Confessions On The 7:45

Written by Lisa Unger

Narrated by Vivienne Leheny

‘WHAT A READ!… Completely engrossing, undeniably enthralling… The biggest five stars.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘A masterclass in storytelling… Unforgettable.’ Samantha Downing, author of My Lovely Wife

Everyone has a secret. Who would you trust with yours?

On Selena Murphy’s train home from work, a mysterious woman named Martha strikes up a conversation and shares a confession: she’s having an affair with her boss. In turn, Selena shares her own secret: she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny.

At Selena’s station the two women part, and Selena never expects to see her again. Until she receives a message. I’d love to continue our conversation. Can we get together? It’s Martha, by the way. From the train.

But Selena never gave Martha her number. She brushes the message off – until days later her nanny goes missing, and Selena begins to wonder if it’s all connected. Who is Martha, really? And what does she want with Selena?

Confessions on the 7:45 will have you gripped from the first page until the last. Perfect for fans of Harriet Tyce’s Blood Orange and A.J. Finn’s The Woman in the Window.

‘Unger takes you deep into the minds of psychopaths, and while you wouldn’t want to live there, what wild, creepy places they are to visit. Unger is at the top of her game here.’ Linwood Barclay, New York Times bestselling author of Elevator Pitch

‘I was hooked from the first to last page… A MUST READ.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘Wowsers what a read… Absolutely loved it from beginning to end… The best book I’ve read in a long time.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘Wow!… Once I started reading I was unable to put it down.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘A “can’t miss” 5-star thriller!… I stayed up until 2 a.m. to finish it!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘So addictive that I have been unable to put this down.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved this book.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘Oh my goodness, I loved this book… I couldn't read it fast enough.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘Full of twists and turns and it kept me guessing until the very end… By far the best book I have read this year.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘EXCITING AND EXHILARATING… An excellent novel.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘Psychological thrillers don't get any better than this.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: Oct 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9780263281873

Lisa Unger

LISA UNGER, guest editor, is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twenty novels, including her latest, Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six. She has been nominated for or won numerous awards, including the Strand Critics, Audie, Macavity, ITW Thriller, and Goodreads Choice Awards as well as the Hammett Prize. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations, an honor held by only a few authors, including Agatha Christie. Lisa is currently copresident of the International Thriller Writers organization.

Reviews for Confessions On The 7:45

[Greta · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gripping, fascinating, fantastically written! It will keep your interest till the end!

[claire Wheeler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a brilliantly plotted story. Interesting characters. Will definitely look out for more of this authors books!

[jynell-71874 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This one fell short for me. I read 60% of it, but felt bored and couldn't bring myself to finish it.

[didireallyreadthat · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was a little to farfetched for my liking.

[write5review · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well Done Psychological Suspense

If there is a lesson here it has to be: be careful not to pour out your heart to a stranger on a train. Or maybe it is: go ahead, because events that strike you as bad at first might well prove to be good in the end. Most mystery and suspense readers will find Confessions on the 7:45 a rewarding romp.

Selena is a successful businesswoman, a good mom, and apparently happy in her second marriage. That is until she discovers that her unemployed husband has been having an affair with the young nanny, Geneva. She has proof. Graham, readers learn, has transgressed in the past. Though she really likes Geneva, who is good with her two young sons, she grows suspicious to the point where she hides a video camera in the laundry room. Sure enough, she records Graham and Geneva having sex, records them at it twice. Angry and in a funk over it, she meets a young, very attractive woman on the evening train the night she’s seething. She feels drawn to the young woman and reveals just a bit too much, thinking, as anyone would, she’s talking to a stranger. Little does she realize that the conversation will upend her life with the result, after much turmoil, turning out to be good and launching her into another career.

Martha is the name of the young woman, but she is anything but a stranger. She’s a grifter, a master of the short and long con. As readers discover, she has a long history of conning people, and she learned her craft from a master, a man she calls Pop. In alternating chapters and flashbacks, Unger slowly, tantalizingly, and quite skillfully reveals how this relationship came about. At first, you might wonder what the variously named charactered have to do with Martha and Selena, until Unger brings it all together in a satisfying ending. The confessions of the title implies that Martha and Selena harbor secrets, as do most people, but this pair, and those close to them, have whoppers.

All in all, readers of the genre, as well as others who seek a bit of escapism, will enjoy their time with Confessions on the 7:45. That is, except maybe for men who insist on engaging in bad behavior and think they are getting away with something. Women know, gentlemen.

[pgchuis · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was intriguing in places, but I was skimming by the end.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Just when you think you have everything figured out, Lisa Unger surprises you over and over again. This novel is a con game with a mix of Strangers on the Train thrown in. Selena is in love with her husband, Graham, and is happy with her nanny, Geneva, for her two sons. But, when she catches them together, and when a stranger on the 7:45 train (Martha) tells her a big secret, Selena shares her secret to Martha. When Geneva disappears, Selena wonders what her husband is capable of doing.Anna is having an affair with her married boss, but his wife gives Anna an ultimatum.This novel has many women wronged by men, women conning men to get revenge, and the timelines don't have dates, so there is some confusion and intentional misdirection by the author. I finally had an aha moment about 45% through the novel, and things started to make sense. But, there were still some surprises to come.Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. Opinions are my own and freely given.

[clamato_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I hade never read any of Lisa Unger's book till this one. I am really impressed and will definitely check out her other ones. This story was both creepy and exciting and kept me guessing. A lot of ah ha, okay that's the connection. It was clever and interesting and scary in parts but overall a very gripping read!

[dreesie-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Working mom Serena meets Martha during a train breakdown and confesses what she is going home to discuss with her husband. Later, Martha begins texting her. From different numbers so blocking doesn't work. Meanwhile, her unemployed husband is cheating with the nanny--who does not show up for work the next day. Soon the police are involved and both she and her husband are being questioned.I don't know why I keep reading listening to these popular thrillers. They aren't very thrilling and are largely similar. The most impressive thing about this one is all of the tiny tiny clues dropped throughout the book, that do all add up in the end. Alone, they really aren't even a clue. But when the backstory all comes together, those little hints were there. Other than that, this is just another not-quite-what-it-seems thriller. Story was fine. Narration was fine.

[bookchickdi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sometimes you just need a good, twisty psychological thriller to sink your teeth into. Lisa Unger's new novel, Confessions on the 7:45, fits that bill.Selena is running late at work. She likes to be on the early train home so that she can have dinner with her husband and two young sons, but tonight she called home to say she would be on a later train. A sinking feeling made Selena put a camera in her children's playroom where she caught her nanny Geneva and husband having sex while the boys were in the other room watching television. And this was the second time she caught them.She gets on the train and finds a seat next a young woman Martha, who befriends Selena and makes a confession - she is having an affair with her boss, who is married to the CEO of the company. After a few drinks, Selena confesses her tale of the nanny and her husband. Martha wistfully wonders what if they could solve each other's problems? Selena finds that disturbing, but she'll never see Martha again, even though Martha pushes Selena to exchange phone numbers. When Selena returns home, she confronts her husband who swears it was just the one time, and he is sorry, but Selena knows better. She is devastated because she really liked Geneva, she was wonderful with the boys and kept the house organized. Before Selena had a chance to fire Geneva, she disappears the night Selena confronts her husband. The police show up after Geneva's sister calls them, and Geneva doesn't show up for work the next day. Selena doesn't tell the police that her husband was having an affair with Geneva, and the tension ratchets up as the lies continue.There is another story we get entangled with- a young woman named Pearl lives with her mother, a woman who owns a failing bookstore and has relationships with many men. Who is Pearl and how does she figure into the main story?Unger has a lot of balls to juggle to keep the story moving and connected, and she does it expertly. With a nod to the classic Hitchcock movie, Strangers on a Train, we wonder what happened to Geneva and does Martha have anything to do with it? Mystery/thriller fans who like to put their deductive skills to the test will enjoy trying to untangle all the knots of this intriguing story.Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on their Fall Mystery Reads Tour.

[virginia51-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had a little trouble getting into this book but when I was about a quarter through I really was glad I stuck with it. The story is kind of sad when you look at what these women think about love but as you learn more about the characters you can see why they act the way they do. I loved learning all the layers that are in this story. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

[fredreeca · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Selena has just caught her husband having an affair with the nanny. She watched it all on the nanny cam and she has no idea how to handle it. Selena is so torn. She has two young boys and she is terrified to rip their lives apart. She ends up spilling her problems to a stranger on the train on her commute home. Then the stranger texts her…how did she get her number. And then the nanny disappears! And Selena’s life completely falls apart.I am going to have be really careful or I will give something away. Let’s just say…no one is who they seem to be. This story begins one way and ends in a complete tail spin. You talk about wicked and twisted! This novel takes you on a ride you will not soon forget. I have not read a Lisa Unger book in quite sometime. Boy! Have I missed out!You do not want to miss this one! Grab it today! It is a must read!I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

[librarycin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.75 starsSelena and Martha meet on the train. Selena has just discovered/confirmed her husband is cheating with the nanny. She and Martha each confess things to the other, and Martha makes an odd comment. As Selena tries to sort out what to do about her husband and the nanny, she gets a text from Martha, “Martha. From the train”. Selena never gave Martha her number... The start was similar to “Strangers on a Train”. It was a bit slow-going, as I guess many of these kinds of psychological thrillers are. We follow a few different characters’ perspectives, and we back up in time to hear how we got to this point, particularly in Martha’s life. I feel like my just under 4 stars could be due to the slow-moving, but considering there are other slow-moving thrillers out there that I’ve rated 4 stars, maybe I’ve just been reading too many of them? Of course, a couple of the twists brought my rating up just a touch.

[twink_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Have you ever looked at a book and thought, 'Oh, I'll just take a quick peek at the first chapter'? And then that quick peek turns into the second and third chapter ..... and all of a sudden you're halfway through the book and can't put it down? Uh huh. You have been warned - if you start reading Lisa Unger's latest book, Confessions on the 7:45, you're not going to be able to stop.I have always thought this premise was such a great starting point (including the classic film, Strangers on a Train) - there are so many places a story can go from there. Two women, Selena and Martha, are on a stalled train, a conversation starts - and 'confessions' are shared. "Don't you ever wish your problems would take care of themselves?" The trains moves on and so do the women, not expecting to ever see each other again. Until..."Maybe we should meet for a drink. I'm eager to continue our conversation. It's Martha, by the way. From the train."Are you hooked yet? Confessions on the 7:45 is told from many points of view. Each of those characters is hiding something - secrets abound! Unger has outdone herself with the twists and turns in this book. There's more than one gotcha in this tale. I was caught off guard as the seemingly disparate threads start to weave together. You won't be able to predict what's next.I really can't say more without creating spoilers. And I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed Confessions on the 7:45. While that initial premise is not new, Unger's take on the tale is unique and makes for addictive reading. Absolutely recommended.