In a "Fugitive"-like book, Jacintha "Jack" Cross becomes the number one suspect in her husband's murder and flees to try to prove her innocence and find out who actually killed Gabe. Fortunately for her, she's a security expert and great at her job, so avoiding notice (and CCTV), climbing walls, and picking locks are all in a day's work for her.

Interestingly, a lot of what drew me to want to read this book was also what annoyed me about this book. Jack wants to find out who killed her husband because the police are taking the easy and obvious way out- her. But she has no idea what to do to prove her innocence or figure out who did kill him because she has no idea who would want Gabe dead. She becomes a bit of a classic amateur sleuth flailing around- which I generally can't stand. We get lots of painstaking details about how Jack breaks into places and gets things to work for her (presumably to show that Ware has done her homework) that got really old for me really fast. Jack is in her own head pretty much the entire book, which could work on screen because you'd see other things happening, but didn't do it for me in the book. It also didn't help that while I saw the bad guy from the beginning, she didn't figure it out for more than 60% of the book. I get it, real life vs book, there's a small pool of suspects, she's focused on other things, but she practically needed it drawn out for her, as well as the motive. So I was annoyed with her as well as the cops for being dumb. But high marks for her being stubborn! Also, the times when she stops to think about Gabe, you really feel her grief. The emotions really pour off the page there in a throat-catching way that was quite well done. I think Ware made a good call by letting us get to know Gabe a little bit before killing him, he wasn't completely an unknown figure, but someone with a sense of humor who clearly loved his wife and in the little bit we had of him I liked him. So his death was personal enough I wanted to see how it was resolved. Whether the resolution was satisfying or not I guess depends. The way things were set up means it probably worked out as well as it could. No more to say there since that would be spoilers!

I was definitely conflicted about this book. It was what it said it was- a take on THE FUGITIVE (personally I didn't see any MR & MRS SMITH). Fast-paced, non-stop, run from the cops all the way. I liked the theory more than I ended up liking the reality of the book, but each reader will have to judge it for themselves.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

So much fun! I love that Ruth Ware always mixes it up, and she's moved completely away from her gothic style to write a twisty, suspenseful, female-forward thriller.

I loved Jack as a character and thought the book did a great job setting up the plausibility of her as an action heroine.

Zero Days is a real summer page-turner, and I highly recommend it!

I really enjoy Ruth Ware's books generally, so I was thrilled to be given a copy of her most recent work. Thank you to Ruth Ware, Netgalley, and publisher! While this felt very different than her other books and was not a favorite, it was still well-written and was a four-star read for me. The guilty party was very obvious, given how few characters there were that could possibly make any sense so that was just something I had to know and be OK with. A little disappointing, but her writing otherwise makes up for it.

Which author made you fall in love with a genre? I read The Woman in Cabin 10 six years ago and fell in love with the mystery/thriller genre. Zero Days is my 7th Ware book, and they’ve all been 5⭐️ reads 🖤.
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Jack and her husband are penetration specialists who break into buildings in order to test security systems for different companies. But when one of her jobs goes wrong, Jack returns home to find her husband murdered. Someone has framed her for the murder, and she’s now racing against the clock to find the real killer before the police catch up to her.
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I think this might be the most fast-paced suspenseful Ware book I’ve read. I love a strong kick a*s female MC who can hold her own. This book is heavy on The Fugitive thriller vibes, except throw in some edgy dark web cyber hacker stuff. Loved it 🖤.
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Thank you to @scoutpressbooks @gallerybooks and @netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Zero Days - Ruth Ware
5/5⭐️
Pub Date: 6/20/23 🎉Out Now!🎉

For those who loved The Last Thing He Told Me, this is for you. A professional “pen tester,” Jack Cross lands herself as the suspect of murder. This was a quick read that was twisty enough to keep me engaged. However, I found myself able to skim- read it. It was a lot of running Jack running away, which was certainly fun, but it was a missed opportunity to not go more into the seedy underbelly of the dark web. I found my self doing my own research on the subject. Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery, and Ruth Ware for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this one. The story felt a little played out, but Ruth aware excelled at making this one better than the rest. It was so good and I was completely caught up in this. I finished in under 24 hours.

Video Review: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8JHkGmU/

Zero Days starts out at about a hundred miles an hour. And it feels like a big departure in style for Ruth Ware, shifting from her more close-quartered mysteries into the wide open sprint of corporate espionage and deception.

Jacintha “Jack” Cross is part of a two person “pen” tester team with her husband, Gabe. Pen testers are penetration specialists, who are hired to break into companies and hack into their systems to determine whether said systems are truly secure. As the book opens, Jack and Gabe are working a job — she on site, he remotely — and the expertise, respect, and chemistry between the two is palpable. Job complete, Jack heads home — to find Gabe dead, his throat slit open and the hard drive from his computer stolen.

What follows is a story in the vein of The Fugitve, in which Jack, mostly alone, and on the run, must clear her name of her husband’s death — especially after a damning life insurance policy turns up. Someone, clearly, has framed Jack. But why? Heartbroken, seriously injured, not knowing who to trust, and evading the police even as they always seem to be a step behind her, Jack begins to put the pieces together with the help of her sister, Hel, and Gabe’s best friend, Cole. But as the pieces do begin to fit the picture they reveal is shocking. Jack must overcome her dwindling resources and ever-worsening injury to gather enough evidence to show the police who the real killer is.

The perfect, high-energy read for summer.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book read just like an action movie with the main character Jack hitting the run ground running from the start as she searched for the truth about her husbands murder and trying to save herself. I liked the action and pacing but never really connected with her as a character. This is a departure from Ruth Ware’s normally writing and I liked it but after a string of great action thrillers it was lacking a little.

Ruth Ware has always been one of my favorites and I really enjoyed this one! It felt different than her other books, but I like to be on the edge of my seat for mysteries/thrillers and this definitely had me there!

Summary: Jack and her husband Gabe are penetration specialists hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems. When one of their assignments goes wrong, Jack returns home to find her husband is dead and she ends up as the number one suspect. She decides to run and tries to find Gabe’s killer on her own before the police close in on her.

I understand why this fell flat for some people (some repetition of events, bad choices made by the main character, very few twists, etc.), but from the very first scene, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to find out how Jack was going to get herself out of the mess she created. This murder mystery/thriller was a good one and I will continue to be a huge Ruth Ware fan!

Jacintha (Jack) Cross and her husband, Gabe, hack security systems for a living. Gabe is a computer hacking wizard, and Jack can get in and out of buildings without being seen. Together, they make a great team. But when a penetration test goes wrong, Jack arrives home to find Gabe dead. Jack doesn't have the healthiest respect for the police at the best of times, but the way she's treated after her husband's murder leads her to believe she's a suspect, and she runs.

For me, it's not always about the mystery in Ruth Ware's books, but about the cunning of the character to get out of their situation. Jack is smart, savvy and brave, but as time goes on her resolve (and body) is weakened and she has to rely on her smarts more, and more. It's a cat and mouse game, with Jack as a kind of female Jason Bourne. I loved Gabe and Jack's relationship, loved how the character grew to believe in her abilities far beyond what she thought she was capable of, and of course, the heart-pounding action throughout.

I’ve been more impressed with Ware’s previous books. The tech jargon in this one made me glaze over. I wasn’t invested in Gabe and Jack’s story, and the whole ending felt weird and vague. My least favorite trope is **spoiler ahead** dead husband leaves behind pregnant wife, so that was the final nail in the coffin.

Zero Days is a fun read! This follows Jack(Jacintha) as she tries to solve her husband's murder while also on the run from the police, who believe she may have a role in his death. Ruth Ware can be a hit or miss for me, and this one hit the mark. While not a full 5 star, it still was a quick read, difficult to put down wondering what may happen next. Zero days steps away from Ruth Ware's other novels, in that it more of a cat and mouse, who did it plot, not her usual locked door or Agatha Christie genre blends. Reading this book reminds of a high thrill action movie, and I can picture it perfectly on the big screen. I highly recommend Zero Days for those beachy afternoons!

I loved this! Fast paced thriller with a strong female lead. Different than many of the murder mysteries that are out there-it reads less like a domestic thriller and more like a spy novel.

Well, I think most reads felt the same as I did with this so I will keep this short in respect to the author. I have enjoyed her Christie like style in the past (except for one novel) however, Ware wrote a book in complete 180 fashion here. I do respect that she took a risk and changed her style. I just don’t think it worked all that well. Sometimes it is better to stick with what you know, especially when you are extremely successful.

This one started off exciting and I was curious. The banter between Jack and Gabe was cute/flirty and it was exciting. I liked the whole “Pen Test” idea and had never heard of that before as well as the techy aspect.

I just thought this dragged, was whole heartedly unrealistic and the decisions Jack made (who is supposed to be a super bad ass) questionable and foolish. I don’t want to give spoilers, but I figured out the “twist” right away so mainly I was bored and kind of wanted it to be done. While I think the intent was a good one, this did not hit the mark for me.

Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy!

Ruth Ware just simply does no wrong. I couldn't put this down and I want everyone to put this in their summer beach bag. While her stories feel like they might be too similar, they simply are not. She is able to make everything she does fresh and unique. Zero Days is no exception.

This is a very well-written cat and mouse chase with a smart and resourceful main character and a steady plot that keeps the reader turning pages. Jack and her husband, Gabe, provide security system checks for company clients. They are quite a team, he can hack almost any computer network and she is an expert at testing physical security. When the book opens Jack is breaking into a company and immediately the reader is drawn into the tension and Jack's thought process as she works her way through the company plant. When Gabe is found murdered and she is the main suspect the chase begins as she realizes that she is being set up and runs to find the real killer and clear her name. Who to trust? How to stay one step ahead of the police? Jack is smart, resilient and tenacious. While not as exciting as some of Ruth Ware's other story climaxes, this one is a steady top notch story.

I've been eagerly awaiting Ruth Ware's latest book, Zero Days. I've enjoyed every book she's written, including this one.

This latest is another edge of your seat read! Ware plays with the reader's perceptions in the first chapter. I was quite certain I knew what was going to happen. And, nope - I was (happily) wrong.

Jack is our protagonist. I quite liked her, her thinking and her tenacity. She's been accused of an unthinkable crime and is determined to clear her name, and find the actual perpetrator. So, she goes rogue and her unusual skill set is put into play. I was fascinated by this bit - how she gets in and out of places, procures information, convinces people to believe in a bit of chicanery. I wondered how much of this part is true? And because I was enjoying the book so much, I decided to just go with it.

Almost every chapter ends with a cliffhanger, there's twists and the suspense just doesn't let up. (Love it!) Which makes for some addictive page turning! I had guessed the whodunit before the final reveal, but it's the journey there that so much fun to read.

I can see Zero Days as a movie and indeed, it will be one! Universal International Studios has acquired the rights.

Ruth Ware's recent novel, Zero Days, is a decent thriller that kept my attention, but definitely not at the level I've come to expect of a Ruth Ware thriller. I was eager to be whisked away on a wild ride of twists and turns that never manifested.  I found this one to be a bit predictable, though still entertaining on a basic level. I love Ware's past thrillers (maybe having elevated expectations because of their level of awesomeness) and look forward to her next.  For me, this one just didn't hit the mark. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and am reviewing.

Unfortunately, this was a disappointing read for me. I usually love Ruth Ware's books, but I found this story to be slow and repetitive. Jack is on the run very early in the book, and she doesn't finish until almost the end of the book. Sometimes I felt her physical abilities were a little far-fetched, and I wish she had been a more realistic character. I'm still grateful to NetGalley for this advanced copy, and I can't wait to see what Ware writes next!

Zero Days
Pub date 6.20.2023

3.5 stars/5 (rounded down to 3 on here)

Thank you netgalley and Scout Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
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We all know I love a good Ruth Ware book. I love her writing and her storylines just draw you into the story. This book was definitely different than her last ones and while I enjoyed reading it, I can definitely say it wasn’t one of my favorites of hers. It was an entertaining read that held my focus even though there was a bit more of technology in the book. Usually this is something that would bore me, but I was invested in the story and wanted to know how it would end. Overall, it was still a decent read, but not one that I will be recommending over and over again like some of her other books.