So, I have never been much of a mystery reader, but right now I can’t get enough of them. I credit Ruth Ware for this trend in my reading as of late. A customer came in wanting Ware’s first book, the 2015 mystery In a Dark, Dark Wood, a few months ago and the first thing I saw was Reese Witherspoon’s review on the front: “Prepare to be scared…really scared!” Well, that’s about all I needed to become very, very interested in this. Not that I am the world’s biggest Reese fan, but purely because she said I was going to be scared. Excuse my language, but frankly I love to have the ever-loving s*** scared out of me. I don’t know why I am like this, or how I got this way, but I think I just enjoy the rush of adrenaline while still lying in bed.
The main character in this book is Leonora, a.k.a. Nora. Nora lives in London and is a crime writer. Nora lives a very solitary life, basically only leaving her apartment to take a lengthy run. One day, Nora gets an email from a person she does not know and the subject of the email is “CLARE’S HEN!” 
(And for those of you that don’t know what a “hen” is, that is what British people call a bachelorette party. Technically it is a “Hen Do.”)
Nora immediately thinks she does not know anyone named Clare, but suddenly she remembers the only Clare she knows is someone she hasn’t seen in 10 years. Years ago, Nora left her life behind and didn’t keep in touch with anyone but her friend Nina. Nora sees that Nina is also included in the email, so both women make a deal to go if the other one does. Leading up to the Hen, Nora cannot figure out why she would be invited to Clare’s Hen when they haven’t spoken in so long. Sure, they had been best friends since childhood, up until Nora vanished. Nora immediately thinks something is up, but can’t quite put her finger on what that is. The Hen turns out to be happening in Clare’s very strange friend Flo’s aunt’s house. Flo seems to be almost obsessed with all things Clare. Nina and Nora immediately decide she is crazy. Perhaps they are right?
I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time, and while it didn’t scare me to death, it definitely gave me a thrill. Ruth Ware’s newest book The Woman in Cabin 10 has been a huge success and I will write about that one very soon!
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