Ruth Ware

[Anonymous]

UGH - Every single book of hers frustrates me. She has good story lines but her female character are "in their heads" too much. Way too much inner dialogue. It seems like her editor gave her a page or word requirement and she adds at least 2 sentences too many on each "thought"

"A shiver ran down my spine. I was cold as ice. It was as if I was frozen to the spot on the sidewalk. I could not move, or think or do anything. I have never been so cold or so frightened"

Seriously???

[Anonymous]

That's just typically bad, cliched writing OP. Why do you keep reading them if they're obviously so awful? Move on and read something else.

[Anonymous]

If you like her books generally, try her audiobooks. I love them -- the extra words build suspense when heard instead of read. And you can listen at 1.25 or 1.5 speed if it still bugs you.

[Anonymous]

I feel like if I need something really light I'll pick it up but I agree some of her books get ridiculous. Some are much worse than others. The one on the cruise ship was insane. The one on the ski slope I thought was pretty good though. I think she just has a formula at this point.

Nothing special but its a known quantity for a beach read.

[Anonymous]

Her books have been a mix for me. There was one that took place in a ski lodge or something (One by One)I couldn't get into and just quit, but I liked The Death of Mrs. Westaway, The It Girl, and The Lying Game.

[Anonymous]

Her writing lacks the tension needed for a good thriller. I gave up on her a long time ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you like her books generally, try her audiobooks. I love them -- the extra words build suspense when heard instead of read. And you can listen at 1.25 or 1.5 speed if it still bugs you.

I listen to her on audiobooks and I don’t agree with this advice. The narrator for zero days (?) and It Girl was so freaking dramatic. Granted, I disliked It Girl (nothing happened! Absolutely agree with OP re in main characters too much in their heads) and I give zero days like a 3 (ok, but forgettable) but the dramatic narration didn’t help. The days of books like The Other Mrs. Westaway and Cabin 10 seem to be gone.

[Anonymous]

I opened this thread because for a minute I confused Ruth Ware with Ruth Rendell.

Try some of her books, a lot of them are pretty decent. She also wrote all of the Inspector Wexford series (they made them into TV as well).

[Anonymous]

I have only read two of her books. I read, "The Death of Mrs. Westaway" and "The Woman in Cabin 10". I liked Mrs. Westaway. I liked Cabin 10 also, but there was way too much of her saying her head hurt.

So yeah, I agree with other posters. Good premises for a good suspense novel. Too much inner dialogue.