These opening chapters are really intriguing. The setup seems unusual for a thriller: a woman agrees to look after a fellow train passenger’s baby for a few minutes while she makes a phone call, only to be left holding the baby when the mother exits the train at the first available station. The sense of mystery is established from the outset, and it’s exacerbated by the fact that the mother also left behind a note asking that the baby be cared for and stating that the police cannot be trusted. The ominous tone of the note (coupled with the early introduction of a potential villain) seems to be what prompts the protagonist, Ellen, not to take the baby to the police straightaway, although it’s also clear that her personal history has an influence too. Good insight seems to be provided into the thoughts and actions of Ellen, but it will be interesting to see how reliable a narrator she is as well as how she’ll be able to balance her desire to have a baby with her need to find out what has happened to the missing mother.