The Lying Game: A Novel

Ruth Ware

Jul 2017 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER!

“So many questions...Until the very last page! Needless to say, I could not put this book down!” —Reese Witherspoon

“Once again the author of The Woman in Cabin 10 delivers mega-chills.” —People

“Missing Big Little Lies? Dig into this psychological thriller about whether you can really trust your nearest and dearest.” —Cosmopolitan

From the instant New York Times bestselling author of blockbuster thrillers In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10 comes a chilling new novel of friendship, secrets, and the dangerous games teenaged girls play.

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 Isa—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. But their little game had consequences, and as the four converge in present-day Salten, they realize their shared past was not as safely buried as they had once hoped.

Atmospheric, twisty, and with just the right amount of chill to keep you wrong-footed, The Lying Game is told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, lending itself to becoming another unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.

Ratings and reviews

While this is a good book, it seemed to drag a bit for me compared to her first two books. I couldn't put the first two down. It goes on too long about the 'what we did' part of the story before getting on to what actually happened. Still a great read though!

The characters are unlikeable. The plot is slow and the mystery is not that mysterious but yet you still want to finish the book. You read to find out why they lied and what their motivations were. You read to find out how they can rationalize their actions. Mostly, you read to find out if their lies get found out.

So good. I loved it. A different kind of Gone Girl. The Soccer mom’s Pretty Little Liars. I did not guess the ending, or the middle for that matter. Just enough twists and turns to keep my interest all the way to the end. I liked all the characters. The development of the friendships had a Big Chill feel. My only criticism is the names of the characters. Some of them were similar, Freya and Fatima, Thea, Isa. The name were a minor irritation at the start of the book. I loved In the Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin Number 10. I plan to read Every Last Lie as well. Ruth Ware is now one of my favorite authors. I highly recommend this book. I can’t imagine anyone that wouldn’t find this book enjoyable. It has a little something for everyone.

About the author

Ruth Ware worked as a waitress, a bookseller, a teacher of English as a foreign language, and a press officer before settling down as a full-time writer. She now lives with her family in Sussex, on the south coast of England. She is the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail (Toronto) bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood; The Woman in Cabin 10; The Lying Game; The Death of Mrs. Westaway; The Turn of the Key; One by One; The It Girl; and Zero Days. Visit her at RuthWare.com or follow her on Twitter @RuthWareWriter.