ONE BY ONE

SYNOPSIS

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?

Title: One by One

Author: Ruth Ware

Publisher: Harvill Secker

Publication date: November 12, 2020

REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ruth Ware has been described as “the Agatha Christie of our generation” and that has never been truer than in “One by one”. A beautiful mountain chalet in the Alps, a company retreat with some of your coworkers and an avalanche hitting, getting you snowed in at the top of the mountain. What could go wrong? The answer is: everything! 

I gotta be honest, this type of mysteries, reminiscent of “And then there were none”, are some of my favorite stories. Give me a group of people isolated in a remote setting and bodies turning up every few chapters and I’m happy. And with this book I enjoyed every single moment.

"One by one" is Ruth Ware at her best. Last year "The turn of the key" was a bit of a let down for me, but in this instance she's truly back to form. I was so excited when I got the ARC back in April that, even though it had a November release date, I had to read it back then. That's how badly I wanted it.

I got hooked up from page one, when all the different characters are introduced. The story is told in alternating chapters by Erin, one of the chalet workers, and Liz, one of the guests. This alternating POV makes the story quite dynamic and I found both voices equally interesting. There was not a dull moment throughout the novel. The setting was magnificent and the author manages to transport you to that mountain, feeling the cold as the characters do. I've never skied in my life and after reading this I doubt I will ever do. The final confrontation had me biting my nails the whole time. Also there was a final twist I wasn't expecting and added another layer to the story.

Ruth Ware is a superb suspense writer and I daresay even Agatha Christie would be impressed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harvill Secker for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.