Ruth Ware has written more HITS than MISSES for me, but this wasn’t a favorite.

Known for her Agatha Christie style “locked room” mysteries, my PAST reviews for her books have often used the words, “GOTHIC SUSPENSE”, “ATMOSPHERIC” and “DARK”.

And, NONE of those words apply here.

This book is a complete departure from her usual work-a pure “adrenaline-fueled” thriller-which just doesn’t fit my PERSONAL taste.

Jacintha (Jack) Cross does the “Mission Impossible” type break-ins, aided by her husband, Gabe Medway who is a digital security expert and “hacktivist”. They are “Penetration Specialists” hired by companies to evaluate their security and expose weaknesses.

After a routine assignment hits a snag, Jack returns home to find that Gabe has been brutally murdered.

It turns out that Gabe has just acquired a “life insurance” policy which means that Gabe either feared for his life, or that someone else had applied for it under his name, to frame Jack.

Despite the fact that Jack suffered an injury that should be attended to at a hospital, she decides to RUN from Police, rather than cooperate-preferring to SOLVE the case on her own, and CLEAR their names.

For a woman with mad skills-she sure does make some questionable decisions!

I guessed the PERP early on, and I don’t personally enjoy the “FUGITIVE” trope. So, suffice to say, I missed the style of her previous work. If you enjoy “action movies” this will probably be a HIT for you!

Thank You to Gallery/Scout Press for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Unfortunately this wasn't my favorite from Ruth Ware. I had a hard time believing the storyline and it was a lot of go, go, go. I'll continue to read/purchase her books, but this one didn't hit the mark for me.

This book had an interesting premise and character but failed to hold my attention. I thought I knew who did it and why about one-third through and only finished it to see if I was right. I was. The ending did not seem plausible to me either. Thrillers are not my favorite genre so maybe this would be better for others.

Thank you to Gallery Books and Ruth Ware for my copy of this book. This book is about Jacintha and Gabe, professional “pen testers” who are paid by companies to break in and test their security. Gabe controls the technology and Jack does the physical work of breaking in. One night after a routine assignment, Jack comes home to find her husband murdered. Not only is she devastated, but she quickly realizes that she is the police’s number one suspect. Instead of turning herself in, Jack goes on the run so she can figure out what happened to Gabe. She needs to find out who would want to hurt Gabe and who in her life can she really trust.

Thoughts: Zero Days was unlike any of Ruth Ware’s previous books. It read like a fast-paced spy novel or a female Jason Bourne. It was fun that the reader is not only looking for who could have committed the crime, but also why they did it. However, this book was not for me. It was frustrating that the characters were one dimensional and that their jobs replaced having a personality. There was SO much useless commentary in this book and it felt really repetitive. I found myself skipping forward just to get to something actually happening.

Jack made the worst decisions and frustrated me a lot. I appreciated that this book was about love and loss and grief, but that was such a big part of the story that not much else happened. If Jack didn’t care if she lived or died, as the reader, I didn’t care too much either. The reveal in this book was very obvious and the ending was cliche and unsatisfying. I love Ruth Ware’s writing, but unfortunately this was a miss for me. 2.5 stars.

This book started off strong, but I quickly grew tired of the constant running from someone, picking locks, jumping over things, etc. It felt like a lot of action but little plot. Gabe’s murderer was fairly obvious by halfway through the book. I ended up skimming the second half of the book just to get through it. I kept waiting for something to actually happen, but nothing did. I didn’t feel like any of the characters were really developed, resulting in no emotional attachment to any of them. I did like the technical aspects of Jack and Gabe’s job.

This was my first Ruth Ware book, so am now a bit leery of trying another one by this author.

I really enjoyed this one and would highly recommend this to any existing fan of Ware’s

I felt that in terms of background story, things were left a little too ambiguous. I could definitely see this as part of a series moving forward. I’ll be looking forward to the next book in line.

Although Zero Days started slow, it did pick up and I was completely dialed in to the plot at about the 20% mark. The story follows Jack who is trying to uncover who murdered her husband and why. When she realizes she is the one and only suspect, she goes on the run searching for answers . With lack of shelter and money, Jack struggles knowing who to trust and where to turn as she unravels the mystery. This novel contains quite a bit of "tech talk" and it could get in the way of the mystery at times. Also, Ware reveals the culprit less than 2/3 of the way through the book. There is a small, but satisfying twist at the end to look forward to.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books, Gallery/Scout Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Jack (Jacintha) and her partner (and husband) Gabe own a business where they try to penetrate building security both physically and online so that they can give the companies tips on how to improve. Jack is at a building doing the physical aspect of the security check (and hooking Gabe into the online aspect) when she is caught by security personnel. They don't believe her when she said she was hired to do the check since the company contact is not answering his phone, so the police take her into custody. Her former boyfriend (Jeff) is a police officer and when he finds out what is happening gets her freed. When she gets home to her house, she finds Gabe with a slit throat. Because she is in shock, she doesn't call the police immediately which leads them to question the timeline of her actions and before she know it she is a suspect. From there, Jack goes on the run and is nearly caught several times.

Despite figuring out who the bad guy was fairly early on, I did not know the motive immediately. The book had an action movie feel to it once Jack was on the run and I felt the author played fair with the mystery aspects of the story.

Working in IT, this book had everything I was looking for. Jack and Gabe work as pen testers, a job that requires them to break into companies and see if they can find weakness in the IT department. One of their tests doesn't go as planned, and because Jack was the one that physically went inside while Gabe did the leg work from the outer edges, when they can't reach the man that hired them Jack is taken to the police station.

When she is finally released she goes home, thinking that Gabe may not have been answering the phone due to being tired. Unfortunately, she finds her husband in a pool of blood with no signs or evidence pointing to an outside party. She is the only real person of interest. And before she can be arrested, she takes off to find out who killed her husband and to clear her name.

I wasn't totally shocked by the killers identity, but, the author has a great prose and keeps you turning page after page to see where the story will lead you. I really enjoyed this one.

Such an exciting read! I love all of Ruth Ware's novels and they just keep getting better and better.

This one starts out immediately with action as main character, Jack, is breaking into an office building. She's being lead by her husband, Gabe, via an earpiece as he navigates the buildings floor plan and security cameras. At this point we assume they are probably criminals, but most definitely likable ones. The action never stops from there. I couldn't put it down. Probably the most exciting read for me so far this year.

Jam-packed with non-stop action; I loved literally every.single.part of this book; definitely very different from her other books that I’ve read, but in the best way possible; excellent character development & the perfect pace; was constantly wanting to know what would happen next; a true page-turner

Special thank you to Scout Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

In a happy coincidence, @Simonandschuster and @bookclubfavorites reached out to ask if I’d like an advance copy of this book. When I replied in the affirmative, @Netgalley forwarded me the ARC. This book is a slight departure from Ware’s usual fare. She tends to like “group with a secret” plots. This, however, was about a woman racing to identify her husband’s killer (it wasn’t a stretch to figure it out). The pace was breathless as “Jack” raced through London. Because I’m not a techie, I admit to not really figuring out what exactly the horrible thing was that caused her husband’s death, but I don’t think that detracted from the suspense of the novel. I doubt I would recommend this to my book club only because we are reading another Ware novel this year, but other book clubs would probably enjoy this fast-paced thriller.

Just finished the new Ruth Ware as a galley copy. It is very good! It might be her best book yet. Totally unlike her previous books. Still a mystery but not the psychological thriller. I enjoyed it immensely. For me, the only negative is the overuse of the f-word.

One of the best Ruth Ware books I have read. Jack and Gabe’s story grabs you from the pen test in the opening pages and refuses to let go through Jack’s quest to find Gabe’s killer. I loved the addition of the good samaritans who help along the way and the surprise at the end.

I was super excited to have been approved for this novel .

In Ruth Ware’s Zero Days we are presented to Jack and Gabe they are a married couple that are employed by different companies for the purpose of breaking into buildings and hacking their way in to computer systems. During one of their work assignment things go horribly wrong and Jack ends spending a long night at a police station . When she is finally released she finds out that Gabe , her husband has been murdered.
Soon after Jack becomes the prime suspect of her husband’s murder . The police bring her into the police station once again to interrogate her. She quickly realizes that she is being framed for his murder and manages to escape from the police station .
She begins on a quest to discover who killed her husband while simultaneously clearing her name .

ZERO DAYS will have readers on the edge of their seats. The novel is full of twists and turns and kept me engaged and guessing the entire way.
There are moments where you will literally be holding your breath just waiting to see what happens next.
This novel is a bit of a departure from some
of her previous novels but nevertheless this one is definitely a must read !!!!!

I am a huge Ruth Ware fan so was excited to get an advance copy of this book! This is not typical Ruth Ware territory as it goes in a more action/thriller direction. Jack and her husband Gabe are in a sort of M and Mrs Smith situation from the start, except more tragic and Jack finds herself in trouble for a murder she did not commit. Most of the book follows her story of figuring things out. This book has lots of suspense, twists and turns and is a great page turner! Not like a usual Ruth Ware book but I still enjoyed it.

In a word I would say this novel was disappointing. I have enjoyed many of Ms. Ware’s earlier books including “The Death of Mrs. Westaway” and “The Woman in Cabin 10”, this book was very different! Though this was also character driven, the structure of the novel was very “loose” and grew very repetitive in time.

I think I”m going to go with a PROS and CONS format for this review:

PROS:

An interesting and unique premise. Jack Cross and her husband are Gabe PEN testers,.They are hired by businesses etc to see if their premises and their information online security is “hack proof” or if there are areas of concern.

The story moves fast enough, so if you enjoy a high level of cat and mouse chases, this one will work for you.


CONS:

After 13% on my Kindle (I checked) Jack goes on the run from the police and she doesn’t stop until the conclusion of the story.

I found Jack to be an unbelievable character. Though she was obviously athletic and skilled in escape methods because of her job, she was portrayed as having almost superwoman skills. This always bothers me in a book – how injured and sick can you be and still climb high fences, outrun the police, etc etc.

There are only so many ways you can describe the pain you are in and your injury. Over and over we are told how large the wound was, how infected it was, how she had to change the dressings!!

I just grew tired of the chase and kept waiting for something exciting to happen!!

The ending was unsatisfying and vague.

I had very high expectations for this one. I acknowledge that every book this author writes is different, this one just didn’t work as well for me.

I would still recommend it if you enjoy a quick read and lots of chase scenes!

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

ZERO DAYS feels like a departure for Ruth Ware into a more action-driven thriller, and while I liked the tension created by the protagonist Jack''s situation, the plot seems to stay at the same level of intensity throughout. Because she makes the choice to flee police custody instead of cooperating, the actions that follow bring her farther in a direction of danger--which is good for stakes--but leave the reader questioning the logic of her choices as the story goes on. Also, there is much repetition in her thought process and concern about her injuries; while this helps to give us Jack's perspective, it's a lot of telling and less showing. I could see this as a film script, if the antagonists were made clearer and more specific, and we could have more moments of variety in character development.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

What a ride. I don’t know how this book made me love Gabe so much in just a few pages, but man that made me sad. You really pull for Jack throughout this book, but that girl has the worst luck. I’m not a tech person, but I was fascinated by the hacking and pen testing in this book. If they don’t make this a movie, I’ll be shocked. Thrilling and tense, and I enjoyed the whole thing.

When one of a spousal team is found dead, the other races agains time to find the killer and clear their own name. Diehard fans of Ruth Ware should enjoy it.