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clacksee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This one sucked me right in. Utterly compelling.
Having said that, though… There's a point where it kind of jumps the shark. Jack has uncovered the truth (or most of it at least). At that point, she's deeply unwell and in need of sleep, food, and medical care. She *could* turn everything over to a lawyer and instruct them to get her out of this mess. Instead, she continues to pursue things beyond all reasonableness. Basically, this book would have been even better if it were 80k words instead of 111k.
Still … this one packs a punch. I'd love to read the continuing adventures of Jack.
Having said that, though… There's a point where it kind of jumps the shark. Jack has uncovered the truth (or most of it at least). At that point, she's deeply unwell and in need of sleep, food, and medical care. She *could* turn everything over to a lawyer and instruct them to get her out of this mess. Instead, she continues to pursue things beyond all reasonableness. Basically, this book would have been even better if it were 80k words instead of 111k.
Still … this one packs a punch. I'd love to read the continuing adventures of Jack.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Medical trauma
Minor: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
tamara_joy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, Medical content, Vomit, and Death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, and Police brutality
Minor: Alcohol, Gun violence, and Death of parent
lpdx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death, Blood, Grief, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, and Body horror
Moderate: Medical content, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy, Car accident, Alcohol, and Vomit
passionatereader78's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book hit the ground running! It was action pact from the beginning. I enjoyed this thriller! It was fast pace. No big surprises or twist. Lots of tension. Perfect for a tv movie. Jack and Gabe run a security company. Jack breaks in and Gabe runs the cyber systems. When Jack is arrested during a mission. She can't reach Gabe or the client. She gets the client to finally straighten everything out and is released. When she gets home she finds Gabe with his throat cut. Even worse the police think she did it. Jack goes on the run to find Gabe's killer and clear her name.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Medical trauma, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Confinement, Police brutality, and Pregnancy
haveyouseencass's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Murder, Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Cursing, Police brutality, Alcohol, Gore, Violence, and Vomit
brichneyfloss's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Grief, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Gaslighting
Minor: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, and Emotional abuse
fkshg8465's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Read in one sitting. Read it all night. Usually am at least a little bored by Ruth Ware, but this one kept my interest the whole time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicide, Blood, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Death of parent, Grief, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Gaslighting, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I will pick up anything that Ruth Ware writes.
"Zero Days" is the latest action-packed thriller from Ruth War. Jack and her Husband, Gabe, make a living breaking into different business to help show the businesses where their security is lacking. Jack is on-site being the badass spy she is, while Gabe is working remotely trying to hack the business's computers to help Jack get through the building unscathed. After another successful job, Jack returns home to find Gabe dead. Unfortunately for Jack, she quickly becomes the prime suspect, and she will have to become a fugitive to figure out who killed Gabe and why.
This was such an enjoyable read. Given her background and career choice, it made her character's actions much more plausible. She knows how to hide in plain sight, and she knows how to get to the information she needs. Jack is such a strong character to read about. Despite losing the love of her life horrifically, she is able to pick herself up and fight. She will not stop until she uncovers why Gabe was so brutally murdered.
I really loved how Jack's sister loved and supported her unconditionally and without question. When Jack needed her to do something, or bring her something, she did not bat an eye or question it. She epitomized the "if I had to bury a body, I would call____".
Everything about this book felt real, which made it all the more thrilling. When it is revealed why Gabe was murdered, it made complete sense, and it could 1000% be plausible in today's world. Additionally, every move Jack took made sense. I felt like I was right next to her trying to figure out what was going on.
I could not put this book down, and I binged it all in one day. Ruth Ware is an immensely talented author, and I look forward to seeing what she writes next!
"Zero Days" is the latest action-packed thriller from Ruth War. Jack and her Husband, Gabe, make a living breaking into different business to help show the businesses where their security is lacking. Jack is on-site being the badass spy she is, while Gabe is working remotely trying to hack the business's computers to help Jack get through the building unscathed. After another successful job, Jack returns home to find Gabe dead. Unfortunately for Jack, she quickly becomes the prime suspect, and she will have to become a fugitive to figure out who killed Gabe and why.
This was such an enjoyable read. Given her background and career choice, it made her character's actions much more plausible. She knows how to hide in plain sight, and she knows how to get to the information she needs. Jack is such a strong character to read about. Despite losing the love of her life horrifically, she is able to pick herself up and fight. She will not stop until she uncovers why Gabe was so brutally murdered.
I really loved how Jack's sister loved and supported her unconditionally and without question. When Jack needed her to do something, or bring her something, she did not bat an eye or question it. She epitomized the "if I had to bury a body, I would call____".
Everything about this book felt real, which made it all the more thrilling. When it is revealed why Gabe was murdered, it made complete sense, and it could 1000% be plausible in today's world. Additionally, every move Jack took made sense. I felt like I was right next to her trying to figure out what was going on.
I could not put this book down, and I binged it all in one day. Ruth Ware is an immensely talented author, and I look forward to seeing what she writes next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Death, Murder, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Gaslighting
Minor: Pregnancy
bibliomania_express's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Grief, Blood, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Toxic friendship
Minor: Pregnancy
shelfofunread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
From the opening pages, in which pen-tester Jack ‘breaks in’ to a company’s office before heading home to find her husband – and business partner – Gabe slumped over this computer, his throat viciously cut, to the tense police station scenes where Jack comes under ever-increasing suspicion of her husband’s murder, Ruth Ware keeps the tension high and the pages flying. And when Jack goes on the run to try and find Gabe’s true killer, the pace – and the stakes – get even higher.
For those who have only read Ware’s earlier novels – The Woman in Cabin 10, The Death of Mrs Westaway, The Turn of the Key, One by One – Zero Days may appear to have come out of leftfield. One of the things I most admire about Ruth Ware as an author is how unique each novel is and Zero Days marks both another evolution in her writing style and a departure from her previous novels in terms of genre. Readers expecting the Agatha Christie locked-room whodunnit vibes of those earlier novels may well find themselves disappointed with a book that is very firmly a thriller. Although it still has a murder mystery at its heart, the pace and tone of Zero Days has the propulsion of those ‘just-one-more-episode’ TV series such as Bodyguard or Vigil rather than the psychological puzzling of Christie’s Poirot.
With the stakes high and the tension building, Zero Days is a masterclass in how to balance paranoia, action, and atmosphere and there is plenty of action packed into the 300 or so pages as Jack navigates corrupt police officers, long-buried secrets, and some of the darker corners of the internet. In what becomes very much a cat-and-mouse game, Jack becomes the lone fugitive figure trying to get to the bottom of what really happened to her husband whilst also staying one step ahead of both the police and the real killers.
As someone who does usually prefer their crime novels to be of the ‘whodunnit’ variety, Zero Days was something of a departure for me. If it hadn’t been written by one of my favourite authors, there’s a good chance that I wouldn’t have picked it up. As things stand, however, I am very glad that I did! Whilst this definitely isn’t my favourite of Ruth’s books, it is compulsively readable and I quickly found myself getting wholly absorbed into Jack’s story. Jack herself is immensely likeable and I found myself empathising with her situation even when I felt that she was making somewhat reckless or unwise decisions. I also really liked the peek that the book provides into the shadowy world of the dark web, and the way in which the book investigates the very real implications of digital crime.
Although quite different to her previous books, Zero Days demonstrates Ruth Ware’s ability to craft a compelling plot that is steeped in atmosphere and packed with tension. Although some plot elements did get a tad repetitive at times, the plethora of twists and turns kept the pages turning whilst the trials and tribulations of an eminently likeable heroine kept me emotionally invested. Whilst I still prefer Ware’s writing when it is in suspenseful ‘whodunnit’ mode, this venture into action-packed thrills made for perfect easy weekend reading.
NB: This review also appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com as part of the blog tour for the book. My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
For those who have only read Ware’s earlier novels – The Woman in Cabin 10, The Death of Mrs Westaway, The Turn of the Key, One by One – Zero Days may appear to have come out of leftfield. One of the things I most admire about Ruth Ware as an author is how unique each novel is and Zero Days marks both another evolution in her writing style and a departure from her previous novels in terms of genre. Readers expecting the Agatha Christie locked-room whodunnit vibes of those earlier novels may well find themselves disappointed with a book that is very firmly a thriller. Although it still has a murder mystery at its heart, the pace and tone of Zero Days has the propulsion of those ‘just-one-more-episode’ TV series such as Bodyguard or Vigil rather than the psychological puzzling of Christie’s Poirot.
With the stakes high and the tension building, Zero Days is a masterclass in how to balance paranoia, action, and atmosphere and there is plenty of action packed into the 300 or so pages as Jack navigates corrupt police officers, long-buried secrets, and some of the darker corners of the internet. In what becomes very much a cat-and-mouse game, Jack becomes the lone fugitive figure trying to get to the bottom of what really happened to her husband whilst also staying one step ahead of both the police and the real killers.
As someone who does usually prefer their crime novels to be of the ‘whodunnit’ variety, Zero Days was something of a departure for me. If it hadn’t been written by one of my favourite authors, there’s a good chance that I wouldn’t have picked it up. As things stand, however, I am very glad that I did! Whilst this definitely isn’t my favourite of Ruth’s books, it is compulsively readable and I quickly found myself getting wholly absorbed into Jack’s story. Jack herself is immensely likeable and I found myself empathising with her situation even when I felt that she was making somewhat reckless or unwise decisions. I also really liked the peek that the book provides into the shadowy world of the dark web, and the way in which the book investigates the very real implications of digital crime.
Although quite different to her previous books, Zero Days demonstrates Ruth Ware’s ability to craft a compelling plot that is steeped in atmosphere and packed with tension. Although some plot elements did get a tad repetitive at times, the plethora of twists and turns kept the pages turning whilst the trials and tribulations of an eminently likeable heroine kept me emotionally invested. Whilst I still prefer Ware’s writing when it is in suspenseful ‘whodunnit’ mode, this venture into action-packed thrills made for perfect easy weekend reading.
NB: This review also appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com as part of the blog tour for the book. My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, and Toxic relationship