The Woman in Car 13

 

The Woman in Car 13 by D E White
12/3/26; 288 pages
Boldwood Books 

The Woman in Car 13 by D E White is a highly recommended thriller, part physical, part psychological. In the prologue, Hannah is working late at night at Jex Diagnostics, a research and healthcare company when she receives a text warning her: "Be careful Hannah. They know what you are doing." 

The next day, Kayla, a single mom who cleans homes and also works part time for the fair is waiting for her ice cream freezer to be repaired so she takes a ride on the Big Wheel. Suddenly the wheel stops and she finds herself in car 13, fifteen meters above the ground. Her first thought is for her daughter Millie, then she texts Alun, her boss, and asks how long before the fix. He's sent his brother Danny for the part and says 20 minutes, so Kayla looks around at her lofty view and pulls out her phone to film. When she sees her employer and friend, Hannah, out jogging being suddenly escorted into a black car by three men, she is shocked. Does she recognize the driver? Has she just witnessed a kidnapping?

Kayla's neighbor Mr. Avers, who works at the Medical Regulation Authority, can hear the screams from the park. He is in a moral dilemma. Close to retirement, he's allowed himself to be paid, and now physically threatened, to ignore anomalies in the data. At this time, Kayla, and the other riders on the wheel, after experiencing some starts and stops, they are still trapped long past the 20 minutes. Now, when Kayla's about four meters above the ground, the whole Big Wheel begins to fall sideways, injuring and trapping the riders. Kayla is trapped, unable to contact Hannah to see if she is okay, she finds a friend to pick up Millie from school and awaits rescue with the others.

Having Kayla trapped on the Big Wheel is a successfully used plot device to grab your attention. It also serves to allow her to witness something that looks nefarious while she's unable to act and introduces some minor characters. The real plot/point of the novel is something entirely different and involves a global conspiracy involving Jex Diagnostics. Each chapter is through a different character's point-of-view, allowing the reader to piece together the greater conspiracy going on and how several characters are involved, even peripherally, in the larger picture. 

The tension over the conspiracy, although ultimately this is a bigger, more dangerous and far reaching element, never quite meets the sense of danger and tension that readers will experience from the opening and subsequent Big Wheel stopping and then falling. A fear of heights is real and used effectively within the novel. The action does pick up again, the sense of danger takes a new form, all the various plot points come together at the end, and there are several surprising twists. The conclusion was very satisfying.

Kayla is a fully realized character with strengths and weaknesses. She's intelligent and you will wish her the best as you learn about her background as she struggles just to get by and care for her daughter. This helps hold your attention. The other minor characters also receive some further development to portray them as individuals and hold your attention while the bigger conspiracy is revealed. 

The Woman in Car 13 is a great choice for those who enjoy thrillers involving conspiracies. Thanks to Boldwood Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.