August 2017

For someone who burst on the scene just two years ago, Ruth Ware has been busy and truly has sealed her place in the world of psychological thrillers. The opening chapter of THE LYING GAME set up a brilliant read. Three boarding school friends are sent the same text from the fourth friend: “I need you.” And they immediately come running.

These girls were tight in high school; yes, you can use the word “clique” to describe them. They made their own rules. They did not love outsiders. They pulled together a game with five rules. Rule One: TELL A LIE. Usually aimed at the popular girls, or instructors they disliked, a small fib, just for kicks. Rule Two: STICK TO YOUR STORY. Very important. Do not back down, so that Rule Three --- DON’T GET CAUGHT --- could never happen. Rule Four, the most important one of all, was NEVER LIE TO EACH OTHER.

Years have passed, but the ties are there. Isa is a lawyer, though at the moment she is home with her young baby, Freya; Fatima is a doctor (she also has become religious about her Muslim faith); and Thea works in entertainment. Kate remained in the town where the school is, living in a derelict mill where she had lived with her late father, the art instructor at the school, and her stepbrother.

The women quickly discover why they were summoned, and each has something to lose by what has been hidden. They grapple with the big question. Rule Five: WHEN TO STOP LYING. Will the truth set them all free?

The novel is fast-paced with a well-drawn back story. Ruth gets better and better with each book, and she set a high bar from the start!