In a Dark, Dark Wood.

Norah/Lee is a successful crime writer who leads a solitary life in London. When out of the blue she receives an invitation to the hen weekend of a childhood friend, who she has not seen or been in contact with for ten years, her first inclination is to ignore it. However curiosity gets the better of her and she soon finds herself in an isolated house In a Dark Dark Wood with the rest of the hen party.

There appears to be something sinister going on and Norah vows to leave before the weekend is out...

  Then Norah awakes in hospital, battered and bloodied with a recollection of something terrible having happened but what was it exactly and how and how did she end up in hospital?

I enjoyed Ruth Ware's 'The Woman in Cabin 10' so much that I went straight out and picked up her debut novel 'In a Dark Dark Wood' right away and I enjoyed it almost as much. It is very similar in many ways to 'The Girl In Cabin 10' - the protagonist isn't the most likeable of characters, in fact Norah/Lee is quite unlikeable and somewhat pathetic yet you cannot help rooting for her and being on her side. Rather like the boat in' The Woman in Cabin 10' the setting of the isolated house adds a  menacing element to the story and there was also an unlikely mix of people thrust together living in close proximity as on a cruise. 

There were enough twists and turns in the plot to keep me enthralled and, although I did guess what happened and why, someway before the end of the book it didn't spoil the story for me at all, plus there was an unexpected scene right at the end that had me on the edge of my seat once again. The book left me feeling a little unsettled, which in my book is the mark of a good thriller.

I am looking forward to this author's next book but I do hope that it differs a little from the first two. I greatly enjoy the way that the author creates such an air of suspense and such a sinister atmosphere but I would hate for her books to become formulaic.

Having said that, if you are looking for a tense, dark thriller I highly recommend 'In a Dark Dark Wood'.