Publication Date: January 15th 2015 from Transworld
Source: Advance Reading Copy.
To everyone else in this carriage I must look normal; I’m doing exactly what they do: commuting to work, making appointments, ticking things off lists.
Just goes to show.
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and every evening. Every day she passes the same Victorian terraces, stops at the same signal, and sees the same couple, breakfasting on their roof terrace. Jason and Jess seem so happy together.
Then one day Rachel sees something she shouldn’t have seen, and soon after, Jess disappears. Suddenly Rachel is chasing the truth and unable to trust anyone. Not even herself.
So in the first of my “Spotlight 2015” features coming up over the next few weeks, I’m taking look at “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins – a tense and highly addictive thriller that will almost certainly keep you turning the pages well into the night in order to discover just what the outcome is for Rachel, Jason and Jess.
Rachel has problems, is a highly intriguing character and when we meet her she is on a train. The same train she gets every day, seeing the same things she sees every day – until one day she observes something unusual. This sets her on a path of discovery and on a journey towards destruction.
The whole thing is really excellent – the writing flows along, the characters pop and once you start it is very hard to put aside – one of those “just one more chapter then I’ll load the dishwasher” type books that basically means the dishwasher is going to be rather lonely for a while…
I particularly liked (or actually actively disliked at times) Rachel – who because of her background, is difficult to get a grasp on. Are there nefarious things going on or is it just her? Her dogged determination and often rather obscure decision making means that almost anything could be true and this is where the plot is intelligent, creative and why the whole novel is so addictive. Add to Rachel some other characters who may or may not be as they appear, including Rachel’s seemingly reasonable ex husband, the couple who Rachel avidly observes from her train seat and various others and you have a most terrific mix which creates a character driven thriller of top notch quality.
Overall this is definitely one to look out for in the early months of 2015 and would definitely be a great book to get you over those “End of Holiday” blues once Christmas and New Year is over and done with – you’ll soon get caught up in Rachel’s world and this is a tremendously fun read with a dark heart and a great ending.
Highly Recommended
Find out more here: http://www.transworldbooks.co.uk/authors/paula-hawkins
Follow the author on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/PaulaHWrites
Want to Pre-Order? This book is Goldsboro’s January Book of the Month and you can get your hands on a signed edition here:
Alternative Pre- Order Information:
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/paula+hawkins/the+girl+on+the+train/10789015/
Happy Reading Folks!
