Oh, wow. What a fantastic whodunit! What an homage to Agatha Christie!

I've read every one of Ruth Ware's books, and have enjoyed them for the most part. But this one is by far her best. Tight, twisty, and engaging with characters you love, hate, and love to hate.

A tech company's executives come for a week's retreat in the French Alps at high end chalet (staffed with a host and chef) to discuss whether they'll take a buyout from investors and make millions--or keep their shares and the power they come with. When an avalanche comes and buries the chalet, leaving the group unable to get cell service or access a landline, it's uncomfortable. When they realize there's a murderer among them, it's terrifying.

This book is so GOOD! It takes the Christie trope of leaving a group of people in a secluded location and then starts killing them off to a whole new level. Ware weaves the characters' personal stories into the narrative with ease, giving them all motive and opportunity. Many novels of this kind play the game where the primary narrator thinks *everyone* is the killer and keeps thinking it for chapters upon chapters, but Ware avoids it--and by avoiding it, she keeps the story moving along well.

I realize that I live in a ski resort, so the descriptions of the avalanche, the skiing, and the terrain were particularly interesting to me, so I may be biased. But I read a lot of murder mysteries and a lot of thrillers, and this one is excellent!

Don’t let the large set of characters at the beginning turn you off from this book, you WILL understand who is who. I absolutely adored One By One. It is so suspenseful, and both Liz and Erin were fascinating characters. The setting is a character as well, and a great one. Fans of Ruth Ware will NOT be disappointed, and One By One is sure to create lots of new Ruth Ware fans.

Ruth Ware just gets better and better with each book. I look forward to reading everything she writes. The first thing I noticed about this is just how INTELLIGENT all her characters are. There is nothing worse than reading a book and seeing the world fall apart around the characters, and all they do is stand there like dummies. These characters were smart, and although they didn't immediately pick out the killer (um, neither did I, and it was essentially spelled out for me....), they didn't just stand around, waiting to be picked off. I don't think I'm explaining this well, but even that just proves the genius behind Ruth Ware's writing. The books are always a rollercoaster of suspense, usually from very early on in the book. Where a less skilled author might have lost steam, especially given the subject matter, Ware only gets better with each passing page. Before I publish my final review, I will think of words do this book justice, because what I have written so far isn't getting the point across of just how much I loved this book. Definitely will re-read and recommend.

One by One by @ruthwarewriter (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Have you ever read a book that you didn’t want to end? I put this book down one night because I didn’t want to finish it in one sitting. I wanted to enjoy this book as long as I could! *
This book follows a company as they visit a mountain chalet during the snowy winter months. This visit was supposed to be used as a good time for team building and create a cohesive mind for their company Snoops. Suddenly things start going wrong when an avalanche hits the resort and they are all stuck there. Soon bodies start popping up. *
This novel is Ruth Ware’s best work! The alternating narrators are compelling and like able characters who you are rooting for (which is a nice change from the unreliable narrators that seem to be popping up). I also enjoyed that within ever couple of chapters a new body would show up throwing me for a loop and making me rethink my theories
I also enjoy stories about a group of people trying to survive their fight against nature so this was totally my cup of tea! *
I don’t know if this book made me want to visit a mountain chalet or made me want to avoid them, but that way that Ruth Ware describes the setting as both majestically as well as suspenseful had me captivated every single page. *
The best part of this book was the ending!!! Holy Cow!!! It was just fabulous!
Ruth Ware you have earned the title of my FAVORITE SUSPENSE WRITER! Thank you!! I cannot wait for this book to come out in September so I can share it with EVERYONE!!! Thank you @netgalley and @simonandschuster for this ARC.

Author Ruth Ware has confessed to being inspired by Dame Agatha Christie, and, if her previous books weren't proof enough, One by One confirms her muse with a thrilling homage to Christie's And Then There Were None. Of course, Ware, as she has done in previous books, updates Christie's premise with themes of invasive, cutting-edge technology--in this case, an app, appropriately titled Snoop, that allows users to discover and eavesdrop on the music other users, including celebrities, are listening to.

Snoop has booked a ski chalet for nine current and one former employee as the group sets out to determine the future of the company and tempers flare among the group with millions of dollars at stake. The narrative alternates view points, with a focus on Erin, a hospitality employee with a haunted past. But, Erin is far from the only character with a secret and hers is far from the most deadly.

One by One is a fast-paced thriller that won't disappoint Ware's fans, or, for that matter, Christie's.

Full Disclosure--NetGalley and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Imagine being snowed in in a romantic, rustic chalet. Now imagine that you’re snowed in with your coworkers. That would be a nightmare for any of us, but imagine if those colleagues were cut throat competitors, literally. Suddenly that forced company togetherness getaway turns into a fight for survival after an avalanche leaves everyone fighting for food and supplies. This story is particularly timely as the global pandemic has left us all scavenging for toilet paper and other essentials. Ware is such an effective author because her books are all so different, no cookie cutter plots for this author

Like most of the country at home during a stay at home order, I could not have been more happy to see a new Ruth Ware book. I did absolutely nothing yesterday except read this book. Literally could not put it down. I loved the story line, the cast of characters, and the whodunnit. I think this is one of Ware's best yet. Cannot wait to recommend this to everyone! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.