I love Ruth Ware’s writing. But it took a while for me to sink into this one. An Internet company, stranded together in a chalet, must work out details about their business. An App called Snoop is  in danger of going under. Sinister dealings are at play and mistrust grows among the employees.  And murders begin. Too much detail about the workings of their business slowed the story down for. It took me about halfway to get fully involved. Yet, if you are in the mood for a fun murder mystery, it is still a good read.

Erin, escaping a recent personal tragedy, has come from England to work in France at an upscale ski chalet. She manages the guests' experiences from start to finish, trying to make sure she keeps them happy. When the app startup executives of a company called Snoop come to stay at the resort, Erin finds the majority of them to be snotty and off-putting, but is friendly with Liz, a wallflower type who owns a 2% share in the company. It's clear there's something brewing between Eva and Topher, the co-founders who control the majority of the shares in the company. It's not long before one of the Snoopers ends up dead and everyone else starts to fear for their safety. Like most of Ruth Ware's books, she creates a situation where the reader knows for a fact that the killer is one of the characters that we already know. The pace is a little slow in spots, and most of the characters are so unlikeable that it's hard to care much which ones live or die. But it's still fun trying to figure out who hates whom and why, and if you can get through the slower start, the intensity picks up quite a bit at the end.

Ruth Ware runs very hot and cold for me - One by One was a cold. I thought it was pretty obvious in terms of plot, who-done-it, etc. and some of the dialogue was pretty tired.  I think fans of her books will probably like this, but it was not for me.  I will still read her next one, but was hoping for more.

Book Review:  One by One by Ruth Ware

A corporate retreat at a remote chalet in the French Alps turns deadly as an avalanche buries the chalet and the guests and resident staff realize they are stranded with a killer in their midsts. One by One is a page-turning, who-done-it thriller that keeps the reader guessing in true Ruth Ware fashion.  I did not want to put this one down!  The real star of the book is, of course, the drama/mystery of the story, but I also loved Ware’s description of the setting/and food. I wanted to be there......just not with those guests. I would recommend this for all those who want to get lost in a good mystery. 

Thank you to Scout Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

A group of app owners/employees head out to France for a ski trip/investors meeting. Things go oh-so-wrong, and there's a murderer in their midst. 

I want to start by saying that I've loved all of Ruth Ware's books so far. Some not as much as the others, but by the end of her books, I leave feeling so satisfied with the story. This one is no exception. 

I must say though that I feel like I needed to take some skiing lessons to understand most of this book. There is a lot of skiing terms and I know absolutely nothing about skiing. I had to look up most of the terms used (and they were used a lot, like I said). That said, this is a slow burn psychological thriller mystery. Until the reveal, which is just flat out revealed, I had no idea who to even suspect was the killer! Was in the man in charge, Topher? Was it maybe the chalet workers, even if there's no obvious reason. Maybe they like to murder people, I don't know! Would it be the abrupt, loner of the group? Maybe you can figure it out before I did! 

Aside from all of the skiing that I know nothing about, I thought the story moved along quite nicely. At no point was I thinking, "just get on with it already." The atmosphere is described nicely enough that I could imagine how it feels to be stuck in an avalanche snow-packed chalet. And the ending of the book was sweet. Like I said, I always end feeling satisfied with Ruth Ware's works.

"One by One" is a classic "Who Dunnit?" in which a cast of characters are assembled at a chalet in the French Alps for a work retreat.  The employees of Snoop, a music app are gathered together to enjoy some skiing as well as to discuss the potential sale of the app.  There are those who want to cash out and those that want to stay the course.  The decision to sell seems to  rest on one person who owns 2% of the company- Liz.  Liz is a former employee who is rather awkward and never quite fit in.  The bodies start dropping pretty quickly and the reader knows that one of the people at the chalet has to be the murderer... but who?  It seems that a motive can be found for almost all of those gathered.  I started this book on a blustery day when the east coast was having a tropical storm and couldn't put the book down.  It was the perfect book for a stormy day!  Ruth Ware wrote a well plotted mystery with a cast of characters that kept me guessing.  Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to read a classic mystery novel with lots of fun twists!

There have been several variations of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None since it was published in 1939, but being a fan of Ruth Ware, I couldn’t resist seeing her take on the classic. Although I can’t say that that I found One By One to be flawless, due to lightly sketched characters and a predictable villain, I thought it was a quick and entertaining read nonetheless. The setting is eerily atmospheric and while I guessed who the antagonist was early on, their motive remained tantalizingly elusive until near the end. I don’t think this was one of Ware’s best (I give that honor to last year’s The Turn of the Key), but I have no doubt that fans of hers will be pleased.

I thought enjoy Ruth Ware books and this one did not disappoint! This story about a group of people trapped together with danger reminds me of Agatha Christie novels. The only negative was that there was a lot of characters to keep track of. I would definitely recommend to everyone.

One by One was a contemporary gothic novel that capitalizes on the techy trend of hot social media apps. Once again, I fell in love with Ware's quiet creepiness.  I don't know if there's a better author right now doing quiet thrillers with a heavy gothic vibes. Super creepy setting, unsettling characters, and a solid Agatha Christie-esque mystery make this one a must read for fans of atmospheric thrillers.

This was one of the most suspenseful books I've ever read. There are so many suspects, and so many twists in the story that you never really know exactly where it is going. Even once you know who the killer is, there is a super dramatic finish, my heart was literally racing through the last quarter of the novel! A great take on the locked door mystery, definitely worth reading!

Snowstorm...check!
Murder mystery...check!

I really loved the idea of this book!  The setting was great and I thought the characters provided enough variety to keep things really interesting.  I did figure out who did it pretty early on, but didn't know the motivation behind it all.  I thought the story moved along at a good pace and keep the reader wanting to know more.

With suspenseful action, a well plotted whodunnit, and two interesting narrative voices, ONE BY ONE is another fun mystery from Ruth Ware. Not only did the isolated setting of an avalanched in chalet feel unique and interesting, I thought that the two women we were following, Erin and Liz, served as both compelling narrators who had their own secrets and reasons to be 'unreliable' in their various ways. I thought that the clues were pretty well placed, and while I kind of figured out who the killer was probably earlier than I was supposed to, I still had a fun time seeing the cat and mouse that was going on between all of the suspects and the actual culprit. Add in a unique and pulse pounding climactic showdown, and you had a fun thriller that kept me reading. The only qualm I had was that I felt like things went on a little too long after the climax had ended, which made it seem like it was dragging as loose ends were hastily tied when they could have been tied earlier.

If you need a fun and very readable thriller mystery this fall, ONE BY ONE will probably suit your needs! I still really enjoy the mysteries that Ruth Ware provides.

What should have been a great weeklong ski retreat for a small tech company becomes a nightmare when an avalanche almost wipes out the fancy chalet where they are staying and apparently kills a woman from their group. Things get even worse when more tech people turn up dead at the chalet, and the deaths don’t look accidental. Nobody can trust anyone and help doesn’t seem to be coming. 
Erin, the chalet’s housekeeper, begins stringing together snippets of overheard conversations, clues from the crime scenes, and her own remarkable, natural sleuthing skills to figure out what is happening. She’s a regular old Sherlock Holmes. 
Suspension of disbelief is definitely needed to get through this story. 
Thanks to #netgalley and #harvillsecker for this ARC of #onebyone.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down. I have been a fan of Ruth Ware for a while now, but wasn't crazy about her 2019 release. This one was more what I like to see from her. The plot was interesting, the setting was creepy, and the characters kept me guessing. I will definitely be recommending this to library patrons who enjoy thrillers.

Ruth never disappoints. And she's a genius for being the first person as far as I know to think of killing off a tech startup one by one. bound to be a hit in san francisco =)

I'm a fan of Ms. Ware and will read anything she writes. However, this was not up to her usual standards. The plot was a bit convoluted and plodding. The reveal of the killer was clunky since we were aware of her thoughts the whole time.

Another winner by Ruth Ware.  This time the group is stranded by an avalanche.  The story is narrated by two women--one the caretaker of the chalet, the other a former intern with a tech company staying in the chalet to make important business decisions.  Skiing takes on a new meaning in this fast-paced murder mystery.

Ruth Ware’s books are hit or miss for me.  I do believe this one is a miss.  I felt like it took a long time to get the story off the ground and then it just fell flat.  Instead of building the suspense  It just gave you a baseline very mediocre story and climax.  I didn’t feel any real connection with any of the characters unfortunately and I believe it made the story dull.

I was so excited to receive an advanced reading copy of the latest Ruth Ware - she is one my favorites - and this did not disappoint! 
Snoop is the latest social media app that allows folks to follow music listeners and get their playlists. The founder and his buddies have some business choices to make, and decide to jet off to the mountains and do some skiing amidst the business meetings and tough decisions. 
One by one, they start dying, and an avalanche stranding them in the chalet doesn't really help! 
Who dunnit? What will transpire? 
I couldn't put it down, and really enjoyed this book. My fave from Ruth remains the Woman in Cabin 10, but this is a close second. 
Thank you for the ARC!

I loved The Turn of the Key and have liked most of Ware’s books.  This one is good, but not as good as her last.  A solid thriller but nothing exceptional.