Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
New York : Scout Press, 2020.
Description
Fiction. Literature. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:This instant New York Times bestseller and "claustrophobic spine-tingler" (People) from Ruth Ware follows a group of employees trapped on a snow-covered mountain. Getting snowed in at a luxurious, rustic ski chalet high in the French Alps doesn't sound like the worst problem in the world. Especially when there's a breathtaking vista, a full-service chef and housekeeper, a cozy fire to keep you warm, and others to keep you company. Unless that company happens to be eight coworkers...each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide. When the cofounder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech start-up, organizes a weeklong trip for the team in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other: presentations and strategy sessions broken up by mandatory bonding on the slopes. But as soon as one shareholder upends the agenda by pushing a lucrative but contentious buyout offer, tensions simmer and loyalties are tested. The storm brewing inside the chalet is no match for the one outside, however, and a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world. Even worse, one Snooper hadn't made it back from the slopes when the avalanche hit. As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder, and the group dwindles further...one by one.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Rebreitz
Reminded me why I hate mysteries. So boring and repetitive. Why this book is a bestseller is a mystery!
LibraryThing member sbenne3
A good thriller . . . somewhat predictable about half way in and a few plot holes, but engaging and an overall good read - especially if you just need an escape!
LibraryThing member Twink
I read Ruth Ware's In a Dark, Dark Wood back in 2015. It was a 'closed room' mystery. A group of friends gathers at a remote cabin. And you guessed it - there are deaths....I loved it and have eagerly awaited each of Ware's new releases.
That 'closed room' format is one of my favorite premises. Ware
Oh, One by One was such an excellent read for me! Each and every one of the characters has a secret, an agenda, a scheme. They're all very disparate personalities with the corporate crew decidedly unlikable. The reader won't have a problem remembering who is who, even with such a large cast. The about us page at the beginning of the book lays the groundwork on who's who.
The group of ten are all employees of Snoop - a music app that lets the user see in real time what others they follow are listening to. Very current and very real. (Watch the Snoop stats at the beginning of every chapter.)
Ware drops lots of clues along the way to the final whodunit. The book is told from the viewpoint of two of the characters in a back and forth narrative. I did have my suspicions (and was right), but this in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Honestly, I couldn't put the book down. We find out who the killer is, but there's a good eighty pages after that. The tension. does. not. stop. Those last pages detail a delicious cat and mouse game.
Ware's writing is so easy to get caught up in. Either way - if you've read Ware before or this is a new to you author - you're going to enjoy One By One.
That 'closed room' format is one of my favorite premises. Ware
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takes us there again in her latest release, One By One. Ten employees are sent on a corporate retreat to an isolated chalet high in the French Alps. With the two chalet employes on site, that makes twelve. (Yes, there are comparisons) Tensions are running high within the corporate group. When an avalanche snows them in, things turn deadly - and the body count begins.Oh, One by One was such an excellent read for me! Each and every one of the characters has a secret, an agenda, a scheme. They're all very disparate personalities with the corporate crew decidedly unlikable. The reader won't have a problem remembering who is who, even with such a large cast. The about us page at the beginning of the book lays the groundwork on who's who.
The group of ten are all employees of Snoop - a music app that lets the user see in real time what others they follow are listening to. Very current and very real. (Watch the Snoop stats at the beginning of every chapter.)
Ware drops lots of clues along the way to the final whodunit. The book is told from the viewpoint of two of the characters in a back and forth narrative. I did have my suspicions (and was right), but this in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Honestly, I couldn't put the book down. We find out who the killer is, but there's a good eighty pages after that. The tension. does. not. stop. Those last pages detail a delicious cat and mouse game.
Ware's writing is so easy to get caught up in. Either way - if you've read Ware before or this is a new to you author - you're going to enjoy One By One.
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LibraryThing member brangwinn
I’ve read so many mysteries that you’d think I could learn no more, but until I read the previews of this book, I had no idea of what a “locked door mystery” was. Its just what it says, the mystery takes place in a secluded place with a finite number of participates. This one taking place
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in a French Alps chalet during a blizzard with no way to get in or out limits the number of suspects. A tech company that has developed a wildly popular music app has come to spend a secluded week while they discuss what the future holds as they seek to issue an IPO. Two different ways forward have developed and each of the ideas has strong supporters and opponents. Being told from two different viewpoints, only heightens the widening of the cracks that start to appear. Ruth Ware up to the task of keeping readers confused up to the end in a very believable story. Show Less
LibraryThing member jmchshannon
One by One, the latest novel by Ruth Ware, is drawing a lot of comparisons to Dame Agatha Christie’s novels and for good reason. Not only does it involve a locked-room mystery scenario, but it also has a large and eclectic cast of characters that includes the wealthy, the anti-social genius, the
Two narrators take us through the fatal events that occur over the course of three days in the French Alps. The first narrator provides us with insight into the company members and politics that rule much of the story’s characters. The second narrator provides us with expert knowledge of the French chateau setting as well as that of the remote observer. Naturally, her job as the chateau’s hostess affords her ample opportunity to gain mastery of her observational skills and ability to read body language, everything that makes her sections much more insightful and, frankly, enjoyable.
The switch between narrators never drags, however, allowing the story to smoothly flow as we learn a little bit more about the crimes, the setting, and the people with every switch. Unfortunately, the narrators are a bit too good at their job, and we learn too much information too early. This means that the murder suspect becomes quite obvious very early on in the story, something you don’t want happening in any crime novel. Knowing the murderer does not remove all reader enjoyment, but it certainly dampens it a lot.
While One by One has thriller elements to it, I personally believe it a stronger mystery as most of the story revolves around the whodunnit portions of the murders. In the end, I liked it more than Ms. Ware’s last novel, but it is not my favorite of hers. I missed that Gothic element she tends to insert into her stories, and I cannot overcome that predictability issue. To me, that is a mystery’s death knell.
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serving class, and everyone in between. Set high in the French Alps, there is an automatic remoteness that sets the initial tone and provides a captive setting for the cast, also a la Dame Christie. The only area which is not an homage to the queen of mystery is the fact that the story suffers from predictability, which dampens the overall effect of the solved crime and lessens your enjoyment.Two narrators take us through the fatal events that occur over the course of three days in the French Alps. The first narrator provides us with insight into the company members and politics that rule much of the story’s characters. The second narrator provides us with expert knowledge of the French chateau setting as well as that of the remote observer. Naturally, her job as the chateau’s hostess affords her ample opportunity to gain mastery of her observational skills and ability to read body language, everything that makes her sections much more insightful and, frankly, enjoyable.
The switch between narrators never drags, however, allowing the story to smoothly flow as we learn a little bit more about the crimes, the setting, and the people with every switch. Unfortunately, the narrators are a bit too good at their job, and we learn too much information too early. This means that the murder suspect becomes quite obvious very early on in the story, something you don’t want happening in any crime novel. Knowing the murderer does not remove all reader enjoyment, but it certainly dampens it a lot.
While One by One has thriller elements to it, I personally believe it a stronger mystery as most of the story revolves around the whodunnit portions of the murders. In the end, I liked it more than Ms. Ware’s last novel, but it is not my favorite of hers. I missed that Gothic element she tends to insert into her stories, and I cannot overcome that predictability issue. To me, that is a mystery’s death knell.
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LibraryThing member bookworm12
I’ve loved some of Ware’s other books, but this one was a miss for me. Hipster start-up execs are trapped in a ski chalet when an avalanche hits. They start dying. You would expect to not be able to put this down, but I found myself getting bored & rolling my eyes. The plot wasn’t believable
“I am forced to remind myself of what Danny was trying to get at - these people are strangers to us. Whatever of intimacy this situation has created, it’s illusory.”
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and it always felt like it was trying too hard. I was never worried about any of the characters, which is definitely missing the boat when it comes to a book like this.“I am forced to remind myself of what Danny was trying to get at - these people are strangers to us. Whatever of intimacy this situation has created, it’s illusory.”
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LibraryThing member GrandmaCootie
Another chilling, exceptional story by Ruth Ware. Keeps you guessing. You think you've figured it out, then there's another twist and you change your mind. But ultimately it doesn't matter if you figure it out before the end or not, because just taking the ride is fantastic.
LibraryThing member SquirrelHead
For those of us who read mystery novels you can usually figure out who the murderer is midway in the book. I did and while I was hoping for a good twist near the end (which I did not get) it was still a decent mystery. You have a group of people stranded in a chalet and there is a murder. One of
This reminded me so much of the plot in The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. In both books you have a male and female "host" (read that as employees) of the lodge/chalet. The guest party consists of well educated snobby city folk who arrive at an isolated vacation locale. Weather locks them in but the lockdown doesn't occur until a death is discovered. In The Hunting Party it's heavy snowfall keeping them from the outside world. In One by One it's also snow with an included avalanche.
The friends and coworkers in both books are immediately wary of one another as they know one of them is a murderer. The male employees in both books are handsome and in great shape (sexy) and the female employees from both books have secrets which will be revealed in time.
It's not a rip off book plot but there are great similaries. For what it's worth I liked The Hunting Party more however I will read more by Ruth Ware.
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those people is obviously the murderer.This reminded me so much of the plot in The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. In both books you have a male and female "host" (read that as employees) of the lodge/chalet. The guest party consists of well educated snobby city folk who arrive at an isolated vacation locale. Weather locks them in but the lockdown doesn't occur until a death is discovered. In The Hunting Party it's heavy snowfall keeping them from the outside world. In One by One it's also snow with an included avalanche.
The friends and coworkers in both books are immediately wary of one another as they know one of them is a murderer. The male employees in both books are handsome and in great shape (sexy) and the female employees from both books have secrets which will be revealed in time.
It's not a rip off book plot but there are great similaries. For what it's worth I liked The Hunting Party more however I will read more by Ruth Ware.
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LibraryThing member silversurfer
Very disappointed. Not up to her previous novels.
Skip this one. Read her other great books.
Skip this one. Read her other great books.
LibraryThing member tibobi
The Short of It:
I’ve read many of Ware’s books but this was a total miss for me.
The Rest of It:
Ten obnoxious people from a tech company named Snoop rent a French Chalet for a week. They are on the verge of a large buyout with the potential to make them all very rich. Not everyone is on board
Danny and Erin, the people charged with caring for this group, find themselves fending for their own safety when they realize one of these guests is a murderer. There is some suspense and it’s not immediately clear who the murderer is but this story felt rushed and there is virtually ZERO character development.
With all these people dropping like flies, I could care not one iota for them and that is not a good sign. This story felt very formulaic and the plot resembled three other books I’ve read this year. Not unique. Not riveting. People you don’t care about, except for maybe one person.
Anyway, if you are a Ware fan, just know going in, that this is a different type of book for her. If I had read this book without knowing who wrote it, I would not guess it was Ware, if that tells you anything.
For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.
I’ve read many of Ware’s books but this was a total miss for me.
The Rest of It:
Ten obnoxious people from a tech company named Snoop rent a French Chalet for a week. They are on the verge of a large buyout with the potential to make them all very rich. Not everyone is on board
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with the idea and when people begin to drop dead after an avalanche that keeps them from alerting the authorities, things go south very quickly.Danny and Erin, the people charged with caring for this group, find themselves fending for their own safety when they realize one of these guests is a murderer. There is some suspense and it’s not immediately clear who the murderer is but this story felt rushed and there is virtually ZERO character development.
With all these people dropping like flies, I could care not one iota for them and that is not a good sign. This story felt very formulaic and the plot resembled three other books I’ve read this year. Not unique. Not riveting. People you don’t care about, except for maybe one person.
Anyway, if you are a Ware fan, just know going in, that this is a different type of book for her. If I had read this book without knowing who wrote it, I would not guess it was Ware, if that tells you anything.
For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.
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LibraryThing member Sensory
Very quick read. Just the kind of mystery I like with the right amount of creepiness, corporate intrigue and setting. The one thing I didn't like was some that some of the descriptions were hard to follow, especially if one isn't a skier. Still a good quick read.
LibraryThing member eyes.2c
Another gutsy murder mystery, a psychological thriller, that wrapped me in knots and had me constantly wondering, What Next!
After being introduced to the characters we head into the read via a release from the BBC news website, part of which includes,
"Now, reports are emerging that in one remote
I was pulled in immediately with a host of who's, what's and how's!
Reading on it seems that SNOOP personnel, a hip music APP company with a difference, had flown to a remote chalet at the ski resort of St Antoine in the French Alps for a week of skiing and heavy restructuring discussions, including the possible sale of the business.
They become trapped after an avalanche. One of their number, Eva, had been seen skiing the black piste run, La Sorcière. She's disappeared. Now another, Elliot, the tech designer is found dead. Someone amongst their number is a killer. I could feel the cold seeping into my bones with all power gone. My dread was heightened by the unknown.
The two chalet staff become embroiled in all that goes on. One of them, Erin is running from her own dark challenges. She takes on the 'haunted heroine' trope.
Does the Avalanche act as a catalyst for the killing or was it already planned? This 'empathetic environment' adds to the terror of the situation as people become victims.
I thought I knew who 'dunnit' early on, but when that mystery was finally revealed I was further caught up with the why's. What triggered the person behind the happenings?
Of course this reminded me of Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Was None.' Instead of being trapped on an island our cast is trapped by an avalanche. A variation on the 'locked room' trope. We even have one of the trapped repeating the nursery rhyme line, "and then there were six."
The moving between the narrators Erin and Liz adds a further dimension to all that's happening. The storyline introduces a series of missteps and/or focused planning, by both the victims and the perpetrator that further adds to the tension as those situations unravel.
I felt just as trapped into the storyline as the characters.
A Gallery Books ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
After being introduced to the characters we head into the read via a release from the BBC news website, part of which includes,
"Now, reports are emerging that in one remote
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ski chalet, cut off by the avalanche, a “house of horror” situation was unfolding, leaving four Britons dead and two hospitalised."I was pulled in immediately with a host of who's, what's and how's!
Reading on it seems that SNOOP personnel, a hip music APP company with a difference, had flown to a remote chalet at the ski resort of St Antoine in the French Alps for a week of skiing and heavy restructuring discussions, including the possible sale of the business.
They become trapped after an avalanche. One of their number, Eva, had been seen skiing the black piste run, La Sorcière. She's disappeared. Now another, Elliot, the tech designer is found dead. Someone amongst their number is a killer. I could feel the cold seeping into my bones with all power gone. My dread was heightened by the unknown.
The two chalet staff become embroiled in all that goes on. One of them, Erin is running from her own dark challenges. She takes on the 'haunted heroine' trope.
Does the Avalanche act as a catalyst for the killing or was it already planned? This 'empathetic environment' adds to the terror of the situation as people become victims.
I thought I knew who 'dunnit' early on, but when that mystery was finally revealed I was further caught up with the why's. What triggered the person behind the happenings?
Of course this reminded me of Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Was None.' Instead of being trapped on an island our cast is trapped by an avalanche. A variation on the 'locked room' trope. We even have one of the trapped repeating the nursery rhyme line, "and then there were six."
The moving between the narrators Erin and Liz adds a further dimension to all that's happening. The storyline introduces a series of missteps and/or focused planning, by both the victims and the perpetrator that further adds to the tension as those situations unravel.
I felt just as trapped into the storyline as the characters.
A Gallery Books ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
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LibraryThing member KateHonig
This is my first Ruth Ware book, but it will not be my last. This book was fast paced and thrilling. I enjoy a Locked Room mystery, and the fact that this was set in a French Ski Chalet after an avalanche made it that much more tense.
The chalet has been rented out for the week by a
The chalet has been rented out for the week by a
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music/networking app company called Snoop, and from the moment everyone shows up on the first day tempers flare and friendships are tested. Show Less
LibraryThing member Judiex
A luxurious ski resort in the French Alps seems like an ideal location for a weeklong retreat for the employees of Snoop, a tech start-up group. Snoop’s project is letting on-line members know what music other people, including celebrities, are listening to on-line and listen to it at the same
The book opens with names and brief descriptions of the members of the group and is told from the perspectives of the former employee and one of the staffers.
The story quickly moves into a discussion of a possible buy-out. Personalities clash, tempers flare, and things begin to go bad almost immediately.
Among the preplanned activities for bonding are ski runs. One of the members doesn’t return after the first one. A major avalanche soon hits the area and suddenly everyone is cut off from the outside world.
As revealed from the title, other deaths and injuries follow.
There is a lot of technical geeky info that might appeal to those interested in the abilities of computers to get and share personal information startups. The “f” bomb explodes on almost every page and the story gets to be repetitious.
This is not Agatha Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE.
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time. The retreat includes the two co-founders, eight current employees, and one former employee. The two resort staffers make it a dozen. The book opens with names and brief descriptions of the members of the group and is told from the perspectives of the former employee and one of the staffers.
The story quickly moves into a discussion of a possible buy-out. Personalities clash, tempers flare, and things begin to go bad almost immediately.
Among the preplanned activities for bonding are ski runs. One of the members doesn’t return after the first one. A major avalanche soon hits the area and suddenly everyone is cut off from the outside world.
As revealed from the title, other deaths and injuries follow.
There is a lot of technical geeky info that might appeal to those interested in the abilities of computers to get and share personal information startups. The “f” bomb explodes on almost every page and the story gets to be repetitious.
This is not Agatha Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE.
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LibraryThing member OphelieDepoortere
So I really loved the first 3 quarters of the book. I had my murder suspect, albeit you could argue it was pretty obvious, but I was having fun adding all the pieces together.
However, once it was established in the story who done it, it got a little bit boring. The moment when I thougt the real
I did however love the story up until that point, and I was feeling a 4 star fibe, but it was not meant to be. 3,5 is where I land.
However, once it was established in the story who done it, it got a little bit boring. The moment when I thougt the real
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suspense was coming, was when it all kind of got 'uninteresting'. It defenitily should not have dragged on for 100 pages.I did however love the story up until that point, and I was feeling a 4 star fibe, but it was not meant to be. 3,5 is where I land.
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LibraryThing member novelcommentary
Ruth Ware's One by One is a fast paced read but helped to remind me why I don't typically delve into thrillers. A new tech company called snoop is on a retreat in the French Alps hoping to have meaningful conversation over the proposed buy out of their popular app. Snoop is an app that enables
Lines
“Hi. Topher, Snoop founder,” he says, grinning in a way that is clearly meant to charm the socks off me. His breath smells of alcohol, and his voice is every boarding school boy I’ve ever met.
As he comes closer the likeness fades, but the impression of startling good looks only intensifies. He has olive skin; sharp, Slavic cheekbones; and the most extraordinary topaz-blue eyes I’ve ever seen. “Inigo,”
NYT
“There is a definite gilded quality to this group,” Ware writes. They’re an insufferable lot for the most part, especially when they’re fighting over stock shares, so that lovely avalanche can’t arrive soon enough. One awed observer sees “what looks like a wall of snow coming down. But not a wall — that implies something solid. This is something else. A boiling mass that is air and ice and earth all rolled together.”
Happily, most of these twits know how to ski, so there are stunning scenes on the mountain as, one by one, they fall off cliffs, plunge into ravines and tumble into snowbanks. Readers will recognize the obvious homage to Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None,” but with enough ingenious twists to make this whodunit another triumph for Ware.
Interview
1. Why do you write thrillers? What is it about them that makes you enjoy writing them so much? I think they are the perfect combination of head and heart – an intellectual battle of wits between the reader and the writer to solve the mystery, mixed with a personal journey for the characters. To me that is having your cake and eating it.
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listeners to hear what other people are currently listening to , "Voyeurism for your ears is what Snoop calls it.” The company' founders Topher and Eva are on opposite sides of the debate so when Eva disappears in a apparent ski accident the tension begins. An avalanche helps set up the Agatha Christy like mystery and the reader tries to figure out the details as well. The narrative is cleverly constructed as alternating chapters between Erin who is the hostess for the group, (who along with her coworker Danny prepare the meals and keep the place clean for the guests), and Liz a former snoop employee who still owns shares in the company. The alternating viewpoints were a nice touch, especially as the tension in the story builds. Lines
“Hi. Topher, Snoop founder,” he says, grinning in a way that is clearly meant to charm the socks off me. His breath smells of alcohol, and his voice is every boarding school boy I’ve ever met.
As he comes closer the likeness fades, but the impression of startling good looks only intensifies. He has olive skin; sharp, Slavic cheekbones; and the most extraordinary topaz-blue eyes I’ve ever seen. “Inigo,”
NYT
“There is a definite gilded quality to this group,” Ware writes. They’re an insufferable lot for the most part, especially when they’re fighting over stock shares, so that lovely avalanche can’t arrive soon enough. One awed observer sees “what looks like a wall of snow coming down. But not a wall — that implies something solid. This is something else. A boiling mass that is air and ice and earth all rolled together.”
Happily, most of these twits know how to ski, so there are stunning scenes on the mountain as, one by one, they fall off cliffs, plunge into ravines and tumble into snowbanks. Readers will recognize the obvious homage to Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None,” but with enough ingenious twists to make this whodunit another triumph for Ware.
Interview
1. Why do you write thrillers? What is it about them that makes you enjoy writing them so much? I think they are the perfect combination of head and heart – an intellectual battle of wits between the reader and the writer to solve the mystery, mixed with a personal journey for the characters. To me that is having your cake and eating it.
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LibraryThing member charlie68
A bunch of quirky character gather for a business retreat in the French Alps. Disaster strikes and they are trapped on the mountainside and there's a murderer. Told from the perspective of two narrators it manages to keep the suspense increasing nicely. One conceit in the story, withholding
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information. Show Less
LibraryThing member KarenOdden
A contemporary take on the Agatha Christie classic AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (1939) in which eight people arrive on a desert island and are met by the butler and housekeeper, after which they are murdered one by one. In Ware's version, ten people on a company retreat arrive at a luxurious ski chalet
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in the French alps and are met by the cook and housekeeper; shortly afterward an avalanche cuts off all communication, rendering the place a virtual island. One by one, the guests disappear and/or die. Like Ware's other books, this hits its target of being a quick, easy-to-read thriller. I must confess, I guessed the killer about half-way through, partly because the story is told in chapters with alternating narrators. The fact that the company is a tech startup aimed at connecting people through music was a nice touch, when the murders depend upon people becoming separated. Show Less
LibraryThing member ethel55
I finished this a bit ago and have had time to think it through. I can't decide if it was purposeful that I knew the perpetrator so quickly, or I just read a lot of mysteries. This didn't impede my enjoyment of this twisty tale told in alternating chapters by Erin, a host at the chalet and Liz, one
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of the guests. With a nod to Agatha Christie, this group of co-workers wind up being completely isolated at a remote chalet due to an avalanche. I did wonder how the crime may have still gone forward without the avalanche. Show Less
LibraryThing member amyghilton
After Turn of the Key, this was a little disappointing. It was a little too similar to In a Dark Dark Wood in characters, setting, and plot. Very much like Agatha Christie as well, which isn't always a bad thing. It was also very predictable, but still a good story, especially if this is the first
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Ruth Ware someone reads. Show Less
LibraryThing member nicx27
Oh wow, what a ride I have been on with One By One. It's an absolutely brilliant read.
The book begins with a list of the personnel at Snoop, an innovative music app. It's quite obvious they're all a bit pretentious but also very successful. The team gather at an alpine ski resort to engage in what
The story is told from two viewpoints. One is Liz and the other is Erin who, along with Danny the chef, runs the chalet in which the Snoop team are staying. This is such an effective way of telling the story giving both an insider and outsider perspective in terms of the hierarchy of the group, and from someone who is unfamiliar with their surroundings and someone who knows them well.
The setting is amazing. It actually gave me the heebies. The thought of being stuck in that chalet with people who could stab you in the back at any moment (maybe literally!) made me feel claustrophobic and that was even before the avalanche that cut them off from civilisation. It really felt like the elements were conspiring against them and the author did a magnificent job at setting the scene and portraying the unpredictability of the weather.
What Ware also does impeccably is ramp up the tension. Combined with the volatility of the snow, we have somebody who is picking off guests one by one and I was on the edge of my seat. It's not necessarily that there were huge surprises in this story; it's not about unexpected twists, it's about the way we're kept wondering and the expert plotting that really brings this story right off the page.
I really didn't want to put One By One down. It's so fast-paced and flicking between Liz and Erin, sometimes in short chapters, just enhanced the tension for me. This is a book that's full of atmosphere, it's exciting, it's chilling, a cat and mouse game at its best, and a fantastic locked room style mystery. Bravo!
The book begins with a list of the personnel at Snoop, an innovative music app. It's quite obvious they're all a bit pretentious but also very successful. The team gather at an alpine ski resort to engage in what
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is basically a corporate get together from hell, to discuss whether they should let Snoop be bought out or not. Some people stand to gain more than others if it is. The one person who doesn't quite fit in is Liz. She doesn't work for Snoop anymore so why has she come along?The story is told from two viewpoints. One is Liz and the other is Erin who, along with Danny the chef, runs the chalet in which the Snoop team are staying. This is such an effective way of telling the story giving both an insider and outsider perspective in terms of the hierarchy of the group, and from someone who is unfamiliar with their surroundings and someone who knows them well.
The setting is amazing. It actually gave me the heebies. The thought of being stuck in that chalet with people who could stab you in the back at any moment (maybe literally!) made me feel claustrophobic and that was even before the avalanche that cut them off from civilisation. It really felt like the elements were conspiring against them and the author did a magnificent job at setting the scene and portraying the unpredictability of the weather.
What Ware also does impeccably is ramp up the tension. Combined with the volatility of the snow, we have somebody who is picking off guests one by one and I was on the edge of my seat. It's not necessarily that there were huge surprises in this story; it's not about unexpected twists, it's about the way we're kept wondering and the expert plotting that really brings this story right off the page.
I really didn't want to put One By One down. It's so fast-paced and flicking between Liz and Erin, sometimes in short chapters, just enhanced the tension for me. This is a book that's full of atmosphere, it's exciting, it's chilling, a cat and mouse game at its best, and a fantastic locked room style mystery. Bravo!
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LibraryThing member nyiper
I don't ski so I could happily absorb all the skiing details with belief! Another GREAT book by Ruth Ware! I have only one book of hers left that I missed so I hope she is just writing constantly so there will be more soon!!
LibraryThing member MaggieFlo
Pretty good murder mystery that takes place in a rental chalet in the French Alps.
Two chalet employees, Erin the housekeeper and Danny the chef are waiting the arrival of guests for a week long stay.
The 8 guests arrive and they are all employees of a company called Snoop which is music app. It
Lots of snow, some skiing, personality clashes and an avalanche that isolates the chalet from the village, the electricity goes out and then the murders start….
Took me a while to figure out the killer.
Two chalet employees, Erin the housekeeper and Danny the chef are waiting the arrival of guests for a week long stay.
The 8 guests arrive and they are all employees of a company called Snoop which is music app. It
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allows members to check what music is being played at this time by celebrities and others. Snoop employees are an assortment of big egos, loners, misfits etc. they are there for a week of meetings and skiing.Lots of snow, some skiing, personality clashes and an avalanche that isolates the chalet from the village, the electricity goes out and then the murders start….
Took me a while to figure out the killer.
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LibraryThing member jpeterman
A group of app owners/employees head out to France for a ski trip/investors meeting. Things go oh-so-wrong, and there's a murderer in their midst.
I want to start by saying that I've loved all of Ruth Ware's books so far. Some not as much as the others, but by the end of her books, I leave feeling
I must say though that I feel like I needed to take some skiing lessons to understand most of this book. There is a lot of skiing terms and I know absolutely nothing about skiing. I had to look up most of the terms used (and they were used a lot, like I said). That said, this is a slow burn psychological thriller mystery. Until the reveal, which is just flat out revealed, I had no idea who to even suspect was the killer! Was in the man in charge, Topher? Was it maybe the chalet workers, even if there's no obvious reason. Maybe they like to murder people, I don't know! Would it be the abrupt, loner of the group? Maybe you can figure it out before I did!
Aside from all of the skiing that I know nothing about, I thought the story moved along quite nicely. At no point was I thinking, "just get on with it already." The atmosphere is described nicely enough that I could imagine how it feels to be stuck in an avalanche snow-packed chalet. And the ending of the book was sweet. Like I said, I always end feeling satisfied with Ruth Ware's works.
I want to start by saying that I've loved all of Ruth Ware's books so far. Some not as much as the others, but by the end of her books, I leave feeling
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so satisfied with the story. This one is no exception. I must say though that I feel like I needed to take some skiing lessons to understand most of this book. There is a lot of skiing terms and I know absolutely nothing about skiing. I had to look up most of the terms used (and they were used a lot, like I said). That said, this is a slow burn psychological thriller mystery. Until the reveal, which is just flat out revealed, I had no idea who to even suspect was the killer! Was in the man in charge, Topher? Was it maybe the chalet workers, even if there's no obvious reason. Maybe they like to murder people, I don't know! Would it be the abrupt, loner of the group? Maybe you can figure it out before I did!
Aside from all of the skiing that I know nothing about, I thought the story moved along quite nicely. At no point was I thinking, "just get on with it already." The atmosphere is described nicely enough that I could imagine how it feels to be stuck in an avalanche snow-packed chalet. And the ending of the book was sweet. Like I said, I always end feeling satisfied with Ruth Ware's works.
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LibraryThing member zhoud2005
pretty good
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — Best Female Narrator — 2021)
Crime Writers' Association Awards (Shortlist — 2021)
Language
Original publication date
2020-09-08
ISBN
150118881X / 9781501188817
Other editions
One by One by Ruth Ware (Hardcover)