Get Ruth Ware’s books in order so you know exactly where to start reading her books. Additionally, this helpful list includes updated ratings and recommendations for each and every one of her popular psychological thriller, mystery, and suspense novels to date. You’ll also get a free printable PDF of Ruth Ware’s books to track your reading. Let’s get literary!
List of Ruth Ware’s Books in Order
Below is the list of Ruth Ware’s books in order of chronological publication date.
- In a Dark, Dark Wood (2015)
- The Woman in Cabin 10 (2016)
- The Lying Game (2017)
- The Death of Mrs. Westway (2018)
- The Turn of the Key (2019)
- One by One (2020)
- The It Girl (2022)
- Zero Days (2023)
- One Perfect Couple (New Book 2024)
Recommended Reading Order
You do not have to read Ruth Ware’s books in their publication order. They are all standalone novels that are not part of a series. Her thriller books can be read in any order. You may wish to start here:
- Ruth Ware’s first book (and my favorite) is In a Dark, Dark Wood.
- GoodReads readers’ top-rated pick is The Turn of the Key.
- The best-seller worldwide is The Woman in Cabin 10.
For more detailed reviews, get Ruth Ware’s books ranked.
Plots of Ruth Ware’s Suspenseful Mystery Books
#1 of 9: In a Dark, Dark Wood (2015)
In a Dark, Dark Wood is about the bachelorette party from H-E-double hockey sticks. A lonely writer named Leonora attends an old friend’s pre-wedding bash deep in the English countryside.
The Bachelorette party storyline is told in the past. In the present, Leonora is in the hospital after an accident. She is suspected of murder and is trying to remember both what happened and how she got there. Thus begins a deadly spiral of events.
#2 of 9: The Woman in Cabin 10 (2016)
In The Woman in Cabin 10, travel journalist Lo is reeling from a home burglary when she receives the assignment of a lifetime to spend a week of work aboard a small, luxury cruise ship in the North Sea.
But something more ominous is on the horizon. A drunk and anxious Lo believes she witnessed a woman thrown overboard. Yet, all the passengers remain accounted for, and her concerns are generally dismissed.
As the ship continues to sail, a wave of twists builds up in this intense setting.
#3 of 9: The Lying Game (2017)
In The Lying Game, human remains are found in a small coastal village, and a local woman named Kate texts her old boarding school friends that she needs them.
This intriguing opening scene sets the stage for the story of four girls known for their incessant lies and problems at the school.
They reconvene as adults, and while Kate remains guarded, the remainder of the group, led by new mother Isa, slowly uncovers the truth behind the lies. Ultimately, they must decide whether to lie or tell the truth.
#4 of 9: The Death of Mrs. Westway (2018)
The Death of Mrs. Westway is an ominous and mysterious novel about a tarot card reader named Harriet who believes she has wrongly received an inheritance letter. After she attends the funeral of the deceased elderly woman, though, she starts to believe something is hiding beneath the surface.
The closer she gets to the family, the more she finds mysterious connections to her life. These suspicions unravel slowly to reveal the truth, and the story builds to one very suspenseful conclusion.
#5 of 9: The Turn of the Key (2019)
In The Turn of the Key, Rowan gets a live-in nanny job for a picturesque family at a remote mansion in the Scottish Highlands.
But, her dream job becomes a nightmare when a child dies and she finds herself in prison awaiting murder trial. She writes to her lawyer, trying to explain the odd events that led to her incarceration and prove her innocence.
#6 of 9: One by One (2020)
In One by One, eight coworkers from a trendy London tech start-up become cut off from the outside world by an avalanche at a ski resort in the French Alps.
It may seem cozy, but the group begins to dwindle as the hours pass without any sign of a possible rescue. Characters begin to die “one by one,” and ulterior motives and dark secrets are slowly revealed as tensions mound.
Reading Tip: I recommend reading in print or digital format and taking notes on the many characters, who can be hard to track.
Related Post: One by One Summary
#7 of 9: The It Girl (2022)
The It Girl uncovers the truth about the death of Oxford’s popular student, April Clarke-Cliveden, a decade earlier. Indeed, she was a woman of “two faces,” as many “it” girls are in a high-pressure academic environment at a young age.
April’s friend Hannah is now married to another of their friends, Will, and is expecting a baby. But, when April’s convicted killer dies in prison and a journalist presents evidence he may be innocent, Hannah’s “nesting” stage of life becomes interrupted by a desperate search for the truth.
Hannah reconnects with the remainder of her college group of friends to shed new light on the past, and the results offer twists along the way to a thrilling conclusion.
#8 of 9: Zero Days (2023)
In Zero Days, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are a team hired to break into buildings and security systems.
When Jack finds Gabe tragically dead, she’s on a race against time to figure out who did it, as the police are narrowing in on her as their lead suspect. While she tries to remain untraceable, she still connects with her sister, Helena, for moral support and Gabe’s best friend, Cole, who works in tech security and may be able to help her.
#9 of 9: One Perfect Couple (New Book 2024)
In One Perfect Couple, Lyla agrees to go on a new reality TV show with her aspiring actor boyfriend, Nico. They arrive on “Ever After Island” and meet the four couples they will compete against.
The production of the show feels odd, leaving the cast feeling uneasy. Then, a storm cuts the cast off from production (and the rest of the world). They are each left fighting for survival as supplies decrease and both tensions and dead bodies increase.
Reading Tip: I recommend reading in print or digital format and taking notes on the many characters, who can be hard to track.
Printable PDF Checklist of Ruth Ware’s Books
RUTH WARE’S BOOK LIST
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About Thriller Author Ruth Ware
about
Ruth Ware is a #1 New York Times bestselling British author. She debuted as an adult novel writer under this pen name with In A Dark, Dark Wood in 2015. Previously, she wrote young adult fantasy novels under the name Ruth Warburton.
She has been described as a modern-day Agatha Christie. She has described her own fiction books as being “full of murder, family secrets, toxic friendships and things that go bump in the night.”
Prominent in her books are isolated settings and fairly large casts of characters.
More Books and Authors Like Ruth Ware
Try authors like Alice Feeney, Riley Sager, and Agatha Christie if you like Ruth Ware. Their suspenseful thrillers with atmospheric settings are perfect for plot twists and page-turning book fans.
Recap
TOP 3 PICKS
Get ready for some mysterious thrills and start with the best of Ruth Ware’s books in order:
- Ruth Ware’s first book and my top pick is In a Dark, Dark Wood.
- GoodReads readers’ top-rated pick is The Turn of the Key.
- The best-seller worldwide is The Woman in Cabin 10.
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
