Ruth Ware Popular Books

Ruth Ware Biography & Facts

Ruth Ware (born 1977), alias for Ruth Warburton, is a British psychological thriller author. Her novels include In a Dark, Dark Wood (2015), The Woman in Cabin 10 (2016), The Lying Game (2017), The Death of Mrs Westaway (2018), The Turn of the Key (2019), One By One (2020), The It Girl (2022) and Zero Days (2023). Both In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10 were on the UK's Sunday Times and The New York Times top ten bestseller lists. She is represented by Eve White of the Eve White Literary Agency. She switched to the pen name Ruth Ware to distinguish her crime novels from the young-adult fantasy novels published under her name, Ruth Warburton. Personal life Ruth Ware was born in 1977 and grew up in Lewes. She studied English at Manchester University, where she developed a fascination with Old English and Middle English texts. Before her writing career, Ware worked as a waitress, a bookseller and a publicist. She also spent time in Paris, teaching English as a foreign language. Ware now lives near Brighton. Early career Before embarking on her writing career as Ruth Ware, Ware wrote five young-adult fantasy novels as Ruth Warburton, all of which were published by Hodder's Children Books. A Witch Alone (2013) 978-1444904710 A Witch in Winter (2013) 978-1444904697 A Witch in Love (2013) 978-1444904703 Witch Finder (2014) 978-1444914467 Witch Hunt (2014) 978-1444914481Writing style In her crime books, Ware's writing style is often compared to that of Agatha Christie. Ware has said that some aspects of her writing are directly inspired by Christie. Ware's protagonists are usually ordinary women who find themselves in dangerous situations involving a crime. The first two of Ware's novels feature a murder mystery with a group of people trapped, or otherwise restricted from immediately escaping the dangerous environment. Christie was famously known for utilizing this plot device, in novels such as Murder on the Orient Express. Ware and Christie both choose settings and situations that foster the sense of dread that propels their characters to paranoia and often they react violently as a result. These environments create a sense of isolation for the events to unfold in. Ware's settings play a key role in drawing in the reader and are as essential and integral to her story as the characters. Works Ware has written eight psychological thrillers, as of 2023:  • In a Dark, Dark Wood (2015) is about a woman who attends a bachelorette party (hen do) of a childhood friend whom she hasn't heard from in years. The party takes place in an isolated glass house in the woods and takes a turn for the worse. By the end of the weekend someone is dead and everyone is a suspect. • The Woman in Cabin 10 (2016) is about Laura "Lo" Blacklock, a travel journalist who goes on the maiden voyage of the Aurora Borealis, a luxury cruise ship, for an assignment in the Norwegian fjords. Lo is on the trip to further her career, but everything changes when she witnesses what she believes to be a woman being thrown overboard, yet all the passengers remain accounted for and no one believes her. • The Lying Game (2017) revolves around four girls named Kate Atagon, Fatima Chaudhry (née Qureshy), Thea West, and Isa Wilde who attend a private boarding school called Salten House. At the school, they form a bond from a game of telling lies. The poor actions of the girls' boarding school days resurface years later when they receive a mysterious text from Kate asking them to return to the mill where they hung out as teenagers. • The Death of Mrs Westaway (2018) is about Hal, a young tarot card reader, who receives a mysterious and large inheritance. When Hal attends the funeral of the deceased it becomes clear that she was not the intended recipient of the inheritance and that she has become involved in a dangerous mystery. • The Turn of the Key (2019) is about a nanny and four children, written as if updating Henry James's The Turn of the Screw in a 21st-century setting. • One by One (2020) revolves around the directors and shareholders of a hot new technology company on a corporate retreat at an exclusive ski resort to decide the future of the company. Tensions run high approaching a possible billion-dollar buyout as an avalanche cuts the chalet off from help, and one board member goes missing. • The IT Girl (2022) is about a woman, Hannah de Chastaigne, whose college roommate was murdered while the two attended Oxford University. Ten years later, Hannah discovers that her testimony in court may have resulted in the wrong person being convicted of the crime. • Zero Days (2023) is about a husband-and-wife duo who use their combined computer hacking and breaking-and-entering skills to penetration test high-security facilities. Film and television adaptations Several of Ware's books have been optioned for screen. In a Dark, Dark Wood (2015): New Line Cinema has acquired film rights. Reese Witherspoon's Pacific Standard is attached to produce. The Woman in Cabin 10 (2016): CBS has acquired film rights, and is set to produce the film with the Gotham Group. Screenwriter Hillary Seitz is attached. The Lying Game (2017): Entertainment One has acquired television rights to The Lying Game. Zero Days (2023): Universal International Studios has acquired the rights for series development.Accolades Ware's novels have won or been nominated for a number of awards and end-of-year lists: In a Dark, Dark Wood (2015) A BEA Buzz Panel selection An NPR best book of 2015 RT Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Suspense Novel The Woman in Cabin 10 (2016) Nominated for the 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards Best Mystery & Thriller 2016 Book of the Year Finalist selected by Book of the Month One by One (2020) Shortlisted for the 2021 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award at the Crime Writers Association AwardsCritical reception Reviews of Ruth Ware's psychological crime thrillers have been generally positive. The Independent named In A Dark, Dark Wood as "this year's hottest crime novel". The Guardian praised In A Dark, Dark Wood's "excellent characterisation" and called the book's ending "mesmerising". The Independent described The Lying Game as "gripping enough to be devoured in a single sitting," in a four-star review. In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews' writer said "cancel your plans for the weekend when you sit down with this book, because you won’t want to move until it’s over." References. Discover the Ruth Ware popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Ruth Ware books.

Best Seller Ruth Ware Books of 2024

  • The Lying Game synopsis, comments

    The Lying Game

    Ruth Ware

    INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER! “So many questions...Until the very last page! Needless to say, I could not put this book down!” Reese Withersp...

  • Skeleton Crew synopsis, comments

    Skeleton Crew

    Stephen King

    Includes the stories “Uncle Otto’s Truck” and “Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut”set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, MaineFeatures “The Mist” now a TV series event on SpikeThe #1 New York...

  • Drowning synopsis, comments

    Drowning

    T. J. Newman

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM WARNER BROTHERS PICTURES “Reads like Apollo 13 underwater.” Don Winslow “Masterful.” Patricia Cornwell “A stunn...

  • Cover Her Face synopsis, comments

    Cover Her Face

    P. D. James

    The first in the series of scintillating mysteries to feature cunning Scotland Yard detective, Adam Dalgliesh from P.D. James, the bestselling author hailed by People magazine as “...

  • Mile 81 synopsis, comments

    Mile 81

    Stephen King

    Mile 81 is Stand by Me meets Christinethe story of an insatiable car and a heroic kid.At Mile 81 on the Maine turnpike is a boarded up rest stop, a place where high school kids dri...

  • The Perfect Stranger synopsis, comments

    The Perfect Stranger

    Megan Miranda

    From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Missing Girlsthe gripping story of a journalist who sets out to find her missing friend, a friend who may never have existe...

  • Mr. Mercedes synopsis, comments

    Mr. Mercedes

    Stephen King

    WINNER OF THE 2015 EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL #1 New York Times bestseller! In a highsuspense race against time, three of the most unlikely heroes Stephen King has ever created try...

  • The Girl from Widow Hills synopsis, comments

    The Girl from Widow Hills

    Megan Miranda

    From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last House Guesta Reese Witherspoon Book Club pickcomes a “hauntingly atmospheric and gorgeously written pageturner” (Kimberly McC...

  • The Girls in the Garden synopsis, comments

    The Girls in the Garden

    Lisa Jewell

    “A pageturner for readers who like beach reads on the dark side” (People), this unputdownable domestic thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone a...

  • The Family Upstairs synopsis, comments

    The Family Upstairs

    Lisa Jewell

    INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A GOOD MORNING AMERICA COVER TO COVER BOOK CLUB PICK“Rich, dark, and intricately twisted, this enthralling whodunit mixes family saga with domesti...

  • The Woman in Cabin 10 synopsis, comments

    The Woman in Cabin 10

    Ruth Ware

    INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF IN A DARK, DARK WOOD Featured in TheSkimm An Entertainment Weekly “Summer Must List” Pick A New York Post “Summer...

  • The Dark Tower V synopsis, comments

    The Dark Tower V

    Stephen King

    Wolves of the Calla is the thrilling fifth book in Stephen King’s Dark Tower seriesa unique bestselling epic fantasy quest inspired many years ago by The Lord of the Rings.In the e...

  • The Truth About Melody Browne synopsis, comments

    The Truth About Melody Browne

    Lisa Jewell

    This “touching, insightful, and gripping story” (Sophie Kinsella, New York Times bestselling author) from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone follows a yo...

  • The Dark Tower IV synopsis, comments

    The Dark Tower IV

    Stephen King

    The fourth volume in the brilliant Dark Tower Series is “splendidly tense…riproaring” (Publishers Weekly)a #1 national bestseller about an epic quest to save the universe.In Wizard...

  • The Dark Tower I synopsis, comments

    The Dark Tower I

    Stephen King

    “An impressive work of mythic magnitude that may turn out to be Stephen King’s greatest literary achievement” (The Atlanta JournalConstitution), The Gunslinger is the first volume ...

  • The Cloisters synopsis, comments

    The Cloisters

    Katy Hays

    A Today Show #ReadwithJenna Book Club PickThis instant New York Times bestseller that is “captivating in every sense of the word” (Sarah Pearse, New York Times bestselling author) ...

  • Anatomy of a Scandal synopsis, comments

    Anatomy of a Scandal

    Sarah Vaughan

    NOW A HIT NETFLIX SERIESInstant International Bestseller“A nuanced story line perfectly in tune with our #metoo times.” People, Book of the Week“One of the season’s most buzzedabou...

  • The Dark Tower II synopsis, comments

    The Dark Tower II

    Stephen King

    The second volume in Stephen King’s #1 bestselling Dark Tower Series, The Drawing of the Three is an “epic in the making” (Kirkus Reviews) about a savage struggle against underworl...

  • Insomnia synopsis, comments

    Insomnia

    Stephen King

    A #1 national bestseller“A yarn so packed with suspense, romance, literary reference, fascinating miscellaneous knowledge, and heart that only Stephen King could have written it. M...

  • Finders Keepers synopsis, comments

    Finders Keepers

    Stephen King

    The second book in Stephen King’s Bill Hodges trilogy (Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, End of Watch)now an AT&T Audience Original Series!“Stephen King’s superb stayupallnight th...

  • The Last House Guest synopsis, comments

    The Last House Guest

    Megan Miranda

    A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick and New York Times bestsellerA year after a summer guest dies under suspicious circumstances, her best friend lives under a clou...

  • The Family Remains synopsis, comments

    The Family Remains

    Lisa Jewell

    INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“Other authors are at a ten out of ten, for me, and Lisa is a solid hundred.” Gillian McAllister, The Sunday Times (London) bestselling author of W...

  • The Witch Elm synopsis, comments

    The Witch Elm

    Tana French

    A New York Times bestseller and a Best Book of 2018 by NPR, The New York Times Book Review, Amazon, The Boston Globe, LitHub, Vulture, Slate, Elle, Vox, and Electric Literature“Tan...

  • Then She Was Gone synopsis, comments

    Then She Was Gone

    Lisa Jewell

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Invisible Girl and The Truth About Melody Browne comes a “riveting” (PopSugar) and “acutely observed famil...

  • The Dark Tower VI synopsis, comments

    The Dark Tower VI

    Stephen King

    The penultimate volume in the Dark Tower series, The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah, a #1 New York Times bestseller, is a pivotal installment in the epic saga.Set in a world of ex...

  • All the Missing Girls synopsis, comments

    All the Missing Girls

    Megan Miranda

    A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A New York Times Book Review “Editors’ Choice” Entertainment Weekly Thriller RoundUp The Wall Street Journal 5 Killer Books Hollywood Reporter Hot S...

  • None of This Is True synopsis, comments

    None of This Is True

    Lisa Jewell

    INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling author known for her “superb pacing, twisted characters, and captivating prose” (BuzzFeed), Lisa Jewell retu...

  • The Night She Disappeared synopsis, comments

    The Night She Disappeared

    Lisa Jewell

    From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone comes “her best thriller yet” (Harlan Coben, New York Times bestselling author) about a young couple’s disappeara...

  • The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon synopsis, comments

    The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

    Stephen King

    From international bestseller Stephen King, a classic story that engages our emotions on the most primal level, a fairy tale grimmer than Grimm but aglow with a girl’s indomitable ...

  • The Last to Vanish synopsis, comments

    The Last to Vanish

    Megan Miranda

    INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“This eerie thriller…can stand next to Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Stephen King’s The Shining.” Booklist (starred review)New Y...

  • A Face in the Crowd synopsis, comments

    A Face in the Crowd

    Stephen King

    The writing team that delivered the bestselling Faithful, about the 2004 Red Sox championship season, takes readers to the ballpark again, and to a world beyond in this baseball ta...

  • The Dark Tower VII synopsis, comments

    The Dark Tower VII

    Stephen King

    Creating "true narrative magic" (The Washington Post) at every revelatory turn, Stephen King surpasses all expectation in the stunning final volume of his sevenpart epic masterwork...

  • In the Tall Grass synopsis, comments

    In the Tall Grass

    Stephen King

    Now a major motion picture streaming on Netflix!Mile 81 meets “N.” in this novella collaboration between Stephen King and Joe Hill. As USA TODAY said of Stephen King’s Mile 81: “Pa...

  • The Favorite Sister synopsis, comments

    The Favorite Sister

    Jessica Knoll

    From the author of Luckiest Girl Alivenow a Netflix filmcomes the “engrossing” (People) New York Times bestseller starring two sisters who join the cast of a reality TV series…and ...

  • In a Dark, Dark Wood synopsis, comments

    In a Dark, Dark Wood

    Ruth Ware

    AUTHOR OF THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 and THE LYING GAME INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE An NPR Best Book of the Yea...

  • Invisible Girl synopsis, comments

    Invisible Girl

    Lisa Jewell

    AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“I absolutely loved Invisible GirlLisa Jewell has a way of combining furiously twisty, utterly gripping plots with wonderfully rich characteriza...

  • End of Watch synopsis, comments

    End of Watch

    Stephen King

    Now an AT&T Audience Original SeriesThe fabulously suspenseful and "smashing" (The New York Times Book Review) final novel in the Bill Hodges trilogy from the #1 New York Times...

  • Greenwich Park synopsis, comments

    Greenwich Park

    Katherine Faulkner

    This “gloriously tangled game of cat and mouse” (Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author) explores the anxieties of impending motherhood, unreliable friendship, and the hig...

  • All by Myself, Alone synopsis, comments

    All by Myself, Alone

    Mary Higgins Clark

    A glamorous cruise on a luxurious ocean liner turns deadly in the latest mystery from “Queen of Suspense” and #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark.Fleeing a disa...

  • The Dark Tower III synopsis, comments

    The Dark Tower III

    Stephen King

    The third volume in the #1 nationally bestselling Dark Tower Series, involving the enigmatic Roland (the last gunfighter) and his ongoing quest for the Dark Tower, is “Stephen King...

  • The Colorado Kid synopsis, comments

    The Colorado Kid

    Stephen King

    On an island off the coast of Maine, a man is found dead. There's no identification on the body. Only the dogged work of a pair of local newspapermen and a graduate student in fore...

  • Creep synopsis, comments

    Creep

    Jennifer Hillier

    Pulsing with the dark obsession of Radiohead’s song “Creep,” Jennifer Hillier’s superb debut thriller is a terrifying catandmouse game between a woman with everything to lose, and ...

  • Different Seasons synopsis, comments

    Different Seasons

    Stephen King

    Includes the stories “The Body” and “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine A “hypnotic” (The New York Times Book Review) collection...

  • Twenty Years Later synopsis, comments

    Twenty Years Later

    Charlie Donlea

    “Excellent…Donlea tells a propulsive tale.” – The New York TimesThe New York Times Best Thrillers This Season | E! NewsRecommended Books | Overdrive Biggest Books of the MonthFans ...

  • Cell synopsis, comments

    Cell

    Stephen King

    From international bestseller Stephen King, a highconcept, ingenious and terrifying story about the mayhem unleashed when a pulse from a mysterious source transforms all cell phone...

  • Falling synopsis, comments

    Falling

    T. J. Newman

    #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Terrifying…buckle up for a chilling summer read.” People (Best Books of the Week) “The perfect thriller! A mustread.” Gillian Fly...

  • Such a Quiet Place synopsis, comments

    Such a Quiet Place

    Megan Miranda

    From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last House Guesta Reese Witherspoon Book Club selectioncomes a riveting, “suspenseful” (BookPage, starred review) novel about a my...

  • Watching You synopsis, comments

    Watching You

    Lisa Jewell

    “Quickly and assuredly, Jewell builds an ecosystem of countervailing suspicions…Tricky, clever, unexpected.” New York Times Book Review“Brace yourself as Jewell stacks up the secre...