Editorial note: I received a copy of Zero Days in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
Zero Days by Ruth Ware is an action-packed story about a woman’s journey to prove her innocence.
Ruth Ware is known for her locked-room style mysteries, similar to Agatha Christie stories. They’re full of tension, intrigue with a bit of psychological thriller components thrown in the mix. I’ve previously read The It Girl and One by One by her and I quite enjoyed both. I see why she has such a big reach and audience.
That said, Zero Days takes on a different format. While it’s still a thriller and a mystery, it’s told more in the style of an action film. It’s a new take on The Fugitive type storyline.
I liked it! I honestly thought it was a refreshing change. I don’t tend to read action stories like this often but it was entertaining. I kept thinking this is the perfect book to read on a flight, which is one reason I included Zero Days in my summer book club list. Just enough substance to maintain interest and also a complete readable, bing-worthy type novel.
What’s the Story About
Zero Days follows Jack, a penetration specialist hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems. Companies employ these kind of services to gauge how strong their security is. Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best in the business. Everything is perfect.
Until, Jack comes home one night and finds Gabe dead at his computer. And she’s the number one suspect.
Left without any options, she goes on the run to find out who murdered Gabe and to clear her name.
Jack’s Journey
I had personally had no idea the penetration specialists world existed! I actually find it very fascinating. The beginning of the novel felt like a Mission Impossible movie with Jack breaking into a company’s building and it was fun to read for sure.
This story moves quick. So it doesn’t take long for Jack to find Gabe murdered and for her to eventually go on the run. From there, it becomes a cat and mouse chase between Jack and the police.
I thought Jack was compelling and we do learn more about her backstory and relationships with Gabe and her sister. There was enough there to make this feel like a full story.
Verdict
I’m keeping this review short and sweet. Zero Days is more of a The Fugitive/Mission Impossible type story, except this time with a female protagonist. No locked-room mystery to be found here.
I know some readers of Ruth Ware didn’t love the genre switch in Zero Days but it worked for me. Even as someone who doesn’t read a lot of action scenes in stories, I found it engaging. I wouldn’t want to read this kind of story all the time but it was a nice switch.
For book clubs, check out my discussion questions here.
