The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware Synopsis
Today I’m reviewing The Woman in Cabin 10, Ruth Ware’s second novel, following her debut In a Dark, Dark Wood.
Lo Blacklock has been offered the career opportunity of a lifetime to review a luxury Scandinavian cruise of the Aurora. Normally, she would be passed by for such a lavish assignment, but thanks to her boss’s pregnancy sickness, Lo has a chance to prove she can do more than cut and paste press releases.
Her big break is almost scuppered before it’s even started when a stranger breaks into her flat and ransacks her home. Shaken, sleep-deprived and traumatised by the situation, she decides she can’t miss the opportunity and insists she’s fit to attend the cruise.
At first, Lo’s slightly underwhelmed by the size of the cruise ship waiting for the carefully selected group of journalists, investors, celebrities and billionaires. But once on-board, she changes her mind completely. She’s blown away by the gold and crystal that make up every chandelier, the silk that covers every surface and the opulence in every detail.
While getting ready for her first evening aboard, she realises that some of her makeup was in a handbag that was stolen during the break-in. She knocks on the door of her neighbouring cabin and the stunning young lady who answers insists on gifting her a mascara.
That night, seriously sleep-deprived and following a few drinks, Lo hears a loud splash, instantly thinking – ‘the kind of splash made by a body hitting water.’ She rushes to the balcony, but all she can see is a smear of blood on the glass of the cabin beside hers. Worried for the safety of the young lady she met earlier that night, she raises the alarm to the ship’s security. The officer who takes her report insists that no one is scheduled to stay in cabin 10, and, taking in her dishevelled state, it’s obvious he doesn’t believe her. He insists it must have been one of the crew and that he’ll take her to meet them all in the morning. But Lo knows what she saw; the girl wasn’t crew, she had clothes and toiletries in the room, there was no way she was a cleaner.
The next day, Lo is introduced to all of the ship’s staff, but none of the women are the lady she saw in cabin 10, and her description doesn’t sound familiar to any of them. The only evidence Lo has that the girl even existed is the mascara, but when that goes missing, she starts to doubt herself. Could stress, lack of sleep and general exhaustion be playing a cruel trick on her?
Even though everyone else doubts her, Lo knows what she saw, and no one can make her think otherwise. Aware that she’s still got a job to do, Lo visits the beauty spa for her scheduled press visit. Although she struggles with the claustrophobia of the small treatment room below deck, she eventually gives in to the relaxation of a mud wrap and falls asleep. She wakes to the sound of the shower running, and the steam reveals a threat written on the mirror. Someone knows she’s been asking questions, and they want her to stop.
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware: Review
The Woman in Cabin 10 is a slower-paced crime novel that, instead of whisking you along, deliberately lays out the clues and gives you time to come to your own conclusions (and if you guess the outcome, then you’re a far better investigator than me!). I did find it slightly hard to connect with Lo. She remains incredibly calm and takes several gaslighting comments on the chin. She spends most of the novel very anxious, unsurprisingly so, but I feel some fluctuations in her mood could have had a positive impact on this book. I wanted her to be furious at being ignored. I wanted her to be more suspicious of the people around her. Surely she’d be scared of her isolation and fearful that her life might be in danger.
Later in the book, chapters featuring social media posts and news reports from the near future hint at the outcome. I really enjoyed these as they added extra tension and an insight into what was happening on land while Lo was aboard the ship.
The Woman in Cabin 10 is the perfect book for people looking for something on the darker side of cosy crime. I’d recommend this book to readers of Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Miss Marple, as it is easy to see her influence in the pacing and structure. The ending has a clever twist, and the story keeps you entertained throughout, but I wanted a little more personality from Lo.
The Woman in Cabin 10 Netflix movie
The movie adaptation of The Woman in Cabin 10 hits UK screens on 10 October, featuring Keira Knightly and Hannah Waddingham. I can’t wait to give it a watch and see if I prefer the book or the movie. I’ll drop an update here once I’ve had a chance to view it. Will you be watching?
If you like this, then you’ll love The Child by Fiona Barton.
