This was the second novel by writer Ruth Ware who I first encountered at the festival last year (so excited by her debut novel were me and the Sister we even got dressed up for photos!) so I was very pleased to get a free copy of the Woman in Cabin 10 via netgalley.
The Woman in Cabin 10 starts off with a break in at journalist Lo Blacklock’s flat. She is already quite highly strung and this understandably causes her to go into a state of paranoia and panic. In order to help get over the break in she accepts an assignment on a cruise ship. It is supposed to be ten days of pure relaxation and sightseeing. Unfortunately the first night of sailing Lo thinks she sees a woman pushed over board. Despite there not being anyone reported missing she is adamant this has really happened and won’t let it go. Due to her fragile mental state and excessive drinking no one else believes her. Interspersed with us finding out what is happening on board we also hear from her friends and colleagues who are worried that she seems to have disappeared.
Whilst this was an enjoyable read I don’t think it was quite as good as the first novel. It did unfortunately feel a little bit similar to Girl on a Train to me. However saying that, I really enjoyed Girl on a Train so that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The main problem was that I didn’t really like the main character. She was incredibly annoying, and whilst you care about the crime that may or may not have been committed a lot of the time you wanted to just tell her to leave it alone.
Yet despite that I did enjoy reading this. It was another fun fast read and at no point did I guess the outcome which kept me turning the page to find out what was happening. I like the style of novel that uses an unreliable narrator and this certainly ticked that box. The setting on a cruise ship was interesting as it gave it that locked room feel where the list of suspects is limited and you get an incredibly claustrophobic feel.
This is the second book I’ve read recently based on a cruise ship (Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard being the other one) and it is a fascinating setting. Overall I did enjoy this and will certainly be looking out for more from Ruth Ware
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