“Intricate and nuanced—on par with the best top-flight psychological suspense.” —L.A. TimesINTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERFrom master of suspense Lisa Unger comes a riveting thriller about a chance encounter that unravels a stunning web of lies.Selena Murphy is commuting home on the train when she strikes up a conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat. The woman introduces herself as … conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat. The woman introduces herself as Martha and soon 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.
Then the nanny disappears.
As Selena is pulled into the mystery of what happened, and as the fractures in her marriage grow deeper, she begins to wonder, who was Martha really? But she is hardly prepared for what she’ll discover…
Looking for more gripping suspense? Check out Last Girl Ghosted, also from New York Times bestselling thriller writer Lisa Unger.
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The characters jump aroound too much. Hard to remember who did what after several pages,
I just finished this book and it really kept me involved the entire time. It was such an interesting plot, starting with a conversation with a stranger on a train and continuing with so many unexplainable events stemming back to that conversation. I was really in the mood for a thriller-type book that would just take me away from the hum-drum COVID lifestyle, and Lisa Unger delivered. I am a fan!
Always a fan of Lisa Unger and she did not disappoint. Great characters and story line.
It kept me reading until the very end!
Thoroughly enjoyed it!
I was so anxious to read Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger and when I saw I could get the audio before the book that solved it for me! The audio was very good, and I loved our narrator – Vivienne Leheny. I was able to follow along without the book, which was nice, even though there is a lot going on in this one. Lots of moving pieces and lots of characters, while also being a slow burn. I prefer slower burns on audio, so it really worked for me this way, and I didn’t have any of the twists figured out which makes it a winner in my book!
This is only the second book I have read by Unger, but each time I am pleasantly surprised by how much I like her writing style. The other book I read was The Stranger Inside and I distinctly remember that being a slow burn as well, so it seems to be a theme with her books. However a slow burn it may be, I still love her plotting and the ends always shock me. The final line in Confessions on the 7:45 is perfection and I loved how the end brought things full circle in the book. This was a twisty one and I am already looking forward to her next one!
After seeing this one all over the bookstagram, i gave in and damn if it wasn’t a great thriller.
It’s my first book by the author and i’ll be on a look out for her other stories because this one was addictive from the first chapter to the last.
There are many things that i don’t agree in here but maybe that was just what worked better in the end, because i was expecting a different ending and that final plot twist was so worth it.
Suspenseful and intriguing, Confessions on the 7:45 is a must read novel for the lovers of the genre.
I enjoyed Lisa Unger’s current novel Confessions on the 7:45, which I read this week, and The Red Hunter, also by Lisa Unger, which I read last week. Both novels have one female protagonist who’s fundamentally kind and decent, who has experienced terrible trauma and is fighting to keep it together for herself and her family; and one female protagonist who experienced trauma as a child and became emotionally stunted, largely unable to feel. In both novels, the emotionally stunted protagonist has conversations with a dead father figure who she imagines to be in the room with her. Both novels shift back and forth in time a lot, showing the two women as young girls; and both novels interrupt the action and dialog a fair amount to show the characters’ inner musings. I don’t usually like books that interrupt the action and dialog quite this much, but I enjoyed it in this case.
This is all to say: based on these two novels, Unger has a definite style and I guess formula. But it works! Confessions on the 7:45 is a little creepier, in a fun way; and The Red Hunter has a happier ending for the emotionally stunted character, which I appreciated. But I enjoyed both novels equally.
I have to be honest when I first started reading the story, I thought I’ve read something like this before so I was a bit bummed. Then bam! It wasn’t what I thought and the twists just kept coming. Such a roller coaster of a story and so good!
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…
This book is so good. You do not want to miss it.
There are many characters in it that you will get to know. Even though there is almost a different one with each chapter it’s very easy to follow. You get to know them deeply. On an almost personal level. You will care about each one. There are a couple of characters that you will not like at all. Not in the least. But most you will love or love to hate.
Selena, married to Graham, mother too, Oliver and Stephen. She’s a hard working woman who takes care of her family. Her husband lost his job and now she’s the only bread winner. Selena is a good person. She’s a strong female though. She’s not perfect by any means, but she’s also not a player. She is running late one evening and while on the train she meets a stranger. They begin a conversation that will alter the course of Selena’s life dramatically.
Martha, the woman on the train. She’s been having an affair for a while with the boss’s husband. Not good. Anne tells her secrets to Selena and they have a nice chat about this and things going on in Selena’s life. Namely, Selena’s husband’s affair with the nanny. Anne is very mysterious.
Geneva, the nanny. Geneva is a godsend too Selena. She’s so good with Olive and Stephen. She has them on a schedule and they love her. Geneva met Selena while she was a nanny for another couple. Selena was lucky to get her. Or so she thought. Geneva is having an affair with Graham, Selena’s husband.
Pearl, a young girl who is not noticed a lot. She has a gift for making herself invisible in a room. She lives with her mother Stella who is somewhat of a player with men. One such man, Charlie, seems to take to Pearl. Not in a bad way. He seems interested in her school work. Making sure she has meals and is just nice to her. He seems crazy about Pearl’s mother too. When Pearl’s mother is murdered Charlie and Pearl take off. Pearl is in shock and they are afraid of being implicated in the murder.
Anne, she’s one bad woman. That is my opinion anyway. She’s actually really Martha. Though she told Selena her name was Martha not Anne. Anne has many secrets. You will find out all of them in this book. From beginning to end. Things she does to people. Is it to survive or is she just evil? That’s for you to decide.
Hunter is the FBI agent looking for Charlie and Pearl. He’s also looking for other missing people. He specializes in cold case files. He wants to find out who murdered Stella and where Pearl and Charlie went. Along with other people who are missing. He wants to know if Pearl went with Charlie willing or if she was abducted. Did Charlie kill Stella?
Cora, Selena’s mother. She holds a few secrets herself. Though she says it was their father’s place to tell the girls, I disagree. I think she should have been honest from the start. But then we might not have a story. So what do I know right? Cora loves her girls and grandchildren.
This book has so much going on but it’s easy to follow. Twists and turns that keep you turning the pages. I did figure out the relationship between two of the characters but it in no way took anything from the story. This book is excellent. Its twists and turn are spot on to keep you on the edge. The things that come out about the characters will leave you holding your breath. At the center of them all is Selena and the woman on the train. They are the basis for the whole story. All the things that happen are because of these two women meeting on a train that is stopped on the tracks for almost an hour. The things they share are what sets the stage for this twisted, curvy, edge of your seat, thriller.
Thank you #NetGalley, #LisaUnger, #Harlequin for this ARC. This is my own true review.
5/5 stars and a big huge recommendation to all.
It kept me guessing. I really enjoyed the book.
This was a great book. Grabbed my attention from the very beginning. Couldn’t read it fast enough.
“Confessions on the 7:45” is about rage – ugly, pure, and white-hot. It is also about people, people who are unpredictable, people who pretend that nothing is wrong when nothing is right. Unger positions readers as observers, going back and forth in time, viewing the problems of the characters today and looking back to when their view of the world began to change.
Selena Murphy missed the early train. Husband Graham and their two boys, Stephen and Oliver, were waiting at home. On the 7:45 train, she took a seat beside a young woman; the woman asked quietly “Did you ever do something you really regretted?”
The characters are complex and multi-faceted. Selena has a troubled marriage. Anne and Geneva have troubled workplaces. Pearl is a troubled child trying to find her way. Hunter is one of those cops who “Reads too many Michael Connelly novels. Thinks he’s Bosch.” and is investigating cold cases. Their stories unfold in separate threads until they unexpectedly become intertwined.
“Confessions on the 7:45” started as a little problem with an unfaithful husband and quickly morphed into something more complex and much more sinister. People were not prepared for the events or the people they confronted. There was no undoing the bad without losing the good. They had to move forward, recalculate, recalibrate, and find a new path. I received a review copy of “Confessions on the 7:45” from Lisa Unger, Park Row, and HarperCollins. It was impossible to stop reading. The plot was like a snowball rolled from the top of a hill, small and slow at first, but quickly gaining speed and momentum until the final gigantic crash at the end.
Great suspense (if not slightly predictable), an easy read that kept me captivated. Definitely recommend!
Let’s be honest – anything written by Lisa Unger is going to be simply fabulous. Out of all her books I’ve read, this is my favorite.
When I read, I like to take my ‘writer’s hat’ off and just enjoy the experience. I try not to look too far ahead, I don’t want to guess or be on the look out for clues or red herrings – I want to enjoy the journey as the writer intended.
Which is probably why so many of the twists in this book caught me unaware! They were brilliantly done, in plain site but yet unseen. The two main storylines merged together in ways that made sense but had caught me by surprise – which is probably why this is one of my favorite reads of the fall season so far!
I won’t tell you about those twists because that would ruin the surprise for you, but not every chance meeting is by chance and every action taken has consequences – and Lisa Unger has outdone herself with the creation of these characters and the consequences handed out!
Grab this book – whether its print or audio – and enjoy the experience!
Selena Murphy had the perfect marriage and a wonderful life, or so it may seem to her followers on Instagram. However, her followers didn’t know she suspected her husband had been cheating on her with the nanny. He has a history of cheating, so when she confirmed her suspicions it came as no surprise. Despite the lack of surprise, feelings of hurt and frustration surfaced as she recognised years of therapy had been no help. The frustration and hurt led to sharing her feelings with a stranger, she had a chance encounter with on a train on her way home from work. Besides, she wouldn’t be seeing this woman again, or so she thought. The following day she finds herself caught up in a chain of events, which led to her second guessing her husband and questioning the role of the stranger in all of it.
This story had several POVs, which added to its intrigue. It kept me wondering about the connection between the characters. Then, as the story developed, I had quite a few light bulb moments. While it did not take me long to put the pieces together to get the full picture, there were several surprises along the way.
The characters intrigued me, especially the stranger from the train. She lacked empathy, but I admired her for her intelligence and her mastery of getting others to do what she wanted without them realizing what was happening. Selena lived in denial and hid behind lies in the guise of saving her marriage, which would eventually blow up in her face.
From the moment I started this book, I knew I made the right choice in taking a chance on this author. I was hooked and a hard time putting this book down. Filled with secrets, lies, murder and deceit, Confessions on the 7:45 proved to be a captivating and twisted read and had me flipping the pages, eager to learn how it would all unfold.
Conclusion/Recommendation
I enjoyed Confessions on the 7:45 and would recommend it to readers who enjoy thrillers. I would definitely read more from Lisa Unger.
I relish the release days for a new Lisa Unger novel! There aren’t enough steadily great thriller authors, while there are a ton, I need consistency for my hard earned dollars and time. Unger has yet to disappoint my needy mind seeking devious people and reckless actions. Really, it is such a guilty pleasure! Confessions on the 7:45 was even more of a treat than I expected! Unger gives us a taunt psychological suspense that is a weaving twisted mess of secrets, lies, and mysteries to untangle. It is everything I love about these books! Unger excelled in weaving together characters and a plot, both so twisted it was obsessive!
This story is not one to miss! I really felt as though the story had a plausible feel to it. I think that could be the reason it felt eerie to me… the thoughts that it could be. The chance meeting of a stranger. The conversation that just seems to flow effortlessly. Unger pulled out all the stops for this story. She played it like an expert at her craft, knowing just when and how to pull the story off. It has to be Unger’s best novel yet… or at least the best novel I have read from Miss Unger! I’ll be eagerly awaiting her next! I wouldn’t mind seeing her go a bit darker.
I received an ARC of this book, from Harlequin Trade Publishing, with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… my opinions.
Selena is married to Graham and mother to Stephen and Oliver. Due to a meeting that ran over, she has just missed her usual train home. So, she stops in her office and will get the 7:45 train home. Checking her computer and the home cameras, she sees Graham and her nanny, Geneva, having sex.
Anne and her boss, Hugh, have sex often. His wife heads the company but he enjoys being with Anne. He tells her that he wants to divorce his wife and marry her.
When Selena catches the 7:45, she sits next to a woman who starts chatting with her. Sharing some little vodka bottles, they open up and say some things that should have remained secret.
Thus begins an intricately twisted tale that brings all of these characters together in a deadly dance. How will it end?
This book is surprising, violent, gritty, and scary. But it is also compelling and readers will want to finish reading it to see how it all comes together. Once again, I am absolutely gobsmacked at the imaginations of authors. Lisa Unger has again hit it out of the park with this one. Whew! What a ride.
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
What if all your problems could just disappear? That’s the question the mysterious Martha poses to Selena as they ride the train home together after a particularly difficult day. Selena doesn’t really know Martha and in the way that people do, Selena shares a secret with Martha that will haunt her later on.
This is the type of book that is difficult to review without spilling the secrets. But I will say that the book does a great job of making you think things are going one way, and then they are really going somewhere else if that makes any sense to you.
The story is told from multiple points of view and that adds to drama and tension of the book. It will keep you guessing until the end, even after the various reveals of who people really are and the games they are playing with other people’s lives. It is a slower read because of the need to keep track of the characters and their aliases.
I did enjoy this book from a suspense standpoint. I usually can start putting the pieces together but Confessions did a great job of keeping me guessing. While I thought the pace for reading was a bit slow, it was a book that kept me wondering until the final pages, so that was good.
Overall, an artfully crafted suspense thriller. This is my first book from this author and I’ll be looking out for more.
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