The It Girl - by Ruth Ware (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"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 person Hannah Jones met at Oxford.

Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends--Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily--during their first term. By the end of the year, April was dead.

Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah's world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April's death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide...including a murder.

"The Agatha Christie of our generation" (David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author) presents a "deliciously dark and utterly addictive" (Lucy Foley, New York Times bestselling author) mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Review Quotes

"As usual with Ware, the novel is well crafted--the setting, characters, and dialogue are all engaging . . . Delightfully readable." --Kirkus Reviews

"Deliciously dark and utterly addictive -- my favourite Ruth Ware yet!" --Lucy Foley, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Apartment and The Guest List

"Every Ruth Ware novel is a unique and unexpected gem and this one is no exception. A heady, tense, slowburn dream of a book, multi-layered and steeped in atmosphere and peril. I loved every page." --Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone

"Ruth Ware's richly-textured The IT Girl is at once an engrossing murder mystery while also a perfectly crafted and haunting examination of lost youth and the compromises of adulthood, as a woman unpicks the past secrets of her university friends to finally lay to rest her murdered best friend, the dazzling April. Reminiscent of The Secret History, Ware has surpassed herself with this gripping, absorbing whodunnit. I loved it! All hail the Queen." --Sarah Pinborough, New York Times Bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes

"This exceptional psychological thriller from Ware probes how much one can trust others--and one's self . . . . Alternating past and present chapters build toward a gripping denouement as nicely chosen details bring each character vividly to life. This showcases Ware's gifts to the fullest." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Ware develops both the reader's doubts about and concern for Hannah as the suspense builds gradually under a masterful barrage of red herrings . . . Riveting." --Booklist (Starred Review)

About the Author

Ruth Ware worked as a waitress, a bookseller, a teacher of English as a foreign language, and a press officer before settling down as a full-time writer. She now lives with her family in Sussex, on the south coast of England. She is the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail (Toronto) bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood; The Woman in Cabin 10; The Lying Game; The Death of Mrs. Westaway; The Turn of the Key; One by One; The It Girl; and Zero Days. Visit her at RuthWare.com or follow her on X @RuthWareWriter.