Publication
Thorndike Press, 2023-
Collection
Call number
Large Print Fiction W
Physical description
587 p.; 23 cm
Status
Checked out
Due 2024-01-08
Call number
Description
"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 from an author whose "propulsive prose keeps readers on the hook and refuses to let anyone off until all has been revealed" (Shelf Awareness)"--
Genres
User reviews
LibraryThing member GeauxGetLit
4.5 stars.
A husband and wife team of cybersecurity whom patches tries to hack and breach into big companies to find vulnerabilities uncovers a breach they weren’t allowed to find.
Twisted cat and mouse thriller
A husband and wife team of cybersecurity whom patches tries to hack and breach into big companies to find vulnerabilities uncovers a breach they weren’t allowed to find.
Twisted cat and mouse thriller
LibraryThing member dwcofer
I was greatly disappointed in this book. The premise sounded promising and I was looking forward to reading it. The book was a slow read for me. It bogged down often and I had to force myself to continue reading. I almost DNF’d it about the 100 page mark, but as I had invested so much time in the
The story is told in the first person by Jacintha “Jack” Cross, who, with her husband Gabe, is a pen specialist. They penetrate companies to test their security, both physical and digital. Jack specializes in physical penetration, picking locks, getting through security checkpoints, etc., while Gabe works online penetrating a company’s server and hacking into their computers. Gabe is killed early on (no spoiler as it happens right off the bat), and the rest of the book is Jack’s story of finding Gabe’s killer as the police think Jack murdered Gabe as she is the wife, who is often the most likely suspect, and her behavior gives the polices several reasons to suspect her.
My biggest issue with the book is the characters were not people I could empathize with or relate to. We never got to know Gabe as he departed early and the author did not flesh out Jack’s character well enough to know her or empathize with her. I was not able to even care if she lived or died or found out who murdered her husband. She was just there.
To be smart enough to work as a penetration specialist and able to break into buildings undetected, Jack was a knucklehead. Her behavior not only led the police to her time after time, but her actions cast suspicions on her over and over. She did not behave as I would expect a grieving widow would. True, she was trying to find Gabe’s killer, but three days after his death, before the body was even in the ground, she was kissing and making out with Gabe’s best friend. Who does that? Plus at one point in the book, she was barely able to climb a staircase due to an infected injury, but once at the top of the stairs, she walks three miles with no difficulty. Too many inconsistencies like this for me.
On top of all this, the plot was predictable. It was apparent early on, despite some false leads thrown in by the author, who was responsible for Gabe’s murder. That made most of the book anticlimactic. Finally, the ending was ridiculous. I won’t reveal the surprise at the end, but it was so out of left field.
Overall, this book was over-hyped. It was just an OK read, nothing special. I will give it two stars, but it probably only deserved one star.
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book, I continued to the end.The story is told in the first person by Jacintha “Jack” Cross, who, with her husband Gabe, is a pen specialist. They penetrate companies to test their security, both physical and digital. Jack specializes in physical penetration, picking locks, getting through security checkpoints, etc., while Gabe works online penetrating a company’s server and hacking into their computers. Gabe is killed early on (no spoiler as it happens right off the bat), and the rest of the book is Jack’s story of finding Gabe’s killer as the police think Jack murdered Gabe as she is the wife, who is often the most likely suspect, and her behavior gives the polices several reasons to suspect her.
My biggest issue with the book is the characters were not people I could empathize with or relate to. We never got to know Gabe as he departed early and the author did not flesh out Jack’s character well enough to know her or empathize with her. I was not able to even care if she lived or died or found out who murdered her husband. She was just there.
To be smart enough to work as a penetration specialist and able to break into buildings undetected, Jack was a knucklehead. Her behavior not only led the police to her time after time, but her actions cast suspicions on her over and over. She did not behave as I would expect a grieving widow would. True, she was trying to find Gabe’s killer, but three days after his death, before the body was even in the ground, she was kissing and making out with Gabe’s best friend. Who does that? Plus at one point in the book, she was barely able to climb a staircase due to an infected injury, but once at the top of the stairs, she walks three miles with no difficulty. Too many inconsistencies like this for me.
On top of all this, the plot was predictable. It was apparent early on, despite some false leads thrown in by the author, who was responsible for Gabe’s murder. That made most of the book anticlimactic. Finally, the ending was ridiculous. I won’t reveal the surprise at the end, but it was so out of left field.
Overall, this book was over-hyped. It was just an OK read, nothing special. I will give it two stars, but it probably only deserved one star.
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LibraryThing member Twink
I've been eagerly awaiting Ruth Ware's latest book, Zero Days. I've enjoyed every book she's written, including this one.
This latest is another edge of your seat read! Ware plays with the reader's perceptions in the first chapter. I was quite certain I knew what was going to happen. And, nope - I
Jack is our protagonist. I quite liked her, her thinking and her tenacity. She's been accused of an unthinkable crime and is determined to clear her name, and find the actual perpetrator. So, she goes rogue and her unusual skill set is put into play. I was fascinated by this bit - how she gets in and out of places, procures information, convinces people to believe in a bit of chicanery. I wondered how much of this part is true? And because I was enjoying the book so much, I decided to just go with it.
Almost every chapter ends with a cliffhanger, there's twists and the suspense just doesn't let up. (Love it!) Which makes for some addictive page turning! I had guessed the whodunit before the final reveal, but it's the journey there that so much fun to read.
I can see Zero Days as a movie and indeed, it will be one! Universal International Studios has acquired the rights.
This latest is another edge of your seat read! Ware plays with the reader's perceptions in the first chapter. I was quite certain I knew what was going to happen. And, nope - I
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was (happily) wrong.Jack is our protagonist. I quite liked her, her thinking and her tenacity. She's been accused of an unthinkable crime and is determined to clear her name, and find the actual perpetrator. So, she goes rogue and her unusual skill set is put into play. I was fascinated by this bit - how she gets in and out of places, procures information, convinces people to believe in a bit of chicanery. I wondered how much of this part is true? And because I was enjoying the book so much, I decided to just go with it.
Almost every chapter ends with a cliffhanger, there's twists and the suspense just doesn't let up. (Love it!) Which makes for some addictive page turning! I had guessed the whodunit before the final reveal, but it's the journey there that so much fun to read.
I can see Zero Days as a movie and indeed, it will be one! Universal International Studios has acquired the rights.
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LibraryThing member rmarcin
This was quite a different book from Ruth Ware. Jack and Gabe are married, and work to find security lapses at companies. After a job, Jack returns home to find Gabe dead, his throat slit. She is terrified, and when the cops suspect her, she goes on the run to find Gabe's killer.
As she delves into
An interesting departure from Ware's typical novels, I enjoyed this look at cybersecurity. However, I think it could have been tightened up a bit, could have been shorter.
As she delves into
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his murder, she uncovers a secret that Gabe knew, but others want to keep it hidden, and are willing to kill for it. As Jack races against time, she wonders who is a friend or enemy. She takes chances with her life, but she won't stop until she gets answers. As she stays one step ahead of the police, her life is in danger. An interesting departure from Ware's typical novels, I enjoyed this look at cybersecurity. However, I think it could have been tightened up a bit, could have been shorter.
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LibraryThing member CelticLibrarian
Not the thriller I was expecting.
I was bored with this by the second chapter -- but I always try to finish something I've agreed to read and review. I should have DNF.
The plot is blah and predictable -- woman's husband is killed, she is a suspect, she tries to find out who killed him. Of course she
In this story, Jack (Jacintha) Cross is looking for the persons responsible for murdering her husband, Gabe. She can't trust anyone (and the reader will spot that immediately) and she's on the run enduring impossible scenarios of peril and being pursued by police. Her constant stream of internal dialogue, moaning and groaning, and repetitive thoughts drove me nuts. Without all the descriptive words used to describe her wound pain, how cold and tired she was, and how much she loved her husband -- well maybe this would have been a short story or novella. I found it boring.
Finished it, can't recommend it. Won't be rushing to obtain this author's next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for providing this e-book ARC.
I was bored with this by the second chapter -- but I always try to finish something I've agreed to read and review. I should have DNF.
The plot is blah and predictable -- woman's husband is killed, she is a suspect, she tries to find out who killed him. Of course she
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succeeds. In this story, Jack (Jacintha) Cross is looking for the persons responsible for murdering her husband, Gabe. She can't trust anyone (and the reader will spot that immediately) and she's on the run enduring impossible scenarios of peril and being pursued by police. Her constant stream of internal dialogue, moaning and groaning, and repetitive thoughts drove me nuts. Without all the descriptive words used to describe her wound pain, how cold and tired she was, and how much she loved her husband -- well maybe this would have been a short story or novella. I found it boring.
Finished it, can't recommend it. Won't be rushing to obtain this author's next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for providing this e-book ARC.
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LibraryThing member ericlee
I love a good, fast-paced thriller and this book showed a lot of promise. In the opening few pages, the heroine — a woman known as “Jack” — returns home from a dangerous assignment (she does physical checks of security for companies, involving illegal break-ins) to find her husband
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murdered. And she quickly becomes the prime — indeed, only — suspect. And makes a run for it. With echoes of 1930s thrillers like John Buchan’s The Thirty Nine Steps she even has to jump from a moving train at one point. But there were three things I didn’t like about the book. First, the internal monologue, which is quite repetitive, focussing on how much she misses her dead husband. That significantly padded out the story and I though unnecessarily so. The second two gripes involve a SPOILER ALERT: if you’ve ever seen the movie Ghost with Demi Moore, you may remember her beloved murdered husband and his best friend, the slimy Carl Bruner. A character appears here and I immediately thought — please don’t go there. But the author did. But the worst part was to follow. In the end, as you can imagine, good triumphs (no spoiler there) and our heroine is recuperating in hospital. But with her beloved husband gone, she sees no point in living. After all, what can a woman alone do with her life? And then I worried that the author would slip in some handsome doctor and she’d fall into his arms. But no, this is 2023, authors don’t do that kind of nonsense any more. Instead, Jack finds meaning and a reason to live because, as we discover, she is … with child. The utterly backward and reactionary nature of the story was really quite a shock to me. As if a talented, educated, witty woman can only find meaning in life through her amazing husband or a child. I may be unfair, but those things ruined an otherwise interesting book for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member smik
This is a thriller read of the first order. Jack returns home after what is apparently a routine security job to find her husband Gabe murdered at his desk. At first almost paralysed by grief, she goes off to the police station to answer their questions but then it seems that the police think she
There's a lot of technical explanation about the software security that Gabe was working on, that the average reader will probably find a bit confusing, but there are elements we will all recognise it from our own experiences. The story is presented as a count down of 8 days after Gabe dies, which helps to heighten the tension. As Jack tries to find out who is behind Gabe's death it seems that the only person Jack can trust is her sister Hel. The police seem to be able to eventually track her down wherever she is and she is quickly running out of places to go as well as money.
A very good read. Highly recommended..
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has something to do with Gabe's death. So at her second interview Jack decides to leave the interview and to conduct her own investigation. She contacts her husband's best friend Cole after she discovers her husband has recently made a will.There's a lot of technical explanation about the software security that Gabe was working on, that the average reader will probably find a bit confusing, but there are elements we will all recognise it from our own experiences. The story is presented as a count down of 8 days after Gabe dies, which helps to heighten the tension. As Jack tries to find out who is behind Gabe's death it seems that the only person Jack can trust is her sister Hel. The police seem to be able to eventually track her down wherever she is and she is quickly running out of places to go as well as money.
A very good read. Highly recommended..
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LibraryThing member drthubbie
Somewhat formulaic but well paced toward the end. Fictional hackers always seem to be a bit quicker than in real life.
LibraryThing member lostinalibrary
Jack (Jacintha) and her husband, Gabe, own a security company. Businesses hire them to break into their companies to test their security and uncover any vulnerabilities. Jack does the ground work while Gabe remotely guides her through the building. In their latest job, she is caught and detained by
When she finally arrives home, she finds Gabe murdered. When brought to the police station for questioning, she quickly realizes she is not only the main suspect but the only suspect. She cannot let Gabe’s killer get away so she uses her skills to break out of the station, determined to hunt them down herself no matter the risk.
You can always count on a cracking good story from Ruth Ware and Zero Days is no exception. It is a fast paced cat-and-mouse thriller that kept me glued to the page throughout, An entertaining and nearly unputdownable read perfect for Ruth Ware fans or anyone who loves thrillers with plenty of action and a strong female protagonist.
I received an arc of this book from Edelweiss+ and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
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the police. When she is finally released, she lose her way and has to backtrack costing her even more time. When she finally arrives home, she finds Gabe murdered. When brought to the police station for questioning, she quickly realizes she is not only the main suspect but the only suspect. She cannot let Gabe’s killer get away so she uses her skills to break out of the station, determined to hunt them down herself no matter the risk.
You can always count on a cracking good story from Ruth Ware and Zero Days is no exception. It is a fast paced cat-and-mouse thriller that kept me glued to the page throughout, An entertaining and nearly unputdownable read perfect for Ruth Ware fans or anyone who loves thrillers with plenty of action and a strong female protagonist.
I received an arc of this book from Edelweiss+ and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member KallieGrace
Meh, this is fast paced, but definitely a fugitive story rather than a mystery. Ruth Ware always just aaaaalmost works for me, but there's something lacking in the story by the end. A lot of the obstacles here felt contrived, like sneezing while hiding? Let's make the pursuers smart rather than the
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protagonist dumb unlucky. It's still a quick popcorn read, so that's fine. Show Less
LibraryThing member BONS
I'm not overly familiar with Ruth Ware, but I should be. Page one I was invested in the talk back and forth between the two "penetration specialist" as they breached the security of a large company. The story is based in London and the talk is wonderfully English. But bloody hell it stays active.
LibraryThing member decaturmamaof2
A quite enjoyable thriller! I did note a few editorial inconsistencies/errors, but liked the tight plotting and exciting non-stop action.
LibraryThing member thekellyfamily
I always enjoy Ruth Ware and this one did not disappoint. It was action packed and fast-paced. There were a few twists and I really liked the main character, 'Jack' and her relationship with her sister, 'Hel'. I think this character could be a series type of book with the work she does as a 'pen
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tester'. I love all the technology of the book and hope that Ruth Ware will consider this as a beginning of a series with a main character you cannot help but love. Show Less
LibraryThing member kyurenka
Repetitious, drawn-out, ridiculously melodramatic and boring
LibraryThing member nyiper
Whew!!!! I was exhausted with what Jack was trying to DO ...and DID....through the majority of this book. YES, a writer can have her character(s) manage to do all kinds of incredible things and....JACK did JUST THAT!! Incredible things! Ruth Ware's books are "not to be put down!!" This was a page
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turner...how could Jack possibly escape from the position she found herself in??? Show Less
LibraryThing member bookofsecrets
ZERO DAYS was a nail-biting rollercoaster ride, and I loved every minute! Honestly, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this book because techno-stuff is not my thing at all. BUT, I trust Ruth Ware and she did not disappoint!
Jack (Jacintha) and her husband Gabe are "pen testers," people hired by
It's after one of these security jobs that Jack comes home to find her beloved Gabe brutally murdered. With Jack being the prime suspect, she quickly finds herself on the run from police with very few resources and people she can trust. She has to figure out who murdered Gabe and why before the police close in.
I'm not a fast reader by any means, but I flew through this book in two evenings. Wow!! Jack was an amazing character, very strong, clever, and resilient. There were a few times when I was yelling at her about one thing or another, but I cut her some slack. The amount of stress she was under was incredible. I enjoyed learning about her relationships with the people closest to her, even though one had to end so tragically.
I think ZERO DAYS will end up being one of my favorite Ruth Ware novels. Plenty of tension to keep me turning the pages, and emotion to make Jack's predicament compelling.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for a digital ARC of this book. Opinions are my own.
Jack (Jacintha) and her husband Gabe are "pen testers," people hired by
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companies to break into their buildings to find security system weak spots. Jack is more of the "muscle" who does the breaking in, while Gabe is the tech-savvy one whose voice is in her earpiece guiding her along.It's after one of these security jobs that Jack comes home to find her beloved Gabe brutally murdered. With Jack being the prime suspect, she quickly finds herself on the run from police with very few resources and people she can trust. She has to figure out who murdered Gabe and why before the police close in.
I'm not a fast reader by any means, but I flew through this book in two evenings. Wow!! Jack was an amazing character, very strong, clever, and resilient. There were a few times when I was yelling at her about one thing or another, but I cut her some slack. The amount of stress she was under was incredible. I enjoyed learning about her relationships with the people closest to her, even though one had to end so tragically.
I think ZERO DAYS will end up being one of my favorite Ruth Ware novels. Plenty of tension to keep me turning the pages, and emotion to make Jack's predicament compelling.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for a digital ARC of this book. Opinions are my own.
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LibraryThing member Baochuan
I always enjoyed the book by Ruth Ware, this book is a bit out of her normal area and some of the scenario is a bit beyond reasonable, but the strong female characters are still there. I usually didn't figure out who the killer is or who is behind the killing until almost the end of the book, but I
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have very strong inkling on who is behind the killing half way through the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member quirkylibrarian
Reads like a Jason Bourne/Mission Impossible movie- action packed, too-good-to-be-true breaks and so on, but that’s what you come here for. Ties up in a tidy, neat bow but honestly I think Jack would be a good recurring character.
Awards
Globe and Mail Top 100 Book (2023)
LibraryReads (Monthly Pick — Hall of Fame — June 2023)
Language
Original publication date
2023
ISBN
9798885789882 /