I loved The Woman in Cabin 10. The Death of Mrs. Westaway and Turn of the Key? Meh. So I wouldn’t say I went into this as a Ruth Ware fan, but I wanted to give it another go, now that my life is stabilized enough (in a pandemic? WTF?) that if I don’t like a book, maybe it isn’t just me…so I was happy to get a copy of One by One from Galley Books/Scout Press and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

I was expecting sort of an Agatha Christie vibe after reading that this was one of those stories where the characters get picked off one by one. I’m not sure that is the case, but I am sure that it was a really fun read. Good plot, interesting setting and characters, and a twisty ending. In this story, a group of millennials from a dot-com/tech company (with a hot new product called Snoop, that enables the user to latch on to the music feed of anyone at any time) who go on a corporate getaway to a chalet in the Swiss Alps. They want to focus on mindfulness and collaboration, but this chalet is not the place for that, it seems. The chalet staff includes Erin, who seems to do all the cleaning plus be the hostess and social director, and Danny, who is both the chef and the pool boy/outdoor maintenance guy. There don’t seem to be any other staff, and the chalet can only be accessed by a funicular, meaning they are VERY isolated. Okay, it’s best to just suspend your disbelief, the point is this group of 10 people arrives at this secluded luxury hotel, then are completely isolated when an avalanche cuts them off from any contact with the outside world.

Among the group of guests, there is a Zuckerberg-esqe company founder named Topher and a stunning woman named Eva, and the story is “Topher’s and Eva’s own personal game of thrones.” It is told from various points of view. focusing on Erin, Danny, and Liz, who is the most relatable character. A former employee who was smart (or lucky) enough to get some compensation in the form of shares in the company, she stands to become RICH now that they are on the verge of a major buyout. As the story unfolds, and people keep dying or disappearing, it seems like no one can really trust anyone, and it’s all great fun. The only possible downside is that while suspicion is focused on various people over the course of the weekend, I figured out who the culprit was early on (although the WHY remained a mystery til the end), which means pretty much everyone will figure it out, because I am terrible at solving the mystery based on clues throughout a book. Four stars, and I’m now a fan of Ruth Ware.