At a small, second-rate boarding school on the English coast, four girls formed a fast and lasting friendship.  With very different personalities, Isa, Kate, Fatima, and Thea bonded at Kate's cozy home near the school, where Kate's art master father let them roam half-wild.  They also amused themselves by playing The Lying Game, wherein they told elaborate falsehoods to both other teens and adults, gaining points when they did so without being caught.  It was supposed to be fun, a diverting way to pass the long hours away from home.  When their deeds caught up with them, however, the girls were all expelled in a hush-hush event that left their schoolmates in the dark.

Seventeen years later, a dead body is found in The Reach, a tidal estuary through which Isa, Kate, Fatima, and Thea often tromped while scurrying between school and Kate's home.  As soon as the discovery is made, Kate, who still lives in her father's home, sends a text to her old friends—"I need you."  None of the women want to return to Salten and revisit the past, but they have no choice.  They promised to always be there for each other, no matter what.  Now is the time for them to stick together, no matter what.

As the past and present converge in the little coastal village, four women will be forced to face the truth about what happened during their senior year at Salten House—a truth that could have devastating consequences for each woman's future.

Although The Lying Game—Ruth Ware's newest thriller—gets off to a slow start, ultimately the novel is just as engrossing as her previous two bestsellers.  The moody, atmospheric setting gives the story a creepy vibe, creating a shivery background for what proves to be a chilling tale.  It's more haunting than Ware's others books, and just as compelling.  True, the characters are not very likable, and the plot drags a bit in places, but honestly, I still found The Lying Game difficult to put down.  In fact, it might be my favorite Ware novel yet.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  You?)

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Jacqueline "Jacky" Faber is no stranger to danger.  In fact, it seems to follow the 16-year-old orphan wherever she goes.  Although she's had a fine time being a ship's boy, a pirate, a riverboat captain, an entertainer, and a student at a fancy Boston school, it seems her life of adventure is about to come to an end—at the guillotine.  She's in deep trouble and there seems to be no way out.

Luckily (or unluckily as the case may be), everything is not as it seems.  By faking Jacky's death, British Intelligence is able to enlist her as a spy in the war against the French.  Going undercover as a dancer in a seamy Parisian nightclub, her job is to flirt her way into the private lives of enemy soldiers, coaxing out secrets she can pass along to her own government.  Jacky's not happy about taking such a big risk—both to her life and to her virtue—but it's the only way she can get her friends freed from prison.  In her trademark fashion, Jacky soon finds an even more daring way to fight the French, one that will take her to the front lines, even into the presence of Napoléon Bonaparte himself.  While Jacky's certainly gotten herself into some grand scrapes before, this one might be the most dangerous one of all.  If she fails, her friends will surely rot in prison and "Bloody" Jack—the infamous, unforgettable pirate and adventurer—will be no more.

It's no secret that I'm mad about the Bloody Jack series by the late L.A. Meyer.  I've loved every installment, each of which is full of humor, adventure, and charm.  My Bonny Light Horseman, the sixth book, is no exception.  It's exciting, fun, and just downright enjoyable.  No surprise here, I adored it.  I'm reading this series slowly, savoring every book, knowing that there will be no more.  R.I.P., Mr. Meyer.

(Readalikes:  Other books in the Bloody Jack series, including Bloody Jack; Curse of the Blue Tattoo; Under the Jolly Roger; In the Belly of the Bloodhound; Mississippi Jack; Rapture of the Deep; The Wake of the Lorelei Lee; The Mark of the Golden Dragon; Viva Jacquelina!; Boston Jacky; and Wild Rover No More)

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