Ten guests arrive at Chalet Perce-Neige in France for a combined skiing and work break. The chalet is off the beaten track and access is principally by funicular. All ten guests are connected to Snoop music app in some way which allows you to snoop and listen to what other people are listening too at that moment. The guests are looked after for the duration by Erin who is the host and Danny, the chef. The story is told in alternating perspectives by Erin and Liz who used to be PA at Snoop and now owns some shares.

I really like the snowy chalet setting in the French Alps as it provides s winter wonderland atmosphere to some chilly exchanges between the characters. Initially, Erin’s views of the guests is the most interesting as her perceptive observations give an insight into strained relations and divisions among the Snoop group and at this stage there is plenty of tension. There is a lot of clique intrigue too and a puzzle as to why dowdy Liz is there. Once things start to go ‘wrong’ it has the feel of an Agatha Christie novel although sadly not one of the queen of crimes best.

The problems in the book in my opinion, lie in the fact that there are SO many characters. The author has to keep repeating who is who especially via Erin so the reader can follow events and work them all out. Due to the over abundance of characters some of them feel like stereotypes or somewhat wooden as we don’t get sufficient sense of them. Most of them are not especially likeable in particular Topher and Eva, the CEO’s. The pace is uneven, it starts really well and then it slows down which is the pattern of the book. The early tension and feeling of suspense is lost as the characters ‘vanish’ and it just feels underwhelming rather than shock horror. I also have doubts about the ‘real time’ narrative which doesn’t work too well when there’s a murderer on the loose.

Overall, it’s a piece of escapism and a quick read but it’s just missing that essential something, if the early pace had continued this would have been a five star read. However, I have no doubt this will be a best seller and many people will love it.

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage Publishing, Harvill Secker for the ARC.

This is the first book I’ve read by Ruth Ware and was really excited as I’ve heard lots of great things about her previous novels.
I really enjoyed this book; it was atmospheric, unique and dark. Her writing is strong which meant that I felt like I was in the chalet with the group.
Although it’s my first book by this author, it definitely won’t be the last!

WOW!!!

I loved this more than Turn Of The Key and I didn't think that was possible! The way the characters are isolated and forced into trusting each other on some level in the most untrustworthy of circumstances is incredible. The way the motives of individuals are slowly revealed to you is incredible, and the suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. I was genuinely scared to pick up the book at times, which I've never really said with a thriller before!

I loved the slow, ominous, haunting moments in this book where you feel like you are teetering on the edge of something awful happening. I loved it. A new favourite and I can't wait for this to come out so everyone else can read it!

I will probably get hate from this review, but unpopular opinion I really did not enjoy this book. Ruth Ware for me is really hit and miss, sometimes I give her books 5 stars, sometimes two. I am really sad that this was one of those books that i gave 2 stars to.

I think a big thing for me is I did not like the characters. There were not any likeable relatable characters that I cared about. They were all irritating in their own way. Based on this opinion I really struggled to build up a connection with any of them, therefore just did not care about what happened to any of them. I think when this happens to a reader, it really has an impact on their experience, especially with a thriller genre.

I also guessed who had done it very quickly. So what should have potentially been a big reveal was very underwhelming for me. I did spend a lot of the book praying that I would suddenly be taken by surprise and who I thought was the culprit actually wasn't. But that was not the case. This automatically lowered my enjoyment.

I do really like Ruth Ware's writing style, there is no question upon how well she writes and how easy her books are to read. There isn't any unnecessary prolonged information which bores a reader. Despite my enjoyment of a particular plot, you can always guarantee that the writing style will not let me down.

Whilst I didn't like this one, I am not completely done with Ruth Ware, I will continue to read her other books as I have stated some I absolutely love and are my favourite books. Unfortunately this one just was not for me.

Another intriguing and twisty mystery from the Christie-esque Ware. It was extremely readable and the remote, isolated setting was suitably claustrophobic but I struggled a bit with the characters, none of whom I liked much and the murderer's motivation didn't feel entirely plausible. Nevertheless, it was solid page-turner and I rattled through it quite happily.

I'd never read a Ruth Ware novel so had nothing to compare this tale of intrigue, murder, mystery, with perfect elements of claustrophobia, and an atmospheric setting so intense that despite it being a more than balmy London while reading with glorious sunshine, I felt the cold of the mountains.

This story draws you in from the outset, and you will find it hard to extract yourself from the voices of characters, urging you to turn to he next page until...phew....it's over, and satisfactorily so.

When I saw reviews likening Ms Ware to Agatha Christie, I was dubious. But actually, set in the 21st century, reviewers have not been far wrong. A classic yet modern whodunnit that is perfect to while away long days in lockdown.

Really enjoyed the multiple points of view in this story, and I thought it was very well written. I'll look out for more from Ruth Ware - first time reading one of her books but won't be the last!

Loved this, another great story from Ruth. I loved the snowy setting and the build up to the reveal.

I can totally understand why Ware has been described as the Agatha Christie of our generation; this book has all the hallmarks of the genre. We follow a handful of employees (and the CEOs) of a hugely successful tech-startup as they take for the seclusion of the Alps, to bond and thrash out how to handle a business opportunity.
Told from the perspective of one of the chalet hosts (Erin) and a guest (Liz) we gradually start to understand what has brought them all together, where the personality clashes are and what the underlying issue is. Then, one by one, the guests start disappearing/dying, and it’s clear there is a murderer on the prowl!

This was a relatively easy read, although at first it was a bit confusing with so many characters to quickly get your head around. I think there’s 12 in total, and some of them are such bit parts I’m not even entirely sure why they’re included – it just adds to the names you have to remember and the jigsaw you have to put together.
I also found the addition of the Snoop ID/bio and associated profile information confusing at first – it took a while for that to become clear, as to what it actually related to, and I’m still not entirely sure what the point of it was. However, I suppose it gave a novelty, which helps set it apart.

That aside, this was a well told story with good character development. It took a while to get going, and I found the end a little tedious, but it was well thought out. Tedium aside, I must say it was nice not to simply have a big reveal regarding the “who done it,” followed by an immediate ending. It made a refreshing change.

This is somehow the first book I’ve read by Ruth Ware and I really enjoyed it. The book follows two points of view; Liz who is a previous employee of Snoop and Erin who works in the chalet where everyone is staying.

Even though there are a whole host of characters in the book, the two points of view keeps things simple and it was pretty easy to follow. The book is quite a slow burn to start and a classic whodunnit sort of book suited to anyone who likes Agatha Christie style novels. I did enjoy the atmosphere and the isolation in this book although it is quite similar to a few books I’ve read recently so it’s not necessarily anything unique.

I’d give it a 4/5 as it was an enjoyable read overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Vintage Books for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Ware's latest offering is a terrific, light and entertaining thrill of a ride, a great opportunity to lose yourself in for a few hours with a cuppa and forget the troubles of the world. Set in the perfect atmospheric remote and isolated location of beautiful snowy mountains, we have a locked room mystery with a number of classic golden age of crime tropes, as an avalanche leaves a diverse set of characters without power and cut off from the outside world whilst a terrifying killer begins to murder them. Ware gives us a modern twisted version of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. A tech corporate retreat is organised at a chalet in a exclusive ski resort, Snoop, an App that allows a person to see what music others are listening to, the guests need to decide its future amidst conflict over a buyout.

The narrative is related primarily from the perspective of the outsider, Erin, an observant chalet girl there to clean and facilitate the visitors as a guide and instructor, and the socially awkward, key minority investor, Liz. In a tense and suspenseful story, Eva disappears, turning up dead, and each of the guests look at each other with suspicion and distrust as, one by one, they are being killed by a murderer within their group, whilst being being trapped in the chalet by an avalanche. Whilst much of the characterisation is on the sketchy side, this is a wonderfully engaging read as the pace quickens considerably during the last third of the book. Recommended for those who love the classic golden age of crime and Agatha Christie in particular. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.

Another good one by Ruth Ware.
I loved the plot and I really felt I was in the lodge with the characters. Erin and Danny really stood out for me as did Liz.
Twists and turns along the way.
I really enjoyed every page of this novel.

Snow is falling in the exclusive alpine ski resort of Saint Antoine, as the shareholders and directors of Snoop, the hottest new music app, gather for a make or break corporate retreat to decide the future of the company. At stake is a billion-dollar dot com buyout that could make them all millionaires, or leave some of them out in the cold. The clock is ticking on the offer, and with the group irrevocably split, tensions are running high. When an avalanche cuts the chalet off from help, and one board member goes missing in the snow, the group is forced to ask - would someone resort to murder, to get what they want?

I just love this style of thriller, it is so reminiscent of whodunnit's of old - a group of people trapped in an isolated location and slowly they are picked off one by one until you have the inevitable dangerous situation of the killer and not many people left. The only thing I would say is they have lost originality and I found this to be very obvious. Having said this I would not say it is definitely a bad thing, I still thoroughly enjoyed the read and it is always nice to be right!

Ware has chosen the perfect location for the read, a group of people in a chalet on a ski resort who find themselves trapped by an avalanche and then find their numbers whittled down. The location was very claustrophobic and worked perfectly for the plot. It also retained its stark beauty, and the peacefulness of snow balanced perfectly against the very real danger the characters found themselves in.

The characters themselves are okay but I did not find them to be particularly likeable. I never really connected with any of them either which was a shame as it meant losing that feeling from the reading experience. Erin and Danny are good characters but I did not think they were fleshed out enough for me to feel a connection and root for them. I did enjoy the different personalities the characters brought to the read and of course some or all of them have secrets that are slowly revealed.

The only other thing I would say is the chapters began with their Snoop ID, what they are listening to and how many followers they have; do not worry all will become clear in the read! Anyway the chapters starting like this meant the read felt stilted and lost its flow every time there was a new chapter which was a real shame.

'One By One' is your classic trapped characters, whodunnit style read. This is good but not electrifying.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for an advance copy .

I loved The Woman in Cabin 10 and One by One is just as good! The only downside and you’re going to laugh at how minor this is! I got slightly confused with the ski/snow talk but nothing a quick trip to google didn’t fix!

Ruth Ware is a fantastic addictive author and you’d be silly to miss out on 2020s fix!

I loved this book!! I read it within 24 hours, and couldn't put it down. One of those books that you think you know whats coming, but you're wrong!! I have now preordered the signed copy from waterstones, so I can keep a copy with my favourite books

FTC disclosure: I would like to thank Random House UK, Vintage Publishing for providing me with an advance reader copy via access to the galley for free through the NetGalley program.

I enjoyed curling up with a cozy blanket and a cup of hot chocolate for this one! I think anyone looking for a read that matches what you’d expect from the cover and title will be highly satisfied.

I loved how the author wrote, with the fast pacing, a very in-the-moment, spontaneous, almost fleeting style which I devoured in one sitting.

I liked the short time frame for this one, the straightforward descriptions, the ones used when something thrilling is going on and you can’t wait, speeding up your reading pace, and keep turning the pages.

I loved the ambiance created, the setting, being the snowy mountain, the plot, it was all perfectly aligned to tell such a great story.

I will say I did experience a little ambivalence at certain points, likely because I wasn’t really enamored right away. It actually took me a bit to get into it. I didn’t understand the details, the backstory, the relationships, and their little character quirks. I had a hard time keeping them all straight. I did receive an ARC, so it’s possible that a little rearrangement in between now and final publication could easily offer a little more guidance for readers like me.

And there was one, single line in the book that I just can't anymore. I won't spoil it for anyone, but I know some of my fellow readers are going to cringe much like I did coming across it. My feelings, so strong about it, it's all in good fun though, maybe it's actually becoming a joke at this point.

There was a lot of conversation in the story. Perhaps for the setting, I would have enjoyed a bit more related to the ski activities themselves, as in depicting conversations about what makes good powder, something to that effect to add some more connection and common ground between the characters.

I wanted them to sit around the fire more to warm up, as in also warming up the story, and drink smooth French hot chocolate. Hot chocolate was mentioned of course, but maybe I would have been a bit more captured by the unfolding of scenes if there were more bonding experiences or times of reminiscence, memories, maybe some kind of internal conflict, or application of some stereotypical company team-building exercise, something like that to play into the lovely, yet mysterious scenery and actions a bit more.

Something where the characters, other than the main ones, were a bit more distinguished. To feel drawn to caring about them. And there were a lot of characters to care about, but maybe I would have liked them to be more identifiable, with traits. Traits that would have fed into the scene a bit, and into their dialogue, and to the way they went one by one accordingly. I didn’t expect a deep, emotional connection, but I wanted a bit more dimension to the plot from that standpoint.

The last 20-30 pages had more of this type of character development and I liked the ending as a whole as a result. And though I had my suspicions of the ending bit a little earlier on, it didn’t spoil the rest of the story for me, but, then when confirmed, I was pretty much ready to put the book down. So I suppose for those last few pages, the wrap up was a little lingering than it needed to be for my particular taste in the moment.

But even then it was all done very carefully which made for a very compelling read!

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have liked everything this author has written and this was no exception. It had me hooked from the beginning, great storyline, great characters and a great ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc. Ruth Ware's books can be a bit hit or miss for me personally, but I was intrigued by this which has strong Agatha Christie vibes, and I have to say: it blew me away! This is a locked room mystery suspense novel of sorts set on the snowy Alps of France, in a fancy chalet that is becomes isolated after it's hit by an avalanche and looses electricity...and there's a killer on the loose...
This is narrated from the POV of two characters:
* Erin - she works at the chalet, hiding from her past and overcoming past trauma. Alongside with chef Danny the two run the place. They have 9 guests who on a corporate retreat. The company is called Snoop which allows you to follow people on their app and listen to music they are listening to in real life. However on the arrival there's a misunderstanding and there's 10 guests, instead of 9, which already creates tension, and over the course of the day Erin realises this is more at stake here as the company is divided between the owners who are each other's throats caught in a disagreement over selling the company.
* Liz - she was the PA for Snoop, invisible and ignored, until she invested her inherited money in the company and became a share holder. Now that the owners want to sell it, but others don't, Liz is caught in the middle as her vote carries a lot of weight.
They all go for skiing, except one doesn't come back. Eva, the company's co-owner, who wanted to sell Snoop. An avalanche occurs and the group is stuck in the chalet. Until someone else dies...is there a killer amongst them?...
This was a fun read! I loved the claustrophobic setting of the Alps, it created a lot of tension and action. The beginning was a bit tricky to get into, because there was a total of a dozen characters, and over the course of the novel I felt it was too many and perhaps because of that I couldn't connect with the characters. Also during the middle I felt like the plot moved too quickly. I wanted more office politics and tension, and I felt when it becomes a mystery some of the psychological conflict and tension got lost. However I found the reveal in the third act surprising, and the book overall did keep me hooked. This is an engaging read, a gripping locked room mystery set on the scenic Alps. 4/5.

I love Ruth Ware books so was excited to be able to read an ARC of this via NetGalley. Yet another amazing thriller to keep you guessing till the end with plenty of twists to make you realise that what you first thought isn’t what’s happening at all.

An excellent read

A good book with a bit of a then there were none feel to it in my opinion. I normal find it hard to concentrate with books like this but I was pleasantly surprised to find my self really engaged and wanting to know more as the book went on. First time reader of Ruth Ware but definitely won’t be my last.