“There’s a reason why we keep thoughts inside our heads for the most part—they’re not safe to be let out in public.”
When Lo Blacklock is given an assignment involving spending a week on the luxury cruise ship, the Aurora, she thinks it is the dream role her career as a travel journalist has been waiting for. As the Aurora begins its voyage across the North Sea, all seems practically idyllic. The cabins are plush, the dinner parties are glittery and the guests are extravagant. Then, as grey skies fall and the wind begins to whip the decks, she spies a horrifying scene: a woman being thrown overboard. The only problem? All the guests remain accounted for. Ruth Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10 follows Lo as she attempts to work out how and why something has gone terribly, terribly wrong. If you love suspenseful mystery thrillers, join us at What We Reading for the best books like The Woman in Cabin 10!
The Girl On The Train – Paula Hawkins
Kicking off our list of the best books like The Woman in Cabin 10 is another bestselling mystery-thriller, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. Every morning, Rachel catches the same commuter train. She has her routine down, getting used to the train’s usual stop at a signal overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even begun to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses it stops by.
‘Jess and Jason’, as she calls them, appear to be the perfect loving couple. Until one day, when she sees something shocking. It only lasts a moment before the train moves on, but it’s enough to convince Rachel. Suddenly, she finds herself a part of the lives she has only watched from afar. Soon enough, Jess and Jason will see that Rachel is much more than just the girl on the train.
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The Woman In The Window – A.J. Finn
Anna Fox lives alone, a recluse in her New York City home, unable to go outside. She spends her days binge-drinking wine and binge-watching old movies, reminiscing about happier times and spying on her neighbours. The Russell family soon move into the house across the way from her: a father, a mother and their teenage son. The perfect family.
But, when gazing out of her window one night, Anna spies something she really shouldn’t have. In an instant, her entire world is upended and all of its shocking secrets are laid bare. What is real? Who is in danger? And who is in control? Another one of the best mystery books similar to The Woman in Cabin 10, A.J. Finn’s The Woman in the Window revolves around a nosey neighbour seeing something unexpected and the fallout of secrets that come to light as a result.
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Home Before Dark – Riley Sager
Twenty-five years ago, Maggie Holt and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Banberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate nestled in the Vermont woods. Just three weeks later, they fled the estate in the dead of night, an ordeal which Ewan later published in his memoir ‘House of Horrors’. His tale of ghostly happenings and interactions with malevolent spirits became infamous, rivalling even The Amityville Horror.
In the present, Maggie has become a restorer of old homes. She’s too young to remember the events described by her father but certainly doesn’t believe them. Following her father’s death, she inherits Banberry Hall and moves to begin renovating it. But, from locals unhappy at her father’s legacy to the unnerving presence and history of Banberry itself, her homecoming is far from pleasant. Like The Woman in Cabin 10, Riley Sager’s Home Before Dark is a thrilling story where secrets are hidden behind every wall.
Dark Places – Gillian Flynn
Libby Day was just seven years old when her evidence put her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, behind bars. In the years since she has been coasting. That is until a group who are convinced of Ben’s innocence makes contact with her and begins asking the types of questions she never dared before. Did the voice she hear really belong to him? Was he really capable of murder? Are there secrets hiding in their family barn? Or is Libby just deluding herself because she wants her brother back?
As she recounts the Day family massacre, she slowly begins to realise that every member of the family has something to keep hidden. Now, twenty-four years later, the truth is going to be brought to light. Gritty, suspenseful and utterly gripping, Gillian Flynn’s Dark Places is the perfect read for any Ruth Ware fan.
Pretty Girls – Karin Slaughter
Twenty years ago, Claire Scott’s oldest sister, Julia, went missing. No one knew where she went. And with no way of moving on from the mystery, Julia’s disappearance tore her family apart. Now another girl has disappeared with eerie similarities to the past. It appears that she might not be the only one.
Claire is convinced that there is a link between the string of disappearances now and the one involving her sister. But, as she digs more into Julia’s life and starts to unravel the truth, she is confronted with a shocking discovery that threatens to change everything forever. For one of the best books like The Woman in Cabin 10 that follows a protagonist digging underneath what appears to be true, Karin Slaughter’s bestseller, Pretty Girls, has to be on your TBR list!
Check Out The Best Books About Missing Persons
You Shouldn’t Have Come Here – Jeneva Rose
Burned-out New Yorker Grace Evans is looking for a total escape from her hectic life. She books an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming and is pleasantly surprised when the owner is revealed to be a handsome man named Calvin Wells. What she is less pleased with, however, is the lack of mobile phone service, a local missing person and the unshakeable feeling that something is off with this small town.
Despite this uneasiness, Grace and Calvin gradually begin to fall for one another. But, as the day of her departure draws closer, their relationship starts to change for the worse. Calvin fears Grace is hiding something from him. Grace is unnerved over how Calvin’s infatuation with her seems to be turning into obsession. A dual-perspective mystery-thriller similar to The Woman in Cabin 10, Jeneva Rose’s You Shouldn’t Have Come Here is a heart-pumping ride into the dangers of opening your home and your heart to a total stranger.
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Then She Was Gone – Lisa Jewell
It’s been a decade since fifteen-year-old Ellie vanished, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter. And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger named Floyd walks into a cafe and sweeps Laurel off her feet. Soon enough, Laurel is spending the night around Floyd’s house and even meeting his nine-year-old daughter, Poppy, a precious little girl who completely floors Laurel.
Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. Prompted by this sudden image, Laurel is suddenly thrown back into all the unanswered questions surrounding her daughter’s disappearance. What happened to her? Where did she go? And who still has secrets left to spill?
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Luckiest Girl Alive – Jessica Knoll
As a teenager at the revered Bradley School, Ani endured a public humiliation that led to her desperately attempting to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous husband, expensive wardrobe and successful career, it looks like she’s as close to living a perfect life as possible.
But, Ani has a secret. Something that has been buried long in her past, and that continues to haunt her. Something that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything. Jessica Knoll’s Goodreads Choice Award-nominated thriller Luckiest Girl Alive is similar to The Woman in Cabin 10 through its depiction of the pressures of ‘having it all’. Like Ruth Ware’s story, the secrets and ambitions at play make Knoll’s 2015 book a truly suspenseful read.
Check Out All Of Ruth Ware’s Books In Order
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
