Book Review: The Woman in Cabin 10

Title: The Woman in Cabin 10
Author: Ruth Ware
Length: 400 pages
Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Plot Summary: A travel journalist embarks on a luxury cruise through the frigid waters of the North Sea, hoping for a once-in-a-lifetime assignment. Her trip is quickly upended, however, when she believes she witnesses a woman being thrown overboard from the neighboring cabin — only to discover that all passengers are accounted for and the cabin in question supposedly never had a guest. Isolated among well-heeled strangers and with little support from the crew, she struggles to untangle what happened, even as her own anxiety and past trauma threaten to cloud her judgment. As paranoia mounts and secrets surface, she must determine whom she can trust before it’s too late.

Review: The premise is undeniably clever, grounding a classic “locked-room” mystery in a contemporary seaside setting. However, the story takes quite a while to gain momentum — much of the first half is devoted to slow-moving setup and establishing the protagonist’s anxieties. While the climactic sequence delivers some genuine thrills, the resolution felt underwhelming and ultimately very predictable. The unraveling of the central mystery follows familiar patterns, and the supposed twists land with less force than intended. Despite moments of atmospheric suspense, the book doesn’t fully capitalize on its potential for psychological tension. Overall, it is a readable, perhaps entertaining thriller, but one that left me wishing for more originality and deeper payoff.

Rating: 3/5