Ruth Ware’s fifth psychological thriller, One by One, transforms a picturesque alpine corporate retreat into a powder keg of suspicion, betrayal, and murder. Set against the breathtaking yet treacherous backdrop of the French Alps, this novel delivers a masterclass in confined terror that will leave readers questioning the true nature of corporate loyalty and human desperation.
The story begins with the employees of Snoop, a cutting-edge music streaming app, arriving at the exclusive Chalet Perce-Neige for what should be a routine team-building retreat. Instead, they find themselves trapped by a devastating avalanche that cuts off all communication with the outside world. When bodies start piling up faster than the snow outside, it becomes horrifyingly clear that Mother Nature isn’t their only enemy.
A Modern Take on the Classic Locked Room Mystery
The Brilliance of Dual Perspectives
Ware demonstrates her narrative prowess by employing a dual perspective structure that alternates between Erin, a chalet employee with a mysterious past, and Liz, a former Snoop employee turned reluctant shareholder. This technique creates a compelling dynamic where readers experience the mounting tension from both insider and outsider perspectives. The choice to center the story around two women who consider themselves outsiders is particularly astute, as it allows Ware to explore themes of alienation and survival from multiple angles.
Erin’s chapters reveal her to be far more complex than initially apparent. Despite her working-class background operating the chalet, she possesses an unexpected familiarity with the privileged world of tech entrepreneurs. Her partnership with Danny, the chalet’s maintenance man, provides the story’s emotional anchor amid the chaos. Their relationship serves as a beacon of genuine human connection in a narrative populated by characters whose loyalties shift with each revelation.
Liz’s perspective offers the more psychologically complex viewpoint. Through her eyes, we witness the devastating impact of workplace trauma and corporate manipulation. Her character arc transforms from victim to perpetrator in a way that’s both shocking and tragically comprehensible. Ware masterfully builds sympathy for Liz before gradually revealing the depths of her desperation and the lengths to which she’ll go to protect herself.
The Technology That Betrays
One of the novel’s most ingenious elements is its use of technology as both plot device and thematic statement. The Snoop app itself—designed to allow users to anonymously listen to what music others are streaming—becomes a sinister tool of surveillance. The revelation that the app secretly tracks users’ locations adds a layer of contemporary relevance that elevates the thriller beyond simple murder mystery.
Elliot’s geosnooping capabilities serve as the modern equivalent of traditional detective work, using digital breadcrumbs to uncover the truth. However, this technological omniscience comes with a price, as those who know too much become targets themselves. The irony that an app designed to share music becomes instrumental in solving murders adds a darkly humorous undertone to the proceedings.
Characters That Breathe With Authenticity
The Toxic Corporate Culture
Ware excels at depicting the insidious nature of startup culture, where casual cruelty masquerades as innovation and personal relationships become transactional. The Snoop team embodies the worst aspects of tech industry culture: the casual sexism, the power imbalances, and the way money corrupts even the most well-intentioned ventures.
Eva and Topher, the company’s co-founders, represent two different types of corporate predators. Eva’s manipulative nature and willingness to exploit others for personal gain makes her a particularly compelling antagonist, even in death. Her decision to film Liz’s assault for potential blackmail purposes reveals a level of calculated cruelty that makes her murder feel almost inevitable.
The supporting cast members—from the anxious Ani to the lovesick Inigo—each carry their own secrets and motivations. Ware avoids the trap of creating paper-thin victims by giving each character genuine depth and believable reasons for both suspicion and sympathy.
The Unlikely Killer
Liz’s transformation from victim to murderer represents one of the novel’s greatest strengths. Her backstory—a working-class girl thrust into a world of privilege and exploitation—resonates with authentic emotional weight. The revelation that she killed investor James Norland in self-defense after he sexually assaulted her provides crucial context for understanding her subsequent actions.
The psychological portrait of a woman driven to murder by years of blackmail and manipulation is both disturbing and sympathetic. Ware doesn’t excuse Liz’s actions, but she makes them understandable within the context of a toxic work environment that failed to protect her.
The Alpine Setting as Character
Nature as Antagonist and Ally
The French Alps serve as more than mere backdrop; they become an active participant in the story’s unfolding drama. The avalanche that traps the characters isn’t just a convenient plot device—it’s a manifestation of the chaos that mirrors the human drama within the chalet. The constant threat of the mountain, with its hidden dangers and unpredictable weather, amplifies the psychological tension.
Ware’s descriptions of the alpine environment are both beautiful and menacing. The pristine snow that initially seems peaceful becomes a prison, while the mountain’s beauty masks its deadly potential. This duality reflects the novel’s central theme about appearances versus reality.
Structural Strengths and Minor Weaknesses
Pacing and Tension
The novel’s pacing is generally excellent, with Ware skillfully building tension through a series of increasingly disturbing revelations. The alternating perspectives prevent the narrative from becoming stagnant, while the confined setting creates an almost claustrophobic atmosphere that mirrors the characters’ psychological states.
However, some readers might find the middle section slightly sluggish as various theories about the murders are explored and discarded. The process of elimination, while realistic, occasionally feels repetitive when characters rehash the same limited set of suspects and motives.
The Resolution’s Impact
The final revelation that Liz is the killer works on multiple levels. It’s both shocking and inevitable, surprising yet logically consistent with the clues Ware has carefully planted throughout the narrative. The discovery that Eva filmed Liz’s assault adds a layer of moral complexity that elevates the resolution beyond a simple “whodunit” reveal.
The confrontation between Erin and Liz in the final chapters is particularly well-crafted, with both characters displaying intelligence and resourcefulness. Liz’s attempt to poison Erin with sleeping pills creates genuine tension, while Erin’s survival instincts and knowledge of the mountain environment provide a satisfying climax.
Themes That Resonate
Power, Privilege, and Exploitation
One by One by Ruth Ware serves as a scathing indictment of corporate culture and the ways in which power imbalances can destroy lives. The novel explores how privilege can blind people to the suffering of others and how those without power often become expendable in the pursuit of profit.
The relationship between Eva and Liz exemplifies this dynamic perfectly. Eva’s decision to help Liz cover up Norland’s death wasn’t altruistic—it was calculated to create leverage for future manipulation. This betrayal of trust transforms a moment of genuine trauma into a weapon of ongoing control.
Technology and Privacy
The novel’s exploration of digital surveillance feels particularly relevant in our current era of data mining and privacy concerns. The Snoop app’s secret location tracking serves as a metaphor for how technology companies often collect far more information than users realize.
The irony that this surveillance ultimately helps solve the murders raises questions about the trade-offs between privacy and security, a theme that resonates strongly with contemporary concerns about digital rights and corporate responsibility.
Comparisons and Context
Within Ware’s Bibliography
One by One represents a maturation of themes present in Ruth Ware’s earlier works. Like The Woman in Cabin 10 and The Turn of the Key, it features a female protagonist in an isolated setting facing seemingly impossible circumstances. However, this novel’s corporate setting and dual perspective narrative show Ware expanding her technical skills and thematic range.
The book shares DNA with In a Dark, Dark Wood in its exploration of friendships poisoned by secrets and lies, but the corporate setting adds a contemporary edge that feels fresh and relevant.
Literary Influences and Comparisons
The novel clearly draws inspiration from Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, with its isolated setting and dwindling cast of suspects. However, Ware modernizes the formula by incorporating technology and contemporary social issues in ways that feel organic rather than forced.
The book also shares thematic similarities with Big Little Lies in its exploration of how past trauma can explode into present violence, though Ware’s approach is more traditionally thriller-focused than character-study oriented.
Technical Craft and Writing Style
Prose and Atmosphere
Ruth Ware’s writing style continues to evolve in One by One, showing increased confidence in her ability to create atmosphere through precise, economical prose. Her descriptions of the alpine setting are particularly effective, capturing both the beauty and the danger of the mountain environment without becoming overly descriptive.
The dialogue feels natural and character-specific, with each person’s voice remaining distinct throughout the narrative. This is particularly important in a book with multiple perspectives and a large cast of characters.
Structural Innovations
The use of the Snoop app profiles as chapter headers is a clever touch that adds authenticity to the tech industry setting while providing character insight. These brief introductions help readers keep track of the large cast while reinforcing the novel’s themes about digital identity and surveillance.
Minor Criticisms
Predictability and Red Herrings
While the final revelation is satisfying, some readers might find certain plot developments predictable. The process of elimination inherent in the locked room mystery format means that careful readers can narrow down the possibilities relatively early in the narrative.
Additionally, some of the red herrings feel slightly forced, particularly the suggestions that Inigo might be the killer based solely on his romantic feelings for Eva. These false leads occasionally distract from the more compelling psychological elements of the story.
Character Development Limitations
Due to the large cast and the murder mystery format, some characters inevitably receive less development than others. While the main players are well-realized, several supporting characters feel somewhat interchangeable, distinguished more by their job titles than their personalities.
Final Verdict
One by One by Ruth Ware succeeds as both a compelling thriller and a timely social commentary. Ware has crafted a story that works on multiple levels: as a traditional locked room mystery, as a critique of corporate culture, and as a psychological study of how trauma can transform victims into perpetrators.
The novel’s greatest strength lies in its ability to generate genuine sympathy for its eventual killer while never excusing her actions. Liz’s journey from victim to murderer is both heartbreaking and horrifying, a testament to Ware’s skill in creating morally complex characters.
The alpine setting provides an appropriately dramatic backdrop for the human drama, while the technology elements add contemporary relevance without overwhelming the core mystery. The dual perspective narrative structure keeps readers engaged while building to a satisfying conclusion that feels both surprising and inevitable.
For fans of psychological thrillers and corporate mysteries, One by One represents Ruth Ware at her most confident and accomplished. It’s a book that will satisfy genre enthusiasts while offering enough depth and social commentary to appeal to readers seeking more than simple entertainment.
Recommended for Similar Readers
If you enjoyed One by One by Ruth Ware, consider exploring these similar works:
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides – Another psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator and shocking revelations
- The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley – A locked room mystery set in an isolated location with a group of friends harboring secrets
- Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty – Explores how past trauma affects present relationships, with a mystery element
- The Guest List by Lucy Foley – A wedding party becomes the setting for murder and revenge
- Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris – A psychological thriller about hidden abuse and the lengths people go to escape it
One by One stands as a worthy addition to Ruth Ware’s impressive catalog, confirming her position as one of the most skilled practitioners of the modern psychological thriller. It’s a book that will keep you guessing until the final pages while leaving you with plenty to think about long after you’ve finished reading.
