Member Reviews

Jack and her husband are the perfect team both personally and professionally. They test security systems but one night a job goes wrong and Jack returns home to find her husband...dead and she is instantly the number one suspect.

I went into this book cautiously for two reasons, first I had heard it was different from Ruth Ware's usual Agatha Christiesque mysteries and secondly because of the title I thought it may be a high tech action read which is not really my kind of read. All caution and concern went out of the window very early on as I was invested straight away. Jack and Gabe despite the cool jobs are down to earth and lovable so when the worst happens early on it is devastating. Police always suspect the spouse so poor Jack has to run as no-one else will be looked at otherwise. Now this is where the book could have lost me as sometimes cat and mouse stories can be too long or too rushed or too convoluted but this pacing was perfection and so very realistic every step of the way. Not a single word or sentence was wasted and I was on tenterhooks how it would all play out. Again sometimes these style of stories can be all style and no substance but Ware did not fall into that trap and instead gave us a watertight plot with flare and not a plot hole in sight! I honestly cannot praise this book high enough and it has raced into my favourites of 2023.

Zero Days is an algorithm for an absolutely riveting read. High octane chase + engaging protagonist = five star read! This kind of combination is worth it's weight in bitcoins!

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DNF @ 42%

It started off really interesting and gripping but then it slowed down. The MC doesn't seem to have a lot of common sense which started to annoy me. Unfortunate as I've loved this authors previous works but couldn't get to grips with this one.

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

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Not the usual fare from Ruth Ware, and, to be honest, not my normal genre. I much preferred her earlier works, especially The It Girl. This was too unbelievable for me after the protagonist goes on the run, although I really enjoyed the pen testing early chapter and thought that this was going to be about the husband and wife working together to find other security breaches. Having said that, this is a racing, heart stopping read and will be perfect for those who love action fiction. It is apparent quite early in the book who the guilty party is, which is also a bit disappointing. I also would have loved more from the sister, I was expecting that, as a journalist, she would have been investigating from her own angle.

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A new take for Ruth Ware but one I feel she’s delivered wonderfully! You cannot fault her flair for story telling and in this action packed thriller, with a unique and interesting premise she really captures your interest and holds you there! I enjoyed reading a very familiar authors take on something different and I’m excited to see what else Ruth Ware puts her skills to!
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Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!!

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Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jack and her husband Gabe’s profession involves being hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems. A routine job goes wrong and Jack end up being questioned by the police. She is late getting home, and when she finally arrives, she finds Gabe dead with a slit throat. Jack goes on the run when she learns she is the police’s number one suspect in order to find who murdered her husband.

I found it very stressful when Jack went on the run as that is absolutely not how I would react if I were ever in a situation like this! But hey, it’s makes for a thrilling read!

It’s fast paced and compared to many thrillers I have read recently, it is fairly tame on the trigger warning side of things. This is completely different to The IT Girl which I read about a year ago. It amazes me how talented Ruth Ware is at writing stories with such different narratives.

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Sadly this isn’t one of my favourite of Ruth Ware’s works. I wanted to put it down during the first chapter purely from the dialogue between the characters. Unfortunately it just continued to get worse the more I read - some of the things our main character did were plain laughable. She’s a suspect in her husbands murder case and her choices/actions felt like a parody. This was a really great premise but the execution was hideous. I’m devastated because I’ve liked most of Ruth Ware’s books up until now. This makes me wonder if her best is behind her.

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Jacinda Cross or ‘Jack’ to her friends is a pen tester with her husband Gabe. Jack is the physical side of the operation where she breaks into companies’ security systems and Gabe is the brains of the operation. Giving jack instructions from a headphone in her ear. When she comes home after testing the security systems of insurance firm Arden Alliance, she can’t wait to see her husband Gabe. But when she arrives home the place is silent. Too silent and a feeling she gets she knows something is wrong. She finds Gabe dead with his throat cut. With their own kitchen knife.
So, when the Police arrive, and the Police find no evidence of a break in. Jack is accused of his murder. She goes on the run to find the truth and find out who wanted Gabe dead and why?
Thank you, Simon and Shuster, for a copy of Zero Days by Ruth Ware. I have read several books from this author and they a bit of a hit or miss for me. But I can say that the author is back on form with Zero days. This is a fast-paced thriller, and I enjoyed the pen testing and her breaking into companies etc and her exploits on the run. It reminded me a bit like Spooks tv show. But I did guess the killer earlier on in the story. The disappointing but for me was the ending. I was expecting a big action ending but unfortunately it didn’t deliver. 4 stars from me.

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#ZeroDays p#NetGalley
Awesome. 5 star
Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect—her.
Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer in this unputdownable and heart-pounding mystery from an author whose “propulsive prose keeps readers on the hook and refuses to let anyone off until all has been revealed” (Shelf Awareness).
Ruth Ware is the Queen of slow burn.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Schuster for giving me an advance copy.

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I’m a big fan of this author’s books and I loved reading this latest one too. Zero Days is one of those hold your breath in and feel your heart in your throat kind of books.

Once Jack goes on the run the action is non-stop and relentless and it’s what makes this novel the most fun to read. The whodunnit is pretty easy to figure out but can Jack stay out of the hands of the police and prove that she’s innocent?

I was immediately invested in the story and the first time I held my breath was already at the start of the novel but that was only a warmer upper it appeared because the best was then yet to come. Jack and her husband Gabe are pen testers. They test companies’ security, with Jack testing the physical side and Gabe the digital security. They’re a great team but one night when Jack gets home after one of these penetration tests she finds her husband dead and soon enough she’s the prime suspect.

Jack, of course, sets off to prove her innocence, and though we (well I in any case) pretty much know the whodunit and can easily guess the whydunit early on, the story is most addictive in following Jack’s attempts to stay free. Jack is an awesome heroine and I’m happy the story involved such a strong and smart woman.

The novel was gripping and addictive and I didn’t want to stop reading. Jack’s injury made it even more tense and on edge. Even though action-type novels are not my typical genre I enjoyed this one from start to finish.

Review will be posted: July 2, 2023

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A bit different to her last book. I feel like it was a really good read but just less than 5 as I guessed what would happen. However, this is a fast paced book and you will definitely enjoy it. Strong women and likeable characters. Yep. Go, read!

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An action packed nail biting thriller with a fugitive/ girl with a dragon tattoo feel to it. Jack the main character is so clever, determined and resilient you are invested in her straight away. It’s a compelling read that I absolutely loved and highly recommend.

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This was my first Ruth Ware book and it was definitely a great one to start with as I just couldn’t put it down! It was a fantastic action thriller with a wonderful heroine in Jack who is a “pen tester”. - a job I’ve never even heard of.
Jack and her husband, Gabe, have a firm which specialises in checking security systems both physically and on the computer based side- penetration specialists!
When Jack is on a job one evening she returns home to find Gabe murdered and unfortunately she is the prime suspect. Trying to prove her innocence and find Gabe’s killer she goes on the run and has to use all her skills to keep one step ahead of the police and work out who the murderer is. Not knowing whom to trust she is forced to rely on family and friends as well as complete strangers. The police are always hot on her tail whatever she does but she cannot afford to get caught.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book- it was completely up to date with a theme of a computer hacker utilising their skills to test IT systems- I thought it was a very clever premise! The author had obviously done their homework as there was a lot of technical jargon which was used both by Jack and Gabe- I found it interesting to learn about how companies often have flaws in their IT systems which can be security risks.
I liked the fact that it had a very strong and intelligent female lead character in Jack and her narrow escapes really had me on the edge of my seat!
I definitely recommend this book- it would be the perfect thriller to take on your Summer holiday. It deserves every one of the five stars I am giving it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

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I was so excited to see Ruth Ware tackling an action thriller! This was so breathless, I as on the edge of my seat, but it was also deeply emotional in a way that I really appreciated as an avid reader of this genre - it isn't often seen. I've always been a huge fan of hers, but this just cemented that fact!

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Jack is questioned by the police as they suspect her of a crime she didn’t commit. She panics and goes on the run, which makes her look even more guilty so she has to prove her innocence. This story follows Jack over several days as things go from bad to worse for her and we see her strength and perseverance as she becomes more determined to prove she has been framed. A great story and a real page turner as I wanted to find out what was next for Jack. Enjoyable thriller!

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I enjoyed this but was a little bamboozled with all the technical jargon. It is a decent thriller and maybe as I was unsure about some of the meaning I was a little lost at times.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and share my honest opinion.

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Following on from her success with The It Girl, I predict this will be a bestselling beach read. It ticks all of the popular thriller boxes and would make a great film. I appreciate all of the above however for my tastes it fell short of enjoyable. It is very tech-focussed but not in depth enough to be super clever, yet I suspect a bit over-putting for less-techy readers, which is a fine line to be trodden I’m sure.
The copy I was fortunate to read was an advance copy so hopefully some of the repetitiveness that I found jarring will be adjusted in the final edit.
Saying all that, many readers will love it and with just cause; it’s just my personal thriller appetite that wasn’t sated.
Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

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Thank you for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is another gripping thriller by Ruth Ware. We are introduced to Jack and Gabe as they they complete a break in at an office as part of their unique careers testing security defences for different companies. Things go a bit wrong and Jack is caught and held by the police for a few hours. When she returns home she finds Gabe has been murdered. Jack quickly becomes the number one suspect and ends up on the run trying to track down the real killer.
There was lots of action and suspense in this book with quite a few twists along the way. Although I guessed who was responsible pretty early on I still enjoyed the suspense and plot along the way.
This is a gripping, fast paced book thriller and I can’t wait to read more by this author.

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I absolutely loved Ruth Ware's previous novel The It Girl so was excited to have the opportunity to read Zero Days.
Jack and her husband Gabe, a computer hacker, are employed to break into company security systems to test how secure they are. After a security hack goes wrong Jack arrives home to find Gabe murdered and she is soon accused of his murder.
What I loved about The It Girl, was that it was a character driven mystery that had a real sense of place and time. Zero Days is a completely different novel, it's very much action based and sadly this is not a genre I am drawn to. I found it challenging to understand and have an interest in the initial security hack and as this novel was driven by the action I found that the characters were not particularly developed and I lost interest in finding out who Gabe's killer was.
This is very much my personal taste and for those who enjoy this genre I'd recommend a read and as ever the author writes well with a good pace.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

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Zero Days follows Jack who is facing charge for her husband's murder while she goes on the run to find out who may have done it, but with so many holes in her account of the night of his death, we are left wondering if this is enough for the police to believe Jack's theory.

This book gripped me right from the start, Ruth Ware was able to craft our protagonist, Jack, in such a way that you feel real empathy with her. You really get the feeling you are there living the events with her. This is such an incredibly fast-paced book that makes it completely devour able in a single sitting.

While some elements were slightly predictable, it was really nice to read a Ruth Ware novel without a sudden influx of drama in the final 20-odd pages, having it paced throughout the book worked really well. I personally struggled with some of the tech-jargon in there and found that they weren't necessarily explained brilliantly to someone like me who is completely alien to that world, but it's a thriller book, not a tech-guide!

Overall, this may be my favourite Ruth Ware book I have read, it packed drama, it packed pace and it packed suspense by the bucketload! If this is the direction Ware's writing is going to be going in the future, I really can't wait to read what she comes out with next!

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It’s an unusual premise for a novel but one that will bring you along with it throughout. Jack and her husband Gabe are employed to hack into companies’ security systems, finding the weak links in their cyber content. But when an assignment goes pear shaped, Jack comes home to find her beloved husband dead – cruelly killed – and she’s the only suspect. Rather than give herself up, she goes on the run, but certain that she’ll discover who is responsible and their reasons. It’s quite clear that she is not someone to be messed with, not a bit, and you’ll be rooting for her and her resourcefulness as she encounters difficulty after difficulty. It’s a different read from Ruth’s other books and a bit of a change in direction, but one that I’m keen to see where she goes with next.

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