Zero Days – Ruth Ware
Her husband has been murdered and she’s the only suspect. What should she do?
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. It soon becomes clear that the police have only one suspect in mind – her.
Jack must go on the run to try and clear her name and to find her husband’s real killer. But who can she trust when everyone she knows could be a suspect? And with the police and the killer after her, can Jack get to the truth before her time runs out?
I received a review copy from the publishers. My thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the tour for Zero Days
I’ve never met a Ruth Ware book I didn’t like. These are books I actively seek out as I know the likely outcome is that I am going to be gripped for a few hours while wrapped in a a world created by a wonderful storyteller. Zero Days did exactly what I had expected – great story with a lead character I was fully invested in and rooting for them to overcome all the challenges she was facing.
Because I knew I’d be reading Zero Days I purposefully did not read the blurb and went in “cold”. The story opens with Jack Cross breaking into an office. It’s straight into the action as Jack is finding her way through the fence, over a wall or any seeking any possible route which will take her to the building she needs to enter. Guiding Jack’s progress and offering “helpful” advice is her husband – Gabe. He is at home and communicating with Jack waiting for her to infiltrate the target building and access their computer systems, that’s when his skills come to the fore as Gabe is a computer expert.
Despite their illegal endeavours the couple are breaking and entering with a valid reason. They are penetration specialists, routinely engaged by firms who challenge them to break into offices and stress-test their secuity protocols. Ideally their customers are hoping Gabe and Jack will fail but Jack seems to love the excitement of sneaking into buildings and snooping where she knows she’s not meant to be.
Jack’s having a good deal of success and manages to evade security guards and slip past doors which are meant to be secure but when she reaches the computer servers her good fortune wavers and Jack’s evening and her life will slide into chaotic dispair. While trying to access the server room Jack makes a mistake and alerts secuity to her presence. She flees the scene (Gabe on comms tying to help her) but she is caught and finds herself being escorted to the local police station. While this is not a new experience for Jack, her bad luck continues as their client is not contactable at 1am and she finds it hard to get someone to clarify to the police she is legitimately entitled to break into the building she was fleeing from.
Finally released from custody Jack returns home to the ultimate nightmare. She finds Gabe dead at his computer…murdered. Stunned into a shocked stupor Jack finally manages to pull herself together enough to call the police. However it soon becomes clear to Jack that SHE is the primary suspect in her husband’s murder. When it becomes clear to Jack the police are not listening to her claims of innocence she seizes the opportunity to escape from the police station where she’s being questioned and goes on the run.
But Jack can’t run forever. She needs to know what happened to Gabe. Why did his killer take some of his computer equipment? And, most importantly, how can she convince the police she isn’t a murderer?
Those questions are not going to be answered here – this is a spoiler-free zone and Ruth Ware has provided all the answers and much more besides in Zero Days. Best you grab a copy and find out more about Jack’s story for yourself.
What I can promise is that this is a pacy action thriller that will keep you turning the pages long into the night. Jack has few people she can turn to and the police know this so her options are severely limited. Her skills at infiltrating places she’s not meant to be will undoubtedly come in handy but how can she know where she needs to be? Ruth Ware skilfully takes Jack and her readers on a journey of discovery and shock revelations and it’s fabulous reading.
Another fantastic thriller from an author you really shouldn’t miss.
Zero Days is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. It is published by and you can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/zero-days/ruth-ware/9781398508392