The Woman in Cabin 10- Ruth Ware

The Woman in Cabin 10 is so delightfully twisted. Thriller fans will relish this fast-paced, heart-pounding novel. 

Lo, a travel journalist in her early thirties, has just been through a traumatic event. She feared for her life as she came face to face with a burglar who had broken into her house one night. While on the outside she was left with only a bruise on her cheek, the scars rub deep internally leaving her an exhausted, emotional reck. 

Lo must put aside any trepidations and go report a maiden voyage she had committed to.  Putting her job first, she boards exclusive boutique cruise liner, the Aurora.

It’s not long before things go nightmarishly awry and Lo is sure she witnesses a murder on board. Will anyone believe her? Or will she be brushed off as a paranoid woman who had one too many and is recovering from a recent traumatic event? 

Helplessly trapped at sea, Lo tries to sort out what is going on aboard a possibly floating casket, unsure if she can trust a single passenger. 

I read this gripping book with desperation, as if I were the one imprisoned at sea with a murderer and finishing the book was my only chance at survival. The Woman in Cabin 10 was such a novel story for me, unlike any thriller I’ve read before. Having the setting be out at sea with no means of escape was brilliant. Ware’s lyrical writing transports you to the cramped, rocking boat leaving you feeling disoriented and claustrophobic. Her protagonist suffers from panic attacks and as someone with severe anxiety disorder, I can confirm that her descriptions of the attacks are very accurate. So accurate, it brought on a few boughs of anxiety that took me a while to recover from. I’m not complaining though. I love the thrill The Woman In Cabin 10 supplies. 

TW: emesis, home invasion, violence, self-harm, confinement, PTSD