(at least the ones I’ve read)
Number 1
One by One
This one (by one) is no doubt my favorite. Between the setting, dual-perspectives, mysterious murders, and cooky cast of characters, every chapter of this book brought the drama. Sometimes a mystery will only build tension, ditching any effort to build plot and include other shocks and thrills (as seen by some of the books farther down on the list). One by One turned out to be the perfect balance of the two. It delivered a satisfying conclusion after chapters of continuous entertainment, much like a rollercoaster with multiple drops before the finale instead of a water slide that only has one drop after five minutes of meandering around with cartoon animals reminding you how exciting that one drop will be. Read my full review here.
Number 2
The Woman in Cabin 10
I saw this cover everywhere before I picked it up. I thought it was a woman in a cabin in the woods, but no. It’s a cruise cabin! Lo Blacklock is a travel reporter tasked with reporting on the pioneer voyage of the Aurora, a luxury cruise ship. It’s an amazing opportunity for her to report on this story as not many reporters were given the chance, and her boss has put on the pressure on Lo to get the full story of the ship and it’s high-falutin occupants. There is just one problem. In one of her first nights aboard the ship, Lo witnesses a woman being thrown overboard from the balcony of the cabin 10. Lo reports the crime to the cruise staff, but there is no record of that cabin being occupied, and everyone is accounted for. Lo worries that what she saw was her imagination, but she presses on to investigate the crime. It’s a battle between Lo and her doubts, and it doesn’t help that every other character is gaslighting her.
This book contains one of Ruth Ware’s most complex mysteries, and while the reveal was compelling, I didn’t rank this one higher because of my personal dislike of how much misery was in this book. The story isn’t sad and it’s not grueling to read, but this is a book where the main character faces multiple struggles. She deals with general anxiety, which was only heightened because of a recent attempted robbery at her home. She experiences utter loneliness on the Aurora as no one believes or stands with her. Then when things really kick-off there are countless physical tests she must overcome. She is put through the most out of any other Ruth Ware protagonist. The book felt like watching one of those crazy carnival rides that starts of normal and then starts flipping and inverting so much that you worry about the rider more than what the ride is going to do next. All you want is for that poor person to land safely and never have to endure that vortex again.
Side note: This book did something that crops up occasionally in other stories that drives me crazy. Lo was ill-prepared for her reporter assignment and quickly forgets her responsibility to her magazine altogether after she saw the woman chucked overboard. Of course, Lo had her priorities straight when she thought she had witnessed a murder, but, my goodness, I never stopped worrying that she wasn’t getting her work done.
Number 3
In a Dark, Dark Wood Bachelorette parties make me giggle. I have not been to many myself (*ahem* one), but I have heard many stories from friends and family about just how dramatic they can be. I avoid drama in my personal life as much as possible, but I am a sucker for some gossip. You bring the tea, and I’ll bring the sandwiches. So, I was delighted that In a Dark, Dark Wood’s setting was a bachelorette party happening in a cabin in the woods. Excellent. Leonora and another friend of hers are attending this small party of just a few people, but Nora isn’t a bridesmaid like the others, she isn’t even a friend of the bride. They used to be close, but a decade ago they had a falling out that they never recovered from. So why was Nora invited?
The party is going about as well as can be expected, but then things take a turn. This story is partially told in flashbacks because halfway through the bachelorette weekend, Nora ends up in a hospital with memory loss and the police questioning her. Something bad happened on that trip, and someone might have died. If only Nora could remember.
This is my third favorite because watching the chaotic group of friends desperately trying to please the bride and get along was hilarious. I rank it lower because the mystery was much less satisfying than One by One or the Woman in Cabin 10. As Nora remembers the events that led her to being in the hospital and the police begin to question her past, secrets are revealed, and partial memories of the party make Nora begin to doubt whether she may be the culprit or not. It’s a mind-boggle. Just like the teacups ride, this book is a dizzying ride of spinning confusion and gossip until it comes to an abrupt and slightly predictable stop.
Number 4
The Turn of the Key
Ha, did you think this was my most despised Ruth Ware book? Well, it is. It’s just not the worst. This book narrowly avoided last place in my Ruth Ware line up for one reason; it made me feel something. Sure, that feeling was anger and contempt, but that was more than I could say about the last place winner. The Turn of the Key lacked a believable premise, good plot, and satisfying conclusion. Everything was fairly sub-par. I wish my opinion was kinder, but I am still bitter about how riled up this book got me. Parents hiring a nanny they met once to look after their children for multiple weeks on a property that contains a poison garden? Good grief. Like I said in my full-review/rant, I’m surprised more kids didn’t die. The odds were not in their favor. You ever go on an amusement park ride that has a 140 minute wait only for it to lightly lift you off the ground and show you a 5 minute film and spray orange febreeze 50 feet away from you? That was what this book felt like. Disappointment. If you wish to have this experience yourself either read this book or go on the Soarin’ ride at Epcot. Same difference, and I’m still bitter about that one too. Read my full review here.
Number 5
The Lying Game
Welcome to the end of the list. Isa receives a text from her friend Kate with the words “I need you”. With no more explanation Isa immediately leaves for Kate’s home, knowing that Fatima and Thea will also be on their way. These four friends have been living separate lives since they all attended boarding school together many years ago. Now they are grown women with careers and families, but one terrible secret could ruin it all.
The book includes flashbacks to the four girls time in boarding school where they had a reputation for playing a game with their peers and teachers to fool them into believing as many lies as possible. The liars were not well-liked. I was drawn in by the eerie bond these four shared and the mystery of what they hid, but unfortunately this book did not deliver. The Lying Game is 416 pages and should have been 200. Very little happens and it feels like a slog to get to what you hope will be a satisfying mystery reveal but isn’t. This book reeks of promises unfulfilled. I nearly lost my mind when there were more words written about the fish and chips at the pub than the actual lying game. Like a mouse trap ride, the book will meander, make inexplicable sharp turns, and leave you wondering if the discomfort is worth the ticket price.
Honorable mentions:
The Death of Mrs. Westaway
I haven’t read this one yet. And with 1 to 4 odds of whether I’ll like the book or not, I wasn’t prepared to roll the dice again. At least not for a good long while.
The It Girl
This book just released this Summer, and I haven’t read it yet. I’m curious to see where this one will fall in the list.