One by One: The breath-taking thriller from the queen of the modern-day murder mystery

This is one of the best Thrillers I’ve read for a while. Cold, claustrophobic, then a deadly chase between life and death. Maybe I’ve read a few too many of these because I had the suspect in my sights only a few hours in. But it was like trying to hold on to something in a fast moving avalanche. Ruth was trying to put me off with false thought and red herrings, but I kept hold of my metaphorical ski. I knew who it was and would not be deterred. I’m not sure why we needed their snoop ID’s every time, but it is part of the story. I have absolutely no sympathy what so ever for the person in question but I did for Erin. Topher was a sexist guy and Karl was the typical lawyer. Eva was a cold hearted woman, Inigo I felt sorry for. Also especially for Annie and Tiger. I didn’t like Maranda… felt sorry for Elliot, but especially for Annie. I didn’t feel at all sorry for the person for what happened to them at the end. They deserved it. Fantastically written and kept me reading right up until the very end. If you want a claustrophobic, suspenseful chiller, in every sense of the word, read this.

Having enjoyed Ruth Ware’s previous novels, In a Dark Dark Wood and The Lying Game, I was very excited to get my hands on a copy of One By One. I still need to catch up on some of her books which I hope to get round to doing this year. I thought this was such a tense read and I was racing through it to find out what was really going on here. It was atmospheric and really entertaining. Throughout the book, there was a menacing atmosphere which kept the tension turning up a notch.I’ve really grown to enjoy locked room mysteries, and One By One is a really chilling one. A group of business partners have travelled to the French Alps and are staying in a luxury chalet. They are there to discuss the next proposals for their new app, Snoop, which they plan to roll out. There are already tensions among the group early on. When they venture out skiing, just before an avalanche is about to come crashing down, one of them doesn’t come back. As they try to work out what is going on and if their friend could still be alive, someone starts killing them one by one. This is when the tensions really begin to rise.I couldn’t turn the pages in this book fast enough. The chapters are told primarily from Erin and Liz's point of view, and they are short and snappy. One By One is definitely the kind of book which makes you think; oh I’ll just read one more chapter. As I got to know the characters, the only person I felt sympathy for was Erin. Erin works at the host and is there to accommodate the guests when they arrive, and during their stay. I didn’t like any of the individuals who were staying there. That didn’t stop me, though, from wanting to find out who the killer was. Erin finds herself in the midst of everything that is happening. Liz, the other person whose point of view the book is told from, is one of the shareholders of Snoop.The pace doesn’t drop at all, and it keeps picking up as the novel progresses. I found it a little slow at the beginning, as the group started to arrive at the chalet, but as I got further into it, I couldn’t put it down.I loved the isolated setting, which definitely heightens the tension. I could picture the mountains and the chalet really well in my mind. You feel as though everyone is walking around on eggshells. They know the killer could be among them, but the question is, who is it, and why are they doing this?I really enjoyed One By One. I’m looking forward to catching up on Ruth Ware’s previous books that I have missed. If you’re looking for a chilling, highly entertaining crime thriller which will keep you hooked, then I highly recommend this book.

"Now we are ten. Now we are nine. Now we are eight" (p.154).Ruth Ware can be a bit hit or miss for me. This latest novel follows a premise which has been used many times before: a group of people effectively cut off from the rest of the world, with a killer amongst them. How many will die, and why, before the killer is revealed? And will anyone survive?Set within a ski resort, we see ten people gather at an exclusive ski chalet, to determine the future of their internet company. Members of Snoop, a music app, have been gathered to make a decision which could see the shareholders become millionaires overnight, but past secrets and tensions are going to get in the way. Then, when an avalanche hits, one member is missing, soon to be presumed dead. Cut off from the rest of the resort, it soon becomes apparent that a killer is amongst them.The novel is told from the perspective of two characters: Liz, an ex-employee at Snoop, and Erin, one of the chalet hosts. As with many novels in this genre, the chapters are short meaning that you can easily tear through the book. There isn't really anything overly original about this tale; as mentioned, the premise is one which has been used before. The characters are also pretty standard for this kind of novel, as they are nearly all described as being varying degrees of gorgeous, confident, young, and/or 'edgy.' And, as you will find out, there are those who are carrying around secrets which they wouldn't want the others to find out. The setting itself provides an element of atmosphere to the tale, as the harsh weather conditions add to the isolation.Overall, this was an OK read. I have to admit that I did work out who was responsible for the first disappearance, and therefore for the remainder of the story. Daftly, I doubted myself, as I thought that it was a little too obvious (I usually can get swept up in following red herrings), and I think in a sense this is what has stopped me from marking it higher. The person responsible is the obvious one, granted their reasoning behind their actions are not easily guessed, but it still left the big reveal as feeling a little 'blah' for me.

I bought this for reading on long, round-trip flights. Just like other books by this author, this mystery builds suspense and keeps the reader engaged, turning page after page, to guess who might be committing these murders. Enjoy!

...certains perso sont fades, mais j'ai bien aimé l'ambiance coincé dans les montagnes.

Quando os acionistas de um aplicativo famoso se reúnem para decidir o futuro da empresa mas quando um empate entre os 4 maiores acionistas acontece cabe a Liz, acionista minoritária que, tirando sua porcentagem da empresa, não tem mais nenhum vínculo com a mesma a mais de três anos, tomar a decisão.Caída de paraquedas naquela viagem pomposa com pessoas do seu passado e outras desconhecidas ela vai precisar escolher entre a sua lealdade e doze milhões de libras.Ou melhor, precisaria! Antes desse momento chegar uma das acionistas majoritárias some em um passeio de Ski e com o perigo de tempestades de neve e avalanches se torna impossível localiza-la. Não tarda até que descubram que Eva, na verdade, morreu em um acidente na pista!Só que mais duas mortes acontecem, trazendo luz ao que eles preferiam que não fosse verdade: não foi um acidente e existe um assassino entre eles.E o assassino parece estar indo de um por um!Se não existe um momento bom para estar preso em uma casa com um assassino em série, é ainda pior quando a tempestade de neve piora e eles se veem presos em um chalé sem energia, sem contato com o resto do mundo e sem saber em quem confiar.Quem será o assassino? E maisimportante, quem será o próximo?Não é à toa que Ruth aware é considerada a “Rainha do só mais um capítulo”, é simplesmente impossível largar esse livro!! Escrito em duas vozes, Liz e Erin, a gestora do Chalé, a mistura de suspense e mistério é uma combinação incrível!Claramente inspirada em “E não sobrou nenhum”, a fã declarada de Agatha Christie leva esse livro para além do mistério e quando a resposta nos é dada o livro continua mais eletrizante ainda como um suspense! A análise psicológica de personagens também está presente dando uma profundidade ainda maior a obra.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4.8 stars, rounded up.I really enjoyed the contrast between narrators: one is a bit of a reclusive and very perceptive, and the other is socially awkward and has a hard time picking up social cues. One does not feel like she is in control at all, and the other is calm, cool and collected. One is self aware and in charge of her life, having a very factual understanding of how her choices are related to their consequences and the other is the ultimate victim.I really liked the characters; they were very distinct from each other and I liked how Ruth highlighted the face of privilege and entitlement. Some characters are truly unlikeable and quite amoral. So, at one point it is interesting to see the power struggle when these characters find themselves on opposite side of plans.I don’t know the first thing about skiing, and I could follow the book, with the exception of a few terms I had to google. The ambience was awesome - I both felt like I was in that chalet and I could also understand the app as if it was real. She did a great job creating the app concept and the corporate side of it, behind the scenes. It felt 100% real, like it could be a real app being launched tomorrow.As usual, I just cannot put her books down. Ruth is superb in drawing the reader in and keeping them engaged with her narrative. I attribute that largely to how well and how human she makes her characters. She works for me.I also will always mention how fair she plays. I literally feel that care in her writing. I know some people mentioned this book was predictable, I get it. I could tell whodunnit. But what I love about her books is that it is equally a whodunnit as it is a “howdunnit”. And she does not always wait until the end to reveal the culprit, and she also doesn’t drag it longer than it has to. The who reveal is organic to the narrative, and the why as well.Next time I read this; I will listen to the music as I go. However, I think this would have been such an awesome book with a mixed media format. Maybe Ruth and Spotify colab? Podcast entries, diary/journal/more newspaper entries?

I couldn’t put the book down