Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger

Confessions on the 7:45

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading in Reviews / 21 Comments

In Confessions on the 7:45, Selena Murphy had the perfect marriage and a wonderful life, or so it may seem to her followers on Instagram. However, her followers didnโ€™t know she suspected her husband had been cheating on her with the nanny. He has a history of cheating, so when she confirmed her suspicions it came as no surprise. Despite the lack of surprise, feelings of hurt and frustration surfaced as she recognised years of therapy had been no help. The frustration and hurt led to sharing her feelings with a stranger, she had a chance encounter with on a train on her way home from work. Besides, she wouldnโ€™t be seeing this woman again, or so she thought.ย  The following day she finds herself caught up in a chain of events, which led to her second guessing her husband and questioning the role of the stranger in all of it.

Confessions at 7:45 had several POVs, which added to its intrigue. It kept me wondering about the connection between the characters. Then, as the story developed, I had quite a few light bulb moments. While it did not take me long to put the pieces together to get the full picture, there were several surprises along the way.

The characters intrigued me, especially the stranger from the train. She lacked empathy, but I admired her for her intelligence and her mastery of getting others to do what she wanted without them realizing what was happening.ย  Selena lived in denial and hid behind lies in the guise of saving her marriage, which would eventually blow up in her face.

From the moment I started this book, I knew I made the right choice in taking a chance on this author. I was hooked and a hard time putting this book down. Filled with secrets, lies, murder and deceit, Confessions on the 7:45 proved to be a captivating and twisted read and had me flipping the pages, eager to learn how it would all unfold.



Conclusion/Recommendation


I enjoyed Confessions on the 7:45 and would recommend it to readers who enjoy thrillers.ย  I would definitely read more from Lisa Unger.

 

Story Evaluation
Plot
4
Characters
4
World Building
4
Writing Style
4.5
Pacing
4
Cover
4
Enjoyment
3
Ending
4.5
Overall: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
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Chapter Two

Anne

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It had been a mistake from the beginning and Anne certainly knew that. You donโ€™t sleep with your boss. Itโ€™s really one of the things mothers should teach their daughters. Chew your food carefully. Look both ways before you cross the street. Donโ€™t fuck your direct supervisor no matter how hot, rich, or charming he may happen to be. Not that Anneโ€™s mother had taught her a single useful thing.

Anyway, here she was. Again. Taking it from behind, over the couch in her bossโ€™s corner office with those expansive city views. The world was a field of lights spread wide around them. She tried to enjoy it. But, as was often the case, she just kind of floated above herself. She made all the right noises, though. She knew how to fake it.

โ€œOh my god, Anne. Youโ€™re so hot.โ€

He pressed himself in deep, moaning.

When heโ€™d first come on to her, she thought he was kidding โ€“ or not thinking clearly. Theyโ€™d flown together to DC to take an important client who was considering leaving the investment firm out to dinner.ย  In the cab on the way back to the hotel — while Hugh was on the phone with his wife, he put his hand on Anneโ€™s leg. He wasnโ€™t even looking at Anne when he did it, so for a moment she wondered if it was just absent-mindedness. He was like that sometimes, a little loopy. Overly affectionate, familiar. Forgetful.

His hand moved up her thigh. Anne sat very still. Like a prey animal. Hugh ended the call and she expected him to jerk his hand back.

Oh! Iโ€™m so sorry, Anne, she thought heโ€™d say, aghast at his careless behavior.

But no. His hand moved higher.

ย โ€œAm I misreading signals?โ€ he said, voice low.ย 

Stop. What most people would be thinking: Poor Anne! Afraid for her job, she submits to this predator.

What Anne was thinking: How can I use this to my advantage? She really had been just trying to do her job well, sort of. But it seemed that Pop was right, as he had been about so many things. If you werenโ€™t running a game, someone was running one on you.

Had she subconsciously been putting out signals? Possibly. Yes. Maybe Pop was right about that, too. You donโ€™t get to stop being what you are, even when you try.

They made out like prom dates in the cab, comported themselves appropriately as they walked through the lobby of the Ritz. He pressed against her at the door to her hotel room. She was glad she was wearing sexy underwear, had shaved her legs.

Sheโ€™d given Hugh โ€“ with his salt and pepper hair, sinewy muscles, flat abs — the ride of his life that night.ย  And many nights since. He liked her on top. He was a considerate lover, always asking: Is this good? Are you okay? Confessional: Kate and I โ€“ weโ€™ve been married a long time. We both have โ€“ appetites. She couldnโ€™t care less about his marriage.

Anne didnโ€™t actually believe in the things other people seemed to value so highly. Fidelity โ€“ really? Were you supposed to just want one person your whole life? Marriage. Was there ever anything more set up to fail, to disappoint, to erode? Come on. They were animals. Every last one of them rutting, feral beasts. Men. Women. All of society was held together by gossamer thin, totally arbitrary laws and mores that were always shifting and changing no matter how people clung. They were all just barely in line.

Anne neither expected nor encouraged Hugh to fall in love. In fact, she spoke very little. She listened, made all the right affirming noises. If he noticed that she had told him almost nothing about herself, it didnโ€™t come up. But fall in love with Anne he did. And things were getting complicated.

Now, finished and holding her around the waist, Hugh was crying a little. His body weight was pinning her down. He often got emotional after they made love. She didnโ€™t mind him most of the time. But the whole crying thing — it was such a turn off. She pushed against him and he let her up. She tugged down her skirt, and he pulled her into an embrace.

She held him for a while, then wiped his eyes, kissed his tears away. Because she knew thatโ€™s what he wanted. She had a special gift for that, knowing what people wanted — really wanted deep down โ€“ and giving them that thing for a while. And that was why Hugh โ€“ why anyone โ€“ fell in love. Because he loved getting the thing he wanted, even if he didnโ€™t know what that was.

When he moved away finally, she stared at her ghostly reflection in the dark window, wiped at her smeared lipstick.

โ€œIโ€™m going to leave her,โ€ Hugh said. He flung himself on one of the plush sofas. He was long and elegant; his clothes impeccable, bespoke, made from the finest fabrics. Tonight, his silk tie was loose, pressed cotton shirt was wilted, black wool suit pants still looking crisp. Garments, all garments โ€“ even just his tennis whites — hung beautifully on his fit body.

She smiled, moved to sit beside him. He kissed her, salty and sweet.

โ€œItโ€™s time. I canโ€™t do this anymore,โ€ he went on.

This wasnโ€™t the first time heโ€™d said this. Last time, when sheโ€™d tried to discourage him, heโ€™d held her wrists too hard when she tried to leave. There had been something bright and hard in his eyes โ€“ desperation. She didnโ€™t want him to get clingy tonight. Emotional.

โ€œOkay,โ€ she said, running her fingers through his hair. โ€œYeah.โ€

Because thatโ€™s what he wanted to hear, needed to hear. If you didnโ€™t give people what they wanted, they became angry. Or they pulled away. And then the game was harder or lost altogether.

โ€œWeโ€™ll go away,โ€ he said, tracing a finger along her jaw. Because of course theyโ€™d both lose their jobs. Hughโ€™s wife Kate owned and ran the investment firm, had inherited the company from her legendary father. Her brothers were on the board. Theyโ€™d never liked Hugh (this was one of his favorite pillow talk tirades, how Kateโ€™s brothers didnโ€™t respect him). โ€œWeโ€™ll take a long trip abroad and figure out what comes next. Clean slate for both of us. Would you like that?โ€

โ€œOf course,โ€ she said. โ€œThat would be wonderful.โ€

Anne liked her job; when sheโ€™d applied and interviewed, she honestly wanted to work at the firm. Numbers made a kind of sense to her, investment a kind of union of logic and magic. Client work was a bit of a game, wasnโ€™t it โ€“ convincing people to part with their cash on the promise that you could make them more? She also respected and admired her boss โ€“ her loverโ€™s wife — Kate. A powerful, intelligent woman.

Maybe Anne should have thought about all of that before she submitted to Hughโ€™s advances. He wasnโ€™t the power player; sheโ€™d miscalculated, or not run the numbers at all. She made mistakes like that sometimes, let the game run her. Pop thought it was a form of self-sabotage. Sometimes, sweetie, I think your heartโ€™s not quite in it. Maybe he was right.

โ€œUgh,โ€ said Hugh, pulling away, glancing at his watch. โ€œIโ€™m late. I have to change and meet Kate at the fundraiser.โ€

She rose and walked the expanse of his office, got his tux from the closet, and lay it across the back of the couch. Another stunning item, heavy and silken. She ran her fingers lovingly along the lapel. He rose, and she helped him dress, hanging his other clothes, putting them back in the closet. She did his tie. In his heart, he was a little boy. He wanted to be attended to, cared for. Maybe everyone wanted that.

โ€œYou look wonderful,โ€ she said, kissing him. โ€œHave fun tonight.โ€

He looked at her long, eyes filling again.

โ€œSoon,โ€ he said. โ€œThis charade can end.โ€

She put a gentle hand to his cheek, smiled as sweetly as she could muster and started to move from the room.

โ€œAnne,โ€ he said, grabbing for her hand. โ€œI love you.โ€

Sheโ€™d never said it back. Sheโ€™d said things like โ€œme, tooโ€ or sheโ€™d send him the heart- eyed emoji in response to a text, sometimes she just blew him a kiss. He hadnโ€™t seemed to notice, or his pride was too enormous to ask her why she never said it, or if she loved him. But mainly, she thought it was because Hugh only saw and heard what he wanted to.

She unlaced her fingers and blew him a kiss. โ€œGoodnight, Hugh.โ€

His phone rang, and he watched her as he answered.

โ€œIโ€™m coming, darling,โ€ he said, averting his eyes, moving away. โ€œJust had to finish up with a client.โ€

She left him, his voice following her down the hall.

In her office, she gathered her things, a strange knot in the pit of her stomach. She sensed that her luck was about to run out here. She couldnโ€™t say why. Just a feeling that things were unsustainable โ€“ that it wasnโ€™t going to be as easy to leave Kate as he thought, that on some level he didnโ€™t really want to, that once things reached critical mass, sheโ€™d be out of a job. Of course, it wouldnโ€™t be a total loss. Sheโ€™d make sure of that.ย 

There was a loneliness, a hollow feeling that took hold at the end. She wished she could call Pop, that he could talk her through. Instead her phone pinged. The message there annoyed her.

This is wrong, it said. I donโ€™t want to do this anymore.

Just stay the course, she wrote back. Itโ€™s too late to back out now.

Funny how that worked. At the critical moment, she had to give the advice she needed herself. The student becomes the teacher. No doubt, Pop would be pleased.

Anne glanced at the phone. The little dots pulsed, then disappeared. The girl, younger, greener, would do what she was told. She always had. So far.

Anne looked at her watch, imbued with a bit of energy. If she hustled, she could just make it.

Excerpted from Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger, Copyright ยฉ 2020 by Lisa Unger. Published by Park Row Books.

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About Lisa Unger

Lisa Unger is theย New York Timesย and internationally bestselling author of eighteen novels, including CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 (Oct. 2020). With millions of readers worldwide and books published in twenty-six languages, Unger is widely regarded as a master of suspense.ย Her critically acclaimed books have been voted “Best of the Year” or top picks by theย Today show,ย Good Morning America,ย Entertainment Weekly,ย Amazon,ย IndieBoundย and others.ย Her essays have appeared inย The New York Times,ย Wall Street Journal,ย NPR, andย Travel+Leisure. She lives on the west coast of Florida with her family

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21 responses to “Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger

  1. This is one I’ve been hearing great things about and it falls into one of my favorite genres. It’s definitely on my TBR.
    Great review!

  2. Robin Taylor

    Glad you enjoyed this book. Somebody asked me today on my channel if I thought this was her best date. Still pondering over that one.

  3. Robin Taylor

    Glad you enjoyed this book. Somebody asked me today on my channel if I thought this was her best date. Still pondering over that one.