new thriller 鈥淭he Woman in Suite 11鈥� is a sequel of sorts to her breakout hit of 2016, 鈥淭he Woman in Cabin 10.鈥� Will you enjoy it more if you read the first book? Yes. Or you can wait until the Netflix version of 鈥淭he Woman in Cabin 10鈥� starring comes out this fall, and then read 鈥淭he Woman in Suite 11.鈥�
Most of the main characters who survived the first book return, led by Lo Blacklock, a decade older and raising a pair of sons in Brooklyn. She鈥檚 now happily married to Judah and she wrote a book called 鈥淒ark Waters鈥� about her ordeal aboard the cruise ship Aurora (the plot of 鈥淐abin 10鈥�). She knows motherhood won鈥檛 last forever, and so when she鈥檚 presented with the opportunity to rekindle her travel writing career by visiting a luxury hotel in Geneva, she jumps at the chance. The hotel is owned by a reclusive European billionaire named Marcus Leidmann, and once Lo convinces the Financial Times she can deliver a profile, it鈥檚 off to Switzerland, where Ware throws the thriller switch and readers are taken on a ride across the European continent, eventually ending up in England for the story鈥檚 climax.
Lo鈥檚 voice is the best part of the book. She鈥檚 a mom now, so her sarcasm is tempered a little by maternal compassion, but she still reads like she鈥檇 be a great hang. Here she is looking out the window of a car as it drives through the countryside: 鈥淭he villages were almost absurdly cute, in that Swiss cuckoo-clock style of ornate wooden fretwork and sparkling paint鈥� I half expected a nun to come running out from the trees and break into song.鈥�
It鈥檚 difficult to write much more about the plot without spoiling it, but Ware stays inside Lo鈥檚 head throughout, as she analyzes the intent of everyone鈥檚 actions and weighs her options. The tension builds steadily as she encounters various characters from the first book and begins to piece together what is happening. The story is peppered with multiple references and echoes back to 鈥淭he Woman in Cabin 10,鈥� another reason to read or watch it first before cracking open this new novel.
Once you do, you鈥檒l settle into the rhythm of a Ware thriller. Many chapters end with snippets from websites or other sources that tease forward the plot, practically forcing you to turn the page and learn how it all happened.
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AP book reviews:
Rob Merrill, The Associated Press
