One By One

I love a locked room kind of mystery (like Ware's Turn of the Key). A secluded spot, a murder and no where to go? Sounds great! I've read a few of Ruth Ware's books but she tends to be a hit and miss author for me and unfortunately, One by One didn't quite hit the spot. 

One by One started off strong, but things peter out quickly in a few areas. Readers will initially notice that there are a lot of characters (I kept a character list) but we only get thin descriptions of them. I also thought the story wasn't layered enough, the reasons for the murders felt contrived and the identity of the culprit was obvious early on. I kept reading hoping for a big twist but there were no nail-biting scenes that took me by surprise. 

The story is told by the POVs of Liz and Erin, but I can't say I liked or connected with either of them and I thought it was odd that a few characters vanish for large chunks of the story. I'm disheartened that this book was so underwhelming for me. I expected a tightly plotted, tension-filled story but I just didn't feel it here. The ending, which should have been exciting, was drawn out and being asked to believe a character could physically perform after significant injuries was to much too ask of this former skier. I also think non-skiers (and occasional skiers like myself) may not appreciate or understand the abundance of ski terms used. 

One by One has a beautiful, remote setting but I didn't click with the story or characters. Unfortunately, I didn't think this was Ware's strongest work and it just left me cold.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary eBook copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Author: Ruth Ware

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: eBook from Publisher (via NetGalley)

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada

First Published: September 8, 2020

Opening Line: 4 Britons dead in a ski resort tragedy

Book Description from GoodReads: The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Turn of the Key and In a Dark Dark Wood returns with another suspenseful thriller set on a snow-covered mountain.

Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep you warm. But what happens when that company is eight of your coworkers…and you can’t trust any of them?

When an off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?