Secrets and lies come together quite swimmingly in this chilling tale.
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware is a suspenseful mystery about a woman named Lo Blacklock, a journalist who ends up with passage on a brand-new, sleek 10-cabin luxury liner called the Aurora.
Right away, Lo is thrown off when she borrows some mascara from her neighbor, the woman in cabin 10, only to later learn that the room is vacant.
When she awakes in the night to realize that someone has been thrown overboard from the balcony of cabin 10, no one believes her.
Will Lo be able to convince the other passengers before the killer strikes again?
First of all, how about that textured cover? I am a sucker for a nice cover and I won’t bother denying it.
Lo’s character is desperate to prove her mettle as a writer and move up in the journaling ranks. Even after she’s injured when her apartment is burgled, she refuses to back down.
After witnessing what she believes is a murder – a woman thrown overboard – Lo resolves to solve the mystery herself when no believes her. When a couple others learn of her recent burglary, suspicion is cast her way that she’s overreacting or it’s all in her head.
Coupled with the pre-existing dislike of small spaces, and the dimness cast by the Aurora that occasionally reminded me of the third-class and servant areas from Titanic, it’s a wonder that Lo went digging at all. She even described the flotation device in the ship’s spa as a “sealed plastic coffin full of water”. My feelings are not dissimilar…
The ominous warnings she receives telling her to stop meddling only spur her intentions to find the killer before they can strike again.
I darted back into the room, slamming the French windows behind me, and checked the cabin door was double-locked. Then I put the chain across. My heart was thumping in my chest, but I felt calm, calmer than I had in ages.
Chapter 10, The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
This was it. This was real danger, and I was coping.
Adding to the tension is her relationship with her boyfriend, who is unable to get ahold of Lo during her trip.
The use of nature in this book is great. The Aurora is in the Black Sea, which is cold, dark, and menacing. Until they dock at a port, the passengers and crew are utterly alone.
And when you’re all alone, anything can happen.
Fans of The Woman in Cabin 10 will also enjoy The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse! While The Sanatorium takes place at a snowed-in luxury ski hotel, these stories invoke the feelings of claustrophobia and being trapped with no way out.
To learn more about Ruth Ware, please check out the following sites:
Drop the title of your favorite suspense story in the comments!
