The Woman in Carriage 3 by Alison James
Genre: Psychological thriller
Read: 17th May 2023
Published: 22nd May 2023
★★★ 3.5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
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 THOUGHTS:
An ordinary journey will end in murder...
I wasn't quite sure what I expected from this book but it wasn't ...well...this! I guess from the title, the cover and the brief description I assumed it would be something along the lines of "The Girl on the Train" or thereabouts. Boy, was I wrong! About the only thing that book and Hattie had in common was their drama began on their commute and their love of wine or anything alcoholic. Any other similarities ended. THE WOMAN IN CARRIAGE 3 was NOT "the girl on the train".
I really don't know where to start with this one as there was so much packed into the story I almost got whiplash despite the slow pace. Hattie pretty much destroyed her relationship and her well-paid job because of penchant for alcohol. Turning up drunk at work and having sex in a cupboard with a colleague at a drunken party will do that. So her boyfriend moved out and she gave up their flat and moved back home with her parents.
Now she is temping at a dead-end job and doing the regular commute on the 18.53 train out of Waterloo every evening. She sits in the same carriage, she sees the same people, the same faces, but she doesn't engage with them. She saves those moments for hook-ups in bars and faceless sex with strangers with barely any memory the morning after. But one day, the train is halted when a passenger is taken ill and the commuters in carriage 3 begin to chat with one another to pass the time. They exchange names and pleasantries and before long have formed a WhatsApp group for "The 18.53 Crew" as they now refer to themselves as.
Hattie didn't intend on making friends with any of them. But they were so friendly that over time she thought what harm could it do? Besides which, she found herself increasingly attracted to one of them - Casper Merriweather - with his Jude Law looks and his boyish charm. Every evening she found herself unwittingly looking for him and was disappointed when he wasn't amongst the commuters. She befriended Bridget, a dowdy public servant who didn't share her penchant for alcohol so meeting up for a drink was out of the question. And yet, still she found herself confiding in her. Particularly about her attraction for Casper. And it seemed the attraction was mutual.
It isn't long before the two hook-up and a relationship (of sorts) begins. Hattie falls head over heels for him and stupidly went along with anything he suggested. Hook-up at her place? Sure, no problem. Drop everything to meet him the day before a big interview? Not a problem. Fly off to Mexico to begin a new life with him? But of course! Hattie, I soon discovered, was so easily manipulated with a drink or two and a roll in the hay. But when she wanted to got back to his? A bit awkward. Casper confesses to being married and on the cusp of divorcing his wife to be with Hattie. Does anyone still believe that line?
Then one evening on the commute home, one of their "crew" dies suddenly right before Hattie's eyes. Everyone in their group was on the train except Casper who often worked late. The death was thought to be cardiac arrest...but a post mortem revealed doubts. Was it a heart attack or was it murder? The investigation that follows takes Hattie on a journey that would totally change her life and that of her outlook also.
THE WOMAN IN CARRIAGE 3 was quite a slow burn. In fact nothing much happens for the first half of the book, except for Hattie hooking up with various males before falling into bed with Casper and her drinking herself into oblivion regularly. The woman drove me mad! She was a complete train wreck (pun intended). As for the other characters, none of them were particularly stand out except for Julian and Lewis. I would have liked to learn more about Julian and he sounded far more interesting than Hattie. And I quite liked Lewis who pretty much remained in the background until the second half of the story.
The story didn't pick up until Part Two where things were ramped up a notch and the tables were turned and a couple new characters were added. But they were fairly transparent and the story was a tad predictable I found and I easily figured out the twists.
Told in multiple perspectives, the story itself I found was rather long-winded but did end up redeeming itself with a somewhat satisfying conclusion. This wasn't one of Alison James' best thrillers but it wasn't too bad.
I would like to thank #AlisonJames, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheWomanInCarriage3 in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Born in the Cotswolds, Alison 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, Alison worked as a commercial copywriter and then a TV storyliner, before coming full circle to write fiction again.
Social Media Links:
PUBLISHER:
Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Bookouture by following them on these social media accounts.
No comments:
Post a Comment