(Image from Barnes & Noble)

In the ten years journalist Lo Blacklock has worked for Velocity, a travel magazine, she's gone exactly nowhere.  Both literally and figuratively.  So, when Lo's pregnant boss passes on the opportunity to sail through the Norwegian fjords on a brand new luxury liner, Lo is thrilled to go in her place.  A little R&R is just what she needs after a break-in at her apartment that has left her shaken and paranoid.  Plus, the experience should be just the thing to give her lagging career a much-needed boost.

From the moment Lo steps on the boat, she's captivated by its opulence.  From the glittering chandeliers to the glamorous guests, the small ship is everything it's been advertised to be.  On her first evening at sea, something strange occurs—a tipsy Lo witnesses a body being thrown overboard.  At least she thinks she does.  Although she spreads her concern to the crew and passengers, no one believes her as everyone on board is accounted for.  Lo might not be sure exactly what she saw that night, but she knows there was a living, breathing woman in Cabin 10.  Even if the room has always been vacant.  Lo borrowed makeup from a real person.  Where is that person now?  

As Lo tries to convince her fellow travelers—and herself—that something sinister has happened, she comes to realize just how cut off she is from the outside world.  She knows something's not quite right aboard the Aurora Borealis.  But what is it that's off?  And how can she prove that something fishy is going on?  Especially when she can't quite persuade herself.   

I love the premise behind The Woman in Cabin 10, Ruth Ware's sophomore thriller.  It's intriguing, it's chilling, it's a conundrum that kept me flipping pages to find out what was going to happen.  The creepy, atmospheric setting added to the novel's claustrophobic vibe making it an even more intense mystery.  While its plot could definitely have been more complex, The Woman in Cabin 10 tells an exciting, engrossing story.  I didn't find it quite as compelling as In a Dark, Dark Wood, but I still enjoyed the read overall.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, sexual content, and scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Woman in Cabin 10 at Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Nora Shaw hasn't spoken to her childhood best friend, Clare Cavendish, in ten years.  A reclusive crime writer, Nora avoids social interaction with just about everyone.  Which is why she's so shocked when she gets an email from Clare's new BFF inviting her to Clare's upcoming hen party.  Not having received a wedding invitation, Nora was unaware of the looming nuptials.  The last thing she wants to do is spend a long weekend with someone she hasn't seen in a decade, but feelings of both curiosity and guilt convince her to accept the invite.  

The party venue—an isolated glass house in the English countryside—does nothing to relieve Nora's anxiety about the hen weekend.  Nor does its hostess, a nervous, eager-to-please woman named Flo.  The other party guests—virtual strangers to one another—seem almost as ill-at-ease as Nora.  As the gathering gets going, things soon go horribly awry.  When Nora wakes up in the hospital with only fractured memories of what has occurred, she must connect the fuzzy dots to figure out how someone in the glass house ended up dead.  And why she's being accused of murder.  

In a Dark, Dark Wood—a debut novel by Ruth Ware—has gotten a lot of buzz since its publication in 2015.  Inevitable comparisons to The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl made psychological thriller fanatics (like Yours Truly) take notice.  Naturally, I jumped at the chance to read an ARC of the book.  Although its big finale was a little predictable, on the whole, I was not disappointed with Ware's freshman effort.  The author excels at creating a spooky, unsettling atmosphere that gives a shivery vibe to the whole story.  Plotwise, it's a tense, taut tale that's twisty enough to keep the reader on edge.  The big reveal at the end isn't all that surprising, true, but the book's still engrossing and suspenseful.  Dark, yes.  Disturbing, yes.  Depressing, yes.  And yet, overall, I enjoyed this addicting page turner.  It kept me reading in a dark, dark bedroom way, way past my bedtime.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie and The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, blood/gore, and depictions of illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of In a Dark, Dark Wood from the generous folks at Simon and Schuster via those at NetGalley.  Thank you!)