Ugh. I would leave this as my review except I'm so annoyed that I find myself unable to leave it at that. The Woman in Cabin 10 has a very similar set-up as Ware's debut In a Dark Dark Wood. The protagonist, Lo, ends up in a setting with mostly strangers, one estranged "friend" and no way to escape for a few days. Suspicion and self-doubt fly whilst a mystery is brewing. I found these things delightful in her first book, but they do not work for me in this one. Here's why. 
 (view spoiler)[All situations for this book are contrived and so contrived that they are laid bare for all to see. Lo's house is broken into days before her luxury yacht "work" trip, setting her up for anxiety and insomnia. Also, great detail goes into the description of the thief and how he's taken her purse and credentials. (This will eventually come to nothing. A wasted opportunity for the author and a waste of the reader's time). 
 While on board, nearly nothing is said about her work - even though that is her only reason for being there. Even though Lo is fully aware that she is shaken from the home break-in, without sleep, prone to low blood sugar and anxiety and completely drunk, she raises hell to the ship's management when she thinks she hears something splash overboard and sees thru the misty, evening breeze what she believes to be blood on the neighbors back door. Does she once stop to consider her physical state and that she might be mistaken, what might happen to her promotion prospects at ruining the maiden voyage of a rich, possible benefactor to her magazine or the possibility of going next door to knock and see if anyone is even over there? Nope, she demands that security makes this top priority, even making the head of security wait in the hall while she showers and dresses after she misses their 8:00am appointment the next day. I'm sorry, who does this woman think she is?! 
 And for someone in the magazine business, who has presumably traveled before and worked with potential investors or subjects for stories, she is sorely misinformed on how to handle any situation with a deft or even slightly reasonable hand. She barges into a social situation with the owner of the yacht and blabs about this supposed murder in front of half of the other guests, accuses his staff of incompetence and asks when they can dock so she can go to the police. And there is zero evidence! And everyone is taking her soooo seriously! Including her ex-boyfriend who is conveniently on board and ready to help her with anything she needs! Thank goodness it works out for her though. There has been a murder! And she figures out every single minute detail with practically no evidence, just her rumination inside her head, which we the readers get in full, exhausting detail. It's almost as if her every suspicion comes to life. Because it does. Every unbelievable twist and turn. And that is unbelievable in the literal sense. (hide spoiler)] 
 Truly, the most suspenseful thing about this book for me was whether or not the ending was going to save what was for me, a misguided and frankly boring cruise with Lo and Co. On another note, there were a few little sections of the book that peaked my interest but that the author didn't follow thru on. For example, at one point the evening meal is served and it is some kind of fancy foreign dish which is explained in great detail, but never gets to Lo actually eating it. There is also a spa sequence with Lo being wrapped in a full body mud mask, but no explanation of how she got up and out of all the wraps on her own. 
 Ware really shines with her quirky characters (a REALLY wasted opportunity here), inventive settings (which were somewhat neglected here and never used to their full potential) and awkward pairings (only used slightly here). This is what I enjoyed most about her first novel. I think she may have been trying a little too hard with this one and taking her characters a little too seriously. Had the protagonist been at all endearing, awkward or humble in the face of her surroundings it would have made the events more believable and lended them a bit more heft. Without these qualities it was hard to swallow the ravings of a prickly, self-important protagonist (view spoiler)[that has it all figured out but can seem to find her way out of an unlocked door to her escape. (hide spoiler)] 
 2.5 stars and my most disappointing read of the year, so far.