Reviews

I thought this was terrific. I enjoyed the mystery - although I did figure out what was going on fairly quickly. But I enjoyed the way the tension built, how the protagonist started to doubt her own reality, her increasing sense of isolation and paranoia, which felt dizzying at times. And there was real jeopardy - I didn't know how this was going to play out, there was a real sense of danger, for both the missing Miss Froy, and increasingly for Iris, our protagonist. I enjoyed the omniscient point of view, constantly shifting between several different characters on this moving train - you don't see many modern books written in this way - it creates a feeling that's both detached, as we take in all of the players in this drama, and intimate, as we experience little fragments of their inner lives, their thoughts and feelings and motivations. I enjoyed the characterisation in the book, and I enjoyed the little flashes of humour that appeared throughout. One criticism I have is that the ending - the big reveal - felt a little abrupt. I also wish that we'd arrived at that end point in a slightly different way - with Iris doing what she did for a different reason than the one in the book. And then after the big reveal, there's a time jump to a few days later - this too felt abrupt, like we'd left the train prematurely. I wanted to see more of the aftermath of what had happened, people's reactions, etc. We get a flavour of it described to Iris after the event, but it felt a little lacking to me. So, I have a few caveats about the ending, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this. A tight, engaging and very likeable mystery.

annegirl's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

shellystilger's review against another edition

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4.0

Even though this book was slightly predictable, I still enjoyed reading it. The characters and narrative aren't at all typical, and kept it interesting.

kauafirs's review against another edition

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4.0

4.0.

A estória é muito boa, no sentido de te prender do meio para o fim e te deixar constantemente angustiado. O que me desagradou fortemente foi o início lento e desconexo com o desenvolvimento do livro (exceto pelo fato de que é uma justificativa para o contato de Iris com alguns passageiros e sua viagem no trem) - ao menos não compreendi.
O mistério (do que teria ocorrido) em si não é o ponto mais importante do enredo, mas sim a empreitada de Iris de revelar o paradeiro de sua companheira, ou ainda, de elucidar sua existência ou não - achei isso peculiar comparado a outros livros de suspense que já li, de fato, me surpreendeu.

ameve2's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

widdrims's review against another edition

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4.0

I have always loved mysteries and this one is no exception. I mostly picked it out because I loved the cover art, but now I'm so glad I did! This was a very quick read for me and so entertaining the entire time.
The first few chapters of the book are a little boring, not gonna lie. But you are grateful for them once the story picks up because through those chapters you get to know the cast of characters and make some very important assumptions and conclusions about them.
Although some might think that the mystery itself is quite easy to crack, I found just as much enjoyment from the suspense of how the main character would be able to PROVE her argument. I was not disappointed with the conclusion although I wish the last chapter would have gone on a bit longer. If only to have a clearer idea of where each character ended up.
Overall, I loved this book and it has definitely sparked my interest in reading more mysteries and thrillers!

marsss648's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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