Book giveaway: In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

[UrsulaMumsnet]

Apply now for one of 50 free copies of Ruth Ware's new book and Richard and Judy's book club choice In a Dark Dark Wood.

This chilling new thriller has been described by The Independent as "the year's hottest crime novel". When Nora is invited to an old school friend's hen do, she thinks it'll be a chance to rekindle their friendship. But as the champagne is poured and secrets start to come to light, the evening becomes rather more sinister than expected...

Vintage have asked us to find 50 Mumsnetters to read In a Dark Dark Wood and tell us what they think about it on this discussion thread. Go to the giveaway page to find out more and apply for a free copy.

You don't have to win a free copy to take part in the discussion. Anyone who has read In a Dark Dark Wood can post their feedback here, and all who post before 7th March will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 Love2Shop voucher.

Don't worry if you haven't finished reading. Feel free to drop in at whatever point you've got up to and give your fellow readers your first impressions about the story, characters, writing style.

This giveaway is sponsored by Vintage

I posted a review just a few pages in but I have now finished the book.

After a gripping start the book did slow a bit in the middle and I found myself willing it on a bit, partly because of the slow pace but also because it had started well and I was intrigued enough by the mystery that I was keen for the story to unravel the mystery at it's heart.

Overall I enjoyed this book and for anyone keen on murder mysteries/thrillers it should provide a compelling and enjoyable read. A good first novel and I'd certainly consider reading future books by Ruth Ware.

Thanks for my free copy! Not my usual genre of books but always like to try something different.

I thought it was a real page-turner and I read it very quickly over half term. Not as scary as I'd imagined it might be but certainly very tense at the end.

Would have enjoyed it more had the characters been slightly more in depth but I guess that might have compromised the readability.

Overall I enjoyed it!

I haven't finished the book yet although am enjoying it so far. I don't find any of the characters particularly likeable but am finding the dynamics between them interesting and am willing the main character to stop going running in that bloody wood ;)

Thank you very much for this. I enjoyed it very much. It was hugely entertaining. I guessed what was happening but not until very close to the end! I stayed up late to finish it, it was so good. It was well written, with properly drawn characters and the pacing was good, very exciting.

A fast and gripping book,with lots of tension and a sense of dread.Disturbing at times,but only in the best way.I do love my psychological thrillers!Glad it's part of Richard and Judy's Book Club.

I've finished reading my copy of this book now. Overall I thought it was a good entertaining read, it did a good job of building up the tension and had me wanting to know what happened.
I wasn't sure i believed in the motive behind the murder though. And I didn't really understand why Nina went to the hen party in the first place, given how thoroughly she'd cut Clare out of her life a decade ago.

I was very pleased to be told that I had won a copy of "in a dark dark wood" and once I started it, I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed it immensely, it was well written, fast paced & believable. I shall now pass the book on to my sister, and would recommend it as a great read to any crime thriller lover!

Thanks for my copy of this book. I found it really gripping and engaging and, even though I did correctly guess the identities of the individuals involved towards the end of the book I enjoyed all the tension and twists and turns throughout the story. I particularly liked the hospital scenes and the way in which the information was gradually drip fed to me as the reader.

To those who found the attendance at a hen party for somebody you haven't seen in years to be implausible, I would say that I would find it hard to resist going - purely out of curiosity!

A very enjoyable read overall and one that I would be happy to recommend to anybody who likes a good thriller.

I loved the setting and premise of this book; a disparate group meeting up for a hen weekend in a glass house in the woods and for about two thirds of the book, the tension racheted up nicely but then the story sort of petered out and was a bit disappointing in its predictability.
It was still an enjoyable read but not quite as gripping as I was hoping for. I think this book was chosen as a Richard & Judy read so will no doubt prove very popular and be discussed in book groups throughout the land!

Many thanks for my free copy of this book.

I had heard the good reviews of it and had high hopes for a tense, chilling novel. Unfortunately it didn't quite tick all the boxes for me. Some of the elements of the storyline were just a bit far-fetched and unbelievable really and some of the characters rather juvenile. I did find myself wanting to slap Nora and say 'get a grip, girl!'

I thought Nina was a great, well-developed character, but many of the others were rather stereotypical - the doting new mother, the gay actor, the manipulative golden girl etc.

It's a pretty good debut novel, but I'm not sure I'd compare it with the likes of Gone Girl or Girl on a Train.

Sorry to re hash this thread but I'm on holiday and I'm halfway through it. Did anyone find their ages 26 a bit unbelievable? It would've been more realistic if they were about 30.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. The winner has now been chosen. Congratulations to LinzerTorte!

I loved In a Dark, Dark Wood, which I found utterly compelling. The glass house, and Ouija board are the stuff my nightmares are made from.

I feel the author did such a fantastic job of creating such a creepy, isolated and bleak setting, that she let herself down with the characters, who I felt were unrealistic, and under developed.