The Woman in Cabin 10

by Ruth Ware

[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