Book Series Guide
Ruth Ware

Author guide

Ruth Ware Books in Order

Ruth Ware is the pen name of British author Ruth Warburton. She worked as a waitress, bookseller, English teacher, and press officer before becoming a full-time writer. Her psychological crime novels are known for isolated settings, suspenseful mysteries, unreliable perspectives, and complex friendships. She lives near Brighton, Sussex, with her family.

psychological thrillercrime fictionmystery

Catalog record updated .

Ruth Ware's Newest Book

Cover of The Woman in Suite 11

The Woman in Suite 11

novel · First published 2025

In this follow-up to #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware’s multi-million copy mega-hit The Woman in Cabin 10, Lo Blacklock returns to attend the opening of a luxury hotel, only to find herself in a white-knuckled race across Europe. When the invitation to attend the press opening of a luxury Swiss hotel—owned by reclusive billionaire Marcus Leidmann—arrives, it’s like the answer to a prayer. Three years after the birth of her youngest child, Lo Blacklock is ready to reestablish her journalism career, but post-pandemic travel journalism is a very different landscape from the one she left ten years ago. The chateau on the shores of Lake Geneva is everything Lo’s ever dreamed of, and she hopes she can snag an interview with Marcus. Unfortunately, he proves to be even more difficult to pin down than his reputation suggests. When Lo gets a late-night call asking her to come to Marcus’s hotel room, she agrees despite her own misgivings. She’s greeted, however, by a woman claiming to be Marcus’s mistress, and in life-or-death jeopardy. What follows is a thrilling cat-and-mouse pursuit across Europe, forcing Lo to ask herself just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to save this woman…and if she can even trust her?

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of In a Dark, Dark Wood

In a Dark, Dark Wood

Ruth Ware's debut novel and a strong introduction to her psychological-thriller style.

Cover of The Woman in Cabin 10

The Woman in Cabin 10

The recommended starting point for the Lo Blacklock series.

Read in order

Books by series

character-series · ongoing

Lo Blacklock

A character series featuring travel journalist Lo Blacklock, beginning with The Woman in Cabin 10 and continuing with The Woman in Suite 11.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    The Woman in Cabin 10

    Book 1 · novel · 2016

    Travel magazine writer Lo Blacklock has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: one week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the elite guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship,…

  2. 2
    The Woman in Suite 11

    Book 2 · novel · 2025

    In this follow-up to #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware’s multi-million copy mega-hit The Woman in Cabin 10, Lo Blacklock returns to attend the opening of a luxury hotel, only to find herself in a white-knuckled race across…

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (8)
  1. In a Dark, Dark Wood

    novel · 2015

    Leonora, known to some as Lee and others as Nora, is a reclusive crime writer, unwilling to leave her “nest” of an apartment unless it is absolutely necessary. When a friend she hasn’t seen or spoken to in years unexpectedly invites Nora…

  2. The Lying Game

    novel · 2017

    The text message arrives in the small hours of the night. It's just three words: I need you. Isa drops everything, takes her baby daughter and heads straight to Salten. She spent the most significant days of her life at boarding school on…

  3. The Death of Mrs Westaway

    novel · 2018

    On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a…

  4. The Turn of the Key

    novel · 2019

    When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae…

  5. One by One

    novel · 2020

    “The Agatha Christie of our generation.” —David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author “Diabolically clever.” —Riley Sager, author of Final Girls The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Turn of the Key and In a Dark, Dark…

  6. The It Girl

    novel · 2022

    “The pages turn themselves” (People) in this white-knuckled mystery following a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend’s murder from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware. April Clarke-Cliveden was the first…

  7. Zero Days

    novel · 2023

    The New York Times bestselling “new Agatha Christie” (Air Mail) Ruth Ware returns with this 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…

  8. One Perfect Couple

    novel · 2024

    Lyla is in a bit of a rut. Her post-doctoral research has fizzled out, she’s pretty sure they won’t extend her contract, and things with her boyfriend, Nico, an aspiring actor, aren’t going great. When the opportunity arises for Nico to…

Short fiction (1)
  1. We Will Be Watching

    short-story · 2020

Frequently asked questions about Ruth Ware

What is Ruth Ware best known for?

Ruth Ware is a British author best known for psychological crime thrillers and mystery novels. Her books have appeared on Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller lists, sold more than ten million copies, and been published in over 40 languages.

Source: ruthware.com (opens in a new tab)

Is Ruth Ware a pen name?

Yes. Ruth Ware is the pen name of Ruth Warburton, who previously published young-adult novels under her real name before moving into adult psychological thrillers.

Source: publishersweekly.com (opens in a new tab)

What did Ruth Ware do before becoming a full-time writer?

She worked as a waitress, bookseller, teacher of English as a foreign language, and press officer before becoming a full-time author.

Source: simonandschuster.com (opens in a new tab)

Which authors and films influenced Ruth Ware?

Ware has cited classic crime writers including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Josephine Tey as influences. She has also drawn inspiration from horror films such as Scream and A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Source: ruthware.com (opens in a new tab)

What major award recognition has Ruth Ware received?

Her thriller One by One was shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association’s 2021 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, a major British crime-writing award.

Source: thecwa.co.uk (opens in a new tab)