The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware Publisher: Gallery Books on July 19, 2016
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Adult
Pages: 340
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
Purchase: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads
Rating:
From New York Times bestselling author of the “twisty-mystery” (Vulture) novel In a Dark, Dark Wood, comes The Woman in Cabin 10, an equally suspenseful novel from Ruth Ware—this time, set at sea.
In this tightly wound story, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…
With surprising twists and a setting that proves as uncomfortably claustrophobic as it is eerily beautiful, Ruth Ware offers up another intense read.
At A Glance
A solid mystery/suspense.
The Good
As a journalist for a travel magazine, Lo is given a career making assignment, one week of indulgence on a small luxury cruise. Despite the drama with her boyfriend and a recent break-in at her apartment that has left her emotionally paralyzed with fear, she toughs through it. It starts out great with beautiful scenery and lush décor, but soon all goes wrong. Lo witnesses a murder and no one believes her. Obviously, it’s up to her to solve the mystery, but someone on board will go to any length to keep secrets buried.
Though Lo wasn’t my favorite character, I found the story fascinating. Is Lo crazy? Is she telling the truth? I could easily see how unreliable she is as a witness but I felt bad for her when no one believed her. What a crappy situation, feeling so alone and ganged up on with a killer on the loose and no communication with the outside world. It wasn’t a super hard mystery to solve but it did take me some time to figure things out. I was even surprised by a few reveals.
The twists and turns kept my interest the whole time. The altering points of view and past and present jumping really made the whole story feel foreboding. I loved this unique take on mystery/suspense. Plus, the ending was perfect.
The Bad
Lo was such a whiner. She really got on my nerves. I don’t like weak main characters. To top it off, she was a horrible reporter/journalist. She had other people do most of the sleuthing while she cried in her cabin.
The Snuggly
This is not a romance, but we do witness some relationship stuff. There is sex but it’s not described at all.
Final Thoughts
The Woman in Cabin 10 was a solid mystery and suspense. I especially loved how it all turned out. I will keep reading more from this author.
Quotes
“My friend Erin says we all have demons inside us, voices that whisper we’re no good, that if we don’t make this promotion or ace that exam we’ll reveal to the world exactly what kind of worthless sacks of skin and sinew we really are Maybe that’s true. Maybe mine just have louder voices.”
“I know what it’s like. Don’t you see? I know what she must have felt like, when someone came for her in the middle of the night. That’s why I have to find out who did this to her.”
kindlemom1
I always have a hard time resisting a good mystery, thanks for putting this one on my radar!
Christy LoveOfBooks
Yeah, I really liked this too. Characters like Lo usually bug me, but not so much here because her mental state was a driving force in the story. I need to read more of this author’s books.
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
I know, Lo was toeing a line for me but it worked in the end.
Nathan
I don’t read too many contemporary mysteries, but this one sound promising.
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
It was pretty dang good.
Melissa
Lo was so bad at her job! lol…but it was a good read!
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
So bad, lol. It was almost comical.
Melissa (Books and Things)
Ugh… a whiner. Still, as long as the mystery and suspense are good, I think I can handle it. I think I need to check this one out. Brilly review!
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
So worth the read in the end.
Melissa (My World...in words and pages)
Oh sounds good. I know you said the mc is a whiner, but the story sounds like a good mystery. 🙂 Thank you!
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
They all can’t be perfect so it was okay. Didn’t ruin it for me or anything.
Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews
I’m glad you enjoyed The Woman in Cabin 10 so much, Jen! I did, too, even if I agree with you about Lo being a little whiny at times 🙂
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
I get why she was like that but it got a bit much sometimes.
Olivia Roach
I’m glad you were able to really enjoy the plot and themes of this book. It’s a shame about the main character kind of whining throughout it all though 😛
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
I know. I get her mental state was all messed up but seriously, grow a pair. lol