The #1 New York Times-bestselling author of the “claustrophobic spine-tingler” (People) One by One returns with an unputdownable mystery following a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend’s murder.

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 second, 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 realises that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide… including a murder.

Praise for The It Girl:

“Deliciously dark and utterly addictive — my favourite Ruth Ware yet.” -Lucy Foley, #1 Sunday Times-bestselling author of The Hunting Party and The Guest List.

“This atmospheric thriller is one you won’t be able to put down.” -Kim Smith, Bury and West Suffolk Magazine.

“If you love documentaries about miscarriages of justice, you’ll enjoy this read.” –Woman and Home.

“Masterful plotting, compelling characters, dark academia vibes, and a wholly satisfying conclusion made The It Girl a winner for me.” –Crime By the Book.

“With its evocative setting and dazzling characters, this is an irresistible mystery.” –Heat.

“A roller-coaster read.” –Bella.

“Ruth Ware is at the top of her very formidable game in this chilling thriller about Hannah Jones, a pregnant, young bookseller who is trying to put her dark past behind her. An engrossing double narrative, richly drawn characters, and Ware’s signature twists and turns combine to make this her best book yet.” -Lisa Unger, author of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six.

“Properly addictive, you’ll want to read this in one big gulp!” –Fabulous magazine.

“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, #1 Sunday Times– & New York Times-bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes.

“The clever twists and turns mean even dedicated thriller fans won’t guess the truth, despite all the clues being there.” –Woman’s Weekly.

“There is an inexhaustible appetite in thriller writers for using the dreaming spires and glamorous students of Oxford as a backdrop, but Ruth Ware steers her latest elegant book away from the normal cliches, thanks to her firm grip on the psychology of the two main characters.” -Christina Appleyard, The Daily Mail.

“A clever novel to keep even the most dedicated thriller fan perplexed.” –Woman and Home.

“Spine-tingling.” –The Belfast Telegraph.

“The queen of the closed-room thriller is back with a deliciously addictive who-dunnit.” –RED.

“Irresistible.” –Crime Monthly.

“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.” –Publisher’s Weekly, starred review.

“A wild ride that’s deliciously twisting, with countless gasp-out-loud moments.” -Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal, the Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year.

“OH MY GOD!!! The It Girl by Ruth Ware IS AN ABSOLUTE BELTER!!! I! COULD! NOT! PUT! IT! DOWN! I thought I knew who the killer was! Then I was CERTAIN it was another person! Then DEFINITELY another! GREAT characterisation, GLAMOROUS setting, all round FABALISS Out August.” -Marian Keyes @MarianKeyes, international bestselling author of Watermelon, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, Rachel’s Holiday, and more.

“It’s brilliant. Ruth is the master of the fiendishly twisty, yet completely believable, plot.” -Elly Griffiths, bestselling author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries and the Brighton Mysteries.

“If you ever idly wish that Agatha Christie would write a new book, Ruth Ware has got you covered. The It Girl has all the clues, twists and red herrings you could wish for, in a thoroughly modern setting. An impeccably constructed mystery from start to finish.” -Jane Casey, author of crime novels including The Missing and the Detective Constable Maeve Kerrigan series.

“Impeccably crafted and totally compulsive – you’ll be sad to reach the final page and realise you have to say goodbye.” -J. P. Delaney, New York Times– and Sunday Times-bestselling author of The Girl Before.

“A cracking read.” -Shari Lapena, bestselling author of The Couple Next Door.

“As sleek and chilling as a knife between the ribs. A new Ruth Ware is always a treat and The It Girl is one of her best. You can almost see her smiling as she feeds you the little morsels that should help you work everything out – if only you were as clever as Ruth.” -Sarah J Naughton, author of Tattletale and The Festival.

“As usual with Ware, the novel is well crafted—the setting, characters, and dialogue are all engaging… Delightfully readable” –Kirkus.

“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, the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Family Upstairs and Then She Was Gone.

“Clever. Compelling and with a terrific sense of place. Ruth Ware’s The It Girl grips to the end.” -Jane Shemilt, best-selling author of Daughter and The Patient.

“This latest title is her strongest to date.” –The Boston Globe.

“A perfect, perfect summer beach read by the reigning queen of British crime fiction.” -Daniel Silva, on the TODAY Show, ‘What to Read in July’.

“So many flawed friendships, so many promising red herrings… The pages just turn themselves.”-People Magazine.

“Ware’s stories are often compared to Agatha Christie’s, but in mood she’s closer to Daphne du Maurier or Francis Iles. In previous works, such as The Death of Mrs. Westaway, the author placed psychologically vulnerable characters in heightened physical and mental jeopardy to great suspenseful effect. Here, through careful descriptive scrutiny of Hannah’s emotional barometer, Ms. Ware makes even her heroine’s most misguided decisions seem plausible. The It Girl may well be her best book yet.” –The Wall Street Journal.

“A spellbinding British novel reminiscent of Colin Dexter and Agatha Christie… Ware’s a leading light of suspense fiction, and her new one delivers all the frissons.” –Oprah Daily.

“An unputdownable, chilling domestic suspense from one of the best mystery writers since Agatha Christie… [Ware] handles Hannah’s character evolution with verve and masterful control… [keeping] each development and reveal crisp and to the point, all while building a creeping level of suspense that will give even the most assured reader the jumps…[A] brilliant, engrossing writer. The It Girl is all the best of Ware — insidious evil, shivering suspense, shocking final reveals — with perhaps some of her strongest character development to date. It seems impossible that she gets better and better, and yet… when can I read her next book?” –Bookreporter.

“Ruth Ware brings readers another gripping first-class psychological thriller…The It Girl delves into class differences, friendship and the pleasures and perils of trusting others and even yourself–all packed in a tense, character-driven plot.” -Oline Cogdill, Shelf Awareness for Readers.

“Prepare for a final twist more delicious than an Auntie Anne’s pretzel.” –E! Online.

“The mystery at the heart of The It Girl is as propulsive as any of her other stories, thanks to Ware’s deft use of two alternating timelines…[building] organically toward a dramatic and explosive final confrontation… The realistic character work, and compulsively readable prose will be enough to draw anyone into the story and keep them there.” –Paste Magazine (online).

“Ware’s expansion from the confines of a university residence hall in time frame and location lets the novel’s central whodunnit occupy the heart of a thriller that also plumbs trust, memory and the bonds of friendship. It’s an exciting direction for her books, and one that breaks promising new ground.” –Book & Film Globe.

“Author Ruth Ware has been called ‘the Agatha Christie of our generation,’ and her new book is evidence of how worthy she is of the title.” –Teen Vogue.

“Ware once again demonstrates her literary claim as the 21st century’s answer to Agatha Christie with this ingeniously crafted puzzler… Fans of Golden Age mysteries like Dorothy Sayers’s Gaudy Night will love the book’s Oxford setting, while readers of trendy dark academia suspense novels, in the manner of Alex Michaelides’s The Maidens, will feel right at home. Top-drawer entertainment from a modern master of mystery.” –Library Journal (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).

“Well crafted—the setting, characters, and dialogue are all engaging… Delightfully readable.” –Kirkus Reviews.

“If Elin Hilderbrand is the queen of beach reads, then Ruth Ware is becoming the queen of thrillers.” –Fortune. 

“There’s no better vacation companion than a Ruth Ware thriller.” –Country Living.

“A gripping page-turner… Twists and vivid characterizations bring this riveting novel to a spine-chilling conclusion.” –BookTrib.

“This is the perfect summer read, it grabs you from the first few pages and engrosses you in its murder mystery. Problems and worries slip away as you delve deeper and deeper into the story. Isn’t that what we all need from time to time?” -BJ Hegedus, Postalworks Silver Lake, Los Angeles, CA, Bookweb (July 2022 Indie Next List Preview).

“Ware once again probes the darkest recesses of friendship… A dark, moody, and tense tale of love and betrayal, The It Girl shows once more why Ware is frequently discussed in the same breath as the great Agatha Christie.” —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor, Amazon.

“Unputdownable… Fans of Ware’s writing— as well as newcomers— will revel in her expertly crafted dialogue and characters. This novel in particular showcases these strengths as an action-packed dark academia thriller.” –Book Riot.

“The suspense builds into something absolutely gripping, with a solution that you definitely won’t see coming… A story that will keep you guessing with its endless twists and turns… BUY IT. Told in a way that will hold readers in suspense from the very beginning, The It Girl is dark and chilling thriller. It’s sure to make those hours by the pool fly by.” –Shelf Discovery.