Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

One by One
One by One
One by One
Ebook455 pages7 hours

One by One

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

Read preview

About this ebook

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.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 8, 2020
ISBN9781501188831
Author

Ruth Ware

Ruth Ware worked as a waitress, a bookseller, a teacher of English as a foreign language, and a press officer before settling down as a full-time writer. She now lives with her family in Sussex, on the south coast of England. She is the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail (Toronto) bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood; The Woman in Cabin 10; The Lying Game; The Death of Mrs. Westaway; The Turn of the Key; One by One; The It Girl; and Zero Days. Visit her at RuthWare.com or follow her on Twitter @RuthWareWriter.

Read more from Ruth Ware

Related to One by One

Related ebooks

Suspense For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for One by One

Rating: 3.727416865293185 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

631 ratings51 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Another great Ruth Ware page-turner! Great characters, story keeps you thinking! Definitely gives a new meaning to winter ski vacation! Enjoy!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Very quick read, and the writing style was okay, but it was incredibly predictable and seemed to go on long after the story should have concluded. Entertaining enough if you're not looking for substance, but don't go in expecting any surprises
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Listen. I think Ruth Ware thinks she's a better mystery writer than she is. I think so much of this story was just obvious and unnecessary. I don't have a lot to say about it other than, I wish it were better. If you enjoy just your basic shallow mystery, this is the book for you. Brain popcorn at it's finest.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    First 100 pages were really slow. When the action picked up it was a fast read. There were some predictable parts, but overall a solid read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The suspense was good and I love the plot twist.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    One of Ruth Ware’s better works...makes for a good winter read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Erin and Danny are the host and cook of a ski chalet in the Alps. A corporate group from Snoop, a music app company, books their chalet for a retreat and to discuss a buy-out proposal. Included with the group is Liz, who hasn't worked at Snoop for some time, but who is a shareholder. Then people start to disappear and suffer fatal accidents. An avalanche isolates the chalet, so someone is the group is clearly responsible, but who? Chapters are told from Erin's and Liz's point of view.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Just such loads of filthy language and a boring storyline
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Not bad, it’s just not her her best book o
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I had trouble staying invested in this book. It got a little slow in the middle and felt like I was just dragging along. But this was still a pretty good book and I would still recommend this to my friends and family.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I couldn’t put the book down. ... If you have some great stories like this one, you can publish it on Novel Star, just submit your story to hardy@novelstar.top or joye@novelstar.top
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5

    This book keeps you entranced with every turn of the page. If you have some great stories like this one, you can publish it on Novel Star, just submit your story to hardy@novelstar.top or joye@novelstar.top
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Ruth aware does it again, page turner. She’s just got it. If you like or love her, this book will not disappoint.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    the story is OK. it's more of a thiller than a detective story actually, as the killer is so obvious, it's like a child's play
    but the narrator is sooooo f%$cking hysterical i've almost put it down several times because she is soooooo. over. the. top. with every. word. she. reads!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    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 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.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    “Behind him is a girl with fluffy yellow hair that cannot possibly be her real shade. It’s the colour of buttercups and the texture of dandelion fluff”A fast read with easy and short chapters, but not particularly gripping or engaging. There were a lot of characters to get to know, with very little character development. There were no big surprises in respect of the plot or outcome and slightly too many skiing references for my liking. I guess I just can’t stand reading about arrogant, entitled pricks.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book was hard to put down. The writing makes you feel as if you’re watching the story unfold and is so suspenseful it’s difficult to stop reading.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the second book I have read by this author and she does not disappoint! The author's prose and writing styles is beautifully descriptive. I really enjoyed when the suspense of the story heightened the chapters became shorter and you could feel the tension building. This book will keep you engaged to the very last page.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None meets The Shining meets Catwoman. Only a lot lighter with fewer insights and a gay guy. It was an okay read - light, fast. Unfortunately, it was predictable with characters who sometimes behave like intelligent young adults and sometimes like ridiculously clueless children. It brushes against the social issue of privilege but shies away from making any serious statement about a non-existent construct of malcontents. Summer beach reading, but not much more.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    One by One is a clearly Agatha Christie inspired thriller that tells the story of a corporate retreat gone horribly wrong. Told in the dual POV of Liz, a former employee of the central tech company being pressured to cast a deciding vote on whether the company should accept a buyout, and Erin, the ski resort employee with some trauma in her past, One by One introduces us to a cast of tech bros (yes, even the women are kind of bro-y), one of whom is a murderer. While this is clearly nowhere near the quality of a Christie original, I really enjoyed the story. The suspects felt realistic to me (I can literally picture some of them) and the solution felt surprising enough without being completely out of the blue. Definitely worth a read.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really needed something light and compulsive to read, and I've been reaching for Ruth Ware when that's my mood. [One by One] is her take on [[Agatha Christie]]'s [And Then there were None]. A business group with a decision to make about agreeing to a buyout for their popular music app arrives in the Alps on a skiing trip. The 8 of them and the two chalet caretakers get snowed in after an avalanche and there are murders, missing people, and lots of secrets. It was lots of fun and definitely fit what I was looking for.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Finishing @ruthwarewriter’s #OnebyOne on the way home... like they say, all good things must come to an end, right?

    I went into this book blind and have been very addicted to it! I’d have finished it so much sooner had I not been by the pool...

    I’d ordered a #Kindle from @amazon but they failed to deliver it when promised and then fed me BS answers when I inquired. It should be delivered today - which doesn’t help me now truthfully... I wanted to be able to read my waterproof Paperwhite...

    But back to One by One... it has been so hot and muggy down here in South Carolina and reading about an avalanche has been the perfect recipe! Ruth does a fabulous job of weaving two different POV into a complete story.

    A classic “who-done-it” with a twist... stranded after an avalanche, people begin dropping like flies and insecurities are aired out like dirty laundry... but how and why?

    Despite this not being an original theme, it’s a very fresh take! Kudos to Ruth for twisting it into her own and giving so many characters such well developed personalities.

    I find myself most like Elliot in the book. Want to know what that means? Well, pick it up and read it
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    One by One by Ruth Ware is a 2020 Scout Press publication. Snoop- a startup app that… well… ‘snoops’ on one’s musical listening habits. Want to listen to the same song your favorite artist is listening to at the exact same time? Then this app is for you. The app is so popular the startup group that founded it are considering a buyout offer. The group is divided on the decision, but has gathered at French Ski Chalet to discuss Snoop’s future and of course to indulge in a little fun on the slopes. The hosts, Erin and Danny, can’t help but catch wind of the wary dynamic of their guests, sensing the various personality types, and the tensions within the group. But the egos and jockeying for position becomes the least of their worries when a skiing accident, and an avalanche, sets an entirely different tone. While they wait for help to arrive, though, things go from bad to worse as the members of the team begin to die- One by One…Obviously, Ware has patterned this novel after the famed "And Then There Were None” by the grand dame of mystery writers- Agatha Christie. It was effective back with Christie introduced such a premise- but one would think that after all this time, as jaded as we have all become, that such a setup would fail to quicken the veteran reader of mysteries and suspense. Yet, it has done for decades. Therefore, it is no surprise that despite the familiar premise, Ware’s updated version once more lures readers into the ultimate game of cat and mouse. There is the usual frustration of a locked door mystery, with squirm in your seat suspense, and of course the fun of trying to figure out why are all these people dying. There are two main characters that are going to tell this story- one is Liz, who stands to make a fortune if the buyout offer is accepted, though she no longer works for the startup, and Erin, a host at the Chalet, who is trying to find a way to accept a horrible tragedy she blames herself for. The chapters alternate between the staff and the guest as they take us through the events that have led up to this incredibly tense showdown. Ware doesn’t tinker with the formula or format, relying on the simple traditions that made this type of mystery so popular in the first place. And just like Christie, Ware kept me entertained- though not guessing- because I got that part immediately, but by building the most exquisite anticipation, and rewarding me with a fine and satisfying conclusion. Overall, this is a good, solid thriller, a homage to locked room mysteries and to Agatha Christie. It’s not always perfect, but Ware did an admirable job with the mystery elements, and proved that tradition can still be sexy. 4 stars
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Quick, fun read with lots of twists and perfect reading for the holiday season.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Ⓐⓤⓓⓘⓞⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ

    ??? ?? ???
    ??: @ruthware
    ????????: @imogenchurchgobshite
    ?????: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
    ?????????: @simon.audio
    ????????? ??: September 8, 2020
    @????????? ?????: 3.73
    ?? ?????: ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ / 5 Snowflakes

    Ⓟⓡⓔⓜⓘⓢⓔ

    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? Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?

    Ⓜⓨ Ⓣⓗⓞⓤⓖⓗⓣⓢ

    So, I know that when this book came out there were so many mixed reviews. That is why it has taken me now to finally dive into it. Also, I am running out of my beloved run of "locked room mystery" novels. Please send help or at least some suggestions.

    Okay, so my thoughts on this book will probably not reflect well with some but I quite enjoyed this book. I mean maybe for most who did not enjoy it maybe they would have enjoyed it more if they had listened to the audio version like myself. Because IMO when it comes to audiobooks the narration really makes things so much better.

    I love a good whodunit and the whole rage with "locked room mystery" novels I am totally on board with. I find them so much fun and enjoyable. In this book in particular the characters who well developed. I wasn't too fond of the whole podcast music thing, but it is what it is. The whole killing them off one by one took over all that. And yes, I know the killer could have been a bit obvious but it was still fun because in truth it still could have been anyone.

    I stand by Ruth Ware and enjoy her books so much. I am absoutely excited to read her up and coming new book "??? ?? ????" which releases July 12th 2022.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    pretty good
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I loved the suspense, especially toward the end where it went from LIZ to ERIN back and forth. That worked really well. Good book!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    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!!
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Reminded me why I hate mysteries. So boring and repetitive. Why this book is a bestseller is a mystery!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    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.

Book preview

One by One - Ruth Ware

ddbook_preview_excerpt.html}˒ƕ@\uE&)uڌ^VJƪnzx@V-? YO%sϹi1 Y}W|>?*.8~?TݽR}_Z>+߄! j>VϺuXϫ?/?gޭK8m@?_|Xa7.\y7&V|SaXCkW\48/]( 0NejeXy7rCS|pعIs%knz/7[n*oM._jaUcpar[]ᅱ,۔?]5]^~burg.ji݂oާOai+E7]Z|aj6t2/UyN{Gl8-Kzw/ڝKչjA逴By|=9D,_7tV%S+?::K0Oa< jujr蚖 Gyp cujqթCGJnX-.id>ۥrrB}~/IVбB0Mu868ܪ“p\-r Vn5[v%ۊ%(T>b>E k/7:(!8Ffp>vXKؒ۫ys8 Ou9r s06$_B[0L:(g w hi]EE0uC.{?4Ә#2ExtpHPU+OdAY#UWzq_~u[PKכp^EˣLTqީra-ufSD$'c6fz 9 99X48OQp,j'zwe߉z5Hʮ Xq$nfgmf.9]V˨6;J"vTlFczP~_(0bC=\/qh6;E4\1(!N $Ҋ9xȟ8"aKPBb<6XATk'[y1gXe^pT?@fa.N&ͱusSymXqq θ~84\@f?I$}`D[GwIoU%X(8%4Mo8.ƱWn?YF3ֺԂ]vG!;OGo Ճ)͒z.Y7! 7'b7<^lxY`NȽ Kv`y|T]Oifs< Th)?)>4" :5'[@U!E2~o(FІ҇o"D[Uہ&0fi9pA 9컍]Ei]/cS&OY(ڠ_cJMTߐH`ea{q숎f*"#9>G "6DB3q[, k@bd'_}׼N ii;D*FgN4Zz6?.pH?SBCþ~ϯuӭ0l$~&h8CaŘ͢ɻP;#`jζMU{)i,O`6"&`;WʉÐX(-kaAUv&?&_$f)]Z !^  [,d%<{spEDm+uGf'!aif#{'a: ޻eEuO3첃=8<"^RE9Rb)*ܜMc=1'-zxq#9֠MZ1%-x!E] 7ll Ћ2 cތ~%oAExrXABlvR SrxExQo1+)ulyTxWkPJvxh8#n,-jȫ|nWJir<%RY3cOx0%y3Z $9">Kn =#?A;A hWq1lZpkmGQXsPUg@Kњ -|S@q!LiV{P%UmHk?`7{4XF~j0+a <Щ.Wim# I &vxG1>~lit8@ToF  qΔ7AP5&K3`# <D]+r 1!G&kJZ;'5?O 6 u>kvV\=Oq٣Y/̧hrT۱d|x.1lEpك/DƬkj=W "8#!'~p nC(RD_pf]qttA`9@=$t5lV{iTؙ^snAjRXR@psޢ&1evVqǦ0iT*#~m(hoj}&&{EvLe0`P=E^2%25LGC ZXH/,aGPȰ*q(N<8X+ȄZn<T&pITJLVڽo +(pf]SKvJuLag|ϛArDNylyU3Ћ 4beWp HY,O5W?Cd-vX|ČRH”;AaP2ڡǾSP6To)7\G)DԞ[zhշ}L8#,T{b0'(ZR ['M"^Yu Rձ1 <"RY '5Iv"kj "o*~qڨ t-]@#ix?E\5@=,4`U]K?+n, +L-$wL6BLkͭT,s5KI;.7L5kw%2KQ"skrU+ZXqP4*/!9?%Zqm2""mY4jvp?S t_W"({&QzP'aR4*Ӹ5-PI Yȣzp?'N-_,VbJZryh HP}GlzDTx)4Z\FQY-xK854H2;eF4gP!4*eJ0ګݴ#!.Ug:igE˒1W.^YSm5-]-'U0׀*;12׋gZQoC -PdAiB] r>{|R>&|PўhK)6[J}mABaZDTdwP$c%xj6u!Ϧ.c=yt& vkU@3 co]5^`yšzY䌊*K..ՉS[*k1@ ̆'⨄tQ\W*Ǫ_$hr\;fr: P1Oc I70=;,_p=c>K Z³\s-Ǘی% BS>a[sѲUo\s^ָ$ ,6tP TC&bޜ :f|:k j^EUޑvM`GmX{ W]E 4by~Tkoǚ2QwyU0x דg,?£}wߙ+=gtz-:dBOY2HjȧE si5Șv ]aUpUH^ 2:ҟiP6wdq9iLB }7ޗ*B|JQ4ƵOlXƥU]lgcC?ZG_ ė,v?~gRqA7,'&זLjərs*I-\xʙmamfQ2@+ MH&qb6eyMV0;4}PnF,?26Pغ'yG.iI/n]4'SB Ĩed6oYBS1>GzrZPL=^LooCE5(iw {EBX^[pL71Q٣\P~ *}+ԏNL"%İI˪MFn1ӱbtd bYkdJ .{B}zP?/땝G jݭ)>=E'^: b/EtHOBhJCDH~{)\kfc0kD꭪!AOQIjԈkp fo z&0{ 0d! ɿg͂ %̛^|Xo+j,|s<_>= fdұK>_e QoWOjMf[ OTRR+UIQӕIB癠 7^#Smޛl L홮˽?V ~{h5]0FVgvi?+~/0H!ʪ^'@)7RQ+ԹέI"h*nTKyWߚ'M;Z#26HL-daGt z6ZۃڋV.Wq:[Pb}MC|+r8WbϞӀI,1a*v3:RCuv+wvYA}4>FDQY`îb!)R[[:zp|uTM[$ˬK'Km Fv9pėpO2a0P- ELi3hZG\(D)%+)BCڙ@J^17"2Q%+sEG@DALJb?µq~'-7ng_/ynI A@[8= ^\q*/B_gYE6fn|xb8d>!Y+ Mj;vt-/pPni.EM=i?TVֳSP{_Rsف؜5^b%֣66tm ]RnZߵ,uU%M ZEbF;1j/=K )8e4>U 3\٧=ؼyf(^ 1<;,gCXcpV_ "xϏn< OeЍ ƻ#Ɍ!h<ƒ-!TiRL*e R -[2VQIw9L¬8ZaVٲȉ 8,jh$Cn)oѡ4bz¯PVY}+k?Ӱ x-@E] e7&̻,"wa2w9RBo VcT phԠl9.HCm(!r"= uz_ߧ_|ӷ]=_V[PwG$4GCSemq&ju`6E>&6HqFQSRjtyO7u^I 26jCm\u%:En 8lmS.g;`e)is{Ɔ$)ہ04:Ua{jŰ~<~:_JŪi}36evBGh5> D~.P0R_8d*g-ᨅrց^Zm\zSG 埘"#K}s*KóU7“.kL3R3' aY`6iJߙ*alP N,`OR EV>7g4X$ǡ;' "CܪGC1\3pV) $NbkSچO֖tb,޼i&HtD)=}z)AeWo%8fDRe2he??]gNk4)T(]„ pXgjhL͘ˌp9GU.NWT{csp FmslEY`G l1' +Da1|)7ljvq0Ms!/%LE)|%ͩ-bݰ[I)3z RP/")906Dm uEIt=;&σ3\%sꪔzeۄXLn.HXNgIcɦA]oF Ѵ~b4nRH}Νi :=EOIYA?,c\cY!sׂl.g 9J̻vVh:ݥ*IԤ5Հn'J=xޙn)0"vm>7&[#P|=ԁ'r=eSP,H+B jKxr'КQHe[;viM~匴LG3-lw=b4~MŻ[VT,X-%z } ƥH*w*o<,6)1؞Y ;t22Aǜ(uK[诜NjmNYźK_!@"FPKٹ%:ݢ`3[n+kjuVFliWκݬ^ `ܜq,N]%Dhwc4'RvE I['rR_K⯁kI}c=VxLi [׷ױ|OS{. =A#F@Vf@5EW"Fկٸ׮57@L} (6\^wn/Vje.(]F0UDN>f&YQсtvp*o4tZ O3|C%4e:u,1pFEm *ڂ9'H(\ĘA6o^Σw~@] 4pG;ucbi8Bdo3YbʄzQd5>[P kF|``Q5"UFF3K|bfk3ᒞh=M\`o >݉sҜ.ϴ2U y85DAD|֞=*t4MA,7}KRylvP)Ou&c5.yZaZ2;{&S^*5j0bɛSk  /1QH3}(B:w#L` \]Ea^skߌGqn,$%o\_{" ͼJ.1Qծ^}eB=V\ypO$vwYAt`A(i 1T):@k{-V)/hPu"Oc=b〽"C%3[{rt `}-X0{oiW3Ǖo.zsÛ:xw8f-_;Wxfjcj)#FX@% 1XF<8 O&1ʇź:X|O=n[Z[T[ [aH[2ߎH?J 4bdz^~o?vpЙuFb{oz;60IZetR )+4:u mrX SaH/x x^9y/qH# 0)80+1'_[4:=sF얣n0:|^]?mܭyU\v八3#-J>L<#q In[j 8tlYZteSLsVSYƉinLyW2zfȒ#5?z1%H _SI=ٸ7dիM9HW z )e 8'b4 ]fij-+լy!W_t)AW,@9_Bi&vhfsFvEkXs[!$c;v۰uűSѕ'>_x^zB4Wn.MIֵiG5Gʀ1 H@qS(zN !2U_H|+]n_j,NS7w/Cg[.|pS "ÚG'z D_;nI7hNo% ᬃKmq| 8Yi} hfV-q΃V83SEm4,&egbBclu$鵧+j~n.iC9)_ҍYg_?w .U*F^4 StnSjrh91/ִ^87X0oNwYTw M.hZ KغU˸`Lfx+A+;$#3R )*jJzd5"^ j>9JkwM L[?1zHO({}EuV2Ĭ/3X9M]NPԥI39|aq4Z6K\tEC#m[ZM. o <;r˷_k鳟 -“2E0VS2SwN{*F|ݡc8"t7W{ؙa7aAy#8_gje>SY3M?)8 ?ׄ
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1