Guess who? This was like Cluedo, but in book form.

Hattie strikes up new friendships and a WhatsApp group chat, with some of the commuters she sees everyday in carriage 3 on the 18:53 train journey home from work.

When one of them dies unexpectedly one night on the journey home, things change. Hattie has her suspicions that it's someone in their carriage clique. They're all seemingly ordinary people, but each of them is harboring their own deadly secret.

The Woman In Carriage 3 is a character driven thriller, written very much in the style of Paula Hawkins, Girl On The Train, which was another favourite of mine.

Moderately paced, compelling and addictive.

Many thanks to Bookouture for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

EXCERPT: Hattie leaps back instinctively, staring in horror at the motionless body slumped near her feet. Her breath shortens and her vision begins to swim. Because this is not a stranger. She knows this person.

ABOUT 'THE WOMAN IN CARRIAGE 3': Hattie travels on the 18:53 train home every night. She sits in the same seat, in the same carriage, and sees the same people. The unwritten rule is you don’t talk to your fellow passengers, but Hattie has been watching them all for months now to distract herself from her own troubles.

I almost threw the towel in around chapter 7. I had been listening to the audiobook and between Hattie's antics and not liking the narration . . . it was touch and go. I took a few days break then switched to the Kindle edition which I greatly preferred.

Then one night a commuter suddenly drops dead. And the terrible accident changes everything.

In the aftershock of the tragic death, the group of strangers huddled around the two tables in carriage 3 strike up a conversation. Boundaries are shattered, connections are made and Hattie becomes tangled up in the lives of her fellow passengers as they travel to and from London every day.

But Hattie has no idea what she’s letting herself in for. The ordinary people on her ordinary journey all have dangerous secrets. When another commuter is killed, Hattie suspects someone in carriage 3 is responsible. Who can she trust? And is the truth closer to home and more dangerous than she could have guessed?

MY THOUGHTS: Firstly, the publicity blurb is somewhat misleading. That's really not how the story unfolds. Secondly, Hattie is such a lush (and an unlikable one at that) that she can't see the wood for the trees, let alone think rationally enough to 'suspect' someone. It seems that all she thinks about is her next drink and organising her next sexual encounter. I really did not like Hattie.

I almost threw in the towel somewhere around chapter 7. Between Hattie's antics and not liking the narration of the audiobook, it was touch and go. But I took a break for a few days then switched to the Kindle edition. Which is right around the time that things get a tad more interesting.

The pace is very slow. Hattie does a lot of drinking, of blacking out, and makes some very stupid decisions. She is easily manipulated and her own worst enemy.

There is one particularly clumsy twist involving the disappearance of another of the regular commuters. I felt cheated by the rather flimsy revelation.

I have read and loved several other books by this author, and was disappointed with this. It became an okay read, but only just.

⭐⭐.6

#TheWomaninCarriage3 #NetGalley

I: #alisonjames @bookouture

T: @AlisonJbooks @Bookouture

#contemporaryfiction #crime #murdermystery

THE AUTHOR: I was born in the Cotswolds but spent most of my formative years abroad. I studied languages at Oxford, then became a journalist and author, returning to university after my two children to take a law degree. After a three-year stint as a criminal paralegal, I worked as a commercial copywriter and then a TV storyliner, before coming full circle to write fiction again.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Woman in Carriage 3 by Alison James for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Hattie travels on the same train every day and has become used to seeing the same passengers. No one ever speaks to each other but then one evening, one of them dies. Striking up a conversation with her fellow commuters, this event leads them to becoming more than just passing acquaintances, Hattie taking a particular interest in one of the travellers. When there is another death, Hattie realises that one of them may potentially be a killer. Has she put her own life in danger?

Hattie is a very mixed up character. Back living with her parents and with a series of temporary jobs, she drinks and meets up with men in order to fill a void that she clearly has in her life. It was easy to see how Hattie made the mistakes that she did and why she found it difficult to notice the red flags that we, as readers, could clearly see. We see good character development with Hattie and by the end of the book, she definitely had the fight back in her that was missing at the start.

I really enjoyed the plot and liked how the train played an integral part as this gave us a chance to meet the key characters, getting to see their interactions with each other. It soon becomes apparent that not everyone is what they seem, but who? While some of this was quite easy to work out, there were many other twists and turns along the way that kept me gripped until the very end.

I loved the ending and felt that this was very in-keeping with the rest of the book. I definitely had a wry smile at the conclusion.

This was a great book, one that would be a perfect summer read.

Hattie Sewell is 29, recently split from her boyfriend & unable to afford her own place, she has moved back home & is currently temping. She travels into London every morning & at 18:53 takes a train home every night, except the nights she is getting drunk & having one night stands. A regular commuter, she starts to notice the other people sitting around her, & when one evening a fellow passenger drops dead, Hattie & her nearest seatmates get talking. Soon Hattie, Julian, Casper, Bridget, Carmen, & Lewis are regularly meeting on the train home, sharing a few small bottles of wine & talking. Hattie feels an attraction to Casper & it seems to be mutual. They start getting closer but then a second tragedy occurs & Hattie's life takes a unforeseen turn.

Firstly it's not a badly written book, in fact it's pacy & the author keeps the plot moving forward at a click. It's just all a bit predictable & yet unbelievable in places. The biggest issue is Hattie, the main character (although we do hear from a couple of other characters at times), I couldn't believe an almost 30 year old woman could be this gullible. A guy she has slept with a couple of times after meeting on the commuter train tells her he's married (but it's not working out so he's leaving - eyeroll) & then says hey let's run away to Mexico City together. Hattie sees no red flags with this?! A guy she hardly knows! I mean I know she's totally kaylied most of the time but still! Then the police let a civilian get involved with a case & from that point on I was reading it with amusement. Verdict: interesting plot with good pace, but predictable & the MC is too naïve to be true. 2.5 stars (rounded up)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Bookouture, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Hattie is the lady we meet in this story. A lady whose life seems to be gone somewhat astray on her. She is drinking, meeting up with random men and unsuccessfully trying to hold down a job. I felt she was hitting a low point in her life when along came the gorgeous Casper. Maybe it was Hattie being in such a vulnerable place that she seemed to accept the little Casper had to offer her.
Living with her parents isn’t helping her either and her independence is curtailed somewhat.
Casper seems to be a breath of fresh air and she is excited about him.
Getting friendly with the 18.53 train commuters gives Hattie something to look forward to each day. When on of them collapses one evening on the train, what seemed to be a heart attack looks more likely to be a murder.
Interesting characters with a highly addictive storyline. I found I didn’t want to leave this one down for long. It turned out to be much more than I was expecting.

The Woman in Carriage 3 by Alison James is the type of psych thriller that makes the reader think it is going in a certain direction. But then ends up going in a completely different one.

And that’s a good thing.

Hattie is an interesting “heroine.” There’s no other word for her – she’s an absolute mess. She drinks too much, has one-night stands, and can’t hold a job. Someone to really root for, right?

Due to an unfortunate circumstance during a commute, there is a delay on the train she travels on. So, she joins a small group of other commuters to pass the time.

Little does she know that this innocent meeting will lead to all kinds of excitement, both good and bad. And it is anything but innocent.
What follows is very reminiscent of “The Talented Mr. Ripley” – but not exactly. There’s subterfuge, deceit, uncertainty, heroism…and a lot of secrets.

The author does a fantastic job of keeping the reader guessing as to who knows what and when. How everything is tied together also remains unclear. There are more than a few twists and surprises along the way as well.

I was actually drawn in by Hattie’s mess because I was rooting for her to find some kind of footing. But because of that, I was skeptical of just about everything that happened to her. It kept me involved.

There are moments of “Wow, that’s a lot.” But that is okay, too, because it kept the plot moving at a good pace. There are also a couple of red herrings that don't exactly land. And one character virtually disappears with a lame excuse.

But again, it's all okay because the overall plot is engaging.

The Woman in Carriage 3 does not require a lot of concentration. The author does a good job of keeping things fairly simple but interesting. Alison James has written a good page-turning psych thriller, and I look forward to other books from her.

**For more reviews like it, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks.**

I really enjoyed The Woman in Carriage 3. It was a quick, easy, page turner that had plenty of twists and turns that kept me hooked throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

2.5 stars

The Woman in Carriage 3 by Alison James is a psychological thriller. 

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Hattie rides the same 18.53 train home from her temporary job every night.  She's back to living with her parents, after having lost her boyfriend, their flat, and her full-time job.  Too much drinking, too much partying, too little sleep has left her a little lost.  

But the train ride becomes more interesting when she actually gets to know her fellow passengers.  The group contains Julian Cobbold (a lawyer), Carmen Demirci (a university administrator), Lewis Handley (in security),  Bridget Dempsey (a civil servant), and Casper Merriweather (works in a fine art auction house).  Casper's good looks immediately catch Hattie's eye, and it isn't too long before she finds herself in a relationship with him.

Then one day, one of the group drops dead, and trust becomes an issue.


My Opinions:
First, I disliked Hattie right from the beginning.  An immature "woman" using alcohol and men to try to get over a broken relationship is a recipe for disaster, and I feel that women who are portrayed as that weak, and with no redeeming qualities, is just wrong.   Especially when you know that the author is going to have to miraculously turn her life around.   So the book did not start out promising (for me).  I was quite annoyed.  Actually, the only character I really liked was Lewis.

The pace was very slow.  So between the fact that nothing was happening,  the lack of likeable characters,  and the somewhat predictable outcomes, the first 40% of the book made me wanted to stop reading all together -- which of course does not happen in my world (although it should).

Anyway, it did get better, and it ended up being an okay read -- for which  I was very surprised.  But it was a little late for kudos.

Hattie is not in a great place. She's drinking too much, temping in dead-end jobs and living back with her parents having self sabotaged her life. Commuting to London is no fun so when she meets up with a merry band of fellow travellers and the 18.53 club is created the daily grind is a lot more pleasant.
A brilliant easy, but engrossing read with an unexpected twisty plot told from different points of view.
A fantastic summer read

A pleasurable and easy read - perfect for holidays.

I chose this book based on the synopsis and that it was listed under ‘most requested’. What it was, wasn’t exactly as described on the cover. And I’m grateful that it wasn’t just another GOTT.

Easy to read, pretty predictable but with well scoped characters and an interesting plot. I would not rate this book as outstanding but if you’re looking for a book non too challenging but will hold your interest then this is the book for you.

It’s nice sometimes to have a book that isn’t too serious or traumatic to read and this, for me is like an amuse Boucher for the eyes and brain.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Things I loved about this one:

✅ unique setting bringing the characters together
✅ interesting cast of characters
✅ really tense and gripping opening chapter

Our story for this one is told in 4 parts and by multiple points of view. The first part was gripping, suspenseful and thrilling, I was hooked from the very first sentence and got through the first 50% really rapidly. However, the other parts have not continued in that way, they became outrageous, unbelievable and a bit predictable.

Also, the main character, Hattie, was proper frustrating. She was naive and spoilt, which made her prime candidate for the storyline but I did find her problematic, hard to like and desperately annoying!

This would be a good starter suspense read, but not for the seasoned thriller reader!

RATING

⭐️⭐️✨

★★★ 3.5 stars

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.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Hattie travels on the 18:53 train home every night. She sits in the same seat, in the same carriage, and sees the same people. The unwritten rule is you don't talk to your fellow passengers, but Hattie has been watching them all for a few months now to distract herself from her own troubles. Then one night a commuter suddenly drops dead. And the terrible accident changes everything.

A group of commuters become friends. but one of them dies suddenly on the train. Hattie is embroiled in a romantic relationship with Casper who she met on the train. Hattie is a bit too dependent on alcohol and ends up back staying with her parents. The pace is slow. We go back in time meeting all the characters. One of them is dead and some are hiding secrets. The twists were a bit predictable, but the suspense does build along the way. The characters are well rounded, but I wasn't keen on Hattie. The story is told from multiple points of view. Unfortunately, there weren't really any thrilling parts to the story. The ending was satisfactory.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #AlisonJames for my ARC of #TheWomanInCarriage3 in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book. It starts out slowly and builds to a great conclusion. Several commuters on a train see each other most days and a friendship develops as they all choose to sit in carriage 3. Then a death occurs and a famous painting goes missing and the story picks up from there. Hattie is the most interesting character who drinks too much and randomly picks up men. The others play their parts well and no one is who they profess to be. There were a few good twists and some tense moments and a great conclusion. I thought it was too long and sometimes hard to believe. I enjoyed it .

A train delay brings six strangers together and, over canned drinks from the bar, Hattie Sewell meets Justin, Carmen, Bridget, Casper and Lewis. They become friends and look forward to meeting daily on their commute home. Hattie enjoys this new camaraderie. She has a serious drinking problem and a history of one night stands. She’s living at home and working as a temp since she has been fired from her former job. Casper works at an art gallery and Hattie has an instant attraction to him which he returns. Seems simple, doesn’t it? It's not. There are ”…multiple layers of deceit”, theft, murder, kidnapping and more to keep you turning the pages as fast as you can.

The Woman in Carriage 3 is a suspenseful, quick read. Hattie is at first hard to like. She drinks to blackout, picks up stray men and lies to her parents and co-workers. As the mystery progresses, she becomes stronger and more focused. The other characters are all well-developed and add to the plot. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Alison James for this ARC.

An intriguing story with plenty of twists and is worth the read.
Not something I would normally read and at first I struggled to get into it as I found the beginning slow but about 30% in and I was really enjoying it. One of those books that is good to read, but at a slower pace than what I would normally do. Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced reading of this book.

Thank you netgalley and bookouture for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review. I found this one to be a little underwhelming and quite predictable. While there were some twists I didn’t expect, I didn’t find myself eager or wanting to rush to my kindle to read what happens next.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me this book in return for a fair and frank review.

I absolutely loved this book. I could not put it down at all, read in one sitting. The twists and fast paced storyline had me hooked from the start. Definitely a psychological thriller. Highly recommend this book.

What a refreshingly different and original book. I love the concept of a group of strangers thrown together on regular commuter train; purely by chance ,when a fellow traveller becomes ill,causing a hold up, they share some drinks and thereby start a regular routine. Their story unfolds as one of their number dies during a regular commute and all is not what it seems. This book has it all, dashingly handsome Jude Law lookalike, mysterious ,brooding one, inquisitive legal eagle, enigmatic foreign lady, a mousey, shy one and our messy heroine who's life lurches from one disaster to another. This story would make a fabulous film ! It has all the elements required ,brilliant storyline, con artists, international chase, murder and even a hint of romance. Love it!

The main character drove me insane. She has a huge drinking problem and clearly makes horrible choices. It was hard to follow the story with how ridiculous she was.

I thought the plot would be different. Don't want to spoil it for others.