The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Turn of the Key and In a Dark Dark Wood returns with another suspenseful thriller set on a snow-covered mountain.
Ruth Ware, an alias for Ruth Warburton, is a British, psychological-crime, thriller author and no stranger to the New York Times bestseller list. Her latest book, One By One, could be the perfect read when you leave the slopes surrounding us here in Park City and curl up by the fire.
The body count in a Ware story is normally quite low, so this is an exception to the rule. When asked about her inspiration, the author replied, “I’ve always wanted to do sort of a Christie-ish, And Then There Were None, with people kind of being picked off one by one in a remote location.” A skier, herself and having experienced some exciting and rather fearful runs down treacherous slopes, she decided a ski resort isolated on a mountain might just be the perfect setting.
In the luxurious French ski resort of St. Antoine, the chef and manager of a private chalet await the arrival of their corporate guests. The chairman and shareholders of a high tech computer software company have planned an off-site retreat to work on mindfulness and collaboration. And, as it turns out, to debate on whether or not to accept an extremely lucrative buyout offer. At least it will be lucrative for some, not so much for others.
Ware puts us into the heads of different people in the group as we learn who they are, their involvement with the company and relationships with each other. When members of the party begin to disappear or die one by one, there is obviously much more at stake than a business deal.
I love the author’s style of using various points of view to tell us the story as it unfolds. Ware develops great characters with intriguing backstories. They are a unique cast in a page turner that will have you looking over your shoulder and not really sure whom you need to warn and whom you need to watch out for.
One by One by Ruth Ware can be found at our local libraries.
