Author : Ruth Ware
Narrators : Imogen Church
Genre : Mystery
Publisher : Simon & Schuster Audio
Listening Length : 11 hours 8 minutes
Rating : 3.5/5
Narrator Rating : 4/5
Laura Blacklock is our no-so-intrepid journalist. When she’s burgled one night, and injured, it does nothing to set the mood for the work-related luxury cruise she’s set to go on. On the luxurious ship, Lo, as she calls herself, hobnobs with the other wealthy passengers, quite out of her element. After a drunken night, when hungover Lo thinks she’s heard something suspicious, she has trouble convincing herself and the boat’s security that something is very, very wrong.
Lo, the book’s protagonist is an unreliable, self-doubting, nervous semi-alcoholic, very similar to “The Girl On the Train’s” Rachel. Also, she’s not quite what I’d expect out of a journalist. She does not want to go out and network or explore, but would rather ruminate, all by herself, in her cabin. She also seems rather ill-informed of her surroundings and her task at hand aboard the boat, some of which can be explained by the unfortunate burglary that she has recently been subjected to, but not all. I have trouble sympathizing with her – she has few redeeming characteristics – and appears weak and whiny.
The other characters in the book seem believable, and Ware throws around enough red herrings to keep us nicely confused. The plot of the book is sound, simple but sound. The ending is a tad juvenile. I’d say this is a serviceable mystery read, although not good enough to make the must-read lists it is making.
I have a much more favorable opinion of the narrator Imogen Church. She does a variety of accents, male, female, British, Scandinavian very believably and I enjoyed her narration very much.
