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The Woman in Carriage 3
An ordinary journey. A shocking secret. And the perfect murder…
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.
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?
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.
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?
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 22, 2023
601 people are currently reading
520 people want to read
About the author
Alison James
10 books349 followersI 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
June 5, 2023
2.75⭐
Publication date ~ May 22, 2023
Page count ~ 316
Audio length ~ 8 hours 0 minutes
Narration ~ Jan Cramer ~ enjoyable
POV ~ multiple 3rd person
Featuring ~ 4 part story, cheating, promiscuous lady, slow burn
Our main narrators are Hattie, Julian, Neil & Louis who meet on their daily commute and develop a friendship.
Since this takes place on a train (not the only setting) I figured it would move along at a high rate of speed, but nope it was awfully slow moving and just okay for me. There was a lot to follow along with and none of the characters were really likable, especially, 29 year old, Hattie, who lives with her parents, does not make great choices and can't seem to lay off the booze or men.
The multiple narrators helped build up the suspense a little and it did pick up somewhat towards the end. I would not categorize this as a thriller though as nothing really thrilling happened IMO. Non seasoned mystery readers might not see the twist coming at you like a freight train like I did.
*Thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
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Publication date ~ May 22, 2023
Page count ~ 316
Audio length ~ 8 hours 0 minutes
Narration ~ Jan Cramer ~ enjoyable
POV ~ multiple 3rd person
Featuring ~ 4 part story, cheating, promiscuous lady, slow burn
Our main narrators are Hattie, Julian, Neil & Louis who meet on their daily commute and develop a friendship.
Since this takes place on a train (not the only setting) I figured it would move along at a high rate of speed, but nope it was awfully slow moving and just okay for me. There was a lot to follow along with and none of the characters were really likable, especially, 29 year old, Hattie, who lives with her parents, does not make great choices and can't seem to lay off the booze or men.
The multiple narrators helped build up the suspense a little and it did pick up somewhat towards the end. I would not categorize this as a thriller though as nothing really thrilling happened IMO. Non seasoned mystery readers might not see the twist coming at you like a freight train like I did.
*Thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook
May 23, 2023
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.
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.
April 24, 2023
This is a good character driven plot which develops slowly in the initial sections. This is a fairly straight story with no pretentious twists.
Hattie Swell, nearly 30, feels lost – she has a temporary digital marketing job and spends a lot of time drinking and dating strangers. Her boyfriend leaves her, and she knows she is to blame after she cheats on him. She has had to return to her parents’ house to stay, being unable to pay rent on her own. She commutes to work regularly on specific trains to and fro. On a day when there is considerable train delay, she makes a few acquaintances in her carriage, and they form a WhatsApp group to stay in touch. The group includes Julian – a barrister, Casper – a good looking guy working at a leading auction house, Carmen – who works at a university, and Bridget – a quiet lady. Hattie’s out of control drinking spree continues, but she finds herself drawn to Casper, and after long feels to her like a good relationship developing.
One day Hattie sees one person of the group stagger out of the bathroom and collapse in the train, declared dead shortly after. The police investigation does not rule out foul play. There is a parallel track with two characters – Neil Waller and Natalia Finch, both ambitious crooks. It was not difficult to guess how the two tracks would converge.
The book is told with Hattie’s character being central to the story. Hattie’s character is very frustrating with her wild ways, but in the later stages of the book you feel for her. I liked how her character developed. The story is well written and relies on the character development & plot rather than introducing misleading plot elements or twists. I found the last ~30% of the book to be very predictable though.
Overall, a relaxing read.
Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for a free electronic copy.
Hattie Swell, nearly 30, feels lost – she has a temporary digital marketing job and spends a lot of time drinking and dating strangers. Her boyfriend leaves her, and she knows she is to blame after she cheats on him. She has had to return to her parents’ house to stay, being unable to pay rent on her own. She commutes to work regularly on specific trains to and fro. On a day when there is considerable train delay, she makes a few acquaintances in her carriage, and they form a WhatsApp group to stay in touch. The group includes Julian – a barrister, Casper – a good looking guy working at a leading auction house, Carmen – who works at a university, and Bridget – a quiet lady. Hattie’s out of control drinking spree continues, but she finds herself drawn to Casper, and after long feels to her like a good relationship developing.
One day Hattie sees one person of the group stagger out of the bathroom and collapse in the train, declared dead shortly after. The police investigation does not rule out foul play. There is a parallel track with two characters – Neil Waller and Natalia Finch, both ambitious crooks. It was not difficult to guess how the two tracks would converge.
The book is told with Hattie’s character being central to the story. Hattie’s character is very frustrating with her wild ways, but in the later stages of the book you feel for her. I liked how her character developed. The story is well written and relies on the character development & plot rather than introducing misleading plot elements or twists. I found the last ~30% of the book to be very predictable though.
Overall, a relaxing read.
Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for a free electronic copy.
May 11, 2023
Hattie is the quintessential party girl. She’s always looking for a good time in order to escape her grim reality. Her life suddenly takes a turn when an acquaintance mysteriously dies. What or who is behind this tragedy? Could danger be closer than she realizes? This thriller was extremely entertaining and had me hooked immediately. Even though I guessed the twist, my enjoyment was not diminished. I was fully concerned about Hattie and her reckless behavior. The characters were interesting and their different perspectives added suspense and intrigue to this tale of deception and betrayal. The narration expertly conveyed the constant tension especially during the twisty conclusion. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for my audiobook. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
May 15, 2023
The Woman in Carriage 3 was the first book I have read/listened to by Allison James. I found it to be quite slow. Although it was a character driven mystery, I found the characters to be annoying and not easy to like for the most part. A good deal of the story took part on a commuter’s train. One day, the train was stopped for an extended period of time due to a medical emergency. The passengers in carriage 3 introduced themselves to each other, started talking and by the end of the train ride had decided to start a Whats App group so they could keep in touch with each other. The plot developed around the lives of these passengers and their interactions with each other. I listened to the audiobook that was narrated by Jan Cramer.
Of all the characters in The Woman in Carriage 3, Hattie Swell, was by far the most annoying one in my opinion. Although she was almost thirty years old, she had recently been fired from her job in London and was now living back home in her parent’s house. She was gullible, easily persuaded and unable to make smart decisions and choices for herself and her life. Hattie enjoyed drinking way too much and let alcohol influence her decisions and judgment. She had secured a position at a company through a temp agency. Hattie’s life was far from perfect. Her job through the temp agency had put Hattie on that particular train that day and brought her to meet the other passengers. Hattie met Julian, a barrister, Casper, a very attractive man who worked at an auction house, Carmen, a woman who worked at an University, Bridget, a quiet, mousy young woman who did not drink and worked as a civil servant and Louis who worked in security and was a single dad. Hattie was drawn to Casper and his good looks. The two began to date. Their relationship was far from perfect. Hattie was so head over heels over Casper that she went along with everything and anything he suggested or asked of her. Casper confessed to Hattie that he was married but claimed that he would leave his wife for Hattie. He wanted Hattie to go to Mexico with him and live with him. He was working on a big art sale at the auction house and if it went through they would be set up for a long time. Hattie believed her life with Casper would be everything she had always wanted. Then one evening, on the commute home, the group was all together except for Casper when Hattie witnessed that Julian had died on the floor of the train as he exited the rest room. Was it a heart attack or had someone purposely killed him? The investigation that followed would totally change Hattie’s life and her outlook on life as well.
The Woman in Carriage 3 by Allison James was more of a mystery than a thriller. It was quite predictable and the characters were annoying. I rolled my eyes a lot about the choices and decisions Hattie made. Since this was the first and only book that I have read by Allison James, perhaps I will give her another chance in the future and read one of her future books.
Thank you to Bookouture for allowing me to listen to The Woman in Carriage 3 by Allison James through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Publication is set for May 22, 2023.
Of all the characters in The Woman in Carriage 3, Hattie Swell, was by far the most annoying one in my opinion. Although she was almost thirty years old, she had recently been fired from her job in London and was now living back home in her parent’s house. She was gullible, easily persuaded and unable to make smart decisions and choices for herself and her life. Hattie enjoyed drinking way too much and let alcohol influence her decisions and judgment. She had secured a position at a company through a temp agency. Hattie’s life was far from perfect. Her job through the temp agency had put Hattie on that particular train that day and brought her to meet the other passengers. Hattie met Julian, a barrister, Casper, a very attractive man who worked at an auction house, Carmen, a woman who worked at an University, Bridget, a quiet, mousy young woman who did not drink and worked as a civil servant and Louis who worked in security and was a single dad. Hattie was drawn to Casper and his good looks. The two began to date. Their relationship was far from perfect. Hattie was so head over heels over Casper that she went along with everything and anything he suggested or asked of her. Casper confessed to Hattie that he was married but claimed that he would leave his wife for Hattie. He wanted Hattie to go to Mexico with him and live with him. He was working on a big art sale at the auction house and if it went through they would be set up for a long time. Hattie believed her life with Casper would be everything she had always wanted. Then one evening, on the commute home, the group was all together except for Casper when Hattie witnessed that Julian had died on the floor of the train as he exited the rest room. Was it a heart attack or had someone purposely killed him? The investigation that followed would totally change Hattie’s life and her outlook on life as well.
The Woman in Carriage 3 by Allison James was more of a mystery than a thriller. It was quite predictable and the characters were annoying. I rolled my eyes a lot about the choices and decisions Hattie made. Since this was the first and only book that I have read by Allison James, perhaps I will give her another chance in the future and read one of her future books.
Thank you to Bookouture for allowing me to listen to The Woman in Carriage 3 by Allison James through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Publication is set for May 22, 2023.
May 16, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up.
Hattie travels on the 18:53 train home every night. She sits in the same carriage and sees the same people. The unwritten rule is you don't speak to your fellow passengers, but Hattie has been watching them all for 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 were 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 this 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.
Hattie travels on the 18:53 train home every night. She sits in the same carriage and sees the same people. The unwritten rule is you don't speak to your fellow passengers, but Hattie has been watching them all for 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 were 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 this 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.
May 16, 2023
3.5 Stars
This was an easy and quick read. You can easily read it within a day. For the most part, it was a pretty standard mystery/thriller. Therefore, the story was a little predictable. But, what I didn't care for was the MC, Hattie. She made horrible decisions! She was utterly obsessed with a man she barely met. Not only that, but she never questioned anything. It made it hard to like her character.
If the MC wasn't so weak and the relationship wasn't rushed, this would have been an easy 4-star read.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Alison James, and Bookouture Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
This was an easy and quick read. You can easily read it within a day. For the most part, it was a pretty standard mystery/thriller. Therefore, the story was a little predictable. But, what I didn't care for was the MC, Hattie. She made horrible decisions! She was utterly obsessed with a man she barely met. Not only that, but she never questioned anything. It made it hard to like her character.
If the MC wasn't so weak and the relationship wasn't rushed, this would have been an easy 4-star read.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Alison James, and Bookouture Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
May 5, 2023
The Woman in Carriage 3 wasn’t quite what I expected it to be. I thought there would be more action actually on the train 😅 But I still throughly enjoyed it. Alison James is an author that I have read before and will now have to go back and see which of her books I have missed.
Hattie is a 30 year old, single woman, living with her parents, her life is a bit of a mess and she has taken to drinking, a lot of drinking to help her get through it. She soon finds friends with fellow train commuters on the 1853 train. That is until one of them dies.
I loved the narration by Jan Cramer. Every book that she has read has been a hit for me. She does character voices and expressions so well. I did love the little teaser of The Man I Married at the end and I definitely need to find out more about that book too.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for my advanced audio copy to listen to. This book is released on May 22nd.
Hattie is a 30 year old, single woman, living with her parents, her life is a bit of a mess and she has taken to drinking, a lot of drinking to help her get through it. She soon finds friends with fellow train commuters on the 1853 train. That is until one of them dies.
I loved the narration by Jan Cramer. Every book that she has read has been a hit for me. She does character voices and expressions so well. I did love the little teaser of The Man I Married at the end and I definitely need to find out more about that book too.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for my advanced audio copy to listen to. This book is released on May 22nd.
April 26, 2023
The premise was great, and the initial third was promising, a group of commuters start chatting and make a friendship and Watsapp group but some of them are not what or who they seem to be, our main character ‘Hattie’ however fails to notice this and ends up in a real predicament
In fact all the book was quite good but I guessed all the twists pretty quickly,tbh anyone who has a love of psychological thrillers will also guess quickly
The main character, for me, wasn’t overly likeable but I did gain a soft spot for her and almost a soft spot for one of the baddies too!
Not much else to say on it, it was a quick read book, written in an easy to get into style and great to visualise, the train/commuting part interesting to see how a group of strangers bonded and we’re easily fooled, the thriller bits however,for me,were very generic and easy to work out
7/10
3.5 Stars
In fact all the book was quite good but I guessed all the twists pretty quickly,tbh anyone who has a love of psychological thrillers will also guess quickly
The main character, for me, wasn’t overly likeable but I did gain a soft spot for her and almost a soft spot for one of the baddies too!
Not much else to say on it, it was a quick read book, written in an easy to get into style and great to visualise, the train/commuting part interesting to see how a group of strangers bonded and we’re easily fooled, the thriller bits however,for me,were very generic and easy to work out
7/10
3.5 Stars
May 20, 2023
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.
For a more complete review of this book and others, (including the reason I chose to read/review this book, as well as author information and contact details), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
April 30, 2023
Where everybody knows your name 🎶
Hungover Hattie is just trying do her walk of shame in peace. She realizes that she recognizes all of the faces in the train on her daily commute. Has she really been doing this for that long? Her life used to be so much more..
Suddenly the train grinds to a halt. Passenger emergency? Hmm. Well, they have nothing to do but get to know each other. After introductions, they soon get going again but it wouldn't be the last time they met like this.
The squad decides to make a WhatsApp group and their lives start to tangle together. Soon, Hattie is in over her head in her new relationships and someone in the group isn't going to make it to their stop.
This was good but a lot different than I expected. I assumed it would be a locked-room mystery on the train but we really weren't on the train that much, which was a bit disappointing. It was instead very character-driven, which was executed very well. We really got to know them without it dragging on.
One thing I wish I'd known is that our main character is not just a lush but a full-blown alcoholic and it was really uncomfortable at times, especially the things she was doing and being put through. I'm not going to go into detail, you'll see if you read it, but.. it was messy. I understand the necessity but I still just don't like this trope.
The narration was absolutely fantastic! It really made the book and it was easy to follow, a relaxing read other than the stuff I mentioned previously.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen and review!
Hungover Hattie is just trying do her walk of shame in peace. She realizes that she recognizes all of the faces in the train on her daily commute. Has she really been doing this for that long? Her life used to be so much more..
Suddenly the train grinds to a halt. Passenger emergency? Hmm. Well, they have nothing to do but get to know each other. After introductions, they soon get going again but it wouldn't be the last time they met like this.
The squad decides to make a WhatsApp group and their lives start to tangle together. Soon, Hattie is in over her head in her new relationships and someone in the group isn't going to make it to their stop.
This was good but a lot different than I expected. I assumed it would be a locked-room mystery on the train but we really weren't on the train that much, which was a bit disappointing. It was instead very character-driven, which was executed very well. We really got to know them without it dragging on.
One thing I wish I'd known is that our main character is not just a lush but a full-blown alcoholic and it was really uncomfortable at times, especially the things she was doing and being put through. I'm not going to go into detail, you'll see if you read it, but.. it was messy. I understand the necessity but I still just don't like this trope.
The narration was absolutely fantastic! It really made the book and it was easy to follow, a relaxing read other than the stuff I mentioned previously.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen and review!
May 24, 2023
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Woman In Carriage 3' by Alison James.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Alison James, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 22nd May 2023.
This is the fifth book I have read by this author. I have previously read Alison's 'Her Sister's Child' , The Exile (with James Patterson), 'The New Couple' and 'The Guilty Wife' which I highly recommend.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'An absolutely addictive psychological thriller that will keep you up late into the night. If you love Behind Closed Doors, Gone Girl and The Perfect Couple, you’ll be gripped.' I am a fan of 'Gone Girl' so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Alison and if this is half as good as 'Her Sister's Child', 'The Exile', 'The New Couple' and 'The Guilty Wife' it is sure to be an epic read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue, 43 chapters and an epilogue and is spread over 4 parts. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in London, England 🏴. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Hattie Sewell, Julian Cobbold, Neil Waller and Lewis Handley. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS FAST PACED PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER!!!
WOW!!! If you are looking for a psychological thriller filled with twists then this is the book for you. It starts of as a slow burn and then builds up into a fast paced, intriguing, page turning psychological thriller that will have you hooked. I just could not put it down and ended up reading it in one sitting!! It is absolutely ram packed with secrets, lies, romance, deceit crime and so much more. This book takes us on a locked room mystery and I absolutely love a good old locked door mystery as it makes the suspect list so much shorter and sometimes even harder because of that reason!! Hatty is a complete party animal who always takes the same train and sits in the same carriage. After an incident on the train one day leading it to come to a standstill she gets to know her regular commuters sharing the carriage. Hattie discovers their names are Julian, Carmen, Lewis, Bridget and Casper and they all start chatting and even set up a WhatsApp group to keep in touch. Hattie becomes attracted to Casper and it doesn't take long before they are meeting up off the train and becoming closer although Hattie finds out he is married but that he wants to leave his wife. Things start looking up for Hattie until one member from their carriage drops dead and things start taking a turn for the worse!! Will Casper leave his wife? Is Julian who he says he is? How much of what Carmen says is true? Who can be believed and who is hiding secrets from the rest of the group? To find out just grab your copy today and get stuck in to this rollercoaster train ride of a lifetime!! I'm not going to go into the storyline any more as I'm worried ill give something away and I don't want to spoil it for future readers. I do want to say a HUGE WELL done to Alice on the plot which is absolutely unique as well as intriguing. I love the idea of strangers meeting on a train which leads to murder, secrets and everything you have rammed into this gritty thriller. I was able to picture everything perfectly thanks to Alice's vivid descriptions and evocative writing skills and she created the scenery perfectly. The fact this book is written from so many perspectives gives us a huge insight into what is going on but still doesn't give too much away to guess who is behind it all which I was not expecting at all so a HUGE well done to Alison!! Jan's amazing narrative skills added to Alison's fantastic story telling ensures you are really sucked into the storyline from the start to the very end and I cannot wait to get stuck into more books written or narrated by these amazingly talented people!!
It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture
Clear your schedules and get ready for a rollercoaster ride of drama!!
This is one of the few books that I have listened 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Jan Cramer who did a great job bringing this story to life. I would listen to it in the car and while walking at any opportunity and Jan did a fantastic job on both male and female characters voices!!! I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Alison but also to listening to more books narrated by Jan!
The characters were well realistic, well defined and jumped out of the pages. Jan's voice and Alison's descriptions really brought them to life. One of the things that shocked me the most is that I actually really didn't like the majority of them!!! Now when this normally happens I just cannot get into the book but Alison has managed to cram a fantastic book full of unlikeable characters while ensuring the reader still loves the storyline!!! It is very rare for me to find a book like that so yet again I have to say a huge well done to Alison!! The main character is Hattie and OMG there were so many times I wanted to shout at her, and in fact I did a few times gaining some very funny looks!!! I just found her to be so pathetic at times as well as irresponsible and so disregard to her parents!!! I just felt like she acted like a spoilt brat at times and I just really didn't click with her at all!! I can't say much at all without ruining it for others but there was a great mix and every single one of them had a unique if unlikeable personality. Regardless of how I felt about them they were perfect characters for this fantastic page turner!!!
Well done Alison on another successful psychological thriller and here's to many more 🍷🍹 🥃!!
Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and first chapter of Alison''s 'The Man She Married' which promises to be just as addictive as this book and is one I'm definitely looking forward to reading myself!!
Overall a unique psychological thriller that will have you up until 2am finishing it!!!
Genres covered in this novel include Women's Psychological Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Literary Fiction, Suspense Thriller, Psychological Literary Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Noir Fiction, Womens Psychological Thriller, Mystery ,Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction, Psychological Suspense and Thriller amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Gone Girl' , 'The Girl on The Train', 'Behind Closed Doors', 'The Wife Between Us', Liane Moriarty, 'Our House' , 'The Woman in the Window', 'The Housemaid', Lisa Jewell and anyone looking for an explosive thriller filled with bombshells you won't see coming!!
330 pages/8 hours 1 minute.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited, £8.99 in paperback and £16 for the audiobook (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
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Review for 'The Woman In Carriage 3' by Alison James.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Alison James, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 22nd May 2023.
This is the fifth book I have read by this author. I have previously read Alison's 'Her Sister's Child' , The Exile (with James Patterson), 'The New Couple' and 'The Guilty Wife' which I highly recommend.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'An absolutely addictive psychological thriller that will keep you up late into the night. If you love Behind Closed Doors, Gone Girl and The Perfect Couple, you’ll be gripped.' I am a fan of 'Gone Girl' so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Alison and if this is half as good as 'Her Sister's Child', 'The Exile', 'The New Couple' and 'The Guilty Wife' it is sure to be an epic read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue, 43 chapters and an epilogue and is spread over 4 parts. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in London, England 🏴. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Hattie Sewell, Julian Cobbold, Neil Waller and Lewis Handley. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS FAST PACED PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER!!!
WOW!!! If you are looking for a psychological thriller filled with twists then this is the book for you. It starts of as a slow burn and then builds up into a fast paced, intriguing, page turning psychological thriller that will have you hooked. I just could not put it down and ended up reading it in one sitting!! It is absolutely ram packed with secrets, lies, romance, deceit crime and so much more. This book takes us on a locked room mystery and I absolutely love a good old locked door mystery as it makes the suspect list so much shorter and sometimes even harder because of that reason!! Hatty is a complete party animal who always takes the same train and sits in the same carriage. After an incident on the train one day leading it to come to a standstill she gets to know her regular commuters sharing the carriage. Hattie discovers their names are Julian, Carmen, Lewis, Bridget and Casper and they all start chatting and even set up a WhatsApp group to keep in touch. Hattie becomes attracted to Casper and it doesn't take long before they are meeting up off the train and becoming closer although Hattie finds out he is married but that he wants to leave his wife. Things start looking up for Hattie until one member from their carriage drops dead and things start taking a turn for the worse!! Will Casper leave his wife? Is Julian who he says he is? How much of what Carmen says is true? Who can be believed and who is hiding secrets from the rest of the group? To find out just grab your copy today and get stuck in to this rollercoaster train ride of a lifetime!! I'm not going to go into the storyline any more as I'm worried ill give something away and I don't want to spoil it for future readers. I do want to say a HUGE WELL done to Alice on the plot which is absolutely unique as well as intriguing. I love the idea of strangers meeting on a train which leads to murder, secrets and everything you have rammed into this gritty thriller. I was able to picture everything perfectly thanks to Alice's vivid descriptions and evocative writing skills and she created the scenery perfectly. The fact this book is written from so many perspectives gives us a huge insight into what is going on but still doesn't give too much away to guess who is behind it all which I was not expecting at all so a HUGE well done to Alison!! Jan's amazing narrative skills added to Alison's fantastic story telling ensures you are really sucked into the storyline from the start to the very end and I cannot wait to get stuck into more books written or narrated by these amazingly talented people!!
It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture
Clear your schedules and get ready for a rollercoaster ride of drama!!
This is one of the few books that I have listened 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Jan Cramer who did a great job bringing this story to life. I would listen to it in the car and while walking at any opportunity and Jan did a fantastic job on both male and female characters voices!!! I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Alison but also to listening to more books narrated by Jan!
The characters were well realistic, well defined and jumped out of the pages. Jan's voice and Alison's descriptions really brought them to life. One of the things that shocked me the most is that I actually really didn't like the majority of them!!! Now when this normally happens I just cannot get into the book but Alison has managed to cram a fantastic book full of unlikeable characters while ensuring the reader still loves the storyline!!! It is very rare for me to find a book like that so yet again I have to say a huge well done to Alison!! The main character is Hattie and OMG there were so many times I wanted to shout at her, and in fact I did a few times gaining some very funny looks!!! I just found her to be so pathetic at times as well as irresponsible and so disregard to her parents!!! I just felt like she acted like a spoilt brat at times and I just really didn't click with her at all!! I can't say much at all without ruining it for others but there was a great mix and every single one of them had a unique if unlikeable personality. Regardless of how I felt about them they were perfect characters for this fantastic page turner!!!
Well done Alison on another successful psychological thriller and here's to many more 🍷🍹 🥃!!
Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and first chapter of Alison''s 'The Man She Married' which promises to be just as addictive as this book and is one I'm definitely looking forward to reading myself!!
Overall a unique psychological thriller that will have you up until 2am finishing it!!!
Genres covered in this novel include Women's Psychological Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Literary Fiction, Suspense Thriller, Psychological Literary Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Noir Fiction, Womens Psychological Thriller, Mystery ,Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction, Psychological Suspense and Thriller amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Gone Girl' , 'The Girl on The Train', 'Behind Closed Doors', 'The Wife Between Us', Liane Moriarty, 'Our House' , 'The Woman in the Window', 'The Housemaid', Lisa Jewell and anyone looking for an explosive thriller filled with bombshells you won't see coming!!
330 pages/8 hours 1 minute.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited, £8.99 in paperback and £16 for the audiobook (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
#TheWomanInCarriage3 #AlisonJames #Bookouture #BookoutureAnonymous #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour #Goodreads #NetGalley #Amazon #AmazonKindle #Bookstagram #Bookblogger #KindleUnlimited
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June 25, 2023
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Intrigued by the idea of a perfect murder (and we all know there is no such thing), I readily agreed to read and review The Woman in Carriage 3 by Alison James. I quickly settled in to read about ordinary people meeting on a train and whose lives would alter when a passenger died during their commute.
The Woman in Carriage 3 introduces readers to twenty-nine-year-old Harriett aka Hattie, whose life is a train wreck. She’s always drunk, can’t hold down a job, lives with her parent and engages in casual sex with strangers. She travels on carriage 3 on the 18:35 train every evening. Hattie and the other passengers in carriage 3 are strangers. However, when a passenger suddenly dies, they bonded over the tragedy and soon began exchanging messages in a WhatsApp group. The growing friendship between this group of people from carriage 3 appears to be going well. Then one of them died while on the train. At first, it appeared to be death by natural causes, but then further investigation revealed murder. Who did it and why?
The story started out slow and gradually built up, keeping the reader wondering when Hattie would come to her senses. Although advertised as an addictive thriller, the story did not thrill me in the least. However, it made curious me to see if Hattie would finally get her life together and recognise she was being played.
It wasn’t hard to see where the story was going in terms of the mystery. After all, the suspect list was quite short. Also, my radar went up immediately with the appearance of two of the characters. I theorized these two were up to no good. Throughout the story, they proved my theory. James introduce an odd red herring, which unfortunately did not work as intended, as it was blatantly obvious as to whom the perpetrators were.
Although not the thriller I hoped The Woman in Carriage 3 would be, and despite the predictability, I still enjoyed the story. After all, I read it in less than a day.
This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading
The Woman in Carriage 3 introduces readers to twenty-nine-year-old Harriett aka Hattie, whose life is a train wreck. She’s always drunk, can’t hold down a job, lives with her parent and engages in casual sex with strangers. She travels on carriage 3 on the 18:35 train every evening. Hattie and the other passengers in carriage 3 are strangers. However, when a passenger suddenly dies, they bonded over the tragedy and soon began exchanging messages in a WhatsApp group. The growing friendship between this group of people from carriage 3 appears to be going well. Then one of them died while on the train. At first, it appeared to be death by natural causes, but then further investigation revealed murder. Who did it and why?
The story started out slow and gradually built up, keeping the reader wondering when Hattie would come to her senses. Although advertised as an addictive thriller, the story did not thrill me in the least. However, it made curious me to see if Hattie would finally get her life together and recognise she was being played.
It wasn’t hard to see where the story was going in terms of the mystery. After all, the suspect list was quite short. Also, my radar went up immediately with the appearance of two of the characters. I theorized these two were up to no good. Throughout the story, they proved my theory. James introduce an odd red herring, which unfortunately did not work as intended, as it was blatantly obvious as to whom the perpetrators were.
Although not the thriller I hoped The Woman in Carriage 3 would be, and despite the predictability, I still enjoyed the story. After all, I read it in less than a day.
This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading
May 22, 2023
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.
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.
May 24, 2023
Thirty-year-old Hattie has been living a hum-drum life. Commuting daily on the 18:53 train has always been uneventful and quiet. That all changes when one of the passengers dies on the train. Until his death, everyone riding was in their own world. Now, they are talking to one another. Considering the victim died while the train was in motion, one of them must be the killer, and Hattie and the others begin to form a strange bond. They even form a WhatsApp group and chat while not commuting.
Interestingly, this latest book by Alison James has four narrators. Besides Hattie being the main narrator, there are Julian, Louis and Neil. In addition, there are other regular riders on the train, including Casper, a man that Harriet finds herself drawn to. As I listened to the narration of this audiobook, I thought the narrator did an excellent job with the changing points of view and characters. Although quite a bit of the story took place off train, Hattie’s messy life was made abundantly clear. Between binge drinking and one night stands, her life was rather like a runaway train.
Even with a few twists, some might guess the killer, as the list of suspects is quite short. Even so, this book was an intriguing read made even better with the excellent narration by Jan Kramer. With even pacing, this engaging read kept my attention throughout.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Interestingly, this latest book by Alison James has four narrators. Besides Hattie being the main narrator, there are Julian, Louis and Neil. In addition, there are other regular riders on the train, including Casper, a man that Harriet finds herself drawn to. As I listened to the narration of this audiobook, I thought the narrator did an excellent job with the changing points of view and characters. Although quite a bit of the story took place off train, Hattie’s messy life was made abundantly clear. Between binge drinking and one night stands, her life was rather like a runaway train.
Even with a few twists, some might guess the killer, as the list of suspects is quite short. Even so, this book was an intriguing read made even better with the excellent narration by Jan Kramer. With even pacing, this engaging read kept my attention throughout.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
May 31, 2023
Hattie travels in the 18:53 train everyday. She meets some strangers and they all form a close friendship. They text back and forth and meet at bars to drink. Some even start to date each other. One shows up dead while on the train. Was one of them responsible? This book was pretty good and I liked most of the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release.
December 7, 2024
Review coming soon.
June 22, 2024
2 stars
I thought the book was ok, it started off strong, but I felt that the story started to get stilted and slow half way through.
The publicity blurb was misleading and sold a different story.
It was difficult to like the characters which made it more difficult to feel anything for them.
Reviews also published on:
Coffee and Kindle Blog
The StoryGraph
Amazon
I thought the book was ok, it started off strong, but I felt that the story started to get stilted and slow half way through.
The publicity blurb was misleading and sold a different story.
It was difficult to like the characters which made it more difficult to feel anything for them.
Reviews also published on:
Coffee and Kindle Blog
The StoryGraph
Amazon
July 21, 2023
A smooth, modern and cunning psychological thriller that you can sink you teeth into.
The Woman In Carriage 3 introduces the reader to Hattie.
A twenty something beautiful woman whose life is a mess at this time in her world.
She frequents the pub and has one too many drinks all the time.
Daily she commutes on the 18.53 train and sees the same travellers.
Hattie likes to people watch and is curious about them.
One day one of those people dies.
And a chaotic and knotted mess of lies, secrets and deception emerges.
It’s an entertaining read, although a little predictable and you may guess the outcome.
I did, partly but still very much enjoyed the book.
The plot is complex and intriguing with a few twists and turns.
The story continues to build and get more tense the further you read along.
The characters are a mixed bunch with a few hints thrown in.
It’s divided into four parts and much melodrama past and present.
Was my first time reading this author and I will definitely be back for more dramatics, turmoil and schemes.
The Woman In Carriage 3 introduces the reader to Hattie.
A twenty something beautiful woman whose life is a mess at this time in her world.
She frequents the pub and has one too many drinks all the time.
Daily she commutes on the 18.53 train and sees the same travellers.
Hattie likes to people watch and is curious about them.
One day one of those people dies.
And a chaotic and knotted mess of lies, secrets and deception emerges.
It’s an entertaining read, although a little predictable and you may guess the outcome.
I did, partly but still very much enjoyed the book.
The plot is complex and intriguing with a few twists and turns.
The story continues to build and get more tense the further you read along.
The characters are a mixed bunch with a few hints thrown in.
It’s divided into four parts and much melodrama past and present.
Was my first time reading this author and I will definitely be back for more dramatics, turmoil and schemes.
October 7, 2023
2.5⭐️
Firstly, Thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the ARC.
I chose this book based on the synopsis and because ive read a book by the author which I loved....I thought it's going to be as good but i was a bit disappointed.
Hattie travels on the train home each night, She sits in the same seat, in the same carriage, and usually the same group rides with her.
On their daily commute Hattie, Julian, Neil & Louis develop a friendship
One night a commuter suddenly drops dead. And the terrible accident changes everything.
Told in multiple perspectives, this is a slow burn most part of the book. Nothing much happens for the first half of the book. But it got a bit interesting in Part Two but it was already bored to really get into it.
I didn't really care about the characters.
I really disliked Hattie right from the beginning because Im not a fan of weak MC.
She took immaturity & St*pidity to another level.
I couldn't believe she was that old, almost 30? Whaaat?
She was so childish & gullible.
She made horrible decisions and was easily persuaded by a man she barely knew without questioning anything.
She drunk way too much.
That was it for me.
I couldn't get over her to enjoy the book when things even got a bit interesting.
You might like this if you don't really care if a MC is that ......
Firstly, Thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the ARC.
I chose this book based on the synopsis and because ive read a book by the author which I loved....I thought it's going to be as good but i was a bit disappointed.
Hattie travels on the train home each night, She sits in the same seat, in the same carriage, and usually the same group rides with her.
On their daily commute Hattie, Julian, Neil & Louis develop a friendship
One night a commuter suddenly drops dead. And the terrible accident changes everything.
Told in multiple perspectives, this is a slow burn most part of the book. Nothing much happens for the first half of the book. But it got a bit interesting in Part Two but it was already bored to really get into it.
I didn't really care about the characters.
I really disliked Hattie right from the beginning because Im not a fan of weak MC.
She took immaturity & St*pidity to another level.
I couldn't believe she was that old, almost 30? Whaaat?
She was so childish & gullible.
She made horrible decisions and was easily persuaded by a man she barely knew without questioning anything.
She drunk way too much.
That was it for me.
I couldn't get over her to enjoy the book when things even got a bit interesting.
You might like this if you don't really care if a MC is that ......
June 15, 2023
I absolutely enjoyed this book. Thrilling. Tense. A thoroughly gripping read that I could not put down. Do read this one.
May 17, 2023
★★★ 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/.
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/.
May 23, 2023
I love books by Alison James but what is it with this new thing where they had the most unlikable main characters. In this book we meet Hattie she was out all weekend partying sleeping with random men and now she’s catching the bus home at her normal time she usually goes home from work while she sitting on the bus with her raccoon eyes and greasy hair she is looking at all the regulars she catches the bus with who she recognizes little does she know but due to a medical emergency this will be the day we’re not only she recognizes them but becomes friends with them there’s Julian, Carmen, Lewis Bridget and finally Casper. Hattie cannot take her eyes off of Casper she finds herself extremely attracted to him and sees him also looking at her. After they spend time getting to know each other waiting for the train to start up again Julian says they should all join a WhatsApp group since I see each other every day that way they could save each other seats ET see everyone thinks this is a great idea when they arrive at Hattie’s stop Julian who is an older man who is married with a daughter, ask Hattie if she would like a ride home and she excepts. This will become something that they do whenever they get off together. Through the WhatsApp group they start getting together for drinks and then Carmen invite everyone to her home for dinner but best of all Casper Messages Hattie privately and before she knows that they’re having an affair. It’s an affair because Casper tells her he is married but he has a big acquisition at his job as an art dealer and if it goes through the way he wants it to he’s going to leave his wife and take Hattie and move away. She couldn’t be happier but when one of their train group drops dead while in route Hattie is very upset something that initially look like natural causes turns out to be murder it will shake her life and change everything she thought she knew about her friends from the train. This was a really good book I really liked it but I didn’t feel like she was a character I wanted to root for she was reckless irresponsible disrespectful to her parents and although she did do some kind things it wasn’t enough to put me on team Hubby😍 it wasn’t enough to put me on team Hattie. No having said that let me say this is a steller Book Tours Great Thriller if you can deal with the main character being unlikable then you’ll enjoy this as much as I did I read it all in one sitting despite how long it is because I didn’t want to put the book down a really great book which great books is what I’ve come to expect from Alison James and she seems to continuously deliver. She keeps the twist coming and the ending is totally original and an awesome OMG moment! I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
May 3, 2023
Modern take on a classic confidence scam / whodunnit with a chick lit vibe.
Hattie comes across as a flaky nearly 30 year old, who likes to party and is back living with her parents after her boyfriend caught her cheating and she then also lost her job in the aftermath.
She now commutes to London for her temporary agency jobs, seeing the same people in the same carriage everyday, although no one ever talks to each other. This all changes one day when a passenger is taken ill on the train and the travelling companions get to know each other during the lengthy delay.
One of the commuters is absolutely gorgeous and seems to like Hattie too. At the same time she spots an advert for her dream job and starts to feel her life is about to get back on track.
But everything is not as it seems, many secrets are being concealed by the new group of friends, and soon one of them will be dead.
Hattie comes across as a flaky nearly 30 year old, who likes to party and is back living with her parents after her boyfriend caught her cheating and she then also lost her job in the aftermath.
She now commutes to London for her temporary agency jobs, seeing the same people in the same carriage everyday, although no one ever talks to each other. This all changes one day when a passenger is taken ill on the train and the travelling companions get to know each other during the lengthy delay.
One of the commuters is absolutely gorgeous and seems to like Hattie too. At the same time she spots an advert for her dream job and starts to feel her life is about to get back on track.
But everything is not as it seems, many secrets are being concealed by the new group of friends, and soon one of them will be dead.
May 27, 2023
audiobook
I loved this novel. It is the type of audiobook that will make you drive around your neighborhood just to listen to a little more. This story continues to build until the end. It gets weirder and more intriguing. I was hooked from the beginning by this group of commuter buddies. Maybe some of the plot twists were a little predictable, but they were predictable in a satisfying way. I felt that I had solved the mystery rather than feeling disappointed.
The conclusion and epilogue were great. I really enjoyed how the story ended. It added a final twist to the novel.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys drama, thrillers, and mysteries. If you want a great listening experience, this is the book for you.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this novel. It is the type of audiobook that will make you drive around your neighborhood just to listen to a little more. This story continues to build until the end. It gets weirder and more intriguing. I was hooked from the beginning by this group of commuter buddies. Maybe some of the plot twists were a little predictable, but they were predictable in a satisfying way. I felt that I had solved the mystery rather than feeling disappointed.
The conclusion and epilogue were great. I really enjoyed how the story ended. It added a final twist to the novel.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys drama, thrillers, and mysteries. If you want a great listening experience, this is the book for you.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 22, 2023
While traveling on the 18:53 train, Hattie meets a bunch of people who end up being friends over whatsapp - they connect with each other and save seats on the train for one another.
Hattie is desperately looking for a permanent job after her placement agency ends her contract. As she is gearing up for interviews she ends up being close to one of them from the group - least does she know there's one more person who is trying to be her friend.
As time moves on, unfortunately one of them ends up dead - in the train!! As the paramedics carry the body out of the train suspicion grows on everyone present but no one knows who is the wolf is sheep's clothing who ended up in that group.
Once I started this book, I just had to finish it - this was totally intriguing, I really can't think anything that I didn't like about this book and I am so glad I got approved by Netgalley, Bookouture Audio and Alison James for this audiobook ARC in exchange for honest review.
Hattie is desperately looking for a permanent job after her placement agency ends her contract. As she is gearing up for interviews she ends up being close to one of them from the group - least does she know there's one more person who is trying to be her friend.
As time moves on, unfortunately one of them ends up dead - in the train!! As the paramedics carry the body out of the train suspicion grows on everyone present but no one knows who is the wolf is sheep's clothing who ended up in that group.
Once I started this book, I just had to finish it - this was totally intriguing, I really can't think anything that I didn't like about this book and I am so glad I got approved by Netgalley, Bookouture Audio and Alison James for this audiobook ARC in exchange for honest review.
June 1, 2023
Thank you Netgalley for the audio copy in exchange for a honest review. Hattie commutes on the 1853 every night sitting in the same carriage and seat seeing the same people. When tragedy strikes the group bond. Hattie falls in love. Then one of the gang is murdered and Hattie fears one of the group is responsible. A cleverly written thriller with a few twists.
May 6, 2023
DNF’d at 66%
This book was a big disappointment, after reading the description the concept sounded promising.
“An ordinary journey. A shocking secret. And the perfect murder…”
But unfortunately the execution was not interesting at all, I was so incredibly bored by the book and honestly I couldn’t get into the story from the beginning, it didn’t gripped me from the first page like I would wanted to.
Glad I stopped reading it, because I really don’t see the point reading it when I’m disliking it so much and just didn’t care about any of the characters in it or the story.
Sadly I wouldn’t recommend this book.
Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for providing me an AudioARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.
🌼 Publication Date: May 22, 2023 🌼
This book was a big disappointment, after reading the description the concept sounded promising.
“An ordinary journey. A shocking secret. And the perfect murder…”
But unfortunately the execution was not interesting at all, I was so incredibly bored by the book and honestly I couldn’t get into the story from the beginning, it didn’t gripped me from the first page like I would wanted to.
Glad I stopped reading it, because I really don’t see the point reading it when I’m disliking it so much and just didn’t care about any of the characters in it or the story.
Sadly I wouldn’t recommend this book.
Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for providing me an AudioARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.
🌼 Publication Date: May 22, 2023 🌼
May 6, 2023
Oh my goodness well at first I wasn't sure what to make of this - but then it started to get really good and was so addictive and I just had to keep listening and listening, till I got to the end. The ending was brilliant
The narration brought the story to life.
I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.
The narration brought the story to life.
I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.
April 13, 2023
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of "The Woman in Carriage 3" in exchange for my honest opinion.
The prologue of this book introduces us to Hattie Sewell who finds a body on the non-stop 18:53 train which she takes home every day with the same group of people. So naturally she finds that she knows the body.
Hattie is a mess of a character. She is drunk for most of the story or trying to hooking up with random men that she meets on her dating apps. She's moved back home to live with her parents after losing her flat, her boyfriend and her job because of her drinking. She makes questionable choices for someone who is almost 30 years old and this makes her an easy target for most of what happens in this book.
The other characters that we meet on the train are: Julian Cobbold, a QC who is a very likeable character from the start. Casper Merriweather who works for an auction house and seems too good to be true. Carmen Demirci works at a university. Lewis Handley who says he's a single father but reveals very little else about himself at first. Bridget Dempsey who dresses like a frump and doesn't join the group in their drinking on the train. Julian starts a WhatsApp group for them called 'The 18:53 Crew' after they bond during an emergency stop while an ill passenger is taken off the train.
When the body is found on the train it seems like a simple coronary, but was it?
The second part of the book introduces us to Neil Waller and Natalia Finch. They were both criminals when they met and together they grow bolder and bolder.
The book is an absolute page turner when one of the passengers it turns out works for Special Branch and the identities of Neil and Natalia a revealed. We also learn why Hattie was targeted.
The third part of the book reveals what exactly happened, when it happened and why. Through some more questionable choices Hattie puts herself in great danger.
Part four of the book reveals what happens to the characters 4 weeks later on and ties up most of the loose ends with a few surprises left for the reader.
While it was hard to like Hattie this book was hard to put down because you want to find out exactly what happens to everyone.
The prologue of this book introduces us to Hattie Sewell who finds a body on the non-stop 18:53 train which she takes home every day with the same group of people. So naturally she finds that she knows the body.
Hattie is a mess of a character. She is drunk for most of the story or trying to hooking up with random men that she meets on her dating apps. She's moved back home to live with her parents after losing her flat, her boyfriend and her job because of her drinking. She makes questionable choices for someone who is almost 30 years old and this makes her an easy target for most of what happens in this book.
The other characters that we meet on the train are: Julian Cobbold, a QC who is a very likeable character from the start. Casper Merriweather who works for an auction house and seems too good to be true. Carmen Demirci works at a university. Lewis Handley who says he's a single father but reveals very little else about himself at first. Bridget Dempsey who dresses like a frump and doesn't join the group in their drinking on the train. Julian starts a WhatsApp group for them called 'The 18:53 Crew' after they bond during an emergency stop while an ill passenger is taken off the train.
When the body is found on the train it seems like a simple coronary, but was it?
The second part of the book introduces us to Neil Waller and Natalia Finch. They were both criminals when they met and together they grow bolder and bolder.
The book is an absolute page turner when one of the passengers it turns out works for Special Branch and the identities of Neil and Natalia a revealed. We also learn why Hattie was targeted.
The third part of the book reveals what exactly happened, when it happened and why. Through some more questionable choices Hattie puts herself in great danger.
Part four of the book reveals what happens to the characters 4 weeks later on and ties up most of the loose ends with a few surprises left for the reader.
While it was hard to like Hattie this book was hard to put down because you want to find out exactly what happens to everyone.
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