Ruth Ware
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Ruth Warburton (born 1977), known by the alias Ruth Ware, is a British
psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a Film genre, genre combining the thriller (genre), thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting ...
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 ''
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'' and ''
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'' top ten bestseller lists. She is represented by Eve White of the Eve White Literary Agency. She switched to the
pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
Ruth Ware to distinguish her crime novels from the young-adult fantasy novels published under her birth name.


Personal life

Ruth Ware was born in 1977 and grew up in
Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...
. She studied English at
Manchester University The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...
, where she developed a fascination with
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and
Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...
texts. Before her writing career, Ware worked as a waitress, a bookseller and a publicist. She also spent time in
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, teaching English as a foreign language. Ware now lives near
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
.


YA works

Before embarking on her writing career as Ruth Ware, Warburton wrote five young-adult fantasy novels, 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) 978-1444914481


Writing style

In her crime books, Ware's writing style is often compared to that of
Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...
. 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 ''Murder on the Orient Express'' is a work of detective fiction by English writer Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 1 January 1934. In the U ...
.'' 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 nine psychological thrillers, : * ''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
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* List of ...
. 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 Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...
's ''
The Turn of the Screw ''The Turn of the Screw'' is an 1898 gothic horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in '' Collier's Weekly'' from January 27 to April 16, 1898. On October 7, 1898, it was collected in ''The Two Magics'', publis ...
'' 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 A penetration test, colloquially known as a pentest, is an authorized simulated cyberattack on a computer system, performed to evaluate the security of the system; this is not to be confused with a vulnerability assessment. The test is perform ...
high-security facilities, and then the wife finds her husband murdered. * ''One Perfect Couple'' (2024) is about a couple who are cast on a reality show with 4 other couples in a tropical island paradise. An overnight storm leaves them cut off from the mainland without their phones or anyway to contact the boat or crew that brought them. Tensions run high and contestants start to die and they realize they are trapped on an island with a murderer on the loose.


Film and television adaptations

Several of Ware's books have been optioned for screen. * ''In a Dark, Dark Wood'' (2015):
New Line Cinema New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
has acquired film rights.
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's Pacific Standard is attached to produce. * ''The Woman in Cabin 10'' (2016): A
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adaptation directed by
Simon Stone Simon Stone (born 19 August 1984) is an Australian film and theatre director, writer and actor. Early life Stone is Australian, but was born in Basel, Switzerland and grew up in Cambridge and Melbourne. His father, Stuart Stone, was a biochemis ...
and written by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, with
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leading the cast was reported in May 2024. * ''The Lying Game'' (2017):
Entertainment One Lionsgate Canada is a Canadian entertainment company and a subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios. Based in Toronto, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition and production of films and television series. The company began on June 1, 1973 ...
has acquired television rights to ''The Lying Game.'' * ''Zero Days'' (2023):
Universal International Studios Universal International Studios (formerly known as NBCUniversal International Television Production and NBCUniversal International Studios) is a British international television production company that is a division of American television product ...
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
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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 The Goodreads Choice Awards is a yearly award program, first launched on Goodreads in 2009. Winners are determined by crowdvoting, users voting on books that Goodreads has nominated or books of their choosing, released in the given year. Most boo ...
Best Mystery & Thriller ** 2016 Book of the Year Finalist selected by Book of the Month * ''The Death of Mrs. Westaway'' (2018) ** Nominated for the 2018
Goodreads Choice Awards The Goodreads Choice Awards is a yearly award program, first launched on Goodreads in 2009. Winners are determined by crowdvoting, users voting on books that Goodreads has nominated or books of their choosing, released in the given year. Most boo ...
Best Mystery & Thriller ** Nominated for the 2019
Audie Awards The Audie Awards (, rhymes with "gaudy"; abbreviated from ''audiobook''), or simply the Audies, are awards for achievement in spoken word, particularly audiobook narration and audiodrama performance, published in the United States of America. They ...
Best Thriller or Suspense * ''The Turn of the Key'' (2019) ** Nominated for the 2019
Goodreads Choice Awards The Goodreads Choice Awards is a yearly award program, first launched on Goodreads in 2009. Winners are determined by crowdvoting, users voting on books that Goodreads has nominated or books of their choosing, released in the given year. Most boo ...
Best Mystery & Thriller * ''One by One'' (2020) ** Shortlisted for the 2021
Ian Fleming Steel Dagger The CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association for best thriller of the year. The award is sponsored by the estate of Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 196 ...
Award at the
Crime Writers' Association The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors' organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its "Dagger" awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. ...
Awards ** Nominated for the 2020
Goodreads Choice Awards The Goodreads Choice Awards is a yearly award program, first launched on Goodreads in 2009. Winners are determined by crowdvoting, users voting on books that Goodreads has nominated or books of their choosing, released in the given year. Most boo ...
Best Mystery & Thriller *''The It Girl'' (2022) ** Nominated for the 2022
Goodreads Choice Awards The Goodreads Choice Awards is a yearly award program, first launched on Goodreads in 2009. Winners are determined by crowdvoting, users voting on books that Goodreads has nominated or books of their choosing, released in the given year. Most boo ...
Best Mystery & Thriller ** Nominated for 2023
Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award The Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award is one of the UK's top crime-fiction awards, sponsored by Theakston's Old Peculier. It is awarded annually at Harrogate Crime Writing Festival in the UK, held every July, as part of the H ...
* ''Zero Days'' (2023) ** Nominated for the 2024
Ned Kelly Awards The Ned Kelly Awards (named for bushranger Ned Kelly) are Australia's leading literary awards for crime writing in both the crime fiction and true crime genres. They were established in 1996 by the Crime Writers Association of Australia to reward ...
Best International Crime Novel


Critical reception

Reviews of Ruth Ware's psychological crime thrillers have been generally positive. ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' named ''In A Dark, Dark Wood'' as "this year's hottest crime novel". ''The Guardian'' praised ''In A Dark, Dark Woods "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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ware, Ruth British crime writers 1977 births Living people Alumni of the University of Manchester People from Lewes British women crime writers 21st-century British novelists 21st-century British women writers British women novelists English crime fiction writers Pseudonymous women writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers