Page Count 384
Publication date Nov 2020/ Publisher Vintage Digital
Synopsis
Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep you warm. But what happens when that company is eight of your coworkers…and you can’t trust any of them?
When an off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?
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Review
Ruth opens by introducing us to seven characters in rapid succession, the founders and employees of tech company ‘Snoop’.
On all accounts it was a big info dump in the form of a paragraph summary of each person, I had to read it through twice to let it sink in.
From here we switch back and forth between the perspectives of Liz the outsider of Snoop and Erin the chalet host as a corporate getaway turns horrorshow.
I always like survival thrillers. The tension of impending death from being trapped away from civilization with limited resources heightens the pace. This can be said of One by One however I would have likes a third POV, there are several times the characters split up and we never know what happens with the others.
I know it isn’t entirely relevant to the plot but it streamlines the story where I think there could have been more red herrings or better character development.
Compared to previous titles I’ve read by Ware, the reveals in One By One are not especially thrilling. Erin’s in particular left me disappointed.
Yet the concept of Snoop was very imaginative and fantasticaly modern, I even wondered whether Ware could sell the idea!
The ending, as often is with this author, is a neatly tied up package. One By One is a stand alone murder mystery ski trip great for a cosy afternoon read.
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