Status
Available
Genres
Publication
Gallery/Scout Press (2017), Edition: Reprint, 384 pages
Description
"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 and haunting novel from Ruth Ware--this time, set at sea. In this tightly wound, enthralling story reminiscent of Agatha Christie's works, 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. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. 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 dark and terrifying 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.… (more)
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Media reviews
In Ware’s underwhelming sophomore mystery (after 2015’s In a Dark, Dark Wood), Laura “Lo” Blacklock thinks stepping in for her pregnant boss for a week-long jaunt on the new miniature cruise ship Aurora will give her a leg up at Velocity, the magazine where she’s toiled for years....
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Those expecting a Christie-style locked-room mystery at sea will be disappointed. Show Less
The cast of characters, their conversations, and the luxurious but confining setting all echo classic Agatha Christie; in fact, the structure of the mystery itself is an old one: a woman insists murder has occurred, everyone else says she’s crazy. But Lo is no wallflower; she is a strong and
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determined modern heroine who refuses to doubt the evidence of her own instincts. Despite this successful formula, and a whole lot of slowly unraveling tension, the end is somehow unsatisfying. And the newspaper and social media inserts add little depth. Show Less
Although a plot involving a woman who witnesses a murder but is not believed is not new to the mystery genre, Ruth Ware updates it, adding the anxiety attacks and Lo’s drinking, as well as the burglary, to increase believability.... The Woman in Cabin 10 is a strong follow-up to Ware’s her
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debut suspense novel In a Dark, Dark Wood (2015) and will not disappoint. Show Less
book
I like the characters, I love the plot and everything about this book. Good job writer! If you have some great stories like this one, you can publish it on N0velStar.
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http://94uk.bialystok.pl
User reviews
LibraryThing member judithrs
The Woman in Cabin 10. Ruth Ware. 2016. I think my problem with this book and the two previous ones is that their quality is so far below that of Plainsong that they are all a disappointment. Ware’s book was on the best seller list for quite a while, and the movie will probably be very good. It
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is a page turner. Lo is a travel writer who is on an exclusive cruise on a small elegant ship. Her first night on board she hear a noise, runs out on her balcony, and think she sees something, maybe a body sinking. She looks next at next cabin and sees a smear of blood on the glass on the balcony. She is not sure what she saw and no one believes her. She doesn’t know who to trust and is filled with fear and anxiety. Ware is new to me, but she has the reputation of writing good suspense novels and this one is good, for what it is. Show Less
LibraryThing member jillrhudy
Not as good as her first. However, a very gripping plot once the protagonist, Lo, actually gets on the cruise ship. Would be four stars, but loses half a star for the incredibly weak and overly long beginning. Also, it's very hard to hang with a character who is exhausted to the point of collapse
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from page one; an author should give the reader a break once in a while, unless the book is set in a concentration or labor camp. I recognized the killer from the first conversation between killer and Lo, but then I have special experience with psychopaths. Fantastic ending. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carmenere
I'm having a like/hate relationship with this book. Hate it because it is so similar to another book I have mediocre feelings for, The Girl on the Train. An unreliable, irritating, nosy protagonist is involved with what appears to be a murder. Hate it because if, said protagonist, Laura (Lo)
Like it because the setting is an unfamiliar one, a luxury yacht cruising Norwegian fjords. Perhaps, it was a bit of ambiguity that kept me reading till the end. Ultimately, it's a thriller wannabe, but the snooty characters make it a I really don't care.
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Blacklock, that shortened name makes me cringe, said "stupid, stupid, very stupid" or "drunk, very drunk" one more time I would toss this book overboard.Like it because the setting is an unfamiliar one, a luxury yacht cruising Norwegian fjords. Perhaps, it was a bit of ambiguity that kept me reading till the end. Ultimately, it's a thriller wannabe, but the snooty characters make it a I really don't care.
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LibraryThing member arielfl
Lo Blacklock gets the job opportunity of a lifetime to travel on a luxury cruise that she would never be able to afford in a million years and all she has to do is write a flattering article. Right before the cruise however she is burglarized and assaulted which disrupts her already fragile state
Lo (Laura) is ripped right from Rachel, Girl on the Train's playbook. She drinks too much, whines too much, and may possible have a mental disorder which makes anything she says or does unreliable. Instead of enjoying her cruise, Lo who up until this point has been rude and generally unpleasant, decides that she must drop everything and help the girl she only met for five seconds and who everyone tells her does not exist. From there the book drags on as Lo attempts to discover what she is sure is a murder while everyone pretty much tells her to mind her own beeswax. Ultimately Lo finds what she is looking for which is a whole steaming plate of trouble. If it was me I would have just gone back to the bar and spa treatments. Crazy Lo is on a mission though and the reader is dragged along in anticipation of finally meeting the woman in cabin 10.
The book started okay and then it dragged in the middle until everything was revealed within the last five pages. Ruth Ware's books always look like they are going to be great but when I finish I am like eh, that wasn't as good as I thought it would be. You have to buy the completely implausible to take the ride. If however crazy girl narrators are your thing than this might be your port of call.
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of mind. Once aboard the ship all seems to be a dream come true until the night Lo hears what she thinks is her neighbor in the next cabin go overboard. Even though there does not seem to be a record of anyone on the ship who matches the description of the lady Lo glimpsed in cabin 10 she remains convinced that a crime has been committed and will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.Lo (Laura) is ripped right from Rachel, Girl on the Train's playbook. She drinks too much, whines too much, and may possible have a mental disorder which makes anything she says or does unreliable. Instead of enjoying her cruise, Lo who up until this point has been rude and generally unpleasant, decides that she must drop everything and help the girl she only met for five seconds and who everyone tells her does not exist. From there the book drags on as Lo attempts to discover what she is sure is a murder while everyone pretty much tells her to mind her own beeswax. Ultimately Lo finds what she is looking for which is a whole steaming plate of trouble. If it was me I would have just gone back to the bar and spa treatments. Crazy Lo is on a mission though and the reader is dragged along in anticipation of finally meeting the woman in cabin 10.
The book started okay and then it dragged in the middle until everything was revealed within the last five pages. Ruth Ware's books always look like they are going to be great but when I finish I am like eh, that wasn't as good as I thought it would be. You have to buy the completely implausible to take the ride. If however crazy girl narrators are your thing than this might be your port of call.
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LibraryThing member GrandmaCootie
I have read many reviews saying this is a story reminiscent of Agatha Christie's works. That is the case, so I guess that's why it sometimes grabs you and sometimes plods along, but if you pay attention there are a lot of clues strewn along the way, and in the end you keep guessing and guessing and
Lo Blacklock is not very likable, even after the home invasion and everything that happens to her, but you somehow feel she is not the usual unreliable narrator. You know there is something wrong and you send she is in danger. I kept wanting to say stop, don't go there, don't ask that question. But she persisted.
A lot of twists and turns and a somewhat surprising ending. Good read.
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guessing and are probably wrong and surprised at the ending. Lo Blacklock is not very likable, even after the home invasion and everything that happens to her, but you somehow feel she is not the usual unreliable narrator. You know there is something wrong and you send she is in danger. I kept wanting to say stop, don't go there, don't ask that question. But she persisted.
A lot of twists and turns and a somewhat surprising ending. Good read.
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LibraryThing member Welsh_eileen2
An intriguing novel of a murder - maybe, a killer - possibly on a cruise ship.
A taut emotional story that will hold you to the end.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Random House Vintage Publishing via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.
A taut emotional story that will hold you to the end.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Random House Vintage Publishing via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.
LibraryThing member bnbookgirl
This book started out with an interesting premise. A girl's apartment gets broken into and then she thinks she witnesses a murder a few days later. Are these two events connected? From there they story just became rather formulaic for me. I ended up not really caring what happened to anyone on this
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boat. I wanted to like this book because her first book got rave review, however, I was left disappointed and wanting more suspense. Show Less
LibraryThing member jmchshannon
As with so many other thrillers these days, The Woman in Cabin 10 is yet another example of a potential unreliable narrator used to present mysterious occurrences. While this may be a tired trope, Ms. Ware makes it work. Mainly, she never hides the fact that Lo has emotional and psychological
Yet, even though there is a multitude of evidence to the contrary, one cannot help but trust Lo in her observations. There is no doubt she is terribly frightened by what she saw and heard and confused by the lack of satisfactory answers. At the same time, Lo has an earnestness about her that inclines one to believe her. She does not want to be frightened anymore. She wants to be healthy and happy. She does not want to feel like a victim . The fact that she keeps finding more evidence to prove her case even though she wants it all to go away is an indicator that perhaps Lo is not as unreliable as readers are initially lead to believe.
Ms. Ware takes this conundrum Lo presents, adds in the luxurious but claustrophobic confines of a cruise ship and sets the cruise ship atop a frigid sea, thereby shifting the tone to an ominous one in which you are just as anxious as Lo to get back to land. In this regard, the setting is vital. Had the story taken place in a luxury hotel, the feel of the novel would be different, and the urgency Lo feels considerably less. Ms. Ware knows how to use all the tools available to her to strike the right note within her story and does so effectively.
The Woman in Cabin 10 is a strong thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. Lo is an excellent blend of fragile and fierce, and watching her overcome the fears instilled in her from her past experiences is rewarding. While the ending is a bit too neat, this in no way diminishes one’s enjoyment of it. Given its setting in the North Sea, it is an entertaining choice for cooling off on those hot summer days.
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problems. Readers are aware of her shortcomings and reliance on medication to still her fears. As a result, there is no doubt that her perspective will be skewed. Confirming this perspective are the short asides from Lo’s family and friends indicating that there is a disconnect between what we see happening on the cruise ship with what is being reported in London. All of it shows that Lo’s version of events is not to be trusted.Yet, even though there is a multitude of evidence to the contrary, one cannot help but trust Lo in her observations. There is no doubt she is terribly frightened by what she saw and heard and confused by the lack of satisfactory answers. At the same time, Lo has an earnestness about her that inclines one to believe her. She does not want to be frightened anymore. She wants to be healthy and happy. She does not want to feel like a victim . The fact that she keeps finding more evidence to prove her case even though she wants it all to go away is an indicator that perhaps Lo is not as unreliable as readers are initially lead to believe.
Ms. Ware takes this conundrum Lo presents, adds in the luxurious but claustrophobic confines of a cruise ship and sets the cruise ship atop a frigid sea, thereby shifting the tone to an ominous one in which you are just as anxious as Lo to get back to land. In this regard, the setting is vital. Had the story taken place in a luxury hotel, the feel of the novel would be different, and the urgency Lo feels considerably less. Ms. Ware knows how to use all the tools available to her to strike the right note within her story and does so effectively.
The Woman in Cabin 10 is a strong thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. Lo is an excellent blend of fragile and fierce, and watching her overcome the fears instilled in her from her past experiences is rewarding. While the ending is a bit too neat, this in no way diminishes one’s enjoyment of it. Given its setting in the North Sea, it is an entertaining choice for cooling off on those hot summer days.
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LibraryThing member dellcat
Put on wish list: reporter given free trip on North Sea luxury cruise ship. Sees woman thrown overboard. No one believes her. Reminiscent of A.Christie, I'm told. July 2016
LibraryThing member tottman
Lo Blacklock is a travel writer who gets a chance to take a trip on the maiden voyage of a small luxurious cruise liner, the Aurora, in Ruth Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10. Lo is excited for the opportunity to advance at her magazine with this assignment although she is scarred by a recent burglary
The luxurious, opulent setting offers a stark contrast to the dark mood and events of The Woman in Cabin 10. The boat also provides a claustrophobic atmosphere as Lo fights to get to the bottom of the mystery and prove the existence of a girl no one but she recalls seeing. Ware does a masterful job of casting doubt on all the characters, turning them from allies to suspects and back again throughout the course of the book. The twists start early and keep coming in this book. You are never sure who to trust, especially Lo herself.
Ware creates an interesting protagonist in Lo Blacklock. One who is strong and determined even as she is consumed by self-doubt and fear. She is the most unreliable of narrators which keeps you guessing not only what has happened, but if it has happened. The boat is populated with well-drawn characters who run the gamut from helpful to skeptical to suspicious. The atmosphere is tense throughout and you are left waiting for another twist until the very last page.
As admirable a character as Lo is, she isn’t terribly likable. Her treatment of both her current boyfriend Jude as well as her ex, Ben, don’t really endear her to the reader, even if some of that is necessary to fostering her sense of isolation. That characterization and a pace that is somewhat slow for the first two-thirds of the book are drawbacks in an otherwise tense thriller.
The audio version of this book is narrated by Imogen Church who does a wonderful job with the narration. She slips in and out of a variety of English and Norwegian accents leaving no doubt as to which character is speaking at any time. She conveys the mood of the story through both pace and tone which complements and enhances the experience.
This is a great book for fans of atmospheric mysteries and unreliable narrators. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this audiobook.
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which has left her bruised both physically and emotionally. When Lo witnesses what appears to be a woman thrown overboard, she sounds the alarm only to be confronted by an insistence that none of the passengers or crew are unaccounted for.The luxurious, opulent setting offers a stark contrast to the dark mood and events of The Woman in Cabin 10. The boat also provides a claustrophobic atmosphere as Lo fights to get to the bottom of the mystery and prove the existence of a girl no one but she recalls seeing. Ware does a masterful job of casting doubt on all the characters, turning them from allies to suspects and back again throughout the course of the book. The twists start early and keep coming in this book. You are never sure who to trust, especially Lo herself.
Ware creates an interesting protagonist in Lo Blacklock. One who is strong and determined even as she is consumed by self-doubt and fear. She is the most unreliable of narrators which keeps you guessing not only what has happened, but if it has happened. The boat is populated with well-drawn characters who run the gamut from helpful to skeptical to suspicious. The atmosphere is tense throughout and you are left waiting for another twist until the very last page.
As admirable a character as Lo is, she isn’t terribly likable. Her treatment of both her current boyfriend Jude as well as her ex, Ben, don’t really endear her to the reader, even if some of that is necessary to fostering her sense of isolation. That characterization and a pace that is somewhat slow for the first two-thirds of the book are drawbacks in an otherwise tense thriller.
The audio version of this book is narrated by Imogen Church who does a wonderful job with the narration. She slips in and out of a variety of English and Norwegian accents leaving no doubt as to which character is speaking at any time. She conveys the mood of the story through both pace and tone which complements and enhances the experience.
This is a great book for fans of atmospheric mysteries and unreliable narrators. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this audiobook.
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LibraryThing member KarenHerndon
Easy, quick read.
Great plot and little twist to ending was nice.
I enjoyed it but can't say it's one of my favorites- just a quick, easy, enjoyable read for me- not a "oh I can't put this down read."
Great plot and little twist to ending was nice.
I enjoyed it but can't say it's one of my favorites- just a quick, easy, enjoyable read for me- not a "oh I can't put this down read."
LibraryThing member erinclark
Good page turner. Starts out a little slow but picks up towards the middle and has a twisty satisfying end. Recommended for a quick fun read.
LibraryThing member asomers
This as a fast paced mystery that keeps you guessing. I could definitely see it as a movie.
LibraryThing member maneekuhi
I haven't read Ware's first book "In a Dark, Dark, Wood". Though it had favorable buzz, the plot didn't appeal to me. It seemed to be too reminiscent of those old parlour mysteries, where the brilliant detective puts it all together after sorting out exactly where each of ten suspects where at The
Again we have 10 plus or minus suspects though we don't have a body, so our heroine Lo (hmmm - message?), short for Lauren - note she's not named Hyacinth - has a credibilty issue. Apparently only she saw the WC and now woman is gone. (Haven't I seen this movie before?) Gone from an ultra luxury small cruise vessel on it's maiden voyage - the passengers are generally travel journalists or financiers. Yet, despite the familiar story line, I thought the set-up was quite good, and I found myself trying to guess where this all was headed. I tried to imagine a plausible solution, but I failed. And I feel the author did too. Too much of the last half of the book hinged on a real stretch, and then was used twice more. And the twists weren't as well done as they should have been - the ending was too abrupt and somewhat flat. Disappointing.
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Moment and what their motives may have been. I note that "Wood" has a stellar 1200+ Amazon reviews but a not so stellar rating of 3.5 I expect that the same will be true of "The Woman in Cabin 10" (WC)in the long run.Again we have 10 plus or minus suspects though we don't have a body, so our heroine Lo (hmmm - message?), short for Lauren - note she's not named Hyacinth - has a credibilty issue. Apparently only she saw the WC and now woman is gone. (Haven't I seen this movie before?) Gone from an ultra luxury small cruise vessel on it's maiden voyage - the passengers are generally travel journalists or financiers. Yet, despite the familiar story line, I thought the set-up was quite good, and I found myself trying to guess where this all was headed. I tried to imagine a plausible solution, but I failed. And I feel the author did too. Too much of the last half of the book hinged on a real stretch, and then was used twice more. And the twists weren't as well done as they should have been - the ending was too abrupt and somewhat flat. Disappointing.
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LibraryThing member MinDea
I was really excited about this book as it's getting crazy good reviews. After finishing it I can totally understand why! I read it in two sittings...I couldn't put it down. I had to know what was going on. With a super fast paced mystery and short chapters this book was so easy to fly through! The
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main character (Lo) was a bit frustrating and annoying at times, but the story itself was riveting. I would highly recommend this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member mwatson4281
I did not enjoy In a Dark Dark Wood, so I was a little unsure of what to expect with this one. i am glad I took a chance on it because it was such a fun mystery! It was dark without being too heavy and I had absolutely no idea what was going on until the whole thing came together at the end.
LibraryThing member justacatandabook
Laura (Lo) Blackstock is excited to finally get the opportunity of her travel journalism career: a chance to cover the launch of a luxury cruise ship, the Aurora. The ship is headed to Norway, and Lo has the ability to mingle with a set of wealthy passengers and make some connections to jump-start
This was an interesting and suspenseful thriller. I agree with the comparisons to an Agatha Christie novel: with the setting of the novel being a ship, you have a limited cast of characters (and suspects), which heightens some of the intrigue. Ware does an excellent job of setting the scene, and you can practically feel yourself trapped in this opulent yet slightly claustrophobic, endlessly rocking luxury cruise-liner. Lo is set up rather quickly as unreliable narrator: she's clearly anxious after her break-in, prone to drinking, and reeling from a lack of sleep. Therefore, from the outset, we're not sure if we can trust what we're reading or what seems to be unfolding on this ship. One of my favorite things about this novel is that it certainly keeps you guessing -- I was constantly coming up with (and discarding) various theories as I read, placing blame on a new character every few chapters. And, of course, always harboring that seed of doubt that Lo just made the entire thing up. While we hear entirely from Lo, Ware places a few newspaper stories at the end of each chapter, which just add to your doubt and confusion.
As for Lo, she's not the most enjoyable of main characters and due to our limited set of characters, we don't have many others, so most of the tale hinges on her. She's a bit annoying and whiny and prone to overthinking and bad decisions. She can get frustrating at times, to say the least. The story itself isn't really creepy or spooky, but it's definitely interesting and, as I said, keeps you guessing until nearly the very end. A few of the plot points seem a bit haphazard, as if things were just jammed together randomly into the story, but I suppose they all work together at the end.
Overall, this is certainly an engaging and suspenseful thriller. If you enjoy a fast-paced whodunnit, this one is for you. 3.5 stars.
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her writing career. But before she even sets foot on the boat, Lo is reeling from a break-in at her apartment, which leaves her anxious, exhausted, and--through a series of unfortunate events--on the outs with her boyfriend, Jonah. Still, at first the Aurora seems gorgeous and luxurious, if a bit small for Lo's claustrophobia. But her first evening on board, after an evening of dining and drinking, Lo is awoken to the sound of an argument in cabin 10 next door, and she's convinced she sees a woman tossed overboard. But no one on the ship believes her, and the woman she knows she met earlier in cabin 10, when asking to borrow mascara, is gone--nowhere on the boat. Lo knows realistically this isn't possible: it's a small boat and people can't just disappear. But she also knows who she saw and what she saw. Is she going crazy? And is someone on the boat now out to get her? This was an interesting and suspenseful thriller. I agree with the comparisons to an Agatha Christie novel: with the setting of the novel being a ship, you have a limited cast of characters (and suspects), which heightens some of the intrigue. Ware does an excellent job of setting the scene, and you can practically feel yourself trapped in this opulent yet slightly claustrophobic, endlessly rocking luxury cruise-liner. Lo is set up rather quickly as unreliable narrator: she's clearly anxious after her break-in, prone to drinking, and reeling from a lack of sleep. Therefore, from the outset, we're not sure if we can trust what we're reading or what seems to be unfolding on this ship. One of my favorite things about this novel is that it certainly keeps you guessing -- I was constantly coming up with (and discarding) various theories as I read, placing blame on a new character every few chapters. And, of course, always harboring that seed of doubt that Lo just made the entire thing up. While we hear entirely from Lo, Ware places a few newspaper stories at the end of each chapter, which just add to your doubt and confusion.
As for Lo, she's not the most enjoyable of main characters and due to our limited set of characters, we don't have many others, so most of the tale hinges on her. She's a bit annoying and whiny and prone to overthinking and bad decisions. She can get frustrating at times, to say the least. The story itself isn't really creepy or spooky, but it's definitely interesting and, as I said, keeps you guessing until nearly the very end. A few of the plot points seem a bit haphazard, as if things were just jammed together randomly into the story, but I suppose they all work together at the end.
Overall, this is certainly an engaging and suspenseful thriller. If you enjoy a fast-paced whodunnit, this one is for you. 3.5 stars.
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LibraryThing member nicx27
Laura 'Lo' Blacklock is a travel journalist. She's invited onto the inaugural voyage of a small boutique cruise ship. It comes at just the right time after she is burgled at her London flat and she's glad to get away. But from day one on the ship things go badly for Lo. She hears a body being
I enjoyed this book, which is a twist on the classic locked room mystery. As with a lot of these psychological thrillers, to make the story work the author sometimes has to compromise on plausibility but I was sufficiently interested in Lo's story to keep reading to the end. The cruise ship makes for an interesting and different setting and it's a clever story idea, even if it did sort of descend into a daft end. Lo is an unreliable narrator and is ever so slightly irritating but she's more likable than the rest of the characters.
An oppressive murder mystery, I found it very readable.
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thrown into the sea from the next door cabin but when she goes to investigate she finds that that cabin was never occupied. What's going on and who did she hear being tipped overboard?I enjoyed this book, which is a twist on the classic locked room mystery. As with a lot of these psychological thrillers, to make the story work the author sometimes has to compromise on plausibility but I was sufficiently interested in Lo's story to keep reading to the end. The cruise ship makes for an interesting and different setting and it's a clever story idea, even if it did sort of descend into a daft end. Lo is an unreliable narrator and is ever so slightly irritating but she's more likable than the rest of the characters.
An oppressive murder mystery, I found it very readable.
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LibraryThing member smik
This seemed appropriate holiday reading as I will be going on a cruise shortly, although not to the Northern Lights. The luxury boat Lo finds herself on is considerably smaller than the very large liner I shall be on too.
There are10 guest cabins on the Aurora and Lo is in cabin 9. She has already
She has a hard time getting the head of security on the boat to believe her, but then the owner of the boat seems to take her seriously, and then things go seriously wrong.
There are a couple of interesting twists to the tale, and the structure provides some red herrings. Mostly we see things from Lo's point of view, but then some of her friends back home in London become concerned when they haven't heard from her. Lo's narration is interposed with emails and chat room conversations among her friends. The reader knows that on the boat Lo is having trouble with Internet connection.
An enjoyable read.
There are10 guest cabins on the Aurora and Lo is in cabin 9. She has already
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been a bit unnerved by a burglary at her flat just a couple of days before, nor is she a good sailor, so noises in the cabin next door in the middle of the night make her think the worst. What she imagines is that a body has gone overboard but then she finds out that the cabin was supposedly unoccupied.She has a hard time getting the head of security on the boat to believe her, but then the owner of the boat seems to take her seriously, and then things go seriously wrong.
There are a couple of interesting twists to the tale, and the structure provides some red herrings. Mostly we see things from Lo's point of view, but then some of her friends back home in London become concerned when they haven't heard from her. Lo's narration is interposed with emails and chat room conversations among her friends. The reader knows that on the boat Lo is having trouble with Internet connection.
An enjoyable read.
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LibraryThing member allenkl
A very engaging story. I'm quite sure I won't go on a cruise again without it crossing my mind. The ending is confusing and unsatisfying, even after I re-read it. My final feeling was one of disappointment, not what I want after about 340 pages. One reviewer says he/she could see this is as a
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movie. I believe that was meant as a complement. I agree, I can see this as a movie, in no way do I consider that to be a complement but rather one of the worst things that could be said about a book. Show Less
LibraryThing member ChrisWay
I enjoyed this book and found it to be entertaining and the plot engaging. I found the ending somewhat confusing and not entirely satisfying, but other than that this was a fin book to read.
LibraryThing member dawnlovesbooks
Lo Blackstock is a travel journalist that has been assigned to cover a small luxury cruise ship in hopes to boost her career. Before she leaves, someone breaks in while she is home and robs her apartment. She is already shaken up when she embarks on her trip. Then she thinks she hears a body being
She begins to ask questions to try to figure out what happened. Someone leaves her a message to back off her investigation or else. Lo already has a hard time with anxiety and panic attacks and as things start to happen she really struggles to keep it together. She has no way to communicate with anyone that's not on the ship. She doesn't know who can be trusted and everyone on the ship is a suspect.
This book was a page turner and I was anxious until the end to find out what happened! If I read a thriller, (I don't very often) it was to be a very well written book and this one didn’t disappoint!
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thrown overboard from the compartment next to hers and the mystery begins. She begins to ask questions to try to figure out what happened. Someone leaves her a message to back off her investigation or else. Lo already has a hard time with anxiety and panic attacks and as things start to happen she really struggles to keep it together. She has no way to communicate with anyone that's not on the ship. She doesn't know who can be trusted and everyone on the ship is a suspect.
This book was a page turner and I was anxious until the end to find out what happened! If I read a thriller, (I don't very often) it was to be a very well written book and this one didn’t disappoint!
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LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
The Woman in Cabin 10, Ruth Ware, author; Imogen Church, narrator
Expertly written by the author, this psychological thriller will captivate the reader from page one and will not let go until the last page ends with a very satisfying conclusion. Although the tension builds throughout, the author
Laura Blacklock is a reporter for a travel magazine called Velocity. After ten years with the company and a rather stagnant career path, her future begins to look brighter when her boss suddenly gives her the opportunity to go on the maiden voyage of a luxury boutique cruise ship, called the Aurora Borealis. She won’t let anything stand in her way. This is her opportunity to make contacts and write a piece that will prove her talent to others and finally help her up the ladder at the magazine. Even though she is on edge from a recent terrifying burglary in her apartment, she insists on going.
When she boards the ship, she is struck by its opulence. This ship was not built to ferry ordinary people around. It is only for the very rich and the very famous. Looking around, she recognizes others in her profession. She sees an ex-beau who is a reporter and also engages in a conversation with a prominent photographer. She learns that both the ship’s owner and his wife are on board, which is unusual; generally, his wife does not accompany him because she has been ill and is undergoing cancer treatment.
As Laura dresses for dinner on the first evening, she realizes that her mascara is missing from her makeup bag. She remembers it had been in the handbag that was stolen from her apartment on that frightening night she had surprised a burglar in her flat. A bit brazenly, she goes next door to the cabin marked 10 Palmgren, and knocks, hoping someone in there will be kind enough to lend her a mascara tube. After waiting and getting no response, she gives one final bang to the door expecting to fail in her quest. Instead, she sees a pretty, young woman in a Pink Floyd t-shirt. She does not appear very happy to see Laura standing there, and a bit coldly, she agrees to give her a mascara, insisting that she does not want it returned.
Later that night, Laura is awakened by a loud sound that she thinks is a scream coming from the cabin next door, and she thinks she hears the very loud sound of a huge splash in the water. Rushing to the veranda window, she looks down and thinks she sees a body floating downward. Looking up again, she sees what could be a bloody handprint on the glass of the veranda. She begins to wonder, is she herself now in danger? Was anyone aware of her presence there on her veranda?
As she attempts to report what she thinks she heard and saw, she has little success. She is told and shown that the cabin next door is apparently empty and always has been. There was never a passenger in that room for he had canceled. As she watches pieces of evidence about the event disappear, her own antennae are raised higher. Although the man in charge of security seems to doubt her account of events, he shows her around the ship in search of anyone on the staff who might have known or seen the mystery woman. Having no luck there, she begins to wonder about the other passengers on the ship. Had any of them been involved? Could they have seen the woman? Might someone else have heard something? Why had she disappeared? If the room was unoccupied, why had she seen the girl’s clothes strewn around? As she continues to investigate on her own, the odd behavior of the passengers and their "alibis" begin to seem more suspicious to her. She suspects each one in turn. Surely someone knew or had seen the young girl in the Pink Floyd t-shirt in cabin 10!
Was someone really thrown overboard? Had anyone seen Laura as she witnessed this event? Would she be the next victim? Was there really even a victim? Had she been dreaming? Was she so drunk that she had a hallucination? Was it a paranoid delusion? Because the ship had been having problems with their technology, her phone had no service. She was unable to contact anyone on the outside to report what she believed she saw, or to make a report for the magazine that she so hoped would be the harbinger of her future success. She could also not reach anyone to ask for help! She was totally isolated from everyone. When Laura does not contact anyone, her friends and family begin to raise alarms about her whereabouts. A second narrative, behind the scenes, is interjected sporadically through the book. It keeps the reader on tenterhooks. Those outside the world of the ship have no idea what is going on inside it, and in the same way, Laura has no idea what is going on beyond the confines of this magnificent floating vessel.
I must admit I listened to this book almost straight through, stopping only to sleep for a few hours. I had to find out if there was indeed a diabolical murderer on board or if Laura was dreaming or imagining everything she thought had happened. There were twists and turns taking me in one direction or another, bouncing me about in my suspicions in much the same way that Laura was being tossed, suspecting one passenger than another, one staff member than another.
There seemed to be so many random clues, but they pointed in many different directions. It was hard to know which were real and which might be products of Laura’s own imagination due to her extreme emotional state. The suspense was palpable as Laura thought about each passenger in turn, as her conversations with them revealed secrets and further doubts to her. The misdirection was really effective.
This mystery novel, written by a British author is done very well. There are a few minor glitches but what made it so good was the actual absence of the foul language and unnecessary titillating sex which is so prevalent in the work of many American authors today, perhaps to seem cool or for shock value. It was simply a great mystery. Without cheap devices, the author has created a book that is gripping as it explores and exposes what is going on in the mind of Laura Blacklock as she attempts to solve a crime she thinks has been committed, although there is no proof. It places the reader right there on the ship with her. From start to finish, this is a really good, entertaining read for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller!
Expertly written by the author, this psychological thriller will captivate the reader from page one and will not let go until the last page ends with a very satisfying conclusion. Although the tension builds throughout, the author
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inserts a bit of humor, now and then, to ease its grasp. Imogen Church narrates the book so well that I felt I could hear each character speaking without any difficulty at all. Her interpretation of their personalities and speech patterns felt very authentic.Laura Blacklock is a reporter for a travel magazine called Velocity. After ten years with the company and a rather stagnant career path, her future begins to look brighter when her boss suddenly gives her the opportunity to go on the maiden voyage of a luxury boutique cruise ship, called the Aurora Borealis. She won’t let anything stand in her way. This is her opportunity to make contacts and write a piece that will prove her talent to others and finally help her up the ladder at the magazine. Even though she is on edge from a recent terrifying burglary in her apartment, she insists on going.
When she boards the ship, she is struck by its opulence. This ship was not built to ferry ordinary people around. It is only for the very rich and the very famous. Looking around, she recognizes others in her profession. She sees an ex-beau who is a reporter and also engages in a conversation with a prominent photographer. She learns that both the ship’s owner and his wife are on board, which is unusual; generally, his wife does not accompany him because she has been ill and is undergoing cancer treatment.
As Laura dresses for dinner on the first evening, she realizes that her mascara is missing from her makeup bag. She remembers it had been in the handbag that was stolen from her apartment on that frightening night she had surprised a burglar in her flat. A bit brazenly, she goes next door to the cabin marked 10 Palmgren, and knocks, hoping someone in there will be kind enough to lend her a mascara tube. After waiting and getting no response, she gives one final bang to the door expecting to fail in her quest. Instead, she sees a pretty, young woman in a Pink Floyd t-shirt. She does not appear very happy to see Laura standing there, and a bit coldly, she agrees to give her a mascara, insisting that she does not want it returned.
Later that night, Laura is awakened by a loud sound that she thinks is a scream coming from the cabin next door, and she thinks she hears the very loud sound of a huge splash in the water. Rushing to the veranda window, she looks down and thinks she sees a body floating downward. Looking up again, she sees what could be a bloody handprint on the glass of the veranda. She begins to wonder, is she herself now in danger? Was anyone aware of her presence there on her veranda?
As she attempts to report what she thinks she heard and saw, she has little success. She is told and shown that the cabin next door is apparently empty and always has been. There was never a passenger in that room for he had canceled. As she watches pieces of evidence about the event disappear, her own antennae are raised higher. Although the man in charge of security seems to doubt her account of events, he shows her around the ship in search of anyone on the staff who might have known or seen the mystery woman. Having no luck there, she begins to wonder about the other passengers on the ship. Had any of them been involved? Could they have seen the woman? Might someone else have heard something? Why had she disappeared? If the room was unoccupied, why had she seen the girl’s clothes strewn around? As she continues to investigate on her own, the odd behavior of the passengers and their "alibis" begin to seem more suspicious to her. She suspects each one in turn. Surely someone knew or had seen the young girl in the Pink Floyd t-shirt in cabin 10!
Was someone really thrown overboard? Had anyone seen Laura as she witnessed this event? Would she be the next victim? Was there really even a victim? Had she been dreaming? Was she so drunk that she had a hallucination? Was it a paranoid delusion? Because the ship had been having problems with their technology, her phone had no service. She was unable to contact anyone on the outside to report what she believed she saw, or to make a report for the magazine that she so hoped would be the harbinger of her future success. She could also not reach anyone to ask for help! She was totally isolated from everyone. When Laura does not contact anyone, her friends and family begin to raise alarms about her whereabouts. A second narrative, behind the scenes, is interjected sporadically through the book. It keeps the reader on tenterhooks. Those outside the world of the ship have no idea what is going on inside it, and in the same way, Laura has no idea what is going on beyond the confines of this magnificent floating vessel.
I must admit I listened to this book almost straight through, stopping only to sleep for a few hours. I had to find out if there was indeed a diabolical murderer on board or if Laura was dreaming or imagining everything she thought had happened. There were twists and turns taking me in one direction or another, bouncing me about in my suspicions in much the same way that Laura was being tossed, suspecting one passenger than another, one staff member than another.
There seemed to be so many random clues, but they pointed in many different directions. It was hard to know which were real and which might be products of Laura’s own imagination due to her extreme emotional state. The suspense was palpable as Laura thought about each passenger in turn, as her conversations with them revealed secrets and further doubts to her. The misdirection was really effective.
This mystery novel, written by a British author is done very well. There are a few minor glitches but what made it so good was the actual absence of the foul language and unnecessary titillating sex which is so prevalent in the work of many American authors today, perhaps to seem cool or for shock value. It was simply a great mystery. Without cheap devices, the author has created a book that is gripping as it explores and exposes what is going on in the mind of Laura Blacklock as she attempts to solve a crime she thinks has been committed, although there is no proof. It places the reader right there on the ship with her. From start to finish, this is a really good, entertaining read for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller!
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LibraryThing member joannemonck
Ending was good but I found the book to be a little too slow. The young woman (who suffers from anxiety attacks) believes she saw a murder. The plot takes place aboard a luxury yacht that she is on to write an article for a travel magazine. akes her almost to the end of the book for her to figure
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out what you deduced half way through. The main character was just a little too dumb for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member niaomiya
*sigh* Again I read a book that's been hyped and hyped, and I end up being disappointed. "The Woman in Cabin 10" has a very promising premise, but it doesn't deliver. I saw similarities between this book and Paula Hawkins's "Girl on the Train," namely a female protagonist who isn't very likable,
Lo Blacklock is a journalist who lucks into a plum assignment on board the maiden voyage of the luxury cruise ship Aurora. A few days into the trip, Lo hears what she believes to be a person being thrown overboard from the cabin next to hers. The problem is that everyone on the guest list is accounted for, and nobody believes her story to be anything more than pure speculation stemming from the unhinged imagination of a person full of alcohol and antidepressants.
What a neat mystery, eh? I was intrigued. But problems with the book popped up:
1) It took way too long to even get Lo onto the boat. There was too much expository stuff about Lo's having been a victim of a crime in the recent past and about Lo's boyfriend Jonah. Lo does not even board the Aurora until chapter 5. I kept thinking, "Hey, let's get this show on the road already."
2) After the alleged crime happens on the boat, author Ruth Ware spends almost the entire book on Lo's fighting off panic attacks while trying to get crew members to believe her story. It's a long, drawn-out story of Lo talking to every person she feels a need to, to try to get someone to believe her story and investigate. Since the book is written in 1st person from Lo's perspective, the reader gets a good whiff of Lo's personality, and Lo was mighty irritating and exasperating to yours truly.
3) When some action finally happens at Chapter 22, I started to get a sinking feeling that the mystery had almost become resolved already, and I wondered how there would be enough story to continue for over 100 more pages. From Chapter 22 onward it was like a different book. Stuff was actually *happening* - but it was not extending the mystery, it was 100+ pages of extending the story since the reveal already happened.
I was so disappointed that this book didn't meet my expectations. I had been looking forward to a gripping thriller that would have me scratching my head trying to figure out the mystery. Instead, I was reading a book in which the protagonist annoyed me to no end and in which things were revealed too soon. I do have to admit, though, that I liked the very end. It was cheeky. But a good ending doesn't make up for a mediocre book.
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who drinks too much and therefore is an unreliable witness to what may or may not have been a crime, and who tends to make bad decisions.Lo Blacklock is a journalist who lucks into a plum assignment on board the maiden voyage of the luxury cruise ship Aurora. A few days into the trip, Lo hears what she believes to be a person being thrown overboard from the cabin next to hers. The problem is that everyone on the guest list is accounted for, and nobody believes her story to be anything more than pure speculation stemming from the unhinged imagination of a person full of alcohol and antidepressants.
What a neat mystery, eh? I was intrigued. But problems with the book popped up:
1) It took way too long to even get Lo onto the boat. There was too much expository stuff about Lo's having been a victim of a crime in the recent past and about Lo's boyfriend Jonah. Lo does not even board the Aurora until chapter 5. I kept thinking, "Hey, let's get this show on the road already."
2) After the alleged crime happens on the boat, author Ruth Ware spends almost the entire book on Lo's fighting off panic attacks while trying to get crew members to believe her story. It's a long, drawn-out story of Lo talking to every person she feels a need to, to try to get someone to believe her story and investigate. Since the book is written in 1st person from Lo's perspective, the reader gets a good whiff of Lo's personality, and Lo was mighty irritating and exasperating to yours truly.
3) When some action finally happens at Chapter 22, I started to get a sinking feeling that the mystery had almost become resolved already, and I wondered how there would be enough story to continue for over 100 more pages. From Chapter 22 onward it was like a different book. Stuff was actually *happening* - but it was not extending the mystery, it was 100+ pages of extending the story since the reveal already happened.
I was so disappointed that this book didn't meet my expectations. I had been looking forward to a gripping thriller that would have me scratching my head trying to figure out the mystery. Instead, I was reading a book in which the protagonist annoyed me to no end and in which things were revealed too soon. I do have to admit, though, that I liked the very end. It was cheeky. But a good ending doesn't make up for a mediocre book.
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Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2016-06-30
Physical description
8.25 inches
ISBN
1501132954 / 9781501132957