The Lying Game: A Novel by Ruth Ware

"I need you."

Isa knows that her friend Kate does not send those three words lightly. Even though Isa has a baby in her arms and a confused husband at home, Isa quickly boards a train to Salten. Her worry increases as every minute passes, but she finds reprieve when she reunites with Kate and their other friends Fatima and Thea. 

There was a time when the four were inseparable, though that was long ago. Having only attended school together in Salten for one year, their bond has been strong since. Although they are not in regular communication, whenever one of them texts "I need you," the other three come as quick as they can to her side.

This time though, Kate has summoned for what they've all feared for years: a body has been found.

Told from Isa's point of view, The Lying Game: A Novel by Ruth Ware unfolds beautifully and intricately. Readers won't start out knowing all exactly what the four friends have been hiding and, as the novel progresses, they'll learn they've been hiding more than they thought.

Ware has her characters do an excellent job of showing instead of telling. I found it realistic that adults who have lived with a dark secret for years would waiver in and out of realizing how intense what they did as teens was. They each cope with their time together differently, yet each path they chose feels not only in keeping with each woman's personality, but reality--this is no small feat.

The final moments of the novel show how Isa has a new perspective on both her past and where her future could lead.

If you enjoy exploring how memories, trauma, and bonds we forged at transformative times in our lives tangle together to forge who we are and how we'll move forward, I highly recommend The Lying Game.

The Lying Game: A Novel by Ruth Ware, Gallery/Scout Press