The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware

Happy Friday! Today I'm a stop on the Random Things blog tour for Ruth Ware's latest, The Woman in Suite 11. 

It's been ten years since the events on the Aurora (The Woman in Cabin 10) and Lo Blackwood has been on pretty permanent hiatus as a travel writer. Which is why it's such a huge deal to be invited to the opening of a new high-end boutique hotel in Switzerland. 

Lo's husband is all for her attending. In fact, he suggests she take the trip and add on a visit to her mom in the UK. Lo hasn't been home to see her mom for ages. And she's never taken any kind of trip away from her husband and her kids. 

When she arrives at the airport, her flight has been upgraded to first class. The hotel itself is luxe! And while Lo was surprised to be invited--surprised she was on anyone's radar as a travel writer these days--she's even more shocked to find that some of her fellow travelers from the Aurora have been invited as well!

Before she knows it, Lo has been sucked into yet another conspiracy. And she's the prime suspect!

It was great fun to return to Lo in this latest from Ware. The Woman in Cabin 10 is one of my favorites of hers, in no small part because it takes place on a cruise ship. 

This time, we're on dry land but visiting an elite hotel in the the Alps. And Lo is at a place in her life I'm sure many have found themselves in over the past few years: trying to find herself again in the early years of parenthood and post 2020. 

And her industry has suffered more than most considering the state of journalism! Even after writing a bestselling book about her experiences on the Aurora, taking time off to have two kids has pretty much taken her name out of the travel writing game. 

And for just a little bit, being back is exactly what Lo wants. But just a little bit. 

Michelin starred food, special foraging outings, and five-star accommodations are just the start. The hotel is the latest in a long line of projects helmed by one of the biggest names in business. Or rather, his son. And if Lo can score an interview with the magnate himself, it would mean a big payday (enough to cover her flight, anyway) and a byline. But as it turns out, not everything is as it seems in this picture perfect resort. 

The Woman in Suite 11 is a perfect summer read! It's out now from Simon and Schuster in the UK and from their Gallery imprint in the US. Order a copy today from your favorite bookstore via Bookshop.org!

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

Good morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on the Random Things tour for Ruth Ware's latest thriller, One Perfect Couple. 

Lyla, a virologist, and Nico, an actor, may seem like and unlikely pair, but for almost three years they've been living together happily. And now Nico has an opportunity to participate in a brand new reality show his agent is certain can launch his career. The catch: it's a couple's competition. 

Lyla is against it at first, but agrees to go along to support Nico. Plus, her current contract project isn't panning out and a couple of weeks off won't hurt. But she's not thrilled about the competition stipulations from the start. The idea is that the "perfect couple" will win through a series of challenges where one loser is kicked off each week. So it could be a "couple" winning. Or it could be just one person. But the pictures they're sent of the resort where the show is filming is breathtaking.

Unfortunately, the contestants aren't there long when a storm hits, leaving them stranded with limited supplies and no electricity. 

Pretty soon, the stress of their situation begins to break them down. And by the time someone is murdered, they've already begun to question who can be trusted. 

I absolutely love that Ruth Ware enjoys throwing her readers off kilter from the very beginning of the story! 

The prologue is a short couple of paragraphs about a man and a woman fighting for their lives. Fighting one another. Told from the woman's POV, but with no hint as to who the two might be. 

What's more, for the first part of the book chapters are intermittently separated by simple entries that include a date, time, and pleas for help. Ware changes this later in the book, further throwing the reader off  of whatever conclusions or guesses they've made thus far about the various who's and the what of the plot. 

Ruth Ware has taken Love Island and thrown in a bit of Survivor and a whole lot of the twists and turns she's known for. 

And you know me, inappropriate reading rec location for maximum atmosphere: an island paradise of course! Or, your backyard with your feet in a kiddie pool if, like me, that's what you've got to work with!

One Perfect Couple is out now in the UK and the US. 

Zero Days by Ruth Ware

Happy Wednesday! Today I'm excited to be a stop on the Random Things blog tour for Ruth Ware's latest, Zero Days. 

Jack and Gabe are known for being experts in testing security systems. But a regular job turns out to be anything but when Jack finds Gabe murdered in their home. 

The night starts like any other. They are testing security systems at Arden Alliance. Jack on site and Gabe at home manning the computers. But Jack makes a mistake that leads to her getting caught, which means having to convince security and the police that she is not in fact a criminal but was hired to break in. And it seems Gabe has fallen asleep because he isn't answering calls to back her up. 

After finally being released, Jack returns to the job site to pick up her car. Then, tired from the long night, takes a few wrong turns. Looking forward to calling it a night, she finally arrives home to find Gabe has been brutally murdered. And the scene suggests a professional hit.

Except Gabe doesn't have any enemies Jack can think of. And he hasn't been involved in anything that would attract the attention of professional killers. Unfortunately for Jack, the police decide her timeline of the night in question doesn't quite add up. And with no one else to seriously consider as a suspect, the detectives turn their eyes to her. 

As the primary, and easy, suspect, Jack knows the police are focused on pinning the crime on her. Which means the real killer will get away. And that's something Jack won't stand for. 

Ruth Ware has done it again! And by it, I mean bringing readers another impossible to put down thriller that will keep them guessing through to the end!

Jack is quite a fun leading character. She's trained in evading security. Which means she has (excuse the use of the cheesy phrase) a certain set of skills that are pretty perfect for avoiding police capture while also digging into a completely unfathomable crime. 

But she's not alone. She has the support of her sister's family as well as Gabe's best friend Cole. Even still, staying off the grid pushes her to her limits. 

And not only does she have to figure out who murdered Gabe, but also why! 

Zero Days proves once again that Ruth Ware is truly one of the best in the thriller business!

One By One by Ruth Ware

Snoop is set to be the next big thing in music and social media. An app that allows you to "snoop" on other people's listening habits, Snoop is literally about to break big. And the company responsible has a decision to make. 

Which is why the employees find themselves in a swanky ski chalet in the French Alps. It's to be a trip filled with skiing, and business. A celebration of things to come! 

But when an avalanche leaves them snowed in and without power, the true tension between coworkers begins to show. And as they're picked off one by one, it becomes clear that not everyone is pleased about the direction Snoop is taking. 

A group of snarky tech coworkers snowed in under already tense circumstances proves to be the perfect setting for Ware's latest thriller!

The story is told from the perspectives of Erin and Liz. 

Erin is an employee at the chalet, working alongside the chef, Danny, as the only two employees on site. They're responsible for keeping the guests happy, though neither of them is exactly pleased with the Snoop bunch. 

Liz, as we quickly learn, is a former employee of Snoop. Which means she's an outsider already. She doesn't ski and most of the staff don't even know her, making things more than a little awkward. 

And then the bodies start piling up!

Ware is a master at building suspense and tension and One By One is no exception. But I will say that as enjoyable as this latest outing was, it's not her strongest novel. 

There were, of course, twists galore, some of which were a tad predictable. Nothing I'll hold against the book at all! And I loved the setting. But the characters were a little too on the nose throughout. 

Erin is hiding a secret and the rest are playing off of one another as the story goes on. Some of them are better rounded than others, even with the focus on Erin and Liz. But some of them do come across as simple caricatures in a few cases. 

All in all, this is a fun read but one that just doesn't quite live up to Ware's previous books. 

Order a copy from your favorite indie via Bookshop!

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

I got a fair amount of reading done over the holiday weekend, likely do to two big factors: hubs went camping so I had the house to myself AND I chose pretty much all thrillers.

Ruth Ware's latest was my third read of the weekend and, thankfully, it didn't break my stride or my streak of fabulous book choices!

Lo (Laura) Blacklock has been writing for Velocity magazine for ten years and has been waiting all this time for her big break. With her boss currently out of commission, it seems Lo's chance has finally come. 

The Aurora Borealis, a high-end luxury cruise ship built for just twenty passengers at a time, is making its debut voyage and Lo is to be there to represent the magazine. But just two days before she's set to leave, Lo's house is broken into. Lo doesn't want to let the incident rule her life - the invasion was bad enough, but she wasn't physically harmed - so she sets off for the trip as planned. But on her first night on board, Lo believes she witnesses a woman being thrown overboard. 

Lo of course reports the incident, believing the victim is the very girl she met in cabin 10 earlier that day. But cabin 10 is supposed to be empty. What's more, there's no evidence anyone was ever in the room and all of the passengers and crew are accounted for. The head of security placates Lo, but doesn't hide the fact that he believes she imagined the whole thing. It doesn't help when Lo's own attack and her lack of sleep in its aftermath are revealed. Now it's up to her to find out the truth, but even Lo has begun to wonder if she really saw what she thinks she saw. 

Pretty early on we know that things aren't going to go well for Lo. Each section ends with correspondence, articles, and theories about where Lo is. Apparently, just a few days into the trip Lo's work and family realize that she's not been in touch and begin to raise warnings. But we do learn that for whatever reason the wifi has been out on the ship, too.

Lo's investigation becomes more and more desperate as each day progresses, with just enough to bolster her conviction that she did indeed witness something terrible. Something she soon realizes she shouldn't have. Because as her investigation progresses, Lo begins to suspect just about everyone on board could have been part of the crime that's being covered up.

I quite enjoyed the book. I expected a twist, some big reveal, and it left me suspicious of everyone just as our main character was, with one caveat - I was, at times, suspicious of Lo! There's a bit of a The Lady Vanishes feel to The Woman in Cabin 10, which I have to say I did greatly appreciate. Mind it is just a bit - maybe an homage to rather than a strictly inspired by. Either way, The Woman in Cabin 10 is a fun thriller and one that's put Ware's In A Dark, Dark Wood on my immediate to read list now too.

Rating: 5/5