This book had interesting characters, an interesting plot, and an unpredictable ending. I thought this was a complete page turner. Job well done!

This book kept my attention! There was so much going on. I enjoyed the way the book was told. It went back and forth from the present to the past. I also like how the story was told through both the point of view of the husband and the wife. It made me feel like I knew secrets! I didn’t see the twist coming so that was nice. This was a great read.

Debbie Babitt's gripping drama "The Man on the Train" transports readers through the complicated relationships between deception, love, and trust. The story follows Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Linda Haley, whose life is turned upside down when her husband Guy is named as the main suspect in a vicious murder. In addition to posing a threat to Linda's professional future, the case compels her to consider the possibility that her spouse was leading a parallel life.

Babitt is a story that is expertly told and explores the frailty of relationships in addition to resolving a murder. The story moves quickly, taking us from the peaceful suburbs to the Hamptons and ultimately to an assassin is waiting at a suburban train station. In order to create a multi-layered narrative that keeps the reader wondering, the novel alternates between the present and an unsolved murder that occurred forty years ago.


Each character is portrayed with skill, but Linda's storyline stands out in especially. She exhibits both courage and vulnerability as she struggles to deal with the truth about her husband's hidden life and the fallout from his disappearance. With their individual secrets and motivations, the supporting cast, which includes an ex-cop who has affections for Linda, gives the plot more dimension.

Babitt's writing is vivid, perfectly expressing the spirit of every scene as well as the characters' internal conflict. The suspenseful pace is maintained throughout by a series of twists and turns. Incredibly, the last revelation Readers are left wondering how far someone would go to defend—or condemn—a loved one in this gripping and gratifying story.

The Man On The Train is a gripping page turner. I loved the Hitchcockian vibes, definitely a nod to the mysteries of that time period. Atmospheric and compelling I highly recommend it.

A marriage already on shaky ground is subjected to an unimaginable pressure.

Linda Haley is an Executive Assistant DA in Manhattan whose career is on a solid upward trajectory, while her husband Gus (whose dream it has always been to be a published author) is in a quasi-writing job he increasingly hates and where he continues to be passed over for promotion. Each has experienced tragedy in their youth: Linda’s younger brother was killed in a hit and run while riding his bike, and Guy was raised by an alcoholic and abusive father and discovered his mother’s body when she committed suicide. It’s one of the things that binds them together as a couple, until the day that Linda wakes up alone to find the police at her front door looking for Guy, who they say is a suspect in a murder. As details emerge indicating that Guy has not only started drinking again, he has been seen out with a beautiful younger woman who may, or may not, be connected to the dead man in the seedy no-tell motel around the corner from Guy’s office. Despite being ordered by her boss to stay away from the investigation, Linda feels compelled to dig in to the case. With Pete, the DA’s office investigator and former cop at her side, LInda finds that there is a lot about her husband that she doesn’t know…including the fact that he has been accused of murder before.
With two separate mysteries unfolding, the present day murder of the man in the motel and the death of a teenage boy in 1984 in the seaside town of Manatawkett (where Guy and his parents spend their last weeks together before his mother’s suicide), my attention was piqued from the first pages and kept until the end. Linda is a strong but vulnerable woman who finds herself in a nightmare which may cost her not only her marriage but her career. Her faith in Guy’s innocence is badly shaken….there is so much evidence pointing to his guilt not only in the present day but in the events of 1984. People in Manatawkett have long memories, and a recent suicide there also seems linked to the 1984 death. Guy is a man in the midst of a mid-age crisis that has spun out of control. Just like having one drink has undone his sobriety, responding to the attention of a beautiful woman has led him to the brink of infidelity. Waking up hungover with no memory of the previous days puts him in the same position he found himself in 1984, unable to say for certain whether or not he s innocent. Weaving in the themes of class resentments between holiday towns and the city people who play there, the blow to the ego when one partner’s success eclipses the other’s dreams, and how past traumas and secrets can erupt later in life in unanticipated ways, The Man on the Train is a gripping thriller that fans of authors like Claire Mackintosh, Ruth Ware and Alex Findlay will enjoy. Did some of my early suspicions pan out? Maybe, but it was a fun ride nonetheless. Many thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers/Scarlet for allowing me early access to this entertaining read.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of The Man on the Train by Debbie Babitt, published by Penzler Publishers

I was hooked from the first page, I loved how the author created interest right from the beginning, the story could have gone in so many directions and I had to find out what was going to happen. The characters and places and events were all well described. I got a little confused part way through with the characters but sorted myself out as I kept reading. I just lost track of who was who.
I did not predict the ending, it was well written, and a  great twist. I honestly never wanted to put this book down, I loved the drama and suspense.

I would absolutely read more novels by Debbie Babitt

What really happened 40 years ago? Is Guy really a murderer? And is this the second kill for him? Those are the horrible question facing Linda, an assistant DA in Manhattan whose husband Guy seems to have been living a secret life on the Metro North train both use to commute to the city from Scarsdale. Linda, determined to get answers, heads to Manatawkett on the Island but there are secrets, lies, and more questions. No spoilers from me on this well done page turner. I was actually surprised by some of the twists. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read perfect for- wait for it- the commute.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

"The Man on the Train" by Debbie Babitt is a riveting thriller that takes readers on a tumultuous journey through the complexities of trust, love, and deception. The narrative unfolds with Linda Haley, a Manhattan Assistant District Attorney, whose life is upended when her husband Guy becomes the prime suspect in a brutal murder. The case not only threatens to derail Linda's career but also forces her to confront the possibility that her husband may have been living a double life.

Babitt's storytelling is masterful, weaving a tale that is as much about the fragility of relationships as it is about solving a crime. The plot hurtles forward like a runaway train, taking us from the quiet suburbs to the Hamptons, and finally to a suburban train station where a killer lies in wait. The story oscillates between the present and a forty-year-old unsolved murder, creating a layered narrative that keeps the reader guessing.

The characters are well-drawn, with Linda's character arc being particularly compelling. As she grapples with the reality of her husband's secret life and the implications of his disappearance, we see her strength and vulnerability in equal measure. The supporting cast, including an ex-cop who harbors feelings for Linda, adds depth to the story, each with their own motivations and secrets.

Babitt's prose is evocative, capturing the essence of each setting and the emotional turmoil of the characters. The pacing is tight, with twists and turns that maintain suspense throughout. The final reveal is both shocking and satisfying, leaving readers to ponder the lengths one would go to protect (or condemn) a loved one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penzler Publishers for an ARC of this book in exchance for my honest review.
As Manhattan District Attorney Linda Haley wakes up to two police officers knocking on her door, she realizes that her husband never came home the night before. Guy is now the prime suspect in a murder, and has gone missing. As Linda starts investigating, she finds out that Guy had been living a double life. She heads out with her investigator to the small town of Manatawkett, where one summer 40 years ago her husband’s life was changed forever.
I am torn about this book. While I enjoyed it, I expected it to be more focused in the present time and on Guy’s relationship with the mystery woman he met on the train, but the story is really focused on his life that one summer all those years ago. Still an enjoyable read with some interesting characters and some good twists.

This book was full of twists, turns, mystery and murder.

This book had me hooked at page one. I wasn't sure at first if I was going to like it but it made me want to keep reading and it really was a quick read.

This was a good read and full of suspense as well. I will read more from this author and will recommend this book.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

I read this on a flight and was so glad I could read it all in one sitting. Mystery, murder, intrigue, and tense relationships. I wasn't quite sure where the story was headed, but that only made me want to keep reading and quickly finish the book to figure out details and really understand the main characters. Good suspense that makes you wonder who Gary really is and what his issues are.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for access to this e-ARC.

It’s never good when the police come knocking on your door. Linda learns that they are looking for her husband Guy, who did not come home last night. They have a lot of questions for him, and not about a bunch of unpaid parking tickets, but about a murder.
Linda, an assistant district attorney is shocked and sets out to discover the truth. She travels from Scarsdale to the Hamptons and learns that this isn’t the first time her husband has been accused of murder.
What slowly emerges is a very sad tale. The haves, those who vacation in the Hamptons, versus the have nots, those who are just trying to survive, was explored in the past timeline. In the present timeline, Linda discovers that what happened one night 40 years ago, might be connected to her husband’s current plight.
I won’t say that I was shocked at how it ended, but one person’s selfish and poor decisions wound up destroying so many lives. I’m from Eastern Long Island so I enjoy reading any book set on the North or South Fork.

I could have used a bit less of the book going back to detailed events in the past and more of the present day happenings but overall, this fast-paced book kept my attention as I tried to figure out what had happened all those years ago that led to the current dilemma. A lot of characters to keep up with but I was rooting for the couple at the center of it, hoping they would find their way back to each other and also hoping against hope that Dorothy Miller's death would not go unavenged. Thanks to NetGalley and Penzler for the ARC.

I loved the idea of the Hitchcockian thriller elements to this book, it had a great overall feel to this. The characters were everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of this. Debbie Babitt wrote this perfectly and can't wait to read more from them. It uses that tension and was glad the concept worked overall with the characters being told.

The Man on the Train
by Debbie Babitt
With thanks to Netgalley and Penzler Publishers for this ARC. My opinions are my own.
I liked this mystery very much. I thought I had it figured it, but I was wrong many times. it was fast and very intense.

This book has interesting characters, an intriguing plot and an unpredictable ending, it's an absolute page turner.

This was my first time reading a book by this author and it was extremely enjoyable. I will definitely be adding more of her books to my TBR.

Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Linda Haley is awakened early one morning by two police officers at the door. She has no idea that her husband has been living a secret life during his daily commute from Scarsdale into the city. Now Guy is the prime suspect in a brutal murder that could derail Linda’s high-powered career and may be connected to a cold case, And Guy has disappeared. With a warrant out for her husband’s arrest, Linda sets out to prove his innocence accompanied by an ex-cop who harbors a secret affection for her! Together they investigate the case and dig into a few cold cases too! This book had a bit of everything, it had suspense, intrigue, mystery, murder, some steamy romance and a few crazy twists and turns! The storyline was interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Assistant District Attorney Linda Haley wakes up to the sound of two plain clothes detectives knocking on her door. Her husband I Gary is suspected of killing a man in a fleabag New York hotel. And he is now missing, assumed to have fled before the police arrived. Linda is determined to prove Gary innocent but there is a setback. Gary was charged with murder forty years earlier but the charges were mysteriously dropped. Now she and private investigator Peter Randolph drive to the Hamptons to see if this old case is somehow connected to the present. The residents of Manatawkett have been keeping secrets for a long time and they aren’t ready to give them up.

The Man on the Train is suspenseful and impossible to solve before the dramatic conclusion. The characters are well described and the village of Manatawkett, reminiscent of Montauk, is atmospheric. This mystery is deliberately slow paced at first moving to quick, can’t turn the pages fast enough action. 5 stars.

Thank you to NatGalley, Penzler Publishers and Debbie Babitt for this ARC.

This was a pretty interesting book, I had fun with it, was it my favorite no, but I can see that it will appeal to a wide audience.

The Man on the Train by Debbie Babitt
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A man with a secret past and now missing after a murder, his wife an assistant DA and she needs to find her husband to decide if he is innocent or guilty. An interesting who-dunnit with a nice twist. I enjoyed the novel it had plenty to keep you reading on. If you love a good mystery, don’t miss this one coming out 7 May 2024.