Ware, Ruth. In a Dark, Dark Wood. New York: Scout Press, 2015. 978-1-5011-1231-7. 310 p. $26.00. Gr. 9 and up.

Leonora, known to some as “Lee” and others as the reinvented “Nora”, is invited to a girls’ bachelorette weekend for an old friend.  It seems strange to her, as the friend, Clare, hasn’t spoken to Nora since high school, ten years ago. In fact, Nora isn’t even invited to the wedding.  She is talked into going by a mutual friend that she is still in contact with, Nina,  and Clare’s maid of honor, Flo. Well, the weekend away at the cottage in the woods ends in murder, and Nora has amnesia from a head wound. As she tries to piece together what happened she realizes, she’s become a suspect. Who died, and why?  That’s the great mystery that will keep readers reading.  The characters are well developed and the setting is just creepy enough.  The back-story between all the characters is slowly and deliciously revealed.  THOUGHTS:  I was sucked in by the great cover of this book, and the promise from the book jacket that it would be like The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl.  This book would appeal to mystery loving teens and those advanced readers reaching beyond YA titles.

Mystery/ Suspense      Rachel Gutzler, Wilson High School