Unveiling Dark Secrets: The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
Book read and reviewed with the help of Chat GTP for BluJeans Books.
Read more about the author here.
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
Unveiling Dark Secrets: The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
Picture this: a quiet June morning in the picturesque village of Salten, where a woman’s peaceful stroll is shattered when her dog dives into the water and retrieves something far more disturbing than a stick. This haunting moment marks the beginning of The Lying Game, a Ruth Ware masterpiece that entangles the reader in a world of suspense and buried secrets.
At the heart of the story are Isa, Fatima, Thea, and Kate, friends whose bond was forged during their years at a second-rate boarding school perched near the cliffs of the English Channel. There, they invented a game—The Lying Game—built on deception, where thrills came at a high price. But years later, their shared past resurfaces with a single chilling message. It’s from Kate, who still lives in the ghostly shadow of Salten, and it says simply, “I need you.”
The women answer Kate’s call, each compelled by memories they’d hoped were long buried, and find themselves back at Salten to face the consequences of their long-forgotten lies. Unlike other mysteries, The Lying Game doesn’t rely on shocking twists; instead, it weaves a sinister atmosphere that keeps you hooked, enticing you to follow the clues while building your own theories. I tried not to get swept up in my guesses about the characters and secrets, but Ware’s storytelling is so immersive that it’s impossible to resist.
The setting itself, Kate’s dilapidated old house in Salten, stands as one of the most vivid “characters” in the story. Its haunting presence fills every scene, looming larger than even Kate or Isa. You can almost feel the cold, salt-laden air and the creaks in the floorboards, each sound seeming to whisper with the weight of past secrets.
Isa, our narrator, made choices that had me torn between empathy and exasperation, especially in her relationship with her daughter’s father. Her decisions reveal vulnerabilities and complexities that make her feel intensely real, if at times frustrating. This is part of Ware’s talent, though—creating characters who are relatable and flawed, even when you want to challenge their choices.
If you’re looking for a suspenseful, atmospheric read that doesn’t just reveal secrets but lingers on the chilling echoes of past mistakes, The Lying Game is a solid four-star experience. It’s more than a mystery; it’s a deep dive into trust, friendship, and the weight of deception, leaving you to wonder: can bonds rooted in lies ever truly be trusted when the stakes are life and death?
