Zero Days

• Author: Ruth Ware
• Genre: Mystery/Thriller
• Publication Date: June 20, 2023
• Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: blood, murder, gore, grief, PTSD, mention of domestic violence, mention of stalking, police brutality

An adrenaline-fueled thriller that combines Mr. and Mrs. Smith with The Fugitive about a woman in a race against time to clear her name and find her husband’s murderer.

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. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect—her.

Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer in this unputdownable and heart-pounding mystery.

Although this is a bit different from Ware’s usual style, she completely nailed it with the Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Fugitive vibes—they came through loud and clear in this book. I was pulled into the story quickly, and was surprised that the tech stuff wasn’t overwhelming.

Jack (Jacintha) Cross and her husband are penetration testers, working together to identify any weak spots in the physical and online security systems of companies. Jack handles the buildings, while Gabe hacks into the computers. But when a job goes wrong, Jack has to deal with an issue that delays her, and she comes home to find her husband murdered, and she’s the prime suspect.

She quickly goes on the run, convinced that she’ll be able to find the real killer on her own, rather than trust the police, who don’t seem to believe her and aren’t investing much other than trying to tie her to the murder. And the evidence does seem to be pointing towards her as the main suspect.

Jack’s search was exciting and full of action, and while I was able to figure out some of the reveal, I was surprised by a lot more of the information presented towards the end of the book. I couldn’t put the book down, and this one was definitely a hit. Ware even managed to make the tech information manageable for people who aren’t tech-savvy, like me. 

People who have sat around with me while I’m reading, especially when there’s a surprising reveal, a shocking plot twist, or an unexpected event often look up in alarm when I gasp audibly. The gasp factor is directly related to the number of times I audibly gasp during a reading, and there isn’t an upper limit.

Gasp Factor: 20