The Woman in Carriage 3
Alison James
286 pages
Bookouture
published May 22, 2023
About the book
An ordinary journey. A shocking secret. And the perfect murder…
Breathlessly, I rush into carriage 3 just as the train doors slam behind me. It’s the same train I get home every night – the 18.53 – and I always sit in the same seat, with the same people. Each journey is fairly uneventful. Except this one…
A passenger drops dead and shockwaves ripple through the train. The lights go out and we’re left waiting in darkness, trapped until further notice. Is it an accident, or something more sinister?
The unwritten rule is you don’t talk to your fellow commuters, but the group of people huddled around me all seem like nice, normal people. I just hope they don’t notice my dishevelled hair or smell the alcohol on my breath. Because my life is far from perfect and there are things I’ve done I’m not proud of.
But as we all get to know each other, I wonder if I can really trust them? Or are they all hiding dangerous secrets…
Was someone in carriage 3 involved in the passenger’s death? And if so, how far will they go to stop the rest of us finding the truth?
An absolutely addictive psychological thriller that will keep you up late into the night. If you love Behind Closed Doors, Gone Girl and The Perfect Couple, you’ll be gripped.
My Review
OK I’m not sure what to write on this one still. I don’t know if it is best described as taking a little while to reach it’s purpose as a book or maybe the author intentionally started out one way and then twisted in another direction. But at each new part of the book, the turn drew me into the story a little more.
This is definitely a slow burn mystery. Who is the woman? What happened to Julian? and then my questions progress but I am always trying to be spoiler free, so you’ll have to read for yourself to learn the rest. I really didn’t like the main character Hattie, but I was wondering if she would redeem herself at some point. Actually other than Julian and Louis, I found all the characters a little less than I would like. But that is getting to be a new trend, I think. Unlikable or unworthy characters, that fall into these situations and the mystery or suspense around them.
This is really focused on the characters more so than the circumstance and daring you to identify and unravel the mystery. A unique premise and foundation. I flipped back and forth between the book and audiobook and found both to be entertaining. Jan Cramer brought the story to life through her narration.
For readers who like the who as much as the what/why and enjoy a slow burn, this will be an entertaining read.
Author Bio:Alison James was born in the Cotswolds but spent most of her formative years abroad. She studied languages at Oxford, then became a journalist and author, returning to university after her two children to take a law degree. After a three-year stint as a criminal paralegal, she worked as a commercial copywriter and then a TV storyliner, before coming full circle to write fiction again. Find her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/
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