Title: Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger
Publisher: Park Row
Genre: Contemporary, Domestic Mystery, Suspense,
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
From master of suspense Lisa Unger comes a riveting thriller about a chance encounter that unravels a stunning web of lies and deceit.
Be careful to whom you tell your darkest secrets…
Selena Murphy is commuting home from her job in the city when the train stalls out on the tracks. She strikes up a conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat, and their connection is fast and easy. The woman introduces herself as Martha and confesses that she’s been stuck in an affair with her boss. Selena, in turn, confesses that she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny. When the train arrives at Selena’s station, the two women part ways, presumably never to meet again.
But days later, Selena’s nanny disappears.
Soon Selena finds her once-perfect life upended. As she is pulled into the mystery of the missing nanny, and as the fractures in her marriage grow deeper, Selena begins to wonder, who was Martha really? But she is hardly prepared for what she’ll discover.
Expertly plotted and reminiscent of the timeless classic Strangers on a Train, Confessions on the 7:45 is a gripping thriller about the delicate facades we create around our lives.
Review:
Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger is a perplexing domestic mystery.
Selena Murphy has been married to Graham for ten years and they have two young sons, Oliver and Stephen. She initially stays home with the boys but she returns to work after Graham is laid off from his job. As luck would have it, the nanny she often chats with at the local playground is leaving her current position. Selena gratefully hires Geneva who is an absolutely perfect nanny. But Selena begins to suspect that Graham might be sleeping with the young woman. When Geneva’s sister reports her missing, Selena holds her breath as she waits for her life to come tumbling down.
Selena works in the city and takes the train to and from work. After working late one evening, she catches a later train and when the train is delayed, she strikes up a conversation with her seatmate. After the other woman confesses she’s having an affair, Selena confides her suspicions about her husband and the nanny at the same time. Immediately regretting revealing such personal information to a stranger, Selena tries to put the uncomfortable encounter behind. When the stranger from the train begins texting her, Selena’s uneasiness grows. But after the police begin asking questions about their missing nanny and Selena’s anger with Graham continues to grow, she makes a fateful decision that brings the woman deeper into their lives.
In the days after Geneva’s disappearance, Selena is forced to confront the truth about some of her past choices. She is wrestling with a difficult decision as her life begins to bear eerie similarities to her childhood. Selena also comes to the realization that her husband is now a stranger to her and she does not know what he is capable of doing.
With chapters seamlessly alternating between different perspectives, Confessions on the 7:45 is a fast-paced and engrossing mystery. The characters are well-developed and quite intriguing. The storyline is engaging with plenty of tension. With shocking twists, Lisa Unger brings this riveting mystery to an unexpected conclusion. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this suspenseful mystery to fans of the genre.
