Woman in Cabin 10

by Ruth Ware

From the bestselling author of Richard and Judy pick, In A Dark, Dark Wood comes Ruth Ware's next compulsive page-turner

This was meant to be the perfect trip.

The Northern Lights. A luxury press launch on a boutique cruise ship.

A chance for travel journalist Lo Blacklock to recover from a traumatic break-in that has left her on the verge of collapse, and to work out what she wants from her relationship.

Except things don't go as planned.

Woken in the night by screams, Lo rushes to her window to see a body thrown overboard from the next door cabin. But the records show that no-one ever checked into that cabin, and no passengers are missing from the boat.

Exhausted, emotional and increasingly desperate, Lo has to face the fact that she may have made a terrible mistake. Or she is trapped on a boat with a murderer - and she is the sole witness...

• ISBN10: 0606400265
• ISBN13: 9780606400268
• Publish Date: 11 April 2017 (first published 30 June 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Turtleback Books
• Edition: Library ed.
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Three and a half stars.

With The Lying Game’s recent release, I decided there was no time like the present to finally read the Woman in Cabin 10 (a book I’ve been meaning to read for almost a year now). First I would just like to say that this cover isn’t like any other I’ve owned – the image alone is beautiful, but then you add on the texture, yes texture, and it’s just amazing! The raindrops running down the “glass” on the book cover are actually 3D, and it’s pretty phenomenal. I love it when risks like that are taken.
It’s probably worth noting that I have yet to read Ruth Ware’s debut novel, In a Dark, Dark World. There are a few reasons for this, but mostly because I happened to accidentally come across the ending online. Womp womp. I’m hoping with time I’ll forget it and it’ll become a safe read again (the advantage of having a poor memory!).



I had a lot of trouble getting into this book. This was partially a timing problem on my part. The one week my husband is out of town, leaving me home alone, I decide to pick up a novel when it starts off with a woman home alone getting burgled. I may have had to put the book back down for a couple days (I swear I didn’t wait until he got back home or anything…). It was also that I had a lot of trouble connecting with the main character, Lo Blacklock. Her way of coping with problems was to drink excessively and push people away. While I can see how this may be realistic for some people, it had the unfortunate side effect of pushing away the readers too (at least it did in my case). Though it was nice seeing Lo try and pull herself together for the sake of saving herself and another person (I won’t say whom, for obvious reasons).
The Woman in Cabin 10 starts off with a teaser (from about halfway through the book? Maybe a little bit more). I’m personally not a fan of this sort of beginning – not only does it feel like a spoiler, but it usually indicates a slower start for the novel (why else would they need to throw a hook at the beginning?). Admittedly I was partially wrong about that – there’s a bit of action right away at the beginning. From there things droop back down to the slow start I anticipated.
The pace of the Woman in Cabin 10 is inconsistent, with lots of build-up and then a sudden flurry of events, and then back again. While I appreciated the build-up (how else are we to appreciate that major events if we’re not given meaning for them?) I felt there was a bit much of it for my liking. One thing Ware is very talented at, despite everything else, is setting up a scene so it’s utterly disturbing. And I don’t mean that in the graphic sense. There are events that happen to Lo where you know she could have been hurt, had the antagonist felt the desire to do so, but chose not to. This sense of her powerlessness versus their ability to sneak around adds a whole new level of intimidation to the game.
I think the real reason I didn’t love this novel, and thus didn’t rate this higher than three and a half stars is that I was so excited to read it that I raised my expectations too high. Because honestly? The Woman in Cabin 10 had a fantastic core concept and a lot of potential. Plus, once the plot actually started moving along (and Lo started getting/acting a little less drunk) I did find myself enjoying it. It was close to meeting my expectations, but not quite.
I will admit I was very surprised by the ending – I thought I had it all figured out and everything, but I was so very wrong. It was actually really nice to have my theories thrown out the window. Though I wish there had been more hinting for what was actually going on – just a breadcrumb or two so I could have potentially pieced it together myself (I enjoy it when a puzzle is difficult to solve, but not impossible). My only real regret about the ending was it didn’t tie up everything as neatly as I had hoped (the break-in in the beginning was a totally unrelated incident, despite what I had been thinking), but perhaps that’s just wishful thinking.
I’m looking forward to seeing what Ware does next in The Lying Game. It should be interesting to see how she improves and changes as a write, as I think Ruth Ware has a lot of potential that she still hasn’t revealed, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. Luckily for me it’ll be delivered at some point today!


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

*Review to come!*

[Leah]

I read Ruth Ware's debut novel In A Dark, Dark Wood last year and while it was a good thriller, it wasn't my favourite that I read last year, but I was really looking forward to her new book The Woman In Cabin 10, regardless, because I do like a good thriller, and there are not many thrillers set at sea (in fact the only other one I can think of is Catherine Ryan Howard's book Distress Signals). The Woman In Cabin 10 was the first book I've read in a while that I finished the same day, that hasn't been happening for my recently, so this was a big bonus for me. I just couldn't put it down and I had to know exactly what was going on with that woman in cabin 10.

The thing about this book is that Lo is not exactly a reliable narrator. There's a break-in in her house at the start of the novel, and that kind of sets the tone for her. She's anxious, she's overthinking everything, every noise is frightening and every move she makes has to be done making sure she's locked the door, checked and double checked. So you can kind of understand why barely anyone believes her when it comes to this mysterious woman in cabin 10 - a woman so mysterious that no one knows she's there, and the cabin itself is spotless. But I actually believed Lo's every word, because there was just something about her that I trusted, and you could hardly blame her for being hyper-aware of everything since the break-in.

The Woman In Cabin 10 was such a compulsive read. My heart was pounding in places, and it's the kind of read that has you looking over your shoulder to make sure your stuff isn't being moved, it really sets you on edge as the reader, and suffice to say if I'm offered the opportunity (highly unlikely) to go on a luxury cruise I will be saying no, thank you. I wouldn't go anyway because I get sea-sick, but I most definitely wouldn't go now, because who knows who you're on board with?!?! That's how this book made me feel, nervous and tense. Heart-racing, fingers itching to get to the end, because I just needed Lo to figure it all out. I didn't figure it out, so I needed Lo to do that for me. I was genuinely oblivious.

The ending of this book is the best, though. I'm not encouraging readers to just skip to the end (because you'll miss an awesome story, that'll leave you on the edge of your seat), but the ending really was amazing. I had a wry smile there, at the end, because the way it all unfolds, and the events that occur... It was just brilliant, and completely true to the characters. This was such a great read. The tone was perfect from start to finish - I mean you are literally on edge the entire novel, from that break-in at the start, to all the stuff on board, there is just no let up, right until the very, very end. This is a top-notch thriller.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Come aboard the Aurora for its maiden voyage as we travel the North Sea. Every cabin is plush and offers a spectacular veranda. You are among a select group of guests. Some are prospective investors in this venture and others are from the media in hopes they will write about their experience.

Enter our unreliable narrator Lo Blacklock. She is a journalist with a travel magazine, who lucked out on this dream trip and hopes it launches her career. Lo is a bit of a mess when we meet her. A few days before the voyage she awakens to find a man burglarizing her loft. The whole event has left her sleep deprived. To make matters worse she has a bit of a spat with her boyfriend and is not clear if it is over or not. She appears to have a bit of a drinking problem and doesn't exude a lot of confidence.

Lo arrives on board frazzled but determined to have a good time and schmooze with the other guests. After a night of drinking she awakens to a noise in the next cabin and witnesses a woman being thrown overboard. Frightened and sleep-deprived Lo’s nightmare escalates when the head of security assure her all passengers are accounted and suggests she is overwrought. Lo begins to invest on her own and the game is afoot.

The Woman in Cabin 10 was highly addictive with a writing style that allows the reader to slip into the story, I devoured this almost in a single sitting. Ware did an excellent job of slowly building the suspense, offering up twists and turns. The ships Wi-Fi is down leaving Lo completely cut off from the outside world. When she confides in someone, she soon discovers a lie and now they are a possible suspect. When tangible evidence conveniently disappears, Lo begins to think she is losing her mind.

The mystery was well crafted as Ware kept me guessing until almost the end. The ship setting amplified the suspense offering both a closed room murder vibe and thrilling danger. From the subtle twists to the climactic heart-pounding ending and reveal, The Woman in Cabin 10 was one heck of a ride.

Copy picked up at BEA 2016 This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Linda]

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
The Woman in Cabin 10 is a tightly written psychological thriller where part of the action happens on a small cruise boat... and it's a chilling and sharp tale.



Lo is one of those very flawed characters whom it's impossible not to love. The Woman in Cabin 10 is a complex tale, where, after waking up to a burglar in her home, Lo gets the possibility to go on a luxury cruise for her work. Writing about how the rich and famous do vacation in the ice-cold waters off the coast of Norway. There's a bit of a mystery surrounding Lo, she seems to be holding back -both in the narration and with her boyfriend whom she's been with for several years.

As soon as Lo arrives on the cruise boat, she is feeling a bit weird, and also slightly upset, as the internet connection isn't all it's supposed to be. After a strange run-in with the woman in the next cabin, Lo goes to the first meet and greet with the other journalists and the couple who own the boat. Mesmerized by all the glitz, a little uncomfortable, and drinking too much, Lo feels out of place. Running into a male journalist she used to work with - and with whom she possibly had a relationship outside of work doesn't help, either. In the middle of the night, Lo hears a scream, and then a splash outside her cabin, and she realizes that the woman in the next-door cabin must have fallen overboard. Only, there is blood on the window off the balcony...

This is when the story turns from something that could have been a pleasant cruise turns into something deadly, as Lo can't leave this alone and contacts the security person on board. She tries to get the boat to stop, but this is not an option, especially when it appears that nobody is missing, and the cabin next to Lo's was unoccupied... As Lo continues to investigate this matter, there is no internet connection what soever on board, and the passengers all start to feel unsettled when they enter a storm with high waves and rain...

The danger becomes more and more present for Lo, and The Woman in Cabin 10 never lets up on the suspense. Written in different points of views, one from Lo's perspective, in first person, past tense and also through e-mails sent to Lo from various people, and some news-paper articles. This way of telling the story was unique, and it made the suspense ramp up when it was clear that the outside world didn't know at all what was going on aboard that boat. If you enjoy suspense stories where it's impossible to figure out what will happen next, The Woman in Cabin 10 is a book you should get your hands on as soon as it's released!



Its size, along with the perfection of its paintwork, gave it a curiously toylike quality, and as I stepped onto the narrow steel gangway I had a sudden disorienting image of the Aurora as a ship imprisoned in a bottle - tiny, perfect, isolated, and unreal - and of myself, shrinking down to match it with every step I took towards the boat.

There was a little spritz of sequined leaves across the right shoulder because you didn't seem to be able to get away with none. Apparently the majority of ball gowns were designed by five-year-old girls armed with glitter guns, but at least this one didn't look entirely like an explosion in a Barbie factory. 

It didn't help that, unlike a ferry, there were no floor plans or maps, and minimal signage - supposed to help the impression that this was a private home that you just happened to share with a load of rich people.