The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

About this book…

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…

My review…

I will start by being “Mrs Slightly Awkward” and say actual rating for this is 4.5* as I enjoyed it more than In a Dark Dark Wood but it wasn’t quite 5* brilliance for me. Saying that though, this is a very readable and unputdownable mystery suspense which is ideal for a summer holiday book so pack it now!

I’m pretty sure nearly every other reviewer has said this but this sure is a lovely homage to the late, great Agatha Christie. I said the same when I reviewed In a Dark Dark Wood and once again The Woman in Cabin 10 has that stylised visual to it that would work well on the big screen. She has found her niche in the “all the suspects in an isolated environment” murder mystery market but with this one there’s a slight difference as we don’t actually know if there has really been a murder or not!

Lo Blacklock is that very favourite character of mine, the unreliable narrator! She thinks she has met a woman staying in the cabin next to her on the maiden voyage of a luxury small cruise ship for the elite. When she hears a scream and something (someone??!!) being thrown overboard, she sees blood and reports it, only to be told that there is no one actually staying in that cabin. Lo is a very anxious character, taking medication for her condition. But is that, combined with having had no sleep for days and drinking heavily, making her see and hear things that aren’t really there?

I really felt for Lo, she was probably the only character I felt connected to in truth. The suspects were all presented before us at the first dinner and from there nearly everyone became a potential liar or murderer. I wanted Lo to be proved right as it was obvious something was very wrong on this ship and I liked the way that social media was used at the end of the different parts of the book to let us know that, indeed Lo had stumbled on something that has lead to consequences for her safety.

The first part of the book really built up the tension and got us into the mindset of Lo (short for Laura) but it was once they all came together on the boat that it really took off for me. And I so DID NOT see that coming!! So I absolutely loved being surprised as it very rarely happens nowadays. The final part of the book kept up the momentum and until I got to the last few pages, I really hadn’t had any idea of where it would end up. And I loved the little epilogue at the end!

I would definitely recommend this book for those who enjoy a good murder mystery. Sometimes I felt like I was watching an old episode of Murder She Wrote, it just has that feel to it!! I love this author now as she really brings out just the sort of books I enjoy and I know what I’m getting so I hope she continues in the same vein. It takes a lot to surprise me so lets hope she can again in the future!

I received a copy of this book via netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

The Woman in Cabin 10 is published on 30th June and is available to buy from Amazon UK