Oh, Ruthie, You Can Do So Much Better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              Having read several of Ruth Ware's books, I can attest to  the  skill  of her writing, and  to deserved comparisons  to Agatha Christie.   Here,  she goes  a little  too far--so far  that  Miss  Christie  must be turning  over  in  her grave!

                                                  Ware is  not the fist author to imitate  Christie,  and she will  not be the last.  But seldom  has  so high profiled an  author stooped  so low.  My guess is she was writing this to  fulfill  some contractual obligation, and churned it out.  From  its title,  suggesting victims picked off "One By One," to a group of people in an  isolated Alpine chalet,  where the reader just knows an avalanche is looming--just  look  at the cover!!!!!!!!!--the novel  is  vintage Christie.

                                                      On the plus side,  Ware brings  things up to date with references  to technology, and most  assembled  being  a start up group called Snoop,  there for a weekend conference.  Her characters are interesting, as is the subtle way she finds of working  their back  stories  into the plot.

                                                         But it also makes it almost  too easy to  figure  out who the killer is.  I had made up my  mind,  at  least  by the halfway  point, and  it  turns  out I was right.  Come on, Ruthie!  I expected more  from  you!

                                                          If one is starting to read Ruth Ware, and this is  your starting point,  it  is  not  a  bad  one.   It  is  just  not  up  to her  usual  standards.

                                                             Still, the  book was  useful  in  one  factor of my decision making process.  I have  never  been skiing,  and  now,  I  am  not  about to start!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                               Happy reading, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!