Ruth ware is another staple to our shelves. However, this book was not it. Will we buy it? Yes. Did I enjoy it? No.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of Zero Days by Ruth Ware.
Zero Days is a fast-paced mystery of a woman wanted for murder and how she tries to evade the police and find her husband's killer. Although at times this book was over-the-top and unbelievable, it did provide the excitement and drama that would make a great movie. Ruth Ware writes using forceful descriptions that make the scenes come alive in your mind.

This was different from Ware’s usual fare. It was more like an action movie or spy thriller than a brooding gothic story. Ware can be hit or miss for me but I like more of her books than I don’t. While this was propulsive, my personal taste leans towards a slow burn literary mystery/suspense book which is what she usually does well. However, this was great if you prefer a fast paced action movie of a thriller.

I’m not alone in sharing that I’m a big fan of Ruth Ware. I’ve read all of her books and enjoyed each of them, so the bar for her books is a high bar to clear for me. When I read Zero Days and previously read The It Girl, I noticed a shift in the type of stories Ware is focusing on. For me, I’ll always love the magic of her earlier, gothic, atmospheric thrillers most. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t also enjoy these newer books in a different way.

Ruth Ware’s newest thriller Zero Days is more action-oriented than any of her prior work. In Zero Days, the murder of a cybersecurity expert sends his wife on the run as she tries to find out who murdered her husband.

The first chapter throws the reader right into the action, and it took me a bit to orient myself to what was happening. Jack and Gabe are a married couple that have a unique job as penetration experts. Essentially, companies hire them to break into their systems physically and remotely (both their corporate offices and their cybersecurity systems) and report back on where they detected weak spots that could leave the company vulnerable to being hacked or compromised.

In the opening chapter, Jack and Gabe are running one of these exercises where Jack is onsite physically, while Gabe remains at home on the computer. The job was relatively standard for them, and while they stay in contact through much of it, they lose contact at some point. When Jack finally arrives back home late in the night, she finds Gabe sitting at his computer with his throat slit.

The first chapter was a bit confusing, but once I figured out what Jack and Gabe were hired to do, it made a lot more sense. I felt Jack’s pain arriving home to find Gabe murdered. He was a rock in her life—a life that hadn’t always been the easiest. After reporting the murder to the police, Jack leaves to stay with her sister Helena, who has a husband and two daughters. But when the police bring her back to the station, Helena cautions her about it.

Jack is more naïve than her sister though, giving the interview with good intention. But at some point it becomes clear to Jack that the police aren’t interviewing her to try to find out more information, they are interviewing her because she is their primary suspect in the murder. No one could be better equipped than Jack to escape the police station mid-interview. Afterall, she may be paid to break into locked places, but her skills easily translate to breaking out of them as well.

The book primarily tells the story of Jack’s time on the run, attempting to evade the police (who have opened a public manhunt searching for her) and also searching for clues to understand who murdered Gabe and why. I found the who and why of the crime to be the most compelling part of the book. At times Jack trusts different people from their life and I was suspicious each time. While the pool of people who could have betrayed her or Gabe was relatively small, the intricacy of the motive she uncovers and the broader story around it were fascinating.

Typically I find Ruth Ware to be the master of settings. Her characters are often isolated somewhere and the setting itself feels almost as much a part of the story as the characters. Zero Days was a big departure from that style (even more than The It Girl, when I first started to comment on the shift). This book doesn’t have an sort of gothic or atmospheric feel to it the way her early books do. However, one consistency is that Ware loves to isolate her characters. While they are often physically isolated—in this story Jack is on the run (so not tied to a location), but she is still isolated, with few people she can reach out to for help and very little resources.

Jack and Gabe as characters weren’t as developed as I like, though in the back half there is more context and development to their relationship and story. The book relies a lot on the plot and action to move it forward, and will appeal to readers who enjoy that style of book. Jack is sharp and well-equipped to handle a situation like this, but we see her make several errors in judgment throughout largely because she is still shocked and grieving the sudden loss of her partner.

One thing this book did well was build tension around the plot. I felt my body physically react to reading about life on the run, from sleeping roughly to grieving to physical injuries. While Jack is physically dealing with the challenges of evading arrest, the mystery itself heavily falls in the technology space. I wouldn’t consider this a psychological thriller—this was a straight thriller. This is different from what readers expect from Ware, and I think it will appeal to readers who are more interested in an action-based thriller rather than her usual style. For me, this was highly entertaining but lacked the magic of her prior work.

The culprit isn’t hard to figure out, and readers will surely get there well before Jack does. The rest of the book explores how Jack will get herself out of the situation she’s in and when she will put the pieces together. The ending sequence is exciting. With both of Ware’s most recent books delivering a different style of book than her first six (and even the most recent two are quite different from one another), I’m curious to see what Ruth Ware will do next and I certainly will be reading whatever it is!

Ware has a beautiful mind, and her mystery stories are always tip notch. This one was no different. 5 stars!

Zero Days follows "Pen tester" Jack, who along with her husband are paid to test the security systems on various businesses in England. However, one night after a job, Jack comes home to find her husband Gabe murdered at her computer and quickly becomes the primary suspect. What follows is a quick paced mystery thriller as Jack tries to find the truth behind who murdered her husband while being on the run from the same police who suspect her. Zero Days' story unfolds at a frantic pace and keeps the excitement high throughout. While I thought the writing and plot was gripping, the story did feel somewhat predictable and the ending felt underwhelming when compared to what happened before. Overall, I would recommend Zero Days to fans of thrillers and mysteries.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy.

I love Ruth Ware books, and this one was no exception. Jack and her husband Gabe are contracted workers to try to hack into places to test the security. When Gabe is murderer, Jack must go on a quest to try to figure out who did it and to get justice for him however she can. I give it 4 stars because it was really engaging and I wanted to see how the story was going to end.

I had high hopes for Zero Days, but unfortunate it was just okay for me. Over the years, Ruth Ware has definitely become a hit or miss author for me, but I continue to get so excited for each of her new releases.

*many thanks to Gallery/Scout Press and Netgalley for the gifted copy

Another home run for Ruth Ware. As always, she's crafted a taut, psychological thriller featuring a brave woman on her own against mysterious and overwhelming odds. While Ware's formula is fairly easy to predict, the twists and turns of the novel are always exciting and fresh. Fans of Ware will love this one but it's also a good entry point for people who have not read her work before.

I am a Ruth Ware fan but this book was not good. I didn't find the plot entertaining or enjoyable, and there are some truly ridiculous leaps made.

This was probably one of my favorite Ruth Ware books so far, until the end. I loved the pacing, the storyline and the suspense. Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, it was still an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC!

“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.”

The Queen of Thrillers is back with another great book! This book kept my interest throughout and definitely had some good twists and turns.

This was only alright to me. I just think Ruth Ware can be long winded occasionally which doesn't link to a good mystery in my opinion.

Ware is back with a page-turning thriller that keeps you guessing. I loved the premise of the story and the protagonist; no damsel in distress here -- she's smart, resourceful, and determined.

You don't need to know much about high tech security to understand what's going on in this technological thriller. It reads more like an action film with the "chase" scene starting from the very beginning. Our MC goes on the run from the police determined to solve her husband's murder right from the beginning, and doesn't stop until the very end. Rather unrealistic, you'll have to suspend all of your disbelief.

I guessed the perp at the half-way mark, and it was so obvious (mainly due to the lack of developed characters) that I thought it had to be a red herring. Sadly, it was not and the thrill of figuring out the mystery wasn't there with this latest book from Ware.

I also could have done without the repeated, graphic descriptions of the murder victims body.

The ending was infuriating for me.

Zero days is a thriller in which a woman’s husband is brutally killed leaving her to find the clues and solve the mystery to why he was killed. Full of twist and turns.

Ruth Ware has done it again! Zero Days was an engrossing mystery that I could not put down! From the first chapter I was hooked and this fast paced mystery did not disappoint! I loved all the tech parts and even learned a few things!

Zero Days by Rth Ware delves into the world of hacking and online crimes. Married couple, Jack and Gabe, are hired by businesses to test their security systems. Companies then use their feedback to strengthen their operations. After a successful night of penetrating a business, Jack arrives home to find her husband no longer alive. She has no idea what's happening but soon realizes she will have to run in order to save her own self. She then begins a cat-and-mouse game with not only the police but also the perpetrators of the crime against her husband. Lots of action and secret unraveling keep this book moving right along. Read and enjoy!

Ruth Ware’s books are so good it makes me want to cry. Her books are like an addicting good piece of cake and you just keep wanting more. You can’t STOP wanting more but you need it, you feel it deeply, you want more information, more clues, and you want it now. She only gives you tiny morsels though. But the crumbs are so delicious you’re willing to sacrifice sleep, family time, anything just so you can finally get that big slice of cake.

This book was no exception. It was gritty and felt like a spy thriller throughout. The beginning few chapters will hook you and next thing you know you’re along for the wild ride. Her writing is masterful the way she paces each chapter through a design of dialogue and narration. Intense scenes will have you reading faster and you can feel your heart rate elevate, slow creeping chapters will have you waiting for the other shoe to drop and have you feeling anxious.

This book went a little more towards tech and spy-based thrill than Ruth Ware has done in the past but she did a fantastic job (of course). This book gives this underlying feeling of espionage the whole time that makes you want to know if the feeling is just a feeling or if you’re on the right track.

Another wonderful read by Ruth Ware. I would consider myself a huge fan of anything Ruth Ware. This particular read was somewhat different from her other books. I really enjoyed the content, the characters, the complexity of the story, and the story development. I didn't feel it was easy to predict what was going to happen next in the story. I read the entire book in only two days. I would highly recommend this story to anyone who enjoys Ruth Ware. This release is a true thriller.