The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins
Published January 2015 by Penguin Publishing Group
Source: purchased this one for my Nook

Publisher's Summary:
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

My Thoughts:

"She's buried beneath a silver birch tree, down towards the old train tracks, her grave marked with a cairn. Not more than a little pile of stones, really. I didn't want to draw attention to her resting place, but I couldn't leave her without remembrance. She'll sleep peacefully there, no on dot disturb her, no sounds but birdsong and the rumble of passing trains."

So begins The Girl On The Train which many are calling The Girl On The Train this year's Gone Girl. Both Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) and Hawkins set their readers on a journey of suspense, with unreliable narrators and more than one surprise. But while Flynn landed a couple of big power punches, Hawkins has crafted a much more evenly paced read. Which is not to say that there are no surprises here; there is no end to the surprises in this book.

So often thrillers' focus is entirely on the action and the mystery forsaking character development. Narrated alternatively by Rachel, Megan (known to Rachel as Jess), and Anna (Rachel's ex-husband's new wife), The Girl On The Train gives readers complex characters who may, or may not, be telling the truth. Who may or may not even know the truth.

The Girl On The Train kept me guessing from the beginning right up to the end with tension that never let up. Hawkins' debut is definitely impressive!