The next morning, Nilsson takes Lo below deck so she can see for herself if she recognizes the missing girl among the ship’s staff. When Lo insists that she spoke to the girl in Cabin 10 earlier and that she must be in danger or dead, Nilsson tells her that cabin has always been empty. By the time head of security Johann Nilsson arrives, however, the blood has disappeared. She runs out onto the veranda and thinks she sees the shape of a woman’s hand swirling beneath the water, as well as a smear of blood on the neighboring veranda. Very late that night, after a drunken Lo has fallen asleep, she’s awakened by what she thinks is the sound of a scream, soon followed by a loud splash. She’s struck by the apparent youth of yacht owner Lord Richard Bullmer, as well as the sickly appearance of his wife, Anne Bullmer, who’s been fighting cancer. The woman seems flustered and abruptly shuts the door in her face after giving her the mascara.ĭuring the first night’s networking dinner, Lo meets a number of fellow journalists, including her ex-boyfriend, Ben Howard, but she doesn’t see the girl again. She’s greeted by a surprised young woman wearing a ratty Pink Floyd T-shirt. On the first evening of the cruise, Lo knocks on the door of the neighboring cabin to borrow some mascara. She also uses alcohol to help her manage her anxiety. Before leaving for the cruise, she argues with her boyfriend, Judah, because she’s hesitant to move forward in their relationship, despite Judah waiting for months and turning down a New York job offer to stay with her.īy the time she’s welcomed aboard the Aurora, Lo is severely sleep-deprived and still suffering flashbacks to the burglary. After breaking her way out, she struggles with flashbacks and insomnia, but she’s determined not to miss her big break: covering the Aurora, a luxury yacht cruising the Norwegian fjords to see the northern lights, for the travel magazine Velocity.

Laura “Lo” Blacklock, a 32-year-old travel journalist, is trapped in the bedroom of her London flat one night while a burglar ransacks her belongings.

The woman in cabin