One By One by Ruth Ware

One by One written by Ruth ware is a perfect pick for this lockdown! I have been absolutely disheartened with having to cancel my travel plans. Ruth ware managed to transport me to the French Alps through this page-turning thriller. This book did not live up to her previous publication I’ve read – The Turn Of The Key. Although, a highly recommended one if you are craving a winter holiday and a whodunnit murder mystery.

ABOUT THE BOOK

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 cosy 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?

NFF EVALUATION

AREA OF FOCUS	RATING
COVER	★★★★
CHARACTERS	★★
ATMOSPHERE	★★★★
WRITING STYLE	★★★★
PLOT	★★★
SUSPENSE FACTOR	★★★
LOGIC/ RELATIONSHIPS	★★★
EXPERIENCE	★★★

PERFECT IF :

you are wanting to read a locked room murder mystery.
you are craving a snowy holiday.
you love slow plots

HIGHLIGHTS

Multiple Point Of Views
Highly Atmospheric
Who Dunnit Murder Mystery

FOR FANS OF :

The Turn Of The Key by Ruth Ware
{Writing Style, Atmospheric Thriller}

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
{Whodunnit Murder Mystery, Multiple POV}

THINK TWICE IF:

You’re too cool for cliche & predictable plot twists. This is not a book meant for seasoned crime readers, as it doesn’t engage the reader with a complex plot.
Boring or annoying characters ruin your overall reading experience

REP/DIVERSITY

Gay Character
{Minor Side Character}

TRIGGER WARNING

Attempted Sexual Assault

THOUGHTS

A CLASSIC LOCKED-ROOM MURDER MYSTERY

Locked Room Murder Mysteries are my favourite kind of thrillers. Every chapter makes me feel, this particular character is the killer but then boom there is something else revealed in the next chapter. Although, somewhere in the middle of this book I guess who the killer was which was tugging at me right from the very first pages. I turned out right and ended up being disappointed.

ATMOSPHERIC

I am not into skiing because I am terrified of the assumption it’s too risky and the snow could put me out of control and I will die. 😛 This book takes that fear and backs it up with a murder mystery. Besides, there is an avalanche and that has definitely terrified me even more. This book does a good job of transporting you to this rustic chalet on a snow mountain that will give you the chills literally when it runs out of electricity to keep warm.

The SNOOP App & The Exploration Of Casual Voyeurism

One of the weird things in this book is the SNOOP app and the casual voyeurisms it promotes. I don’t think I would be into it if this was a reality. Only because I am very personal about my music taste and it all depends on what I am feeling at the moment. In no way, I would be wanting to randomly listen to something that a celebrity is listening to. Also, how annoying would it be, when they pause the music right before your favourite lyrics comes on. In hindsight though, what a lovely way of listening to songs together if you’re in a long-distance relationship 😛 Although I can see how it could be a popular app. The app plays a major role in the book and I appreciate that it wasn’t used just as a prop to the story.

RATING : 3.5/5.0

Overall, this book left me wanting to have a winter holiday even though I love sunny days more. It was absolutely atmospheric, The characters that affected my overall reading experience and the expected plot twist were the reason I feel this ended up being a mediocre book for me. Saying that I enjoyed it enough to finish reading it and dreaming about a skiing holiday. The cover is on point. The vibe it creates from the first page is intriguing and the writing style is what will make me pick another book from Ruth Ware soon.