If I gave you a ticket to Venice, a hotel key in Strasbourg and the keys to a chalet in Zermatt, which would you take? I’d take the train. I like a dining car, I like someone else making up the bed, and I like knowing exactly where I’ll wake up. That last bit is probably why I made the journey so difficult for Cass.
These are the first three stops on my winter reading list. Each book is a standalone psychological thriller, so you can choose by the kind of holiday you fancy taking. I’ll get you as far as the first unsettling detail in each one and leave the rest for the journey.
Paris to Venice aboard the Orient Express
The Woman on the Night Train is for the reader who studies the passenger list and goes back to check who was sitting where at dinner. Cass Whitlock boards in Paris. By the time she tells the staff that her husband has vanished, there’s a small administrative problem. Cabin seven was booked for one.
What I like about a sleeper train is how quickly people notice one another. You remember the woman you passed in the corridor because one of you had to turn sideways. A steward knows which cabin takes coffee for two. Sixteen carriages ought to be a very difficult place to lose a man. Cass has until Venice to explain how she managed it.
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Strasbourg after the Christmas lights come on
The Woman at the Christmas Market is the one I’d pack for a weekend away with an old friend. In the story, Abi and her friend stop near the cathedral for white mulled wine in blue cups decorated with storks. On Rue des Orfèvres, people are blocking the lane to photograph the red bows. Abi wants to keep moving. There are particular places she wants them to be, at particular times.
The detail I’d keep an eye on comes before the first cup of wine. Abi booked their hotel months ago. She only invited her friend three weeks ago. At reception, the man handing over their keys thinks he’s seen Abi before. She says he’s mistaken. Look for the book in December.
A chalet for one in the Swiss Alps
If your idea of a Christmas break involves closing a door and having the whole place to yourself, start with Sophie Bennett. In The Woman in the Chalet, she gets to Zermatt tired enough to be grateful that somebody has lit the fire. Then she sees the wine glass. There’s still red wine in the bottom.
What would you do first? Sophie takes a photograph. I rather like that about her. She’s still willing to believe there’s a sensible explanation, but she’d prefer to have a record of what the room looked like when she arrived. This one is for readers who enjoy discovering that two perfectly plausible bookings exist for the same place. It’s due in December.
Save your winter reading list
You can collect a stamp in your Reader Passport as you finish each book. If you’re coming along for the first time, your free ticket for the night train is here.
Katie Cook