Now this was fun! A commuter train stopped due to an issue with one of the passengers and, while delayed, the people in carriage 3 struck up conversation to pass the time. A What's App was created and, before long, friendships were made. So begins this fun, twisty little mystery that kept me engrossed from beginning to end. I enjoyed The Woman in Carriage 3 and I think you will too!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio and Alison James for providing me with an audio ARC in return for my honest review.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery/thriller, which is about a woman called Hattie who gets a train at the same time every day, meeting the same passengers frequently. A few of the passengers end up dead on different occasions, but who could the murderer be?

I really liked Hattie, although her frequent drinking annoyed me. Apart from that, I was rooting for her, and I was annoyed at what happened to her. Who can she trust?

This is an easy to read book, which will keep you reading on to find out who the culprit is.

I really loved the audiobook narrator Jan Cramer, as I always enjoy her narrating the Angela Marsons books. I love her voice, and she did a great job with this book. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author/narrator, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

This novel took some crazy turns and is a slow burn.
Hattie’s boyfriend left her as he found out she was cheating. Now she is back home drinking and casually dating. She takes the train home on a daily basis and one night the train comes to a sudden stop, which gives her and some of the passenger’s time to get to know one another. As her daily commute she builds a relationship with Casper.
With a death on the train and a police investigation adding to this story it makes you want to know if the death was murder or foul play.
Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for this advanced audio.

A nail-bitingly tense mystery that will keep you turning the pages late into the night. Great characters, great storyline. I kept turning the pages instead of turning off the light! This is one intense, twisted, dark and addictive novel!

Hattie has the most amazing adventure in this book. She ends up traveling the globe and meeting new people. I can't say much without revealing anything. I loved the narration.

3.5 stars

Another suspenseful read featuring a woman who drinks too much and rides a train. This common premise made me hesitant, but I saw some strong reviews and decided to give it a try. While it held my attention, the FMC was really unlikeable, and I had figured out some of the twists pretty early on. Unfortunately, this was not a standout to me... it felt like a book I've already read before many times. That said, the narrator did a great job.

Hattie is in a rough patch, moving back in with her parents. She’s mad some bad choices, and now every day she takes the same train at the same time, slowly getting to know the other passengers. When one dies during a mechanical shutdown, the Hattie gets to know her fellow passengers a little too well

Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC of this book. I was instantly intrigued with this book and found myself wondering what would happen. next. However, I slowly became annoyed with the stupidity of the main character. When I'm annoyed with the main character, I have a hard time continuing.

This was a NO for me, but I can see why many people would like this type of story.

THE WOMAN IN CARRIAGE 3 is a slow burn novel about a girl named Hattie. Hattie is in a bad place at the moment. She has had to move back in with her parents and her boyfriend has left her because of her cheating. She is now drinking a lot and dating around. She takes the 18:53 train home daily and always sits in carriage 3. When the train suddenly stops one night, she becomes friendly with the other passengers that are also always in the familiar carriage 3. As she continues to take the train she begins to know them better and starts a relationship with one of them named Casper.

I was interested from the beginning as to where this story was headed. I found Hattie to be annoying and far too trusting of people. She definitely needed to get her act together. The story was slow as I said, but it still held my interest enough to continue. I'm glad I did, because I really did enjoy the ending. I love when the author adds an epilogue so I can have closure! I do plan to read more books from Allison James in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Readers rating books is so subjective. What do stars mean? To each of us, I'm sure, they have different meanings and a book either clicks with us or doesn't.

I am a very stingy giver of stars. Five star books are those which hit me in the gut and change the way I feel for a day or more. Four star books are very good, I liked them, and do not regret reading - I encourage you to give those a look. A three star book is - I read it, didn't hate it, probably won't read again. I rarely give a two - let's cut to the chase - if it's less than a three consider it a fail in my opinion. That said - The Woman in Carriage 3 was a solid four and a great way to spend a day. It is a perfect beach read, or a companion for a while in your life. Author Alison James is new to me and based on this first read, I will definitely be looking for more books by her.

The Woman in Carriage 3 is a slow burn with an interesting group of characters, a main character with a TON of issues including blackout drinking, poor choices, bad self image, more drinking......what I loved about the book was the small community which developed among the regular day travelers of a commuter train. They create a group which was interesting, and the device to introduce intrigue and murder.

In a perfect world, as a modern woman with some backbone, I wish authors wrote strong, smart, non-needy female characters, but, alas, those don't necessarily lend themselves to interesting plots. While I HATED much of the choices made by MC Hattie, James managed to write the novel in a way that I still rooted for her. That is talent.

The audio was narrated by Jan Cramer, a seasoned reader and one of my favorites. She did a great job narrating all the characters, and moved the story along nicely.

This book drops May 22, 2023 and I'm happy to give it a four star thumbs up.