THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is a dark, haunting and depressing psychological thriller, but it's incredibly effective thanks to the writing skills of author Paula Hawkins. Rachel is a divorced woman who would do anything for a drink, and like a lot of folks consumed by a love affair with the bottle, one might call her a victim of circumstances. Her husband Tom had an affair that resulted in a pregnancy. He divorced Rachel, married the "other woman" and now all three (husband, wife and child) are happily ensconced in the house that was once Rachel's.

The train that Rachel rides to London each day takes her past her old neighborhood. From the window of the train she observes not only her old garden that backs up to the tracks, but also the daily activities of another couple who reside down the street from her previous home. In her imagination she has given the couple names and has created a fairy tale love life for them. Real life, however, cannot live up to her fantasy and the couple does not have the picture perfect relationship that Rachel has concocted. When a murder occurs, Rachel becomes entangled in the investigation because of what she has witnessed on her daily commute.

This rather bleak story with intersecting timelines is told from the viewpoint of three different women Rachel, Anne and Megan. All the women are unreliable narrators with something to hide. In fact, most of the characters in this novel, including the men, lack veracity, and are a self-serving and unsympathetic group with plenty of skeletons in their closets.

Lest I continue and divulge too much of the plot, let me just say that the twists and turns in the story are many and readers will be easily drawn in, making it easy to devour this book in one afternoon.