One by One by Ruth Ware

Meet Author Ruth Ware:

"Ruth Ware is an international number one bestseller. Her thrillers In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, The Death of Mrs Westaway, The Turn of the Key and One by One have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including the Sunday Times and New York Times, and she is published in more than 40 languages. She lives on the south coast of England, with her family." ~Amazon

Follow or find out more about the author on these sites:  

Visit www.ruthware.com to find out more, or find her on facebook or twitter as @RuthWareWriter

Goodreads

“The Agatha Christie of our generation.” —David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Diabolically clever.” —Riley Sager, author of Final Girls

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 luxurious, rustic ski chalet high in the French Alps doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world. Especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a full-service chef and housekeeper, a cozy fire to keep you warm, and others to keep you company. Unless that company happens to be eight coworkers…each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide.

When the cofounder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech startup, organizes a weeklong trip for the team in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other: PowerPoint presentations and strategy sessions broken up by mandatory bonding on the slopes. But as soon as one shareholder upends the agenda by pushing a lucrative but contentious buyout offer, tensions simmer and loyalties are tested. The storm brewing inside the chalet is no match for the one outside, however, and a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world. Even worse, one Snooper hadn’t made it back from the slopes when the avalanche hit.

As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder, and the group dwindles further…one by one. ~Amazon

Numeric Breakdown:

1: didn't like it/skip it
2: it was okay/it wasn't for me
3. liked it/worth a read
4. really liked it/loved it
5. it was amazing/must read!

Reminiscent of And Then There Were None but with a different psychological twist.

This is the seventh book Author Ruth Ware has published since 2015, and her speciality appears to be mysteries and psychological thrillers. Her work has been on my to-read list for quite a long time. I've meant to read The Woman in Cabin 10 for a while, and I'm uncertain why I haven't made the leap yet. I suppose it just got lost in the piles and lists of books I've yet to make my way through. So, when One by One came into my work and was sitting there looking all tempting, I thought, "Now's the time." 

My interest came from the acknowledgment that likened Ware to Agatha Christie. In my mind, no one can quite equal the whodunit of Poirot, and I think that's a bit nostalgia and comfort-reading talking. However, anyone who comes close is certainly an author I want to read. Preparing for greatness, I opened the danger-filled cover and began to partake of its character-driven beginnings. 

Imagine my surprise when my first thoughts centered on Lucy Foley's The Guest List and not so much And Then There Were None. Immediately, I started to compare the two written works. Both take place in an out-of-the-way and potentially dangerous piece of land (one on the French Alps - the other on an island off the coast of Ireland). Both have dual/multiple points of view (one has the director/manager of the chalet and one of the guests - the other is the owner of the wedding getaway, the bride, the bridesmaid, the best man, and the plus one). Both only had two people running the places where the guests stayed. Both revolve around a party headed to the remote location for a specific purpose (one is a company party gathering to make decisions regarding their future - the other is a wedding party who are about to witness the marriage of their two friends). Both have people end up dead, but only One by One has multiple murders to worry about. It's about here that the differences begin to take place. 

Now, don't misunderstand me, I appreciated the parallel plot choices. I enjoyed the efforts of both authors to make me feel as if I was reliving a Christie classic. However, there are definite plot differences, and I'm here to share why Ruth Ware's story is the book for your next reading delight. 

First, I liked the dual points of view, out-of-the-way venue, and the breadcrumbs the author gives us as we plod along. She gives us enough information without giving us too much. She shares background of her main characters without overindulging. While we think we're getting one plot, she maneuvers until another calculation becomes clear. Her ability to give us what we think we know and turn it around a chapter later is impressive. 

I have to say that between the two povs, I liked Erin more than Liz. Her loss made her a little more relatable to me, and I enjoyed her bantering with her friend and chef Danny. Liz's anxiety felt familiar, and I wanted to know more about her relationship with her father and Snoop, but she didn't hold the same appeal and connection that Erin did. In fact, she irritated me a little. This was surprising for many reasons. I didn't dislike either of them, but if you factor in my comparisons to The Guest List, you might begin to understand why I was a bit worried. 

To be honest, given all the parallel similarities to The Guest List, I began to think I knew who the murderer would turn out to be. However, I was not only pleasantly surprised but unbelievably shocked when I finally pieced together who the real murderer was. I mean, the idea had niggled at the back of my mind, but I'd pushed it away as impossible. For one, I began to imagine the possibilities that a similar culprit to TGL had to be responsible. Then, there were a few clues and a convenient throwing together of characters which made me feel as if I was right. The only bump in the road for me was to figure out who had motive. I just couldn't begin to fathom what the exact motive could have been for my suspect. However, when I started to consider the other person, it began to make more sense. Still confusing, but it felt better than my original suspicions. 

I loved that I was tricked. I loved the thrilling aspect to the whole unraveling conflict and eventual resolution. I loved the psychological features of the case which made you sit a little taller in your seat and keep an eye out for anyone sneaking up on you while you're reading. I loved the unforeseen justifications. It was a doozy of a read, and for me, it was a winner. I was completely flabbergasted by the end result, and I was pleased with the lack of extraneous relationships and information. 

Too often a thriller pulls in too many pieces to act as buffers and artifice for the true intent of the killer. We're burdened by the romantic suspense instead of immersed in the problem itself. For me, an excellent mystery is purely about the conflict and how those hostilities converge and emerge across the page and within the characters. This fiction held that discord in focus, revealed it from multiple angles with limited view, and gave a satisfying and creepy conclusion. 

For me, this was a novel worth reading and a chilling perception of what makes some people tick. I enjoyed it, read it quickly, couldn't put it down, and wanted to know what was going on and whodunit. It was enough of an enjoyable read for me to rate it 5/5 "must read." 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and find my copy of Woman in Cabin 10. 

Thank you for joining me, and as always, Happy Reading!! :)

~Rebecca Reddell, Author