The Lying Game

A dog investigating a stick in a tidal inlet called the Reach near the seaside village of Salten makes a grim discovery that sets the story in motion. Its owner, a woman out for a morning walk, is left shaken by what the animal brings back to the shore.

In London, Fatima, Thea and Isabel receive a message from Kate, the fourth member of their old circle, a message they had long dreaded. It contains only three words: "I need you." The three women are pulled back toward a past they had hoped to leave behind.

Years earlier, the four girls were pupils at a modest boarding school on the English Channel coast. They bonded over a game built on deception, in which they lied to classmates and teachers and followed a strict set of rules, the most important being never to lie to one another. The game brought trouble, and the group was expelled in their final year after the death of an eccentric art teacher, who was Kate's father.

Ruth Ware is a British author of psychological thrillers, and this is a standalone novel with a secretive, character-driven plot. It is written for adult readers who enjoy suspense rooted in old friendships and buried secrets.