She Treads Softly: The Woman in Suite 11

Saturday, June 28, 2025

The Woman in Suite 11

The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
7/8/25; 400 pages
Gallery/Scout Press
Lo Blacklock #2

The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware is a highly recommended thriller/mystery and a sequel to The Woman in Cabin 10 (2016). It can be read as a stand alone novel.

Lo Blacklock is now married to Judah and they have two sons. After taking several years off from writing full time, Lo, a travel writer, is ready to ready to reestablish her journalism career. She is surprised to receive an invitation to attend the press opening of a luxury hotel launch by the Leidmann Group on the shores of Switzerland’s Lake Geneva. Judah encourages her to go and she believes she can get a paying article or two out of it, especially if she can interview Marcus Leidmann, the reclusive billionaire who owns it. After the event she can visit her mother in England for a few days.

Immediately Lo is surprised to find that her plane ticket was upgraded to first class. When she arrives at the hotel she is shocked to run into three people from an event in her past, Ben; gourmet critic Alexander; photographer Cole. They were all on the Aurora with her and she wrote a best selling book about it (The Woman in Cabin 10). Then she is left a note in her room to come to suite 11 as soon as possible. She does so, receives another shocking surprise, and commences to make multiple bad choices.

As expected, the writing is excellent, compelling, and the action held my complete attention, however, part of my immersion in the narrative involved scolding Lo for being so foolish and naive. So, yes, you need to set a large dose of disbelief aside in this one. If you are able to ignore Lo's dumb choices, expect plenty of twists and surprises along the way. The final denouement is heart stopping.

The main characters are well-written and have both strengths and flaws. (No names/no spoilers) I actually like Lo as a character because I believe she is kindhearted and thinks she's doing the right thing, but doesn't have a clue.

The Woman in Suite 11 is a great choice for fans of Ruth Ware and those who want to reacquaint themselves with Lo Blacklock. Thanks to Gallery/Scout Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

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John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.