The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

 

In this tightly wound, enthralling story reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s works, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…

With surprising twists, spine-tingling turns, and a setting that proves as uncomfortably claustrophobic as it is eerily beautiful, Ruth Ware offers up another taut and intense read in The Woman in Cabin 10—one that will leave even the most sure-footed reader restlessly uneasy long after the last page is turned.

The Woman in Cabin 10 is one of those thrillers that grabs you with atmosphere first, and then keeps you hooked with that creeping sense of “Wait… did that really happen?” Ruth Ware leans hard into the claustrophobia of a luxury cruise ship—this beautifully polished, floating bubble where everyone seems perfect on the surface, but underneath? Things feel off, and you can’t quite put your finger on why.

The main character, Lo Blacklock, is compelling in a very human way. She’s anxious, she’s flawed, and she’s not always the most reliable narrator—and that’s exactly what makes the story so addictive. You’re never completely sure if you should trust what she’s seeing or hearing, which puts you right inside her head as she spirals through fear, doubt, and determination. It’s messy, it’s emotional, and it makes her feel like someone you might actually know.

Ware is a master at creating tension out of small moments. A noise in the night, a door closing too softly, a conversation that doesn’t make sense—none of it is dramatic on its own, but together it builds this steady drumbeat of dread. You feel like you’re trapped on this ship right beside Lo, trying to make sense of incidents that everyone else insists didn’t happen.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the book is its setting. A cruise ship seems glamorous, but once Lo starts panicking, it becomes this isolated, inescapable place where everyone might be lying. Ware uses that isolation brilliantly—every hallway, every locked door, every unfamiliar passenger suddenly becomes suspicious.

The pacing is brisk, but not in a way that rushes you. It’s more like a steady unraveling. You get these little hits of information, then second-guess them, then get another one, and before you know it you’re flipping pages like mad trying to figure out what’s real and what’s misdirection. Ware isn’t over-the-top with twists—she prefers psychological tension—and that restraint makes the suspense land even harder.

If you enjoy mysteries where the narrator’s grasp on reality is shaky and the setting feels like it has secrets of its own, this is a great pick. It has the feel of a modern Agatha Christie story, but with a darker, more anxious edge.

Overall, The Woman in Cabin 10 is eerie, atmospheric, and utterly consuming in that “read it in one sitting” kind of way. It’s the perfect book to pick up when you’re in the mood for a twisty, unsettling thriller that keeps you guessing right up to the end.

Note to remind me: probably not the best book to read when you are on a seven day cruise!