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Confessions on the 7:45

Review

Confessions on the 7:45

"Everyone was on broadcast these days, thrusting out versions of themselves, cropped and filtered for public consumption. Everyone putting on the ‘show of me'. It was when people were alone, unobserved, that the mask came off."

These lines, from the opening paragraph of the prologue to CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45, are a dark commentary on the electronic age in which we currently live and will play a part in this story that is based on lies and assumed identities. The fire is lit when Selena catches her husband, Graham, having sex with their nanny, Geneva, on their nanny cam.

Each chapter focuses on a different character, which keeps you on your toes, especially when the list of players grows. Following Selena is Anne, who is dealing with her own moral dilemma as she is sleeping with her married boss, whose wife is the CEO of their company.

"Lisa Unger once again has taken the map of the psychological thriller and utilized it to its fullest here. I was rocked by not one but two major twists in the last act of this tale that really had my head spinning."

One evening, Selena and Anne are aboard the 7:45 train home when they happen to sit next to each other. Anne is the first to come forward with her work dilemma, as she just needs to speak with someone. Soon, Selena finds herself sharing her own ordeal with her husband's betrayal. It starts to look like we are walking down the path of Patricia Highsmith's classic STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, but in the end, the ladies part ways and you assume it just might end like that.

We then get a chapter narrated by a 15-year-old girl named Pearl. Initially, there is no relation with her to what is going on in the novel up to that point. Knowing Lisa Unger, however, this all will tie together in some diabolical way. Things take a big turn when Selena receives a text from what appears to be a wrong number. Before she is able to delete and block it, she gets another message that reads: “It's Martha by the way. From the train.” Anne had given Selena a different name, perhaps out of shame at what she is about to share with her. In any event, Selena does not remember even giving her name to the stranger, let alone her phone number. What could she possibly be calling about?

Selena is dealing with another dilemma. After confronting Graham about his infidelity, Geneva leaves one night after work and never makes it home. The police are now involved, and Selena and Graham are the prime suspects in her disappearance. Selena is confident that her husband had nothing to do with this, but as her world continues to teeter, she realizes that she is not really sure of anything anymore. Selena's ex-boyfriend, Will, is an attorney, and he represents them in their dealings with the police. When she tells Will about the woman on the train, he advises Selena to ghost her and not contact her again.

There is so much about CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 that cannot be revealed in a review lest the story is ruined for the reader. But what I can say is that Lisa Unger once again has taken the map of the psychological thriller and utilized it to its fullest here. I was rocked by not one but two major twists in the last act of this tale that really had my head spinning. Reading pre-pandemic stories seems like an activity that took place a hundred years ago, but it is a nice opportunity to step back into our immediate world prior to this present one and enjoy a master plotter like Unger as she spins a great psychological yarn.

Reviewed by Ray Palen on October 9, 2020

Confessions on the 7:45
by Lisa Unger