In a Dark, Dark Wood

In a Dark, Dark Wood follows Leonora “Nora” Shaw, a reclusive crime writer in her mid‑20s, who is shaken when she accepts a surprise invitation to her estranged friend Clare Cavendish’s hen party. The gathering takes place in a remote, glass‑walled house deep in the dark woods of Northumberland, with no cell service and an eerie silence surrounding the group

Tension ratchets up when Nora learns that Clare is marrying James, her ex-boyfriend from their school days. As old wounds reopen, the weekend devolves into suspicion and dread. A chilling Ouija‑board session spells “Murderer,” and later, a gunshot leaves James shot. Nora awakens in a hospital, with head injuries and no memory of the preceding night. Police investigations point toward her—and fragments of her phone's evidence are used to frame her for conspiracy

As Nora pieces together her fragmented memory, she uncovers Clare’s elaborate betrayal: framing her for murder to conceal Clare’s own guilt. In a final flight through the forest, Nora escapes, Clare crashes and dies, and Flo, riddled with guilt, takes her own life. Justice finally shifts, Nora returns to London, and the novel closes on an ambiguous note with an unread email from James’s friend, leaving the question of what happens next tantalizingly open

Haunting and atmospheric, the novel explores themes of hidden trauma, fractured memory, toxic friendships, and the isolation that breeds mistrust. Ware’s debut novel established her reputation for modern Gothic suspense rooted in well-drawn female relationships and psychological tension