Two strangers, for reasons initially unknown, and reasons so different, meet in Beijing and to suit their own (nefarious?) purposes agree to share a cabin on the Trans-Siberian Express as they make their way to Moscow. One has done something she'd rather forget; one has a past that infiltrates the present. But is either who she really says she is? As Violet and Carrie begin their journey, Bad Things Happen... but neither stranger is prepared to let the other go and as events begin to spiral out of control, we find ourselves asking how many game plans each really has? What does each have to gain, and who really has the upper hand? This novel has been compared with Patricia Highsmith's "Strangers on a Train" - it's many years since I read that, so my memory is hazy, but I can vouch for the suspense of "Violet" being right up there; I read this in a day and, coincidentally, I was on a train, too, though I met no random strangers...! Easily SJI Holliday's best novel yet, and I say that having given her last book, The Lingering, a 5* rating, so this easily achieves this rating too, and comes with my strong recommendation if you like your suspense to be character-driven, believable, and very, very in the moment.

This disturbing thriller opens in Beijing where Violet has landed after her relationship with Sam ended in Australia. She is trying to buy a ticket for the Trans-Siberian Express, leaving the next morning but she is thwarted. Carrie, who is also on her travels, happens to have a spare ticket, as her erstwhile travelling companion has broken her leg and is unable to travel. And thus Violet and Carrie head off together on their travels. Violet establishes that she has some kind of agenda early on, but what it exactly is remains to be seen. The pervading sense of menace as the narrative progresses left me avidly turning the pages as “V” and Carrie stop in Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia and then alight in Irkutsk (Siberia). They of course meet up with other travellers and Carrie has a natural charm and flair with people that draws her into the crowd, leaving Violet very much on the edge (in more ways than one!). Violet grumps and feels hard done by. Violet falls for Carrie and awkwardly tries to engineer a committed relationship but Carrie is not one to be tied down. They rub along well enough at the beginning, it is an adventure after all, but soon there is friction that becomes untenable. As the journey continues, the death toll rises… That naughty Villanelle came to mind at times. Tensions are fuelled by excessive alcohol and drug consumption and once they have attended a festival and had their futures read by a Shaman, all hell breaks loose. I found myself palming my forehead on several occasions as the women accepted lifts and invitations from strangers. No, no, don’t do that…. but of course they did. The author is really skilled at setting a good pace, adding twists and turns that veer off track (no pun intended) and writing psychologically damaged characters. Things are certainly not always as they seem. The settings – the monotonous drone of the wheels clacking their way West and the stoping points, terminating in Berlin (via a flight) – are all very evocative. Who knew there was a buzzing Irish Bar scene in remote UB – perhaps it is not as remote as one imagines? The young women, for example, head out into the desert and a savvy young man shares his top tips of bringing vanilla drops to make the tea palatable and Soy Sauce to mask the flavour of the mutton stews. Who knew? It is so clear from the detail of setting that the author has in depth knowledge of the journey from Beijing onwards and indeed you can read more of her experience on her own blog, where she shares wonderful photos over several posts of her own journey taken in 2006. Recommended.

VIOLET is the first novel I have read by this author and it won't be my last.i read it in two sittings!suspenseful from beginning to end.i highly recommend this book.

I see many thrillers described as psychological and often I’m disappointed. I’m happy to say that I wasn’t with Violet, my new favourite novel by this author. It had it all. Violet was an unreliable, unsettling and at times creepy narrator, and Carrie her new friend and travel companion has just become her new obsession. But Carrie also has issues, and not just the ones that involve heavy drinking and drug taking. Most of what you learn about her is through her emails home to family and the best friend who couldn’t be with her. It is these that also show what she really thinks about Violet and also what occurred back home. Everything about this novel works. The setting in countries that are completely different to the UK. The descriptions of the customs, some of which were really eerie. And the increasingly bizarre behaviour of Violet that had me wondering what she would do next. It is very clever with characters that scared me at times, but strangely ones I could also feel sympathy for. As the story progressed there was insight into why they behaved like they did, especially with Violet. As I read this novel I also enjoyed seeing daily photographs on the author’s website of her trip that inspired the novel.

Normally it takes me months to read a book... but this book , I couldn’t put down. Well worth a read.. 10/10