The Woman In Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
Bestselling author Ruth Ware returns in the thrilling sequel to The Woman in Cabin 10 in The Woman in Suite 11. Laura “Lo” Blacklock is itching to return to work as a reporter. Her youngest child is three, and it’s time to start writing again. But she has no prospects … until a fortuitous invitation arrives. Lo has been invited to the press opening of the Le Grand Hotel du Lac, a luxury resort on the shores of Lake Geneva owned by the billionaire Leidmann family.
Lo pitches the idea of an interview with the reclusive Marcus Leidmann to the Financial Times, and if she can score it, she is back on the beat. She is hesitant, though, and still shell-shocked from a disastrous Norwegian voyage on the cruise ship Aurora, where she almost lost her life 10 years ago.
The life-changing experience formed the basis for her bestselling memoir, Dark Waters, but Lo hasn’t worked since its publication several years ago. After this long dry spell, Lo desperately needs this all-expense-paid European vacation, and it provides the perfect opportunity for her to also visit her mum back in the UK.
Cat-and-Mouse Chase Across Europe
Strange events occur from the moment Lo arrives at the exclusive Swiss chateau. Oddly, three other passengers from the Aurora are also in attendance, but she brushes it off as a coincidence. After all, they all work in the travel writing community. However, when Carrie, the woman who both threatened and saved her life on the Aurora, beckons her to Suite 11, Lo suspects a foul game is afoot.
Carrie reveals she is Marcus Leidmann’s unhappy mistress and pleads for Lo’s help in escaping from Marcus’s violent clutches. However, Lo questions the veracity of Carrie’s claims regarding her lover’s alleged abuse. After the incidents on the Aurora, can she trust Carrie? Or should she remain focused on obtaining the interview of a lifetime with Leidmann?
Of course, Lo acquiesces to Carrie’s request, with misgivings. What follows in The Woman in Suite 11 is a cat-and-mouse pursuit across Europe, where danger lurks around every corner. Lo Blacklock is a convincing PTSD survivor who finds herself facing yet another life-threatening situation far from home, exacerbated by the dangers of the past and the present, and her involvement with Carrie. She is too altruistic, but this time around, she sees Carrie as vulnerable, not someone ruthlessly willing to sacrifice Lo for the sake of her own skin.
Cassie appears to be truly repentant about their past conflicts and terrified of her billionaire lover. What is Lo to do? Abandon Carrie to an almost certain death at the hands of March Leidmann?
The Perfect Summer Beach Read
It is not necessary to have read the first installment, The Woman in Cabin 10, to understand the dynamics between the characters in the sequel or to be drawn into this terrific story. Ware provides enough flashbacks about the Aurora disaster to bring readers up to speed, and she delves into the deep layers of Lo’s psyche as she faces her most recent challenges.
In addition to the Aurora tragedy, Lo frets about her elderly mum, her husband and her toddlers back at home in New York City, on top of balancing her loyalty to Carrie and the trials of her work assignment. She certainly has her heart and mind full as she fends off unidentified villains and evades local authorities eager to pin an unsolved crime on her.
The Woman in Suite 11 is the perfect beach read for these hot, sultry summer days. From the first page, Lo’s escapades will keep readers engaged and rooting for her to return to her loving family as quickly as possible. Readers can only hope that Lo’s adventures will continue in Book Three.
About Ruth Ware:
Ruth Ware worked as a waitress, a bookseller, a teacher of English as a foreign language, and a press officer before settling down as a full-time writer. She now lives with her family in Sussex, on the south coast of England. She is the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail (Toronto) bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood; The Woman in Cabin 10; The Lying Game; The Death of Mrs. Westaway; The Turn of the Key; One by One; The It Girl; Zero Days; One Perfect Couple; and The Woman in Suite 11. Visit her at RuthWare.com or follow her on socials @RuthWareWriter.
