Zero Days by Ruth Ware

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I had Zero Days by Ruth Ware on hold at the library forever and was very excited when it was my turn to read it. This is not her typical gothic mystery…this is an action-packed suspense. I’ve read four other books by Ware:
The Death of Mrs. Westaway ★★★★
The It Girl ★★★
The Turn of the Key ★★★
The Woman in Cabin 10 ★★★★★

“[A]s always, Ware builds the suspense to the breaking point and then drops a murder into it. . . . You can’t doze with Ware, so save this one for a rainy-day read.”
— The Globe and Mail

About The Book 📚

Title: Zero Days

Author: Ruth Ware

Publication Date: June 2023

Publisher: Scout Press

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Pages: 356

Content Warnings: murder, grief, blood, gore, gun violence, profanity

PG-13

About The Author

“Ruth Ware is an international number one bestseller. Her thrillers In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, The Death of Mrs Westaway, The Turn of the Key, One by One and The It Girl have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including the Sunday Times and New York Times. Her books have been optioned for both film and TV, and she is published in more than 40 languages. Ruth lives near Brighton with her family. Visit http://www.ruthware.com to find out more.” https://ruthware.com/about/

My Review

› Zero Days begins on Saturday, February 4. Jacintha (Jack) Cross and her husband Gabe have a penetration specialist business where they are hired to test security systems. Jack does the physical work of picking locks and avoiding video cameras while Gabe is responsible for breaking into the digital systems. The job goes wrong and Jack is detained by the police because they don’t believe that she was hired to break into the insurance company building. Jack’s ex-boyfriend, Officer Jeff Leadbetter shows up to help her out. She hates having to accept his help but takes it. She finally arrives home to find Gabe dead. The police immediately suspect her because she went into shock and didn’t call the police right away. She manages to escape the police department and get to her sister Helena for help. She also calls Gabe’s best friend Cole knowing that he will help and he might even know if Gabe had been talking to any bad people who would want him dead. For the rest of the book, Jack is on the run from the police, trying to figure out who killed Gabe.

› “I honestly have no idea what my next move is. I didn’t plan any of this, and now – now I’m stuck. My only way out is through.”

› Characters: 5/10
I LOVE Jack. She’s smart, strong, athletic, determined, and observant. I would read another book with her as the protagonist in a heartbeat. She reminded me of all my favourite female action heroes; Halle Berry, Milla Jovovich, Danai Gurira, Linda Hamilton, Michelle Rodriguez, Charlize Theron, Viola Davis, and Carrie-Anne Moss. Unfortunately, none of the other characters are developed at all.

› Atmosphere: 6/10
I would have liked more description and world-building.

› Writing Style: 6/10
The story is told in first-person from Jack’s perspective. I don’t usually like this style, but Ware does a great job putting you in Jack’s head. It does feel a little repetitive though, particularly when it comes to the description of injuries and obstacles. I didn’t really need the description of her changing the dressing every single time she had to change it.

› Plot: 6/10
While the twist was predictable for me, I still enjoyed it. Great beginning, weird pacing in the middle, okay ending. This is a page-turner!

› Intrigue: 10
I didn’t want to put this book down.

› Logic: 9/10

› Enjoyment: 6/10

Average 6.9/10

Average Story Graph Rating 3.64

Average Goodreads Rating 3.71

My Rating ★★★

› Final Thoughts
• With corny sexual jokes and Game of Thrones references, Zero Days is an adventurous, tense, fast-paced, plot-driven “Mission Impossible” thriller with a strong female protagonist. I recommend this one to fans of action movies.

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