Literally Dead Book Club discussion

ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware
Discussion 3 of 3.
Full spoilers welcome.

Pages 250 - 368

What did you like?
What didn't you like?
How does this compare to other Ruth Ware books you've read?
Share your final rating and any other thoughts!

I wish Ruth Ware stuck to her Gothic mysteries, because this was such a letdown. This is my biggest disappointment of the year after being my most anticipated book of the year. But this book isn't bad or terrible. The mystery is good, the characters and the setting are not bad but the "twist" was so predictable I could yawn.
Overall I gave this a 3/5.
Ruth ware is still a favourite author cause The Turn of the Key and The Death of Mrs Westaway were ✨ fabulous ✨

I liked this one enough to finish it in one sitting. However, this is definitely not a good example of what Ruth Ware is capable of doing. I really hated that all the characters were dumped on us right and the beginning and I had to keep going back to the intro page just to distinguish between them. I was also able to guess who was behind everything fairly early. Overall, I really enjoyed the setting and the premise. 3/5🌟
P.S if this is your first Ruth Ware, I would definitely recommend giving her another chance with the turn of the key and the death of Mrs. Westaway.

I enjoyed this overall, even though it does have some major flaws. 3/5 stars.

The first 60% is classic Agatha Christie locked-room mystery, and the last 40% is a modern thriller; the transition between the 2 parts is janky at best. You lost the fun of guessing the murderer, and the character Liz simply became a maniac in the last bit (her demise is unintentionally funny than brutal).

I will check out more Ruth Ware though, cause I really enjoy her writing style.

Aditi wrote: "I liked this one enough to finish it in one sitting. However, this is definitely not a good example of what Ruth Ware is capable of doing. I really hated that all the characters were dumped on us r..."

This is indeed my first Ruth Ware, will def check out The Turn of the Key down the road—I actually really enjoy her core concept of reinterpreting classic narratives.

I couldn’t wait and read this a few days ago. It’s my first Ruth Ware and I thought it was good. I was entertained. I enjoyed the danger of the threat of avalanche as well as a danger from other humans. I’ll be reading more from Ware in the future.

The killer being Liz felt like such low-hanging fruit even with the explanation for why she did it. The only part that really got me invested was the snow chase scene at the end but that's such a small portion that it doesn't exactly make up for the rest of the book being kind of lackluster.

I think Trinity hit the nail on the head for me “ it lacked lustre “ and the chase at the end was my pivotal.

I gave this one 2 stars. This was such a disappointment. I read it quickly thinking surely there will be a twist & Liz won't be the killer. I mean, it was obvious from like page 5. Ugh. And the end? Really? I was so looking forward to this book, but it definitely was a let down. I'm glad I read it before October because there was nothing thrilling or spooky in this one.

Lauren wrote: "I gave this one 2 stars. This was such a disappointment. I read it quickly thinking surely there will be a twist & Liz won't be the killer. I mean, it was obvious from like page 5. Ugh. And the end..."

Do you think Ruth Ware intend the Liz reveal to be a 'twist'? Like you mentioned, it's pretty transparent very early on. This ambiguity definitely work against the book, but maybe the story is more about when Liz would 'crack', rather than guessing the killer? (playing Devil's advocate here)

Well I didn’t quite enjoy this one. Apparently in the very beginning there’s an easy to flip to chart of the characters but since I listened to the audio I couldn’t just flip back to check. I just pushed through waiting along to figure out who the important people were.

I was not impressed with this from the beginning, well mainly I was just a bit confused having the learn all these characters. I was suspicious about Liz from the beginning without even trying to guess anything, so I agree with the above commenter saying that Liz’s reveal wasn’t supposed to be a plot twist. At least I don’t hope so because Ruth Ware is a better writer than that. The middle started to slightly peak my interest as the snow ball started to roll but it was still a basic three star for me. By the ending I kind of didn’t care anymore in which my personal rating would be a one star but maybe overall be a two because it’s not awful, I just didn’t enjoy it as much.

I’ve read all of this author’s books & have only liked two. Those being The Death of Mrs. Westaway & The Turn of the Key. I don’t know why I don’t care for all her other books but really enjoyed the two. Maybe someone could help me figure out why? Until then where I stand with Ruth Ware is I guess I just won’t read her books unless the summary sounds really good to me.

2 stars. The dive I had feared after the end of the second section happened. 😭 Someone earlier in the chat said the transition from mystery to thriller was rough, and I completely agree. The thriller aspects were great, but because I felt like the villain was so lackluster, it just didn’t have as much impact. I keep hearing great things about Death of Mrs Westaway, so I’ll definitely be picking that one up in the future. The only other Ruth Ware I’ve read is Turn of the Key.

I have read several other books by Ruth Ware and this book to me, was very disappointing. We knew who the killer was from very early on in the book. I wish all the characters were introduced a different way, not all shoved in our face at the very start.
I love this author and will read more from her, but this book for me was a dud.

This was my first Ruth Ware book. I was very disappointed unfortunately. I don't try to read to pick apart a book. I just want to enjoy it. However, knowing who the killer was in the first 20 pages made reading the rest of the book torturous. I do have the Death of Mrs. Westaway, I hesitate to read it, but so many people say it is good so I am willing to give it a try. I will probably wait a while. I did like that the chapters were short. Her style of writing is fine as well. I gave this book 2 stars.

I usually like it when I can predict the twists in thriller books, but this book was so predictable from the beginning to the point that I didn’t enjoy it. I kept on waiting for other twists, but it didn’t happen. I also feel like the characters also lack development.

Also, I can’t help to think of why Liz is so intimidating lmaooo. Her method of killing isn’t something that requires strength or something. Maybe it’s Erin’s ankle, but if I was her I’d slap tf out of Liz. I’d grab the hot kettle and hit her head or something LOL.

This is my fourth Ruth Ware book and all the other books I’ve read of her were 2 and 3 stars rating for me, even The Turn of the Key didn’t impress me. I want to read The Death of Mrs. Westaway though, I’ve heard that one’s great.

Although I didn’t really enjoy the book, it still kind of entertained me, so I’d give it a 2 star.

I did not enjoy this at all. I was bored and annoyed and could not have cared less about anyone or anything that was happening. I DNF'd Ruth Ware's first book and after this, I think I'm done with her, unfortunately.

I gave this 4 stars. I really enjoyed it, setting was great.


My biggest problem was I figured out Liz was the murderer right away. As soon as they brought up how many layers who wore skiing (multiple times) and then made a point to say exactly what Eva was wearing. It was just so obvious Liz was wearing another jacket underneath.

I think it would’ve been better with another POV in there. My friend read it before me and I kept saying I think it’s Liz, once it was confirmed I asked if she guess as early as me and she said “well it had to be Liz or Erin because they’re the only narrators” DUH I didn’t even put that together lol.

I forgot to say Turn of the Key is my favorite Ruth Ware, I loved that and in a dark dark wood.

I did not enjoy this, mainly because I was so bored throughout the book. The mystery was not so entertaining and there where too many people for me to care. Erin and Danny's characters were the only ones that were okay for me.

I read along with the audiobook (excellent narrator) but it didn't sound like a thriller until like 70% of the book. It was one of my most anticipated reads and I was disappointed.

But I must says that Liz's final chapter going down the snow was my highlight.

I gave this book 3 stars. It was a little boring, and I'm kind of disappointed that Liz was the killer. I was hoping that Eva was somehow still alive and killing people lol. the best part was definitely when Liz was chasing Erin down the mountain!

Sara wrote: "I gave this book 3 stars. It was a little boring, and I'm kind of disappointed that Liz was the killer. I was hoping that Eva was somehow still alive and killing people lol. the best part was defin..."

I felt the same exact way!!! I really wanted Eva to have faked her own death and go around knocking people off

I'm so disappointed that was boring from start to end and about liz nothing surprising when you only get two pov

5 stars for setting, maybe 2 stars for story? The Agatha Christie vibes in picking off members of the party one by one were cool but ultimately revealing at just 60 or so percent into the book who the killer was. Then the plot is relying solely on the chase down the mountain for thrills and I don't think that's exactly what people are signing up for when they pick up a Ruth Ware book.

It's great for author's to try new things, but I'm not sure this one really stuck the landing.

Emma wrote: "5 stars for setting, maybe 2 stars for story? The Agatha Christie vibes in picking off members of the party one by one were cool but ultimately revealing at just 60 or so percent into the book who ..."

My thought exactly! Particularly regarding the 60% Agatha Christie

I expected more from the book, it was so much spoken about! When two of them stayed in the chalet the murderer was obvious and the end dissapointed my a lot. I was thinking about super twist at the end and another outcome, something unexpected like in "The Turn of the Key". Still I'd like to read more books by Ruth Ware, for sure she has much more good and interesting novels

5 big, old stars! :D

I absolutely loved it. One of my favourite books of the year! It was such a pleasant surprise. Read it in one day, which I hadn't planned to do. I had a bit of a book hangover afterwards. I found it to be so much fun.

I can see how this book isn't for everyone. But I think it really works for fans of 'classic' mysteries who want a book that's structurally and tonally a thriller while still retaining those familiar tropes and themes. As I read both mysteries and thrillers, this was just brilliant for me.

Did I guess that Liz might be the killer early on? Of course. Did I mind? Not at all. For me it's always about the how/why dunnit and how the story is told.

I also really liked all the different portrayals of friendship. From the broken (most people in the company), the messed up (Liz obvs) to the just lovely (Erin/Danny).

Those little cliffhangers at the end of each chapter were really effective! And I didn't even mind the 1st person, present tense narration as I found Ruth Ware's writing to be really good.

I read the eBook of this and a physical copy is most definitely going on the bookish wishlist.

Kati wrote: "5 big, old stars! :D

I absolutely loved it. One of my favourite books of the year! It was such a pleasant surprise. Read it in one day, which I hadn't planned to do. I had a bit of a book hangover..."

I agree with your thoughts—I don't need every thrillers I read to have a big twist before the end (just like not every scary movies need to be The Sixth Sense).

I didn't rate this as highly as you (3 stars), but it was still thoroughly enjoyable. Ruth Ware is great at setting up scenario and mood.

Looks like I'm in the minority so far but I really enjoyed this book. I can't give it a full 5 stars but I'll give it a 4.5 :)

The only other Ruth Ware book I have read was turn of the key, and I absolutely hated that book- so this was a pleasant surprise. It was also the book I've enjoyed the most in this book club :)

I figured Liz would be involved, however I thought her and Eva would be working together (and maybe inigo too). I think the motive could have been a little more interesting and the ending dragged but other then that I had a fun time!

I did not enjoy this story (2 stars), which is unfortunate considering I enjoyed The Turn of the Key. Ruth Ware's hit and miss for me. The other work I read of hers tend to sway on the 2 to three stars range. I wish I didn't have to add this book to it.

I've enjoyed all of the Ruth Ware books that I have read (I still need to read The Death of Mrs. Westaway) and I while One By One wasn't my favorite of her books (that will likely always be The Turn of the Key), I enjoyed it quite a bit. I knew that Liz was the killer pretty early on, but I never really mind this in books & didn't mind it here. I always like trying to figure out why the killer does something. I do wish that there was at least one more POV as I thought the scenes with just Liz & Erin needed something else to break them up. The ending was dragged out a bit also so I thought the book could have been 20-30 pages shorter. Overall, I gave this 4.25/5 stars!

I gave this one 4 stars. I had a great time reading it, it was atmospheric and I loved the dangerous, isolated setting. I also liked the cat and mouse chase at the end. It didn't bother me that Liz was the obvious killer, since the story kept me entertained throughout.

I enjoyed it.

I enjoyed the setting and I liked the idea of characters being killed off one by one, but that’s about it.

None of the characters were likable and that’s a big thing for me. The motive for Liz was really weak.

Because she was looked over her whole life that she decides she needs to go to a ski weekend and just kill everyone? I get that Eva was blackmailing her but that was just weak in my opinion.

I also don’t understand why Danny and Erin had to be part of that ending with everyone else. Why did they have to see the video of Liz killing the guy?

This book’s writing felt rushed almost. Many of the dots disconnected. I was far more interested in how the characters all got to safety. It seems unlikely that two groups would have trekked out in an avalanche and make it safely. Yet they all did.

I’ve read better. This one is definitely my least favorite by Ware. I am surprised I prefer The Lying Game over another one of her books.

What did you like?
I liked the way she made up for the obvious killer by having a thrilling chase scene. (the skiing) I also liked that she killed Liz and didn't make Indigo the easy 4th kill with no explanation. I did like Danny as a character but I didn't really like anyone else...

What didn't you like?
I hated how obvious the killer was!! Like as soon as Erin found the key I was like YUP its liz...even thought I was hoping that the killer was Eva. I wish we learned a little more about Liz's family, as it was hinted at a lot throughout the book that her home life wasn't great...

How does this compare to other Ruth Ware books you've read?
This is only my 3rd Ruth Ware, but I just picked up most of the ones I haven't read at my library book sale so I guess I will have a better idea soon. I liked the Turn of the Key better than this, but this WAY better than they Lying Game.

Share your final rating and any other thoughts!
I said in the second post (125-250) that it would remain a 3 star if Liz was the killer with a motive of revenge because that's boring...but because of the excitement of the end, I actually found the chase to be thrilling....I have moved it up to a 4 star.

Hmm.. I was so excited about this book, but overall was disappointed too. 3/5 for me - I enjoyed the last 20% of the book since it did felt very fast paced to me and did not put the book down until it was down. Even though it was obvious that Liz was the killer and I also saw the “names” of the last chapters, which kinda was obvious how things will end — I did enjoyed the small thrill of how the Erin - Liz situation will develop and end. Felt like decent - ok thriller for someone that did not read to many to get into this genre, but nothing more than that.

I was excited by this book, but it was disappointing. I think that there was a potential for a good murder mystery, but was left with a feeling of "well that was obvious". I guess I would give this book a 2.5, just because I need to be surprised and I wasn't.

I liked it! I ended up giving it 4/5. I don't read many mysteries/thrillers and I think that contributes to me not picking up on clues. I didn't know who the killer was until very obvious clues were being dropped about Liz. I really enjoyed the beginning portion lead up to the murders more than anything else. Ruth Ware set up a very clear picture of the chalet and surrounding ski slopes. I was intrigued about the company and what was going on with the dynamics between everyone. I thought there was too much of the book left following the reveal and some of the ending portion was just unnecessary. I still had a lot of fun and will check out some of her other books.

Jessica wrote: "Looks like I'm in the minority so far but I really enjoyed this book. I can't give it a full 5 stars but I'll give it a 4.5 :)

The only other Ruth Ware book I have read was turn of the key, and I ..."

How funny, it seems most people loved Turn of the Key and hated this one lol it just goes to show how different we all are as individuals... it's what keeps life exciting! I have yet to read Turn of the Key but I plan on that one next!

3 stars from me. It was just OK. Nothing shocking or surprising happened but it was a good read. I found it plane and predictable but on the other hand I liked the setting, the writing style and the short chapters. I guess many readers are disappointed because this book is so hipped. I've also read The Death of Mrs Westaway which I also gave 3 stars, but I want to read The Turn of The Key because I've heard it's really good.

I gave this one 4 stars. Even though I had predicted the killer, it was interesting to found out why she did it, and I found her to be a very interesting character after her dark side was unleashed. I like stone cold villains.
It had some flaws and plot holes but it kept me entertained. It made me want to read more by the author.

I listened to the audiobook in one sitting... I guess you can say I liked it a lot lol. But as for the story itself, I have to admit that I was pretty disappointed as to who the villain turned out to be mostly because I was terrified that Ware would try to pin it all on her mental instability... And they kinda did at the end, but I understood for what reason. Would have liked for more of Liz's history to be fleshed out just so there could be more of an explanation as to her paranoia other than her being a socially anxious loner with a history of abuse.

But above all, I LOVED the lack of romance being central to the story. Daniel and Erin's friendship was the backbone of this story for me and I'm pretty sure I would have rated this book a lot lower had Ware even tried to make them romantically inclined.

Emma wrote: "5 stars for setting, maybe 2 stars for story? The Agatha Christie vibes in picking off members of the party one by one were cool but ultimately revealing at just 60 or so percent into the book who ..."

I started suspecting who the killer was early on, but I forced myself to be suspicious of everyone else because I was so scared of Ware trying to warp it into this whole "she's killing them because she's crazy"... but I have to admit that the way Liz's personality was warped once we really discovered who the antagonist was, really had me biting my nails... But I think I have Imogen Church to thank their narrative skills for that.

Mandy wrote: "I enjoyed it.

I enjoyed the setting and I liked the idea of characters being killed off one by one, but that’s about it.

None of the characters were likable and that’s a big thing for me. The mo..."

Now that you mention it... I'm kinda disappointed in the ending now too, because before the whole Liz discovery happened I kept wondering if Indigo had survived and how. If the other guys made it and how and if they fought along the way and if they ended up becoming so paranoid if the killer was among them that they'd kill each other. Like... I see now what I've been robbed of and I'm surely disappointed.

Once we found out that Liz was the killer, it was cool to see her trying out what her next move was going to be.
I didn't like that Liz sounded like a typical bad guy. This is the first full Ruth Ware book I've read and it was a sad book.

Honestly, the whole way through I was willing it not to be Liz. I hoped Eva had faked her death and was the killer (like someone else mentioned further up), or for it to be a complete left field and be Danny or something. I will give The Death of Mrs Westaway a try before I decide on whether Ruth Ware is the author for me or not.

I liked people getting picked off one by one but that makes up a tiny amount of the boook.

Unlike most people I hated the chase sequence. I really want books to be wrapped up quickly once the killer/bad guy is revealed.

How did you all suspect Liz so quickly? It crossed my mind a few times but I also had about 58 other theories, like Eva being alive. I definitely expected another twist after Liz was revealed and there was still so much book left.

I have to say I pretty much held my breath for the entire bit where Erin and Liz are alone, so there's that. Not sure about the ski chase, I just wanted it to be over at that point. I usually like my mysteries extremely cosy and not of the "head bashed in like an egg" type lol

I actually really appreciated this book. I don't think that Liz being the murderer was /supposed/ to be a twist. There was a lot of build up and context to it given a little past the middle of the book. It didn't read like a mystery, but like a thriller with two points of view; the killer and the survivor.

There wasn't a twist in this story. I'm cool with that. It read more like a contemporary survival story, except the situation wasn't a natural disaster or being stranded, it was being trapped with a murderer.

This isn't my favorite Ruth Ware, but it is up there! I'll probably give this 4 stars because I loved her writing in this and the distinct voices and personalities of her characters (and I LOVE Erin and Danny's relationship! It made me so happy!).

I'm sorry to everyone who didn't enjoy it! I'm just glad I did. <3

Ashlyn wrote: "I actually really appreciated this book. I don't think that Liz being the murderer was /supposed/ to be a twist. There was a lot of build up and context to it given a little past the middle of the ..."

I like your theory (and I think the book would have been better if that had actually been the intent of the author), but I think Liz being the killer really was supposed to be a big reveal. My evidence for this is all of the extra characters that didn't do much other than look ever-so-slightly suspicious--there was no point to most of them other than as red herrings.

I did not like this book. Overall, I thought it was kinda meh. I think I gave it 3 stars. It wasn't bad and it started out great but it slowly got more boring and the things I found interesting and wanted to explored were dropped as the story went on.

Re: Liz being the killer not being a twist. I disagree. So I think there's an idea that the a twist has to shock you but imo, a good twist might shock you but it has to be built up still and there have to be hints. It's a twist because it's something that was hidden from the readers and then, once revealed, reframed how the story was viewed. That's how I would define a twist but I'm not a primary expert or anything. So to me, it doesn't matter if there were hints (and in my perspective they were pretty obvious but I was dissecting the story via genre conventions and not as it's own work) but how it functions on the story. I thought it was pretty well done but it didn't save the book for me.

My biggest issue was the fact that at the start and at the end, it felt like Ware was trying to say something about wealth and privilege and just... 1) completely dropped that theme in the middle, 2) undermined it with the stuff with the ceo dude at the end, and 3) never really explored it enough to actually say anything. And I just was frustrated by that given I was actually into the criticism that was being made.

Dina wrote: "How did you all suspect Liz so quickly? It crossed my mind a few times but I also had about 58 other theories, like Eva being alive. I definitely expected another twist after Liz was revealed and t..."

So what I did is that as soon as the narrative itself tried to make a character seem like they were the killer, I crossed them off my list of suspects. There was a lot of suspicion that was thrown on almost every other character and in combination with little things like leaving right before Eva's murder and the fact that we last saw her with the woman was staying with Tiger (cannot remember her name).

For me, a lot of it was stepping back and looking at it from a writer's perspective. There's sorta an implicit bias for readers to trust the narrator and never suspect them unless given overt reason to, so that to me made Erin and Liz suspicious right away. It was just about rolling one of them out. But then Erin became far too obvious to be the killer so I shifted all my attention to Liz.