Title: One by One
Author: Ruth Ware
Published: September 2020, Scout Press
Format: ARC E-copy, 384 pages
Source: Netgalley
Summary:
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Turn of the Key and In a Dark Dark Wood returns with another suspenseful thriller set on a snow-covered mountain.
Getting
snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn’t sound like the
worst problem in the world, especially when there’s a breathtaking
vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep you warm. But what happens when
that company is eight of your coworkers…and you can’t trust any of them?
When
an off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and
collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate
food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come
Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?
My thoughts: I have been a fan of Ruth Ware ever since reading her debut novel, In a Dark, Dark Wood. I’ve read all her books and this was a really good one.
One thing I love about Ruth Ware is that she knows how to write a good atmospheric thriller. Add in the locked-room mystery and I was all in. The cover of this book totally drew me in and a rustic mountain retreat sounds fantastic until things start going wrong…and let me tell you, things go south in a very sinister way!
This is a slow-burn type of mystery. I liked that it was a little slower in the beginning as all the characters are introduced, but then things are ramped up towards the end…and I could not read fast enough! While I did guess who was behind everything early on, I had no idea of the why and that to me was quite the interesting reveal and one I never would have guessed!
Even though I had guessed the guilty party early on, I was still suspicious of everyone…and I think Ruth Ware does that purposely. While I don’t think you are supposed to be able to figure out who is behind everything so soon, as the numbers dwindle, you do look at everyone with a suspicious eye, wondering if they could be behind everything and I liked that I did second-guess myself a few times.
While there are a lot of the characters involved, I liked that they are all well-developed and unique. I had no problems keeping them separate and I loved that there were only two narrators, Liz and Erin. Both of these characters had such distinct personalities and I felt they were perfect for telling the story.
All in all, this is a really good thriller and one that does keep you flipping the pages. It’s fast-paced, and the short chapters really help with that – it definitely gives you that one-more chapter mentality. And of course, the atmosphere just oozes off the pages. I love Ruth Ware’s writing and I am glad I read this one and will definitely be counting down the days til her next book!!!
