Please Note: I received an advance copy of this novel as part of the blog tour to promote this book.  This did not influence the opinions in my review.  I had the option to opt out of the tour if I didn't enjoy the book.

Synopsis:

Bestselling and award-winning author Lisa Unger returns with her best novel yet. Reminiscent of the classic Strangers on a Train, Confessions on the 7:45 is a riveting psychological thriller that begins with a chance encounter on a commuter train and shows why you should never, ever make conversation
with strangers.  

Be careful who 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 stunning web of lies and deceit, and a gripping thriller about the delicate facades we create around our lives.

Review:

The reason I enjoy Lisa Unger's writing is because she weaves so many truths into her stories that she makes it seem like anyone can become a killer, given the right circumstances.  That is truly terrifying!  Her latest novel, Confessions on the 7:45, has characters we might know: the harried woman juggling a career, children and her marriage, the husband who can placate his wife enough so she won't divorce him, and the mysterious woman who is just a little too friendly.  This was a wonderful book, that I raced through.

What I Liked:

Setting:

The book is set in busy world of a woman trying to keep it all together.  Hers is a world with nannies, working long hours, and having even longer commutes.  Work is everything and an escape from her marriage.  

The book also follows the life of a con artist.  How does she become so good at being so bad?  She moves from city to city as she learns about creating different identities from her mentor, known as Pops.  It's strangely fascinating to see how they target lonely women and con them into giving them money.  It's a life I don't know, but now feel like I might understand. 

Characters:

Selena is such an identifiable character.  She seems to have it all: two children, a loving husband, and an enviable career.  She is very eager to show all the good parts of her life on Instagram.  But is her life really so great?  She works long hours with a soul crushing commute.  Her husband is "between jobs", growing more and more resentful as the months go on.  And she feels immense guilt over not having time to be the mother she wants.  She's too busy to have many friends.  So she is a prime target for Martha, the con artist.

Martha goes by dozens of names depending which con she is working on.  And actually she has many enviable organizational skills.  But she is totally lacking in an morals or empathy.  How did she get this way?  The novel takes us on that journey.  I found it scary and fascinating.

Much as I didn't like him, Graham's charismatic personality made him fascinating to me.  How and why did Selena marry him in the first place?  Little by little we see his true nature.  How is it that a man who truly is an attentive parent also be a terrible husband?

Story:

The story revolves around the disappearance of Selena and Graham's nanny.  There are so many questions.  Is she dead?  Kidnapped?  Did she just get sick of taking care of other's children and voluntarily leave?  No one knows.

But, as the investigation continues, Selena and Graham's marriage is dissected bit by bit, putting even more stress on their marriage.  

Then there's the strange encounter between Selena and Martha, from the train...  Who is she?  As Selena confesses her marital problems to Martha (a total stranger), Martha exits the train with a thought, "Who knows, maybe your problems will just disappear".  Could Martha have something to do with the nanny's disappearance?  Or is she primed to blackmail Selena?

About the Author:

Lisa Unger is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of eighteen novels, including CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 (Oct. 2020). With millions of readers worldwide and books published in twenty-six languages, 

Unger is widely regarded as a master of suspense. Her critically acclaimed b

ooks have been voted "Best of the Year" or top picks by the Today show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, Amazon, IndieBound and others. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and Travel+Leisure. She lives on the west coast of Florida with her
family. 

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Rating: 

Release Date:  October 6th, 2020

Author:  Lisa Unger

Publisher:  Park Row Books

Genre:  Thriller

Page Length:  368 Pages

Source:  Publisher

Format:  Ebook

Recommendation:  This is a riveting reading experience.  If you enjoy thrillers, I would highly recommend this novel.