I have found myself having very different opinions of Ruth Ware books. Some I liked and some just missed the mark for me. This was my favorite Ruth Ware book ever. I loved the plot. I loved the action. I loved the characters. Unfortunately, I think the bad guy was pretty obvious from about 1/2 way. The opening was exciting and clever. I love a book with nonstop tension. There was no chance of relief. Devour this in one sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Ms. Ware for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel. An honest review was requested but not required.

I've found this author to be more hits than misses for me, and I've seen other reviewers remark this as well. I would say on the whole this was a "hit", as it was certainly a rollercoaster of action that kept me glued to the pages for a 24 hour car ride. I was so engrossed, I didn't even get car-sick, which is really saying something. Was it believable? No. Not really. I think in London and the UK it would be a lot harder to go under-the-radar, with all the CCTV cameras, than it is here. As Jack noticed, some businesses and services don't even take cash anymore, so it's really hard to avoid a digital footprint. Jack also read as older, maturity-wise, than her given age. The blurb wanted to make it a Mr. and Mrs. Smith situation, but Jack came across as much older than Mrs. Smith-era Angelina, not to mention that, ahem, there was really no *Mr.* Smith. The character field was also pretty small so guessing the whos and hows was pretty easy, and I am not usually much of a guesser. On the other hand, I thought the commentary on privacy in apps and security of data was very timely. Reminded me of all those "Privacy" commercials I see Google and Apple putting out lately. Makes me want to go turn all mine off :)

All in all I think I have preferred other books by Ms. Ware to this one, but that does not mean it wasn't a fun, entertaining, high-velocity ride. I'd recommend this to readers who are looking for more of an action-thriller than a suspense-thriller. ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

Gabe and Jack Cross live WAY more interesting lives than your typical married couples with their unique careers as security penetration specialists. As if this wasn’t enough stress for the two to manage, Gabe is found murdered in their apartment shortly into the start of the book- leaving Jack as prime suspect.

Ruth Ware has a way of writing that sucks me right into her stories, building up tension and suspense naturally as the chapters go on. This is no different for her latest story, and I was quickly drawn into this world with Gabe and Jack.

Overall, I had much higher hopes for this one than what actually played out over the course of the novel. It started off SO well, and then just felt repetitively long and drawn out towards the middle. Also, for a main character that supposedly had such advanced training in her career, something didn’t sit right with me about many of the decisions she made throughout the course of the book. I can’t say much more without spoiling things, but truthfully by 60% of the way in I was really just ready to find out what happened at the end.

As a big fan of Ruth Ware I’m looking forward to what she comes up with next!

I was super excited to receive Zero Days by Ruth Ware as a free ebook from NetGalley Ruth Ware is one of my favorite authors. This book did not disappoint. It was a unique storyline. I liked the characters and the settings and couldn't put this down. It is fast, easy read with suspense and thriller, but the middle of the book seemed a bit too drawn out. Definitely worth a read, if you like Ruth Ware, technology, suspense, thrillers, London, murder, law enforcement, and female protagonists.

Abandoning this one for now 😩😭😞

After finishing 40%, here are my quick thoughts:
- This book doesn’t feel like a Ruth Ware novel ☹️☹️☹️ I. AM. SAD. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the summer!!!
- I was bored really quickly. I don’t know how to explain it— one big murder happens, but bc it happens SO early in the plot, I wasn’t at all connected with the characters yet. Meaning, I didn’t care lol… like it happened too sudden? I wonder if Ware was trying to go for the shock factor here. But it just didn’t work! 😭
- This sister is amazing. Always here for a sister that helps but why isn’t she asking more questions about what the hell Jack is doing?! 😂

Stay tuned bc I WILL finish it eventually and share my overall review on Goodreads! 🤍 Still a Ruth Ware girly!!!

Thanks a million Gallery Books for my #gifted e-ARC!

Ruth Ware’s Zero Days will have you hanging from your fingertips right along with protagonist Jack Cross as she races to find out who killed her husband before she’s locked up for it or much worse.

The international bestselling author of The It Girl has been referred to as the new Agatha Christie. In fact, the British novelist’s short story Miss Marple’s Christmas was included in the New York Times bestseller Marple: Twelve New Mysteries.

Zero Days, however, is no cozy and Jack Cross is no Jane Marple. Instead of knitting needles in her bag, Jack has tools to pick locks, break into buildings and hack computer systems for corporate security reports. She is also smart and brave and tough and sad, her physical pain and grief raw and palpable on the page, all the while moving the story’s pace in this one-day-read-page-turning-heart-pumping suspense thriller.

I highly recommend Zero Days for anyone who loves a good mystery and suspense thriller.

I received this free egalley from Simon & Schuster, courtesy of NetGalley. This review is fair and impartial.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

4.5 hearts

For this author, I don't even read the blurb; I just auto read her books. That said, Zero Days was in line with my interests with security, tech, IT and modern computer jobs. There was suspense and a mystery to solve throughout with a deep worry for Jack.

Jack and her husband, Gabe are testers for security systems at companies. Jack does the physical work of breaking in, or finding open doors or windows, following people into places or pretending to be a delivery person. Gabe does all the computer testing. He is on earbuds with her and often provides information about the floor plan or sometimes is able to hack electronic door systems.

Jack is caught at her car after the last job and questioned by police. She can't reach Gabe or the people who hired them. Eventually, she is allowed to go home near dawn, only to find Gabe murdered. This begins her quest to find his killer. The police, unfortunately, are always after the spouse and have decided to arrest her even though she cooperated when exhausted with no sleep. She ends up on the run, not knowing how to solve who killed him.

Jack is physical and saavy at hiding, and knowledgeable enough about tech to not let the police catch her with cameras, phones or other methods. Slowly, she collects information to catch the killer. She gets a bit of help from her sister and Gabe's best friend.

Jack really puts herself in danger as she is injured in an early dive over a fence. Then she falls for someone pretending to be her sister. She tries for help to get the last piece to the puzzle and is smart enough to avoid a trap. But she still is in horrid shape when she finally figures out everything.

Initially, it was slow with the grief and the running without any ideas. The running got more difficult and required more strategy and when Jack started to make progress on the investigation it was a race to the finish. I really enjoyed this exciting set of capers. I was thoroughly disgusted with the cops just taking the easy route and not really investigating.

Thank you @netgalley for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review! I have been a huge Ruth Ware fan since reading Turn of the Key several years ago. I was so excited to receive a copy of this one!
True to fashion, this book kept me on my toes and turning page after page. I read this one by the pool, and ended up finishing it in a day!
I love that the main character is female- and she is smart and crafty and I rooted for her the whole book. I couldn’t put this one down, and totally recommend you grabbing this one!

4/5 stars

Ruth Ware's latest novel, Zero Days, is a straight up thriller almost ready for the big screen. Part Mission Impossible, part The Fugitive, Zero Days follows female bad ass, Jack, as she is on the run from the police after the murder of her husband, Gabe. Someone is out to frame Jack for the murder, and she must gets some answers before the police catch up with her.

All in all this is a decent thriller from start to finish and the reader can't help but root for Jack and she evades the police day after day. My one complaint is how the audience has to suspend belief for a bit, as there is no way Jack would have been able to get as far as she could under the radar, for so many days in the state that she was in. If this had been a real life situation, Jack is severely injured and barely eats while she is on the run and somehow still is able to trek long distances. She would have simply collapsed from injury or exhaustion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery and Scout Press for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, Ruth Ware decided to change things up this time! Ware is an immediately read for me so I didn't read anything about this one and am so glad I didn't! Can I please be like Jack? What a badass MC! I did have my suspicions during this but it didn't take away from my enjoyment. I love an author who changes it up so if you do too than get this one immediately.

This one felt a little different from Ware's previous titles. While I anticipated the "twists," it was much more action-filled and seemed to hit the gas from the very first paragraph. She's always a reliable author, and this one was no exception.

“Zero Days,” by Ruth Ware, Gallery/Scout Press, 368 pages, June 20, 2023.

Gabriel Medway and Jacintha “Jack” Cross, who own Crossways Security in London, are hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, a process known as penetration tests. Jack does the physical part and Gabe does the computer hacking.

The latest test doesn’t go well and Jack is taken into police custody. When she is finally released, Jack goes home and finds that Gabe has been murdered. She goes to stay with her sister and brother-in-law, Helena and Roland Wick.

When the police call her in to be interviewed a second time, Jack realizes she is the suspect and escapes from the police station. She is now on the run, is injured and has to figure out who to trust. She decides to call Gabe’s best friend, Cole Garrick.

“Zero Days” is different than Ruth Ware’s usual thrillers, but the characters are good, especially Jack and Helena. Jack gets a lot of help from the kindness of strangers. This a combination of “Mission Impossible” and “The Fugitive.” The people and reason behind Gabe’s murder are a surprise.

Ruth Ware is the author of eight books. Her last, “The It Girl,” and “The Death of Mrs. Westaway” are my favorites.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I loved this fast paced thriller! The main character Jack works together with her husband Gabe when she arrives home one night she discovers Gabe has been murdered. While reading you follow along as Jack tires to figure out who murdered Gabe and why all before the police come after get because the spouse is always the prime suspect.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for my Arc .

Ruth Ware is always one of my go-to authors for suspenseful novels. I really enjoyed this her latest one and felt on the edge of my seat the whole book!

4.5 Stars, rounded upwards.

What would spring be like without another Ruth Ware mystery? I hope never to find out. My thanks go to Net Galley and Gallery Books for the review copy. This book goes up for sale Tuesday, June 20, and those that love a fast-paced, high octane read should order a copy.

One of the finest things about Zero Days is the premise. Our protagonist is Jacintha “Jack” Cross, and she and her husband, Gabe, run a pen testing business. I had never heard of pen testers before; these are people that are hired by corporations to hack into their systems and then report their areas of vulnerability so that they can be corrected before unfriendly hackers find them. Jack is the physical penetrator, and so while Gabe is home worming his way into the client’s network, Jack is on site, physically breaking into the business’s building.
This reviewer has two immediate family members that are fairly high on the IT food chain, so I asked both of them whether this is a real thing; they assured me that it is, although they had never heard the abbreviation. Most penetration testers don’t physically breach the physical building; usually it’s a tech breach only.
On this occasion, Jack meets up with a security guard that doesn’t believe she’s there legitimately, and by the time she straightens things out and gets home, her husband is dead.

When I read my notes, I can find plenty to criticize. At the outset, as Jack is breaking into the site, she has her earbuds in and Gabe is talking to her, and there is some conversation about the sex they’re looking forward to after the job that I find jarring and out of place. Yes, the purpose is to let the reader know that their marriage is strong, but I would have preferred greater subtlety. Then the cops decide Jack is their number one suspect, and when I see that Jack is going to investigate in order to clear her own name and find Gabe’s killer, I actually groan, because this is such a tired, overused trope. And the vast majority of this novel is Jack being chased, Jack running, Jack hiding, Jack running some more.

However, when it’s time to read--and I have several books going at a time, some galleys, some not--I find myself reaching for this one every time. Ware’s pacing never flags, and there’s creativity in the choices Jack makes that are reminiscent of Thomas Perry’s legendary Jane Whitefield series, but with technology added. I love that it’s the woman in this pen business doing all of the physical work, and Jack is a genuine badass, which makes my feminist heart beat harder. She is injured badly in one escape, and I fret over her and even wonder how she’s carrying it off, given the severity, but Ware convinces me that Jack is propelled by adrenaline and a complete indifference to her own safety and health, now that Gabe is gone. There is a small twist thrown in at the end that I find annoyingly predictable, but it’s almost an afterthought, and so it doesn’t impact the main body of the story. And there are occasional brilliant, original bits of figurative language that I love.

In point of fact, I wouldn’t mind seeing Jack Cross again.

For those that love an adrenaline rush, this book is recommended.

Ruth Ware writes a variety of thrillers across different settings and time periods, but she typically has a female protagonist who, on her own, has to figure out what happened, including who is lying to her and who is betraying her. This story focuses on security, both physical and cyber security. Jacintha (Jack) Cross, along with her husband, tests security for different companies. Jack breaks into the physical premises while her husband tests the cyber security. After one mission, Jack returns home to find her husband murdered, and before she knows it, she is a suspect. She goes on the run, hoping to find the true murderer before she ends up in jail or worse, herself. This is a fast paced story taking place over a matter of days. There are a few red herrings early in the story but the story follows a somewhat predictable path if you have read the author's other stories. Either way, it is a fast paced enjoyable read, but not my favorite by this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. My opinion is my own.

I love all Ruth Ware books. Zero Days reminds me of a movie.

Jack Cross and her husband Gabe are testers to see how secure a company's computer is to find its weak link if any. One job goes wrong, with Jack getting caught. When she finds her husband murdered well, she ends up the suspect with her fingerprints on the weapon. Run Jack Run and that's what she does to try and clear her name and find the murderer.

I recommend this book to those that love a highly fast paced murder mystery.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'd recommend going into Ruth Ware's most recent thriller without reading anything about it (it may be too late at this point!). The book really starts off with a bang but unfortunately was not as engrossing as Ware's other novels. Zero Days was much more action packed / legal thriller vibes than I'm used to from Ware, and it just missed the mark a little bit for me.

Zero Days starts off with a bang.. and hooked me from the beginning. We see the love and trust between Jack and her husband, Gabe. So, how does she become the prime suspect in his murder? I flew through this book. I wanted to know what happened to Gabe and if Jack was really as innocent as she claimed to be. This story was full of action, and at times, I didn't see how anything could possibly pan out for Jack. I will say that, for me, the story was intriguing and interesting, but it was a lot different than the other Ruth Ware books I've read. I enjoyed this one just as much (maybe even more) than some of her previous books, but it definitely has a different vibe.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the e-ARC to review.

Zero Days releases tomorrow.. June 20th!

Zero Days is a fun summer thriller. It’s fast-paced and exciting, with plenty of twists and turns. It will have you rooting for a strong female protagonist.

Synopsis: Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect—her.

Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer in this thoroughly enjoyable, heart-pounding mystery from an author whose “propulsive prose keeps listeners on the hook and refuses to let anyone off until all has been revealed”

Zero Days has the vibe of the Fugitive and Mission Impossible. And right from the start the book Ware has us counting down days until a mystery event. Fans of action movies will love this fast-paced, emotional and high-tension read.

I thoroughly loved Jack; she’s tough, capable, and determined. I also enjoyed learning about a new career path. Who knew penetration experts or “pen testers” were a real thing? This really worked for me and sold how Jack would have developed the skills she’d need to unravel this complicated mystery. Seeing her break out of a police station, sneak into a giant company during working hours, and break into a rather secure home demonstrated her out-of-the-box thinking. Jack was a complete badass – being able to extricate herself from numerous tricky situations – I couldn’t wait to see what next and how she would escape it!

While Zero Days addresses a real life technical issue in today’s world, Ware gives us the pieces we need to keep up with the story. And I have to admit, I was rooting for Jack the whole time despite the odds stacked against her.

I just read that this book has been optioned by Universal. Oh, please let it be so! And please Ruth Ware, write us some more books with Jack so we can see what she solves next!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this not to miss thriller!