Tag Archives: Ruth Ware

The IT Girl by Ruth Ware – a Review

Posted on by
8

The IT Girl by Ruth Ware – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play / Apple / BAM / Book Depository

 

Description:
April Coutts-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford.

Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term. By the end of the second, April was dead.

Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide…including a murder.

 

 

Review:

The IT Girl by Ruth Ware is another one of her terrific psychological thrillers.  We meet Hannah Jones, our heroine, at the start when she arrives at Oxford, where she is introduced to her roommate, April; who comes from a very wealthy family.  Where Hannah is quiet and smart, April is the complete opposite; being the leader, vivacious, flamboyant, as well at times being spoiled; and not everyone likes her constant cruel pranks. In a short time, a group is formed of friends, who will remain with them until they graduate.  Will (April’s boyfriend, whom Hannah has a secret crush), Ryan, Emily and Hugh.  The POV’s switch between the past and the present.

Hannah has complained about one the of college porters, John Neville, who seems to be stalking her, and she begins to fear him.  April convinces her friends to attend the last show of the theater group performance, which April stars in.  She runs to her room to change clothes, and when Hannah notices she hasn’t returned, she and Hugh go to her room to check on her; and they find her dead.  When coming up the stairs, Hannah notices from a distance that John Neville had left their room; her previous complaints, and other evidence send Neville to prison for April’s murder. 

In the present, 10 years later, Hannah, who is now married to Will and pregnant, gets a call from her mom, and learns that John Neville died in prison. She starts getting calls from reporters, especially one, who insists that Neville may have been the wrong man convicted for the crime.  Hannah decides she must investigate on her own, if she erroneously helped send the wrong man to prison.  Hannah and Will have a happy marriage, especially with a baby on the way; but despite Will’s pressure to not pursue the case, Hannah goes out of her way to question everything.  She reconnects with her friends, to dig deeper and begins to be concerned that one of them could be a murderer.  To tell too much more would be spoilers, which would ruin the book for you. 

The IT Girl was a fantastic psychological thriller, that was intriguing, captivating and gripping story.   There was so much going on that kept me glued to my kindle, with many surprises and suspects.  The IT Girl was so very well written by Ruth Ware.  If you love thrillers, you should be reading this book.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

Share

One by One by Ruth Ware – a Review

Posted on by
12

One by One by Ruth Ware – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play / Apple / BAM / Book Depository

Description:
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 cozy 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?

 

 

Review:

One by One by Ruth Ware is another of her exciting suspense thrillers.  One by One is told in two POV’s’, Erin and Liz.  We meet both Erin and Danny at the start, when they are preparing the Chalet (a French Ski Chalet) for the arrival of a group of developers and employees of Snoop.  The company is an app that allows anonymous people who listen to music that celebrities, family, social media are listening to at the same time. Erin handles and takes care of the Chalet, while Danny is the chef.  

When the 8 members of Snoop arrive, we learn quickly that Eva, one of the partners, wants to accept a buyout that will make them millions, but Topher, the other partner, wants to keep control of the company and instead sell public shares.  Liz is the only member of the group who no longer works for Snoop, but was asked by Topher to come on the trip, as Liz owns shares of the company. Liz is very quiet, and avoids too much contact with the others, as she knows that both Eva and Topher want her support. There is a division between the 8 people, but they also want to enjoy their stay, and head out to ski.

When everyone returns, they realize that Eva is missing, with a few people thinking they saw her last skiing down a very dangerous mountain.  Within a short time, an avalanche hits, as well as a snow storm, and they are snow bound inside the chalet, suspecting that Eva is dead, especially after the avalanche. From that moment on the story intensifies, as electricity is lost, no Wi-Fi and no telephone to contact the police for help.  

Later that evening, another member of the group is found dead, which looks like he was poisoned.  Now the group is down to 6, and everyone looks at one another suspecting each other of being a murderer. Then the following morning someone else is killed, and group is down to 5.  Who is the killer?  One of the assistants leaves in these terrible conditions to find a way to get to the police, before anyone else dies.  Will he survive?

This a classic whodunit, with the guessing game on as to who could be the killer.  This was a wild but fun story, even in this intense time. I did enjoy the whole chalet/ski location, and the desperate change in elements with the loss of power, phone, food, etc.  The last third of the book became a thrilling ride all the way to the climax.  I really liked Erin, as she did her best to keep everyone calm, even when she broke her ankle limiting herself.  Liz was a different POV, as she hated being in the middle. 

In a desperate attempt to get help, they divide into three groups; one to trek toward the police, the others to head to the another chalet, and Erin and Liz to stay at the chalet, as both were too injured to travel.

One by One was a terrific, exciting, tense and fantastic ride, as I held my breath so many times, unable to put the book down.  I will not tell too much more, as you really need to read this book to find out what happens and who is truly the real killer.  I suggest you read One by One, which was so very well written by Ruth Ware.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

Share

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware – a Review

Posted on by
7

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iTunes / Google Play / BAM / Book Depository

 

Description:
When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unravelling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant.

It was everything.

She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder. Which means someone else is.

 

 

Review:

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware is another one of her exciting and intense thrillers. Rowan Caine is in jail, having been accused of murdering a child; she is desperate to prove her innocence.  The story starts with her writing a letter to a solicitor to plead for his help, and detailing everything that happened from beginning to end, and that she did not kill the child.

We learn early that Rowan was offered a job to go to Heatherbrae House in Scotland and be a nanny for a family’s three children; the money is very good, and Rowan wanted to leave her existing job. On her arrival she meets the lady of the house, who is welcoming and Rowan s thrilled by the home that has modern technology and conveniences.  She will quickly learn that their were 4 nannies previously in less than a year that left, and the children tell her the ‘ghosts’ do not want her there.   Is the house haunted?

In a matter of days, the husband and wife go on a business trip leaving Rowan with the two girls (the 3rd girl is away at school until later in the book); Jean, the housekeeper and Jack, the handyman. Jack did turn out to be a friend to Rowan, helping her out when things go wrong, and they do go very wrong.   Each night she can hear creaking footsteps, and missing items; even a doll’s head, a locked closet or being taken by the girls to a poison garden.   Rowan at first ignores things, but with each passing day, things do get worse and she is desperately trying to fight off her panic.  Though this was a thriller, I felt it had too much of the ‘creepy factor’, causing me not to enjoy it as much.

What follows is a dark, scary and intriguing thriller that has us on the edge of our seats, with many twists and surprises as we race to the climax.  I do not want to give spoilers, as it will definitely ruin things for those reading this book.  I thought The Turn of the Key was a well written story by Ruth Ware.  I did think the ending was a little rushed, and a shocker or two that I never expected.  I did feel that it left a little bit open at the end.  But that is my opinion.  If you like a thriller with a bit of creepiness, then I suggest you read The Turn of the Key.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

Share