Harkening to Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None, this high-tension and ingenious thriller follows five couples trapped on a storm-swept island as a killer stalks among them—from Ruth Ware, the New York Times–bestselling author who “is turning out to be as ingenious and indefatigable as the Queen of Crime” (The Washington Post).

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 join the cast of a new reality TV show, One Perfect Couple, she decides to try out with him. A whirlwind audition process later, Lyla find herself whisked off to a tropical paradise with Nico, boating through the Indian Ocean towards Ever After Island, where the two of them will compete against four other couples—Bayer and Angel, Dan and Santana, Joel and Romi, and Conor and Zana—in order to win a cash prize.

But not long after they arrive on the deserted island, things start to go wrong. After the first challenge leaves everyone rattled and angry, an overnight storm takes matters from bad to worse. Cut off from the mainland by miles of ocean, deprived of their phones, and unable to contact the crew that brought them there, the group must band together for survival. As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla finds that this game show is all too real—and the stakes are life or death.

A fast-paced, spellbinding thriller rife with intrigue and characters that feel so true to life, this novel proves yet again that Ruth Ware is the queen of psychological suspense.

 

Praise for One Perfect Couple:

“Ruth Ware has another winner on her hands! She so deftly sets the scene, and then the terror begins. Ware is a genius at building suspense—One Perfect Couple is an absolutely compulsive read!” -Shari Lapena, the Sunday Times-bestselling author of Everyone Here Is Lying.

“One Perfect Couple has everything – characters to care about, characters to loathe, an idyllic island setting, dark secrets, and an utterly perfect ‘ah, of course!’ moment towards the end that made me gasp out loud. One of my favourite books this year, without a doubt. I adored it. Ruth Ware at her very best.” -Andrea Mara, Sunday Times– and Irish Times-bestselling author of No One Saw a Thing.

“Ware is so, so good at pacing, and at creating characters you really care about. This book is painfully atmospheric… I was entirely hooked.” –BookBrunch.

“Innovative, endlessly interesting, and totally thrilling. What happens on reality TV when you turn the cameras off? Enter, Ruth Ware’s best book yet” – Gillian McAllister, Sunday Times– and New York Times-bestselling author of Just Another Missing Person and Wrong Place Wrong Time.

“Addictive, escapist and utterly thrilling, One Perfect Couple is a blistering, breakneck page-turner that sizzles with menace. It left me breathless as I frantically turned the pages. If you only take one thriller on holiday this summer pack this one. You won’t be able to put it down. I absolutely loved it” -C.L. Taylor, Sunday Times-bestselling author of The Guilty Couple.

“Ware once again delivers the literary goods, with a cheeky sense of wit (including a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ nod to one of her own books), a propulsive sense of pacing, and a fiendishly clever conclusion.” –Library Journal.

“Lost meets Lord of the Flies.” –Book Riot.

“An addictive murder mystery.” –Yours.

“[Ruth Ware] is turning out to be as ingenious and indefatigable as the Queen of Crime.” –The Washington Post.

“Love Island becomes Survivor… Ware continues to stretch herself, taking on something new in each novel and writing strong—and increasingly kick-ass—female characters. The most cinematic Ruth Ware novel so far.” –Kirkus Reviews.

“A fresh, adrenaline-fueled take on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None… absolutely ingenious… Bound to be a top summer 2024 beach read.” –Booklist.

“The ultimate trouble-in-paradise thriller, One Perfect Couple is timely, gripping and all too plausible. The Love Island / Lord of the Flies mash-up you didn’t know you needed.” -Erin Kelly, bestselling author of The Skeleton Key and We Know You Know.

“[A] juicy new release from suspense queen Ruth Ware.” –Seattle Times.

“This plot had my adrenaline pumping… I was riveted until the last page!” –First for Women.

“It’s Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None meets Love Island.” –New York Post.

“Ruth Ware is back with her latest twisty thriller that’s perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and reality TV.” –Katie Couric Media.

“One Perfect Couple takes the reader on the breathtaking flips, peaks and valleys of an endless rollercoaster ride. So, jump on, strap on your seat belt and enjoy the thrill ride.” –Booktrib.

“This book is the perfect summer beach read! Ruth Ware has crafted a modern locked-room mystery. Imagine being picked for a Survivor/Love Island type of show — except instead of being sent home one by one, the cast is murdered!” -Luana Collin, Highland Books, Brevard, NC.

“Ruth Ware is the new reigning queen of crime, so it makes perfect sense for her to take on a classic Christie set-up.” –CrimeReads.

“Ruth Ware is a master of suspense. Her latest novel is just the type of ultra-tense thriller we’ve come to know and love her for.” –PureWow.

“[Imogen] Church’s adept portrayals create authenticity and add intrigue to the characters’ relationships. Fans of Ruth Ware and Christie, as well as enthusiasts of survival-themed TV shows, may especially enjoy Church’s rendition of this thriller.” –AudioFile.

“A spine-tingling and devilishly good whodunit… Think Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, but with twice the suspense and even more twists and turns. An early favorite for best book of the year, One Perfect Couple is an absolute must-read for fans of nail-biting suspense and those who appreciate a contemporary take on classic mystery tropes, as Ruth Ware solidifies her position among the all-time greats by proving once and for all that she’s the unquestioned queen of the modern psychological thriller.” –The Real Book Spy.

“Ruth Ware’s carefully crafted mystery and thriller novels have been compared to those of Golden Age crime writers like Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey, and Dorothy L. Sayers… Ware, ever the explorer, brings psychological suspense to the islands of the Indian Ocean.” –Goodreads.

“A new mystery from Ruth Ware (The Woman in Cabin 10, In a Dark, Dark Wood) is always cause for celebration among the genre’s fans. This one looks like good, page-turning fun.” –Goodreads.

“Ruth Ware is a must-read thriller author . . . [her] latest sounds even more entertaining than the best reality TV shows.” –Screen Rant.

“[A] thrilling tale perfect for fans of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.” –BookBub Blog.

“Ruth Ware does it again. One Perfect Couple is another gripping, edge of your seat adventure that you will devour from beginning to end.” –Best Thriller Books.

“A silly romantic competition quickly turns into survival mode. Now that’s my kind of reality TV.” –Novel Suspects.

“One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware pays an ingenious homage to [Agatha Christie’s] And Then There Were None.” –Murder & Mayhem.

“If you love TV reality shows such as The Traitors, you’ll enjoy this pacy page-turner.” -Joanne Finney, Good Housekeeping.

“A must read… another thriller from one of our best thriller writers.” –Daily Mail. 

“If you are missing BBC’s The Traitors, then this is for you!” –Prima Magazine.

“Tense and entertaining.” -Adele Parks, Platinum.

“Ruth Ware never fails, and her latest, One Perfect Couple, is definitely one to pop in your beach bag this summer. A reality-TV show filming on an idyllic tropical island turns into a nightmare when the contestants become stranded with no way of calling for help. This is a just-one-more-chapter read – I loved it.” -Clare Mackintosh, Sunday Times-bestselling author of I Let You Go.

“Another twisty, addictive thriller from the bestselling author.” -Anna Bonet, The i.

“I very much enjoyed Ruth Ware’s novel One Perfect Couple . . . It’s a very clever thriller, and I genuinely didn’t know where it was going.” -Linda Holmes, NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour.

“A survival thriller with a good sense of humor that’s part Love Island, part Lord of the Flies and part Fyre Festival.” -Daniel Goldin, Boswell Book Company.

“One Perfect Couple is another home run for one of Britain’s leading crime fiction writers. Every fan of the genre should have her books in their libraries.” –CHICK LIT CENTRAL.

“If you have ever watched and loved shows like The Ultimatum or Too Hot to Handle and wanted the stakes to be even higher, then this is the novel for you.” –SHEKNOWS.

“If your summer is typically spent tuning into reality shows like Bachelor in Paradise and Love Island, you’re going to want to read One Perfect Couple.” -Sadie Bell, marie claire.

“This red-hot page-turner is unbearably tense!” –The Sun.

“A taut thriller that is cleverly plotted and beautifully written.” -Margaret Cannon, The Globe and Mail.

“One Perfect Couple is the perfect “what if?” destination thriller – Agatha Christie with a Love Island twist. This is Ruth Ware at her very best.”-Claire Coughlan, author of Where They Lie.

“This red-hot page-turner is unbearably tense!” –Fabulous.

“A sun-soaked, deeply sinister and unputdownable read.” -Cressida McLaughlin, bestselling author of The Cornish Cream Tea series.

“Five couples arrive on a tropical island to take part in a reality TV show in Ruth Ware’s outstanding new novel. It’s a familiar plot, reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s 1939 masterpiece And Then There Were None, but Ware’s version reflects the huge social upheavals that have taken place since then. It’s definitely one of this summer’s most exciting reads.” -Joan Smith, Sunday Times.

“Guys…IT’S E.P.I.C!!!!! I absolutely loved it and I’m sure you will too.” -Stu Cummins, Author’s Blogger of the Year 2023

Find One Perfect Couple at Amazon.