The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

The Woman in Cabin 10

by Ruth Ware

*SOON TO BE A MAJOR NETFLIX SERIES, STARRING KEIRA KNIGHTLEY*

'Reads like Agatha Christie got together with Paula Hawkins to crowdsource a really fun thriller' Stylist

A PASSENGER IS MISSING...BUT WAS SHE EVER ON BOARD AT ALL?

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.

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 and emotional, Lo has to face the fact that she may have made a mistake - either that, or she is now trapped on a boat with a murderer...
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Praise for THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10:
' Scary and unsettling, it's' edge-of-your-seat stuff' The Sun
'A tense, moody drama set on a press trip that goes horribly wrong... a brilliantly claustrophobic setting' Sunday Times
'A twisty puzzle' Shari Lapena
'Terrifically tense' Good Housekeeping

Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on

4 of 5 stars

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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

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 30 May, 2016: Finished reading
  • 30 May, 2016: Reviewed