The Woman in Cabin 10 follows the journey of Lo, a travel journalist, who embarks on a luxury cruise for an assignment. However, her trip takes a dark turn when she believes she witnesses a murder in the cabin next to hers, which is supposedly empty. As she tries to uncover the truth, she faces disbelief, twists, and turns, making the plot more complex and suspenseful. The book is a psychological thriller with a fast-paced mystery, short chapters, and multiple dramatic changes in the plot direction, keeping readers on edge.
The narrative style of The Woman in Cabin 10 is described as engaging, suspenseful, and atmospheric. The story is filled with twists and turns that keep readers guessing until the end. Despite some flaws in characters and pacing, the book manages to create a sense of tension and intrigue, making it a gripping read for those who enjoy mysteries filled with unexpected developments.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers for anxiety disorders, PTSD, home invasion, and substance abuse are present.
From The Publisher:
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER
FROM THE AUTHOR OF IN A DARK, DARK WOOD
Featured in TheSkimm
An Entertainment Weekly "Summer Must List" Pick
A New York Post "Summer Must-Read" Pick
Included in Summer Book Guides from Bustle, Oprah.com, PureWow, and USA TODAY
An instant New York Times bestseller, The Woman in Cabin 10 is a gripping psychological thriller set at sea from an essential mystery writer in the tradition of Agatha Christie.
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…
With surprising twists, spine-tingling turns, and a setting that proves as uncomfortably claustrophobic as it is eerily beautiful, Ruth Ware offers up another taut and intense read in The Woman in Cabin 10-one that will leave even the most sure-footed reader restlessly uneasy long after the last page is turned.
Ratings (133)
Incredible (7) | |
Loved It (34) | |
Liked It (53) | |
It Was OK (25) | |
Did Not Like (12) | |
Hated It (2) |
Reader Stats (245):
Read It (142) | |
Currently Reading (6) | |
Want To Read (76) | |
Did Not Finish (2) | |
Not Interested (19) |
5 comment(s)
****3.5****
Lo Blacklock, is a Travel Journalist, with severe anxiety issues, unhappy with her work and also with a bit of uncertainty about her future. She is supposed to go on a luxury cruise for her Journalism work, but just before there is a break in at her flat which leaves her with sleep deprivation/PTSD. But when somehow she boards the Aurora, the luxury cruise, she hears a big splash in the middle of the night from her cabin next door, Cabin 10. And when Lo raises an alarm, she finds from the crew that Cabin 10 was not occupied, whereas Lo had seen a woman with Pink Floyd T-Shirt in there who had lent Lo a mascara!!! But there is no records of this woman, and Lo is misunderstood due to her PTSD issues.
“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.”
Lo, on the other hand, is detained at every point of her enquiry, which makes her more determined to find out who that woman is and where is she now. Lo refuses to believe that it was all her imagination and lands in danger swiftly. And she suddenly is super aware of what has to be done and how to come out of this and survive! And she does too.
“Maybe that was closer to the truth–we weren’t captor and captive, but two animals in different compartments of the same cage. Hers was just slightly larger.”
Narration is better than Ruth Ware’s first book.
And the tension that builds through the story is good and page turning. Though Ware’s heroin is similar to her first book, who sits on reader’s nerves all the time. Till the end the heroin is confused, has severe anxiety issues etc but in the last part she always pulls herself together suddenly is brave, clear-minded. Lots of Drama and twists at the end.
“I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and stretched, trying to work the kinks from my neck”
Well, a good read, if you are looking for a fast read, beach read. I liked it better than the first book.
Happy Reading!!
3.5
Fun little mystery! Very enjoyable, I would read more by this author
The main character in this book was infuriating
This book is undeniably a gripping read that left a lasting impression on readers, sparking a new wave in thrillers, and for good reason—it's truly great.
However, I had a hard time finding the right moment to dive into this book. As a moody reader, I struggle when the timing isn't perfect, even with the best of books. When I initially started reading this story, it felt like there was too much tension for my mood at the time. While I typically enjoy suspense in my thrillers, it felt overwhelming then. I set the book aside for several months and returned to it when my mood shifted, and I'm glad I did because it allowed me to fully appreciate it.
The plot is genuinely intriguing, offering something original despite its association with the set of tropes it helped popularize. I particularly enjoyed the setting aboard a luxurious cruise ship. I've always found crime novels and thrillers set on ships to be fascinating—they provide an intriguing backdrop with a limited number of people, confined spaces, identities that may not be what they seem, restricted activities, a sense of isolation, and ample room for suspense. Ships are perfect settings for suspenseful stories, and it's a shame they're not utilized more often. However, the author skillfully maximized the potential of this setting.
What truly surprised me was that the main character didn't annoy me—a common occurrence in thrillers where protagonists teeter on the edge of sanity or recklessly dive into danger. Often, such characters irk me, but this time, everything clicked perfectly.
While this may not become my favorite type of thriller, I certainly understand the hype surrounding this book. It's tightly edited, ensuring there's never a dull moment in the story. Overall, it's a great read, and I only wish I had read it at a better time for me.
What can you read after
The Woman in Cabin 10?
About the Author:
Ruth Ware worked as a waitress, a bookseller, a teacher of English as a foreign language, and a press officer before settling down as a full-time writer. She now lives with her family in Sussex, on the south coast of England. She is the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail (Toronto) bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood; The Woman in Cabin 10; The Lying Game; The Death of Mrs. Westaway; The Turn of the Key; and One by One. Visit her at RuthWare.com or follow her on Twitter @RuthWareWriter.
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