware ratchets up, and this is one of the better mysteries I've read of late. A very solid read. 

The Lying Game

36 comments:

  1. Oh wow, this sounds even better than I thought it would. I have still yet to read one of Ruth Ware's book, even though I have two of them sitting in my floor right now, haha. Maybe I'll start with this new one and then go back and tackle the other two.

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    1. I would highly recommend this one! And then Woman in Cabin 10.

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  2. I haven't read anything by this author as I don't read many thriller books. Often I find them too slow!

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    1. Yeah sometimes they definitely are. This one had me turning pages though. :)

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  3. This sounds like so much fun and I love the cover, well, both of them actually!

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    1. Both covers are awesome! And it was really good!

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  4. I am so glad you enjoyed this one! I am really excited because I loved both of her other books. I will listen to it I think if the library has it. Great review!

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    1. I really did. Highly recommended. I liked Cabin 10 also.

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  5. I love Ruth Ware! This sounds like another great one by her! Great review! Kelly @https://morebooksmeansmorecoffee.blogspot.com

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  6. Looking forward to getting this in my hands.

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  7. I've totally been in the mood for this type lately. I need to try one of her novels. I've heard good things.

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    1. I would recommend this one, although Cabin 10 was good too. I'm liking her books.

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  8. I'm so glad you enjoyed this. I'd been eyeing it but wasn't sure. I love it when an author creates a great atmosphere for the story. I'm adding this one to my library wl.

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  9. I have heard great things about the Woman in Cabin 10. Was The Lying Game written before or after Canin?

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    1. I believe this is the new one. Cabin 10 was last year I think. Both are excellent.

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  10. I'm not familiar with this author, but I'll defitely check her out! Is it possible to be sold with three lines? Can't wait to read it, and I'm hoping the one on top is the UK cover!
    Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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  11. I've been trying more mystery/suspense but I find I need relationships to keep me interested so this might be another good one to add to my list.

    For What It's Worth

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  12. I really enjoyed her first book. I am so glad you enjoyed this one. I might try to get the audio for it.

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  13. Oooh this sounds good! I like that the characters were so well developed- that is a problem I often have with thrillers/mysteries and then I don't care if everyone gets stabbed or eaten by a bear or whatever. I also love that there's an extra twist at the end! Twisty books are the best! Great review :)

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  14. Looks like I'll be making a purchase. Your review makes the book so hard to resist. And every review I've read has made some points that tell me I'd love this story. Especially the idea that it's character driven. Can't resist those!

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  15. Sounds really good! I haven't read this author before, but maybe I'll give this book a try.

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  16. Haven't read this author, but the mystery sounds really good. I always wonder how friendships really hold up in situations like these, and can make for a fascinating read. Definitely want to check this one out. Hugs...

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  17. An atmospheric thriller with a good twist ending sounds good, but throw in the boarding school angle and I am completely hooked! I'm very intrigued by the idea of the lying game, too.

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  18. The more I hear about this book, the more I want to read it. It sounds so interesting and a bit different from her other two books. I've only read In a Dark, Dark Wood, which I really enjoyed. I will have to look for this one.

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  19. I'm glad to see you like this! She's been miss with me more than hit, but this blurb really sounded good and I couldn't resist in ym rec post last week. Weirdly, I think I just read a YA book that reads like a younger version of this. Weird!

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  20. Oh I'm so glad you liked this one! I've loved the previous 2 but for some reason this one didn't quite grab me. I'm really glad to see your review and now I'm excited about it! I'm hoping Imogen Church does the audio again so I'm waiting for the audio!

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  21. I still need to read In a Dark Dark Wood, but I really loved The Woman in Cabin 10 so I'm excited for this one! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  22. Not my thing, but I enjoyed reading your review. :)

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  23. I completely skimmed, just wanted to hear it was good. I do think her books have been getting better :)

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  24. I've only read Ware's first book so far although I own The Woman in Cabin 10 - it's great to hear that her writing improves with each book and definitely makes me more excited to continue reading her books!

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  25. I was not a fan of In a Dark, Dark Wood and have been hesitant to pick up either of her others. Maybe I should give this one a chance.

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