Terrific book! Love Ruth Ware! Felt like I was watching a movie.

Positives:
Jack and her husband Gabe's, jobs. Fascinating and the perfect background for the novel.
The action-packed pace. I read it in 2 days. Intense!
The detailed use of technology to help the main chracter's efforts and outsmart others
Jack as a tough, cever, and capable main character determined to prove her innocence
The theme of the kindness of strangers that ran throughout
Lots of moving parts of the plot

Negatives:
Sometimes too descriptive
As a reader you want Jack to get medical help the whole way through. That was frustrating as a reader and I wish she could have figured out how to work that into the plot. It was almost a distraction.

Really enjoyed this one. Ruth Ware will stay on my must read list.

Ruth ware does it again. I have no idea how she continues writing such amazing and compelling stories but here I am in awe once again.

Jack and her husband Gabe run a security business where they break into both the buildings and computers to look for weak areas. As the story opens she is on the job, guided by Gabe but when she gets home he has been murdered–his throat slit. She thinks she is being framed–the police question why it took her so long to call the police. The murder weapon is one of their knives, and somehow a mutli million dollar insurance policy was taken on their lives but she knew nothing about it. She goes on the run with the help of her sister and Gabe’s best friend. She gets help from strangers but she is in pain from a wound she got jumping a fence. Eventually she starts questioning Gabe’s friends involvement in his death. Gabe had been ready to turn in his company. After living outside she calls in the detective who was questioning her and they round up the friend and his role in the murder. It was very intense and I enjoyed it.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨:
This is an adrenaline filled ride of a story; there are new twists and turns at every chapter. While I enjoyed the action packed story it wasn’t as mystery/thriller as some of Ware’s other novels. I would have liked to see less action and more mystery but that is just my reading preference. This was was still a quick bingeable read.

Ware is an auto buy author for me so I will continue to read her books. Definitely pick this one up if you like crime fiction and action filled thriller books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ruth Ware has been on a hot streak with her past two novels- the IT Girl and now Zero Days. While there was a stretch where it seemed that the author was writing a series of retellings of literary tropes, these past two novels were incredibly original. The fast pace of this novel matched the intensity of the plot, and I greatly enjoyed Jack's journey and ultimate triumph.

A ticking clock novel with an interesting background (not a spoiler to find out that the couple featured tests security for a living). But the plot felt drawn out and the turns were a little predictable. I've loved Ruth Ware in the past, but this wasn't for me. Others, I'm sure, will feel differently.

I’m so so so sad that I am rating this book so low but omg was I absolutely NOT A FAN.

There was literally no character development, if anything her choices just kept getting worse. Also, I found it so predictable and the twist happened at like 65% and then nothing else shocking happened?? The ending was so unsatisfying.

I also just don’t like that there was so few of substantial characters in this. I felt like there was really only two maybe three and I just needed more. We just followed the main character around while she made very questionable decisions with a huge gaping wound in her side that she kept ignoring beside putting a bandage over it.

Also the police procedure at the beginning of this was SO inaccurate. The police told our main character “if you leave this voluntary interview that means we have cause to arrest you” when that is the first thing people who becomes cops or study in that field learn is NOT the case or proof of guilt EVER.

I normally am not one to write bad reviews but since I got this ARC from NetGalley I needed to post a review somewhere and I will always be honest with my reviews.

Fabulously fun read! Brilliantly written!! Great plot!!! A Ruth Ware book is always worth reading, and this one doesn’t disappoint. The lead in prior to the husband’s mysterious death draws you in, and then the action continues. I really enjoyed the antagonist in this story—he was interesting, as well as the main character. Some of the supporting characters (husband for example) were a little less well rounded but it was still fun to read. I definitely recommend!

Synopsis: Jack has made a career out of breaking into buildings and hacking security systems but when a job goes horribly wrong, she realizes the police believe her to be the prime suspect. She has eight days to prove her innocence while on the run in London with no food or money and a battle wound that just won’t heal.

Review: This book had me hooked from the very beginning! It’s fast paced and I was super invested in Jack’s story (aka riddled with anxiety). After reading The It Girl and In a Dark, Dark Wood, I’m officially a Ruth Ware fan.

This was truly a heart racing book! I felt like I was watching an action movie. This isn't the type of book I typically pick up but I was so pleasantly surprised with this one. What I love most about Ruth Ware is that all her books are so different. They are always going to be a thriller, but this was much different than other books of hers I have read. I really felt like I was watching the Bourne identity. I stayed up way too late some nights reading this, with adrenaline pumping through me!

I received an advanced copy of the book sent to me by the publisher in exchange for my honest option. Huge thanks to Simon and Schuster for sending me this one!

I had a hard time getting started with this one, but once I got into it I couldn’t put it down. I was equal parts screaming at Jack and cheering her on through the entire thing. I found myself very heavily invested in the outcome, and although it was a bit obvious, the twist was fantastic. I did want to see mention of Gabe’s parents and tie that little loose end and more in the denouement, but otherwise it ended in a nice and neat way.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book!

Jacintha “Jack” Cross is a “pen tester”—someone who breaks into agencies security systems to test how vulnerable companies are to attack. She and her husband, Gabe, make the best team: she does the ground work to get into the building, and he is able to hack information once she is there. One night, however, Jack returns home to find that Gabe has been brutally murdered…and she realizes that she is the police’s number 1 suspect.

This was quite the departure of storylines from Ruth Ware’s other novels. Even though other stories of hers have had the psychological thriller element, this is a full action almost spy-type thriller. (Reminiscent of like Jason Bourne, or even the jump start reminded me a little of a Colleen Hoover inciting incident). It is very fast-paced and full of action, but after awhile the action gets quite repetitive (running from the cops, accidentally giving information that comprises her position). I also did not feel particularly connected to the characters in this story as I have been in the past. It felt like there was so much running around that we never got to really know Jack or her true relationship with Gabe & Cole, or even her past with Jeff. I wish there had been more time for character development as I think that would have helped make the mystery (who killed Gabe and why) more compelling. I also felt there was a lot of technical IT hand-waving (which is a little hard as it is also a big part of the plot!). Overall, I think fans of Ruth Ware will be surprised by this book as it felt quite different from her other closed scene murder mysteries.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun page turner with enough twists it made it fun to read. I liked the different characters and I really liked how for the most part Jack was smarter than everyone and a step ahead of most everyone.

Zero Days kept my heart pounding and my breath holding as I pulled for Jack as all and I mean all odds are stacked against her.

Main character, Jack (Jacintha Cross) we meet as she is breaking into an office building. Her husband, Gabe, is assisting her remotely through her headset. This is part of their job as pen testers. Pen tester is short for penetration tester where the couple stress tests security systems for a living, After wrapping up a nerve-wracking job Jack tells Gabe she'll head on home and he can complete his portion of the assignment. Their communication connection ends abruptly and things very quickly go downhill for both of them. What is going on? Jack is nabbed by security, and taken down to the police station. Now the contractor who hired them as pen testers is not answering his phone, nor is Gabe. Eventually, things seem to be sorted out and Jack is free to go on home finally.

Completely exhausted, she returns home and finds Gabe, her beloved husband, has been murdered. His throat has been cut! Blood is everywhere! Jack goes into shock and freezes up. She eventually regains herself and calls for help. This lack of prompt response makes the police question why there was such a gap in her release from the station, her arrival home, and when she finally called 999.

Now what should Jack do? Do the authorities think she killed Gabe? After all family is the first suspects in cases like this. With this in mind, Jack returns to the station for follow-up questions the next day. While awaiting the officers she checks her phone and sees a bizarre email. An email that, coupled with the knowledge that the police consider her a suspect, this prompts Jack to go in the run.

Jack feels if she can find the person responsible for the murder of her husband, she can be eliminated as a suspect. She knows that she didn't do it and believes that if the police have her in custody, they won't bother looking very hard for the actual culprit. Jack has strong escape skills she has practiced throughout years of pen testing and she is in fine physical shape. She gets a little help from her sister and her husband's best friend as she runs, but must be careful to NOT use phones and credit cards which could ping her location. Still the police seem to know her moves and are always just a little behind her if not before her every move.
Now here is the part that was most vivid to this reader on her harrowing run… she punctured her side in the early part of her escape and without proper cleaning and medication it begins to fester most disgustingly, and her pain is palpable.
What Jack will soon come to realize, is that even those closest to you are capable of the most heinous betrayals. Will she be able to piece everything together in time before capture? Her efforts are thwarted by near physical collapse from her injury, fatigue, intense pain and lack of nourishment?

Okay, so who is responsible for her husband’s murder? I didn’t see what was coming for sure! Jack's journey to find the truth will take a number of unexpected turns, a delving into the workings of the Dark web, the black market, and all bleak things associated.

This was an entertaining and intriguing read that I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys a great mystery and a thrill ride of the decade.
Ruth Ware had done it again!

I have read several of Ruth Ware's books. Her writing style is often compared to Agatha Christie - a slow burn mystery and, having read many Agatha Christie books, I would agree with the assessment. This book turned Ware's previous style on its head. Zero Days is more a thriller than a mystery. It follows Jack as she tries to discover who murdered her husband, all while evading the police as she is the prime suspect. The book takes place over a week's time and comes to a quite satisfying end. I guessed the murderer very early on but still enjoyed the book very much.

Short synopsis: Jack and her husband Gabe are Pen Testers (look for holes in corporate security) after a job, Jack comes home to find Gabe murdered. She escapes police custody to find who really murdered her husband.

My thoughts: This one is compared to the movies Mr and Mrs Smith and The Fugitive, I feel like it’s definitely more The Fugitive after the first little bit.

I liked the action and Jack’s mind as she unraveled the mystery to Gabe’s murder. Hel is one amazing sister to believe in Jack’s innocence throughout the story and put herself on the line to help her sister out.
I especially enjoyed seeing the kindness of strangers help Jack when she was in need.

I did feel like it was a little long and could have been shortened or condensed and still have the same effect, but overall I enjoyed the storyline.

Read if you love:
- Proving your innocence
- Fugitives on the run
- Kindness of strangers
- Long chapters
- Action packed

✨Book Review✨
Zero Days by Ruth Ware
⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
Ruth Ware is one of my favorite authors, but this book was a miss for me. The first half was pretty decent and got me sucked in, but the second half felt so repetitive and I was frustrated with the main character the whole time for not taking care of herself.
.
It got to the point where I hardly wanted to keep reading because I was so frustrated with her progressively getting sicker and sicker and doing nothing about it. This might not bother everyone as much, but with my health anxiety, it was too much for me to read about.
.
If you love Ruth Ware you should give this one a shot, but I did not think it was one of her best.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Ware never fails to generate psychological suspense in her novels. Jacinta/Jack is suspected in the brutal murder of her beloved husband. The truth behind the facts is almost as brutal as the crime itself.

Ruth Ware is consistently one of the best story tellers in her genre. Zero Days is no exception.

Jacintha "Jack" Cross and her husband Gabe are penetration specialists hired by corporations to hack their software and break into buildings to identify vulnerabilities that may exist. After a job which did not go as planned, an exhausted Jack comes home to find Gabe dead, his throat slit. Jack is now the main suspect in his killing. With the help of her sister, Hel, and Gabe's best friend, Cole, a gravely injured Jack tries to stay alive while desperately trying to find Gabe's Killer.
With Zero Days, Ruth Ware brings a fresh and creative way to take readers down the thriller rabbit hole. A master of her craft, Ruth Ware is on point with her research into the world of cyber corruption as well as the complexity of the human condition. The only bad thing about reading a new Ruth Ware novel is that you are now left waiting for the next one.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
.

Love anything from Ruth ware so I was pumped to start this. Starts out with a bang and keeps going. Couldn't put it down! Great storyline and characters. Highly recommend! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC