Paula Hawkins gets into the minds of three women, cleverly changing viewpoint as the story unfolds. Rachel, Megan and Anna. They all have something in common, related to the frailty of the human condition. Love, lust, possession, jealousy, regret, weakness, fear, longing, confusion – they exist in all of us, and Hawkins brings them to the surface in this gripping thriller.

The girl on the train, Rachel, is initially anonymous, and she fantasises about the people she sees who live in houses situated at the side of the railway track. She invents names for them. entire lives. Little does she know how closely entwined with their lives will she become, and her past will also come back to haunt her.

Not surprising that this book is a best seller. It delivers what most of us want – to feel uncomfortable, shaken, entertained and then rewarded as we piece together the truth that hides beneath the surface. I worked it out with seventy pages to go, but I still found enough in her writing to surprise and shock me. Excellent work.

Michael Braccia