The Commuter: 'Couldn't stop reading. Emma Curtis is a genius!' Andrea Mara Paperback – 10 Oct. 2024

I attended a book talk last year and The Commuter was suggested as a book to pick up and an author to watch, so I immediately put it on my TBR.Rachel awakes from a coma to find out her husband is dead.. but she has no memory of the events that led up to that faithful day. She’s lucky to be alive but this is just the start of a spiral of events for Rachel as she unravels to truth!We quickly learn that some instinctively don’t trust Rachel.. although she couldn’t have been there at the time her husband died… there’s gaps in her story that even Rachel can’t fill..Things go from bad to worse when her husbands will is read and it’s not what everyone is expecting… if anything it raises more questions and causes more tension.We start to learn more about Rachel and the what happened in the run up as bits of memories come back.. like a puzzle for Rachel to put together.The quickly see her husband wasn’t exactly an innocent…his daughter is not very likeable and there was someone else in Rachel’s life.. but who.. and what does it mean.. is there a connection?What unfolds is a very clever and complex plot that ultimately led to an untimely death.I really enjoyed the flow as the story moves from current day, back to the past as Rachel’s memory returns.The flow allowed for development of the characters at a natural pace, nothing felt forced or out of place.. the development just matches the flow perfectly in pace and made it a super engrossing read,Character wise.. and the twists.. wow.. I don’t say it often but I really didn’t know what would happen next and I was hooked. I don’t want to spoil it but Rachel is really put through it!When to bed each night I was excited for my own commute the next day just so I could pick up the book again!What made this book such a gripping thriller was the main characters amnesia, as it allowed the author to take the story so many directions… and those twists were gob smacking!This was more first foray into the authors work but it won’t be my last!.

Rachel wakes up from a coma to learn her husband is dead and her first words are that she killed him but she remembers nothing of that time. Could she really have done it? The police and her step-daughter think so and even that she had an affair but she only has flashes of a man on her commute. What is the truth and can she remember in time?Well this was quite the adventure. It was a bit of a slow start getting into it but it did pick up and then it got dramatic. Its got unreliable narrator feels to it with a sense of is anyone who we think they are. The plot is twisted and leaves you guessing for much of the story. Then that ending wow not quite what I expected and yet it worked. I can see how it all came to be. The characters are tough to like as you're not sure on anyone but I did warm to Rachel by the end of it. A brilliant dark thriller.

Rachel had been in a coma following a car accident in which she had been drinking. On coming round she is told her much older and wealthy husband has died and that she is suspected of killing him. She had no memory of the previous few weeks but the police are sceptical.The story is told in a series of flashbacks as her memory gradually returns. She remembers something about meeting a man on her train to work but not initially anything about him. She recalls her fractured relationship with her step daughter. She’s helped initially by her psychiatrist but he is not really what he seems.I found this to be a book of two halves, the first half for me was far more engaging than the second which was a little far fetched. None the less I did zoom through it and found it entertaining so could forgive the fact I found my belief a little stretched

Good book excellent condition

A great read, loved the plot and the characters and it was very easy to read. Found it hard to put down once I started.Thank you NetGalley for the copy of this book.

I really enjoyed the book—it was an easy read, and I finished it in just a few days. The only thing I didn’t like was Rachel's numerous relationships with men. It was clear she wasn’t happy with her husband, but I suppose that might be expected given the age gap. At times, she seemed a bit too quick to form and let go of attractions or feelings of love. Still, I love the author's writing style, and I’ve already bought The Babysitter. I can’t wait to read it!

This is a well paced thriller.At first, I thought I wasn't enjoying it, not clicking with the main character but once the twists started, I was hooked.The author kept me guessing, couldn't put this down from about 25% in until the end.

I've read all of Emma's books & couldn't wait to get my hands on The Commuter! Emma's books are like a drug to me, once I start I can't stop & some very late nights were had as I just couldn't put this book down. The plot keeps you guessing right until the very end with all the twists & turns. The Commuter would make a really good movie & I do hope Emma is given an opportunity as her books just get better & better and should be put on the big screen. My only negative is that I now have to wait a while until Emma publishes the next one !