The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (a #RIPXII finish)

I didn’t have high hopes for The Woman in Cabin 10 when I downloaded the loan from the library, but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed this one more than the previous book by Ware that I read. However, it should be noted that I finished each of these Ware novels in just a day a piece, so both are genuine page turners!

Lo is a travel journalist who has just scored an amazing assignment: she is traveling in a small luxury liner along the coast of Norway. The boat, The Aurora Borealis, is on its maiden voyage and about half of its ten cabins are filled with journalists in order to market itself to the rich and famous. Just before Lo leaves, she experiences a truly horrifying break-in at her flat, which sets off some of her symptoms of panic and anxiety.

On her first night on the boat, Lo hears a scuffle in the cabin next to hers. When she rushes out to her oceanside balcony, she sees a body sinking under the boat. In a panic, she calls the ship’s crew for help and after a thorough investigation, they realize that no one is missing from the boat. And due to Lo’s somewhat excessive drinking (I wanted to scream at her to stop) and prior mental health history, it seems that no one on the boat believes her. Lo begins digging around on her own and everyone becomes a suspect.

Ware builds suspense by issuing press briefings and sharing emails from Lo’s concerned family and friends. Due to awful internet service on the boat, she loses contact with people at the most inopportune times, which sows fear in those trying to keep up with her. But Lo is in genuine danger as she tries to root out this killer and solve the mystery of the woman in cabin ten.

I have to admit, reading this book made me want to read the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy. It was something about sailing through the fjords of Norway that made me yearn for a story that featured more of that landscape. Sadly, the beauty of that area wasn’t detailed in this novel. I guess that was to be expected given that most of the action happened in a boat off of the coast, but I’m an atmosphere person so more description would have been icing on the cake for me.

This was a fast and fun read and qualifies as my third #RIPXII challenge finish. This challenge has been easy for me because mysteries and suspense novels are my favorites! I’m happy to have a good excuse to gorge myself on them.