Synopsis from the Publisher:

The New York Times bestselling “new Agatha Christie” (Air Mail) Ruth Ware returns with this adrenaline-fueled thriller that combines Mr. and Mrs. Smith with The Fugitive about a woman in a race against time to clear her name and find her husband’s murderer.

Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect—her.

Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer in this unputdownable and heart-pounding mystery from an author whose “propulsive prose keeps readers on the hook and refuses to let anyone off until all has been revealed” (Shelf Awareness).

Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Publication Date: June 20, 2023
Source: Review copy from Edelweiss
Rating: 5 Stars

My Thoughts:

ZERO DAYS was a nail-biting rollercoaster ride, and I loved every minute! Honestly, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this book because techno-stuff is not my thing at all. BUT, I trust Ruth Ware and she did not disappoint!

Jack (Jacintha) and her husband Gabe are “pen testers,” people hired by companies to break into their buildings to find security system weak spots. Jack is more of the “muscle” who does the breaking in, while Gabe is the tech-savvy one whose voice is in her earpiece guiding her along.

It’s after one of these security jobs that Jack comes home to find her beloved Gabe brutally murdered. With Jack being the prime suspect, she quickly finds herself on the run from police with very few resources and people she can trust. She has to figure out who murdered Gabe and why before the police close in.

I’m not a fast reader by any means, but I flew through this book in two evenings. Wow!! Jack was an amazing character, very strong, clever, and resilient. There were a few times that I was yelling at her about one thing or another, but I cut her some slack. The amount of stress she was under was incredible. I enjoyed learning about her relationships with the people closest to her, even though one had to end so tragically.

I think ZERO DAYS will end up being one of my favorite Ruth Ware novels. Plenty of tension to keep me turning the pages, and emotion to make Jack’s predicament compelling.

Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for a digital ARC of this book. Opinions are my own.

RE: Book Covers — US cover on the left; UK cover on the right. I wanted to share the UK version because I love the teal.