The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

It's hard for me to judge which I liked better, this book or In a Dark, Dark Wood. I bought this as soon as I finished the latter and it did not disappoint. This one certainly has a more complex plot but not necessarily in a bad way. I think I liked the main character more or at least, she seemed to be more developed and have more meat to her.

The premise of this book seems simple on the surface-a journalist gets sent on a super fancy cruise as part of her job, only to get sucked into a mystery when she thinks she hears a woman get thrown overboard. The reviews describe this as Agatha Christie-esque but honestly, it's really not. This is not your traditional murder mystery setup and it's much more like a modern thriller. However, this doesn't mean it isn't good,

I must admit, I was not quite as sucked into this book as In a Dark, Dark Wood. That need to finish it quickly wasn't quite as strong, although I still read it across two days. It slumps a little sooner than her previous work too, although slump here means 'was slightly less engaging and still really awesome'. However, the ending really is its saving grace. Again, I was unable to predict what was going to happen and the direction it takes is an intriguing and less obvious one. I loved the reasoning behind everything, even if maybe the second to last bit was a bit directionless.

Again, this is a really solid book from a very satisfying author. I definitely won't be forgetting it anytime soon and really, that's all I ask for from my thrillers. Definitely worth a read and it shouldn't disappoint.

Overall Rating:

.5

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

I have utterly fallen in love with this author. Admittedly, I picked up this book after reading a truly awful thriller so anything would have looked good after that. However, after reading more of her work I am convinced she is the real deal.

In a Dark, Dark Wood is a unique and compelling tale. The premise is a woman gets invited to a hen do in a secluded forest house by her old high school friend who she hasn't spoken to for 10 years. I can't really say anymore without ruining the plot but trust me, it's really good. What's more, it's actually very original. I couldn't tell where this was going at all but I was with it every step of the way, unable to put it down. I read it almost entirely in one sitting and finished it on the same day I started it.

The characters are another strong point of this book. They all seemed like real people and having the majority of them being well-written females was just another bonus. I felt for the main character without her needing to really say much about her pain at all. This is an author who appreciates show don't tell and I am so grateful for that.

My only gripe with it was that it got a little rocky about 3/4 of the way through. It didn't quite drag and it was still very good but it didn't hold my attention in quite the same way. This thankfully gets fixed by the climax and it does finish on a strong point. This is also a perfect example of having a complex and detailed solution without making the setup ridiculously convoluted or hard to follow.

Honestly, I really can't recommend this book or this author enough. In a genre flooded with books ranging from terrible to okay, this is one of the gems. Please please give it a try.

Overall Rating:

.5

Only the Truth by Adam Croft

I almost didn't finish this book. Seriously, that's how dull and uninteresting I found the plot. Not going to lie, the main problem of this book is its protagonist/narrator. It has been a long long time since I read about such a self-centered, stereotypically awful male protagonist. There are two female characters in this book and neither of them matter at all in terms of their character. For the most part, you are stuck listening to this whiny, self-pitying jerk narrate the really quite uneventful plot until the sweet release of the ending frees you.

Maybe it seems like I'm being too harsh. This book seems to be popular enough to be advertised to me on Amazon after all. I however can't find a single thing to say about it that's good. The plot sounds promising enough-the main character finds his wife's body in a hotel he's staying at and, in a fit of panic, runs away with his current lover who works there. But...it's just so bad. His wife is given zero personality and the protagonist mourns her very little. Even then, he only uses sentences like 'How can I possibly put into words how much I miss her?' without actually going on to attempt to tackle that challenge. The lover is slightly better but her character is tainted by constant physical descriptions of how slender and short she is, again seemingly the only thing the main character notices about her at all. She is however the only slightly interesting thing about the whole book which makes it even worse when SHE FREAKING DIES HALFWAY THROUGH.

That is the exact point I almost gave up. I basically skim read the rest of the book and I kid you not, it's just him going from one location to another with nothing worthwhile happening until the climax. Speaking of which, it's so painful. The lover turns out to be the one who killed his wife all along (of course, given that she's the ONLY OTHER CHARACTER) and she did it because...he's a jerk? The main character even acknowledges how little sense this makes, that's how bad it is.

Worst of all, the main character has learned precisely nothing by the end and escapes with no ramifications except a dead wife (we know just how much he cares about that). I actually agree wholeheartedly with the bad guy here and I'm not entirely sure I'm meant to. Aside from the fact she should have killed him rather than his wife, she was 100% right in my eyes. Ultimately, when you actively want the protagonist to suffer horribly, I don't consider that a great book.

Overall Rating: