One By One- Ruth Ware

The ending of this book made me want to clap like one does after a particularly good film; that rare applause when people are surprisingly giving a standing ovation to an artist that isn’t present. I would like to applaud Ruth Ware.

One By One is a murder mystery taking place in a prestigious chalet tucked in the glorious French Alps. It is here that a corporate trip is held for a tech company called ‘Snoop.’ The nine members of this party are using this trip as a chance to plea their cases for or against having Snoop being bought out. Both co-founders think they have Liz, the pivotal deciding vote, in the palm of their hands but we learn that she is not so easily swayed.


One By One is told by the dual perspectives of Liz, the shy, timid company shareholder and Erin, the chalet’s hostess riddled with a haunted past.

Ware does an excellent job keeping her readers on their toes. With a group of people with seemingly valid motives to kill, you are kept guessing who is picking off the members of Snoop one by one.

I appreciated the direction Ware took with this story. This murder mystery had more depth to it than others I have read in the past. From the first few pages, One by One has, what I believe, are the makings of an excellent murder mystery: a shady character list brought together by a unique plot to a remote location.
Ware spoon-feeds bits of the mystery little by little leaving you in nail-biting suspense.

5 stars for this phenomenal book that most certainly lived up to its hype.