Review: “The Night She Missed The Train”
The author invited me to review this book, as I had previously reviewed two of her other books “The Perfect Face” and “The Trauma Child“.
The Premise
Insecure Bryn has always played second fiddle to her glamorous cousin Jules, a wealthy golden girl and newly-minted bestselling author. But Bryn never imagines a pleasant day trip in an idyllic Hudson Valley town will turn into a nightmare when Jules walks off the train platform and vanishes into the night.
Panicked, Bryn calls her cousin’s husband, Delon, who arrives in the riverfront town to join the search. Here, he shares unexpected news: Jules might be pregnant. The clock ticks down as Bryn and Delon are forced to work together to find Jules before the pair become prime suspects in her disappearance. After all, they only ended their affair last week.
But they’re not the only ones with something to hide…
The Pros
This was a gripping thriller from the first page to the last. I ploughed through it on my Kindle app on my phone in one day while travelling cross-country on long train rides, fervently praying my phone battery would survive till the end of the day!
I enjoyed the writer’s style that rollicks from one moment to the next: first, we tumble into Bryn’s psyche assuming she is the beloved friend and family member, only to realise she’s not quite the “protagonist” as she’s having an affair with Jules’ husband. Delon was another character that was hard to get a handle on — a cheater, yes, okay, sure… but… where does his loyalty lie? These two were a match made in hell, and I thoroughly love that I had no idea who I was meant to be rooting for throughout the novel. Missing Jules herself was a mystery, revealed so slowly in tidbits we hear from others that the final shocking reveal was worth the wait.
The writing is tight and well paced, with a dark tinge of humour that weaves effortlessly through the tale. Normally I’d prickle at the comparisons with well-known novels (even if the author didn’t mention it herself, Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl would immediately spring to mind!), but this one holds its own with well-developed deplorable characters that keep us engaged and intrigued for the entire ride.
Conclusion
Overall this was a solid read that hits all the right notes and pulls everything together nicely at the end. I have enjoyed this writer’s other novels in the past precisely because I don’t always know where it’ll end up, and this one was another fantastic cliff-drop in the last few scenes. I was not disappointed at all, and glad that the author thought of me and reached out for a review. I eagerly await the next one!
