Yessss this book is one of my fav mystery reads this year.
I got hooked from the prologue, and since then it's like roller coaster, many surprises and twists and my heart breaks with the victims, I feel what they're feeling, the frustrations, the struggles, the pain, the sadness, but don't get me wrong even though they are victims but they're so strong and resilient, in the end they're the one who's in control. This book also has many point of views, but that what makes me love it more, it makes me understand better why they did what they did.
Great mystery and amazing strong characters, yes definitely a MUST-READ book.

Totally recommended this book for mystery thriller readers, highly recommended!!!

4 1/2 ⭐️‘S
Strangers on a Train with twists. A whole lot of twists! At the end a bad day two women meet on the 7:45 train. After a drink, they tell each other a dark secret. At Selena’s station, they part ways. Selena thinks she will never see Martha again, but as things in Selena’s life start to slide out of control, Selena starts to question just who Martha really is. Was it just a chance meeting? Told in multiple voices, Unger weaves the narrative together perfectly, keeping the reader guessing throughout and wondering for a time just how she is ever going to tie everything together! Unger is a master storyteller and this is definitely a gripping read!

Sometimes you just need a good, twisty psychological thriller to sink your teeth into. Lisa Unger's new novel, Confessions on the 7:45, fits that bill.

Selena is running late at work. She likes to be on the early train home so that she can have dinner with her husband and two young sons, but tonight she called home to say she would be on a later train. A sinking feeling made Selena put a camera in her children's playroom where she caught her nanny Geneva and husband having sex while the boys were in the other room watching television. And this was the second time she caught them.

She gets on the train and finds a seat next a young woman Martha, who befriends Selena and makes a confession - she is having an affair with her boss, who is married to the CEO of the company. After a few drinks, Selena confesses her tale of the nanny and her husband. Martha wistfully wonders what if they could solve each other's problems? Selena finds that disturbing, but she'll never see Martha again, even though Martha pushes Selena to exchange phone numbers.

When Selena returns home, she confronts her husband who swears it was just the one time, and he is sorry, but Selena knows better. She is devastated because she really liked Geneva, she was wonderful with the boys and kept the house organized.

Before Selena had a chance to fire Geneva, she disappears the night Selena confronts her husband. The police show up after Geneva's sister calls them, and Geneva doesn't show up for work the next day. Selena doesn't tell the police that her husband was having an affair with Geneva, and the tension ratchets up as the lies continue.

There is another story we get entangled with- a young woman named Pearl lives with her mother, a woman who owns a failing bookstore and has relationships with many men. Who is Pearl and how does she figure into the main story?

Unger has a lot of balls to juggle to keep the story moving and connected, and she does it expertly. With a nod to the classic Hitchcock movie, Strangers on a Train, we wonder what happened to Geneva and does Martha have anything to do with it? Mystery/thriller fans who like to put their deductive skills to the test will enjoy trying to untangle all the knots of this intriguing story.

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on their Fall Mystery Reads Tour.

"An epic psychological thriller.
Loved, loved this book.
Lisa at the top of her game!
Unputdownable! Her best yet."

Lisa Unger's CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 is a masterfully crafted, fast-paced, taut, psychological mind-bender that checks all the boxes. Trust NO one. Nothing or no one is as they appear. Movie-worthy!

Check out my Q&A Elevator Ride with the Author with all the "behind the scene" exclusives about the book and the master of suspense.

Who is the stranger on the train?

Meet Selena and husband, Graham, and their two boys, Stephen and Oliver. Selena is the breadwinner in the family. While working late one evening, she misses her regular subway ride home. There are two hours between and winds up taking the 7:45.

Selena's husband lost his job. He does not seem to be actively looking for one. All he does is hang out around the Nanny. She has just discovered her husband is cheating with the Nanny. Not the first time she has caught him cheating. He swore it would never happen again, like in Vegas.

What disturbs her is she likes the Nanny, and the kids love her; however, doing it in the kids' playroom? Gross. Thankfully Selena had caught a look and had moved the nanny camera just in time to capture it.

Geneva, the Nanny, is not beautiful or striking and by the video, not really into the affair. She must decide what to do about this. She looks to be going through the motions.

On the way home on the 7:45 subway ride, she sits next to a striking, almost familiar looking and stylish woman. She says her name is Martha, and they strike up a conversation.

Before the subway stops, Selena has just confessed her husband is having an affair with the Nanny. Selena should know better. Her father was a cheater. Her mother, Cora, put up with it for many years before she finally said ENOUGH.

"Sometimes a stranger was the safest place in your life."

The stranger (Martha) confesses she is sleeping with her boss. Martha says, "Maybe she'll disappear (the nanny), and you can pretend it never happened."

At the end of the stop, Selena was worried she just spilled her darkest secret to a stranger. Surely, she would never see her again. However, the stranger texts her to meet again. Who is this woman and what does she want?

Soon, the Nanny disappears. There is an investigation. Geneva did not show up for work, and her sister has reported her missing. Selena is a good mother, and she wants the best for her family. Like her mother, she will try to keep it together. Until her mom had enough and started her own healthy life with someone new.

Once a full-blown investigation is underway for the Nanny, she must confront her cheating hubby. Did he have something to do with her disappearance?

Unger cleverly takes us into a deceptive world of Anne, Pearl, Gracie, Maggie, Jacqueline, and Stella. Some of these women have skills. Some were in the wrong place at the wrong time. They seem to respect a man named Pop. We do not know who "POP" is until later in the book. (SO GOOD!)

We then meet a man named Charlie. Charlie seems like a good soul. Pearl's mom, Stella, owned a bookstore and went through a ton of men. She did not have much time for Pearl. Pearl was fifteen. Charlie seems to care about Pearl and speaks her language. He is the responsible one.

However, later Stella moves on to a different man, but Pearl feels drawn to Charlie, like a father figure. He seems wise and interesting. They each could tell their lies and keep their little secrets. Infidelity. Secrets. Sins of omission. But worst of all, the lies they tell themselves.

"Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead."
—Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richards Almanac

Martha continues to text Selena. How does she know her number? What if she was somehow involved in the disappearance of the Nanny? Or does she truly know her husband?

Selena has nowhere to turn and ultimately turns to Will, her ex. The lawyer who was safe and secure. She left him for Graham (the risk-taker). Now she begins to wonder why she chose the cheater, which could be a murderer? She wants to believe he is innocent. He is the father of her sons.

Selena begins to wonder if she orchestrated the situation by the encounter on the train. The stranger. What is the motive?

Alternating between POV (past and present) from Selena, Geneva, Pearl, Anne, Hunter, Oliver, and Cora, we meet some very intelligent con-artists. A predator, patient, and careful. Some ordinary people conned—a con, a grifter, a killer. There are big SECRETS and lies! Who is the monster?

As a reader, you will be dying to find out the identity of Pop. It is mind-blowing! Who is the murderer, the captor, the con-artist?

The sins of the father come back to haunt.

"No justice in the system for a con. When the tables turned, when the mark got wise, when the bill for your deeds came due, there was no one to call. There was an order to the universe, and you could only run your scam for so long."

Pop's advice was: "Never leave them with nothing to lose." However, pop did not take his own advice.

Unger keeps you glued to the pages as you try and figure out how all these characters will connect! A delicious, dangerous cat-and-mouse game with more twists than you can imagine! Hang in there. It worth the wait and then some.

Like social media with its curated, filtered posts, everything looks perfect on the outside; however, it is anything but. The grass is not always greener but full of **it. There are tons of masks and facades. You will need to determine which character is behind the mask.

Get on board the runaway train, decimating everything in its path! Sometimes the monsters are the ones right in front of us. In the end, often, the truth may set you free. Diabolically clever! Top books of 2020. You are going to devour it. — saying a lot since I am a huge fan of "The Hollows!" For fans of Caroline Kepnes' You and Hank Phillippi Ryan's The First to Lie.

A special thank you to Park Row Books and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy. Also purchased the hardcover and the audiobook.

#JDCMustReadBooks Blog

From my blog: Always With a Book:

I have long been a fan of Lisa Unger, ever since reading Fragile a few years back. I love that her books are dark and twisty and that you think you know what it going on, but you could not be more wrong.

This book completely grabbed me right from the get-go and never let up. I read this in one day, unable to walk away from it because I needed to know what the heck was happening. There is such a craziness to this book, a subtle cat and mouse game going on, but at the same time, there are all these characters and if you are anything like me, you are trying to work out how they all connect. The twists and surprises that sneak up are what kept me glued to this book and hard as I tried, I just couldn't work out how they all connected but when it is finally revealed...WOW! I loved it and it all made so much sense!

I loved the complex characters that Lisa Unger created. You can't help but want to know more about them and whether they are good or bad, you just need to see what happens next to them. And I loved how many secrets each of the characters had. The deeper into the book we get, the more secrets we come to find these characters have been hiding. That old adage really is true, you never really know someone as well as you think you do.

This book is so twisted and addicting. It is completely binge-worthy and one that takes you on quite a ride. I highly recommend adding it to your fall reading list and will certainly be recommending it to all my thriller-loving friends.

Two women meet on a train. When the train stalls on the tracks, Selena and Martha begin a conversation. Martha confesses to having an affair with a married man and, in turn, Selena tells her about watching her husband and the nanny having a fling while she watches them on the nanny cam that they know nothing about. Once the train moves again and reaches its destination, the two women part, not knowing that will meet again.

Not coincidentally, it's just days later that Selena's nanny disappears.

Did someone 'fix' her problem ... like Martha from the train? Did Selena's husband have something to do with her disappearance? No body has been found, no ransom note ... she's just gone.

Selena finds herself in the middle of a conundrum and the deeper she digs for answers, the more questions she has. And she's not near prepared for what she will eventually discover.

I have read many of this author's books ... and she has yet to disappoint me. Each new book seems better than the last and I always look forward to what she'll have for the reader next.

The plot is intricate and complex. The characters are deftly drawn, solid within the varied twists and turns that seem to never stop. The suspense begins on the very first page and holds steady until the unexpected, surprising conclusion. It's an increasingly fast-paced suspense starting on the very first page and holding steady to the unexpected, surprising conclusion.

Many thanks to the author / Harlequin - Park Row / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller/ crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I had a little trouble getting into this book but when I was about a quarter through I really was glad I stuck with it. The story is kind of sad when you look at what these women think about love but as you learn more about the characters you can see why they act the way they do. I loved learning all the layers that are in this story. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Confessions on the 7:45 focuses on an informal conversation. You know that random conversation you strike up with that person beside you on public transportation? That's where this story begins! The thing about this exchange is it's not exactly light banter. Martha tells Selena she's having an affair with her boss. Having a big secret of her own, Selena decides to share that her husband is having an affair with their nanny. Selena assumes this is going to be like every other one-off conversation with a stranger and goes on her way. Except, it's not - A few days later, Martha reaches back out and wants to meet up with Selena.

Then, the plot (literally) thickens as the nanny goes missing. What could have happened? And could this Martha character be involved? Or maybe it's Selena's husband? Selena is left with all the questions, and she isn't sure where she can turn.

This is a story told through multiple narrators which from a thriller perspective is my #1 love. There is Selena's story, and then there are other women involved. Who these women are isn't immediately told, but as they go, you start to see their potential connections to Selena, Martha and/or the nanny. I also liked that one of Selena's kid is a narrator. Having him hold some of the clues to the story was a unique angle I hadn't seen.

Overall, I found this to be a good reliable thriller. It had some good twists and then it had some bonus twists that further showed character connections. If you're like me and just need that good thriller fix in your life, get on this train (#seewhatididthere) and pick this one up!

Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger is honestly one of the best books I have ever read.
This is a TWISTY read that I could not put down. The plot is precise and intricate with multiple characters. The story is told alternating between the past and the present.

Two women meet on a train and share secrets. The story alternates between the perspective of Selena and Martha.

This thriller has a story within a story! Not everything is as it seems and twist after twist is thrown at you. The characters are complex, complicated and so well fleshed out that they will leave you speechless.

The story is EVERYTHING you want in a thriller. You will be thrown off your reading chair in disbelief after reading this one!

GREAT WRITING! Fascinating story.

The truth of the matter is we've all become skilled con artists when it comes to posting on social media. Why is that? What are we lying (or pretending) about in our lives, wanting so desperately to convince others of? Quote used in the book from George Orwell's 1984: "If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself."



While I did like this book, I disliked the disparagement of marriage, the fictional misuse/exploitation of the "Me Too" movement, and the sex scenes right at the start of the book. These are obviously my personal tastes. Not everyone will feel the same way about these topics. Additionally, there is a lot of cussing and use of the f-word in the story - so if that offends you, be forewarned.



In the beginning, I really struggled to keep track of the large cast of characters, but I relaxed into it, and trusted that the author would guide me along the path and help me remember who was who throughout the story.



Unger is certainly a master at suspense, embedding creepy little elements to keep the reader fully engaged, such as: "But when she looked out her bedroom window just before turning out her lights to sleep, his car was still there."



Like solving a jigsaw puzzle, Lisa Unger slowly gives the reader one piece at a time, out of order but meticulously filling in the whole picture so it all makes sense at the end. And I was happy that this story had a satisfying ending.



I enjoyed this complicated and twisty thriller from Lisa Unger, and I look forward to reading more books written by her!





Some of my favorite lines from the book:

"The girl didn't know what she was saying. She was a mouse. And the mouse was so afraid that she was looking to the cat for love."

"The truth like a wildfire that burned everything in its path. One that destroyed but also cleansed. And then from the ash, new life."

"Write it, said Beth. When we narrate our experience, we take control of it. And in controlling the story of our past, we can create a better future."





[I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, which in no way influenced my opinion.]

Twist twist twist.
Twist twist twist.
Twist twist twist.
There you go. There is my review. That is the book! But seriously, in an environment where too many books seem to have way too many twists, Ms. Unger makes it work. I think it is because she spends a lot of time on character development so that when the twists happen, it is something that isn't out of character. Even the parts that sometimes I might have felt were a little too neatly resolved seemed to work and make sense and not feel overplayed. All in all, this book was a great way to spend a day curled up on the couch!

Title: Confessions on the 7:45
Author: Lisa Unger
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Be careful to whom you tell your darkest secrets…

Selena Murphy is commuting home from her job in the city when the train stalls out on the tracks. She strikes up a conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat, and their connection is fast and easy. The woman introduces herself as Martha and confesses that she’s been stuck in an affair with her boss. Selena, in turn, confesses that she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny. When the train arrives at Selena’s station, the two women part ways, presumably never to meet again.

But days later, Selena’s nanny disappears.

Soon Selena finds her once-perfect life upended. As she is pulled into the mystery of the missing nanny, and as the fractures in her marriage grow deeper, Selena begins to wonder, who was Martha really? But she is hardly prepared for what she’ll discover.

Lisa Unger is a great writer, and this was very well-written and tightly plotted. But…I didn’t like the characters. Any of them. At all. Which obviously detracted from the read for me. I’d give it four stars based on the writing, but three stars because I disliked the characters so much. These people are horrible. Really.

“Martha” lives her life lying and using people and she doesn’t care who she hurts. Same with the nanny and Pop. Selena’s husband is awful to her. And Selena herself, well, she cares about her kids, but that’s about it. Apart from that, she’s selfish and unfeeling, and that made this a hard, slow read for me.

Lisa Unger is a bestselling author. Confessions on the 7:45 is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Park Row in exchange for an honest review.)

3.75 stars

Selena and Martha meet on the train. Selena has just discovered/confirmed her husband is cheating with the nanny. She and Martha each confess things to the other, and Martha makes an odd comment. As Selena tries to sort out what to do about her husband and the nanny, she gets a text from Martha, “Martha. From the train”. Selena never gave Martha her number...

The start was similar to “Strangers on a Train”. It was a bit slow-going, as I guess many of these kinds of psychological thrillers are. We follow a few different characters’ perspectives, and we back up in time to hear how we got to this point, particularly in Martha’s life. I feel like my just under 4 stars could be due to the slow-moving, but considering there are other slow-moving thrillers out there that I’ve rated 4 stars, maybe I’ve just been reading too many of them? Of course, a couple of the twists brought my rating up just a touch.

Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger is a very highly recommended unputdownable psychological thriller.

Selena Murphy is commuting home, late on the 7:45. Earlier she watched on her home surveillance camera her husband, Graham, sleeping with their nanny, Geneva, for the second time in a week as their sons Oliver and Stephen are distracted watching TV. Now she is unsure what to do about this situation. She ends up sitting next to a woman, who introduces herself as Martha, on the train and the two share an immediate connection. When the train stalls on the tracks the two strike up a conversation. Martha confesses she is having an affair with her boss and Selena confesses that she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny. Selena, wondering why she shared so much to a stranger is sure the two will never meet again. When she arrives at home, Selena confronts her husband who leaves for a few days. Days later Geneva is reported as missing by her sister and as her employers Selena and Graham are questioned. Even more stunning is that Martha, the woman from the train, has suddenly started texting Selena, who doesn't recall sharing information with her.

The writing is incredible. Unger has packed Confessions on the 7:45 full of nail-biting suspense and psychological manipulation. Lies and deceit are swirling around and the plot is gripping and finely layered. This is truly an unputdownable, satisfying thriller. Even when you think you know exactly what is going on, you actually don't. Oh, you may have parts figured out but this narrative is going to surprise you. Geneva's disappearance seems to be the major mystery, but it is just a part of what is going on. There are several other conundrums and questions that present themselves.

The characters are wonderfully realized and the women are strong, capable characters. The chapters mainly alternate between the narrative of two different women, with a few chapters sharing Oliver's observations. Obviously Selena is one of the characters, but the other, Anne, is a woman of mystery and many names. But don't trust anyone - every single character in this novel is hiding something and has some secret even while the outward picture they try to present to others is that of competent people with everything all together.

This is a compelling, riveting, and compulsively readable novel that will command your attention throughout the whole novel!

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Park Row Books.
After publication the review will be posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Believe me when I tell you that even if you are certain you know what's happening in this twisty thriller- you don't. No spoilers from me! The basic plot line- that Selena, an overworked mom, has discovered her husband Graham (a slug) is cheating on her with Geneva, their nanny and she confesses this to Martha, who she meets on the train home. Martha has her own problems- among other things, she's been sleeping with her boss. Then Geneva disappears and all goes crazy. Who is Pearl and why is she relevant to the story? Not telling. All of these women are oddly sympathetic, although Selena is most so. The characters are good, as crazy as the plot is, it really works, and wow- it's just nuts. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This is one fast paced page turner and it kept even me, an inveterate reader of the genre, surprised right up to the end.

An exhilarating novel that sweeps you up and leaves you breathless. Lisa Unger's usual standard of suspense, thrills, and "Holy cow what did I just read?!" I loved it! Lisa's one of my favorite authors, and I feel so privileged to have been able to read an ARC of this. Thank you, Netgalley!

It's been a wee while since I have read a mystery novel and recently a friend of mine was talking about getting back into crime and I knew I had a tour date coming up for this book, so decided while giving my partner scratches as he wasn't feeling too well, to read Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger. It's also been a long time since I have read one of Lisa's novels, I hopped on Goodreads and seems it was 2013 when I last read a handful of her books, mainly pre-blogging dates as there aren't any reviews added. This book follows three women mainly all are going through something and connected. Our main female Selena has just discovered her husband Graeme is cheating on her with their nanny Geneva. On this day, in particular, she catches the late train and meets a lady called Martha whom we later discover as Anne/Pearl among other names. Martha and Selena share their stories and confide in one another as who better to confess to than strangers on a train. However, after her confession, Selena is about to discover that all isn't well in her family circle when strange things start occurring starting with the disappearance of their nanny Geneva. As the story goes along, we read from multiple points of view and uncover a deadly tangle of lies and secrets that surround not only Selena but Martha and that they will be connected in ways neither thought was possible. I have to admit, I did enjoy this novel but in parts found it to be quite busy with the various tangents and different characters that were introduced to keep the story bouncing along. If you are in the mood for a new "strangers on the train" type mystery, then check out Lisa Unger's new novel "Confessions on the 7:45".

This was a twisted book all around. I thought it started a bit slow and couldn’t help but think I had read something similar. It kept my attention and kept me guessing to the very end. I enjoyed the book. Definitely recommend
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Confessions on the 7:45 is Lisa Unger's latest novel and it is marvelous, the kind of thriller you start to read thinking, oh, just a few pages and before you know it, boom! it's hours later and you've finished an excellent psychological thriller. One of my favorite things about this was how the multiple povs were all there for a reason, all little snippets woven into a perfect life (that isn't, of course) explodes. And while I'm sure my heart was supposed to be with Stella, I was a huge Pearl fan and would actually love to know what she does next (because being normal? Pearl can't ever do that, not really, imo)

This reminded me of Lisa Unger's first few novels, which were dark and sharp and smart. This is one thriller fans owe it to themselves to check out!

After being disappointed by the last few books I read by Unger, this is a refreshing return to the exciting, page-turning psychological suspense writing that I adore.
The premise behind this book is fascinating--Serena has caught her husband cheating on her with the nanny via the nanny cam. On the train heading home, she sits next to a mysterious woman and confesses her frustration with the situation. The next day, the nanny disappears. What happened to her--was Serena's husband responsible for the disappearance?
In this book, nothing is as it seems on the surface. You don't know which characters to trust, and as their connections are slowly revealed it is jaw-dropping to see how the entire tale fits together. Some of it I figured out ahead of time but other parts I didn't and I loved the surprise.
Highly recommended!