The Woman in Cabin 10

Judah, or Jude, is Lo's boyfriend. He works as a foreign correspondent, and his work frequently brings him to Russia and Eastern Europe. Judah is a serious romantic partner, and has been asking for months for Lo to move in with him. The fact that she refuses devastates him, particularly when he reveals that he has given up a dream job in New York to stay with her. Judah is devastated, too, when he learns about the burglary that traumatized Lo. He feels like it is his responsibility to protect her. At every step, Judah appears a forgiving, attentive, and devoted partner to Lo, who sometimes rejects his advances despite her deep love for him.

Judah sounds the alarm when Lo goes missing, and is frequently the character who corresponds in notes from the mainland about Lo's disappearance. Even after the Norwegian police dredge a body from the sea, Judah refuses to believe it’s Lo.

Lord Richard Bullmer is a billionaire, a self-made man who married an heiress (Lady Anne Bullmer) and now owns the ship the Aurora Borealis, which he hopes will become a small, independent luxury cruise for the rich and famous. Bullmer is relatively young, in his early thirties, and has had a rough start in life–his mother left him as a boy, and his father died when he was 18. His estate was sold off to pay for funeral expenses, leaving Bullmer essentially penniless in adulthood. Despite this, he began a startup company in college, and quickly made a name for himself in business.

At first, Lord Bullmer appears kind, level-headed, charming, and approachable. He urges Lo to visit him in his cabin for an interview when she struggles to connect with him her first night on the ship, acknowledging their power dynamic and the position it puts her in. Later, when Bullmer meets with Lo to go over the details of the disappearance of the woman in Cabin 10, he is stoic but attentive. He seems to reassure Lo, though later she realizes that his promises were empty.

Later, Lo discovers that Richard was behind the whole murder plot. Despite his outward charm, he is physically abusive to his mistress, Carrie, and cruelly plots Anne Bullmer's death, implicating his mistress in the process. He was hopeful at the thought that his wife would die of cancer, allowing him to inherit her fortune, but ultimately had to plan otherwise when she was given a clean bill of health after four years of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. He uses his power to manipulate his staff into disregarding both Lo and Ben Howard, when the latter raises questions about Lo's disappearance, and becomes the menacing, villainous figure in the novel, whom Lo and Carrie both seek to escape from. 

Anne Bullmer is the wife of Lord Richard Bullmer. Not much is known about Anne–she is a bit reclusive, spending most of her time in her native Norway while Richard lives in London. She grew up in a wealthy family, and Carrie describes her as cold and unloving in her marriage to Richard. She was diagnosed four years before the cruise with late-stage breast cancer, and hired a team of private doctors to cure her.

Early in the novel, Lo believes that she speaks to Anne a few times–in the hallway after dinner when Anne is too tired to make it to her bedroom, and again when she goes to Bullmer's cabin to chat with him about the woman in Cabin 10. In fact, Lo had been talking to Carrie, who was posing as Anne. Anne was the body that fell into the North Sea the night that Lo heard a scream, and Lo learns much later that Carrie spent the entire week posing at Richard's wife to cover up the murder.

Carrie, or the mysterious woman in Cabin 10, spends most of the novel unnamed. She first appears when Lo hears her next door and knocks to borrow mascara. During that period, she has long black-brown hair and plain features, and is slender. She wears a Pink Floyd tee shirt. She is disgruntled to see Lo, and lets her have her mascara in order to get her to leave. Lo doesn't see Carrie again until she spots her in one of Cole Lederer's photos.

At first, Lo believes that Carrie is the woman who was murdered and dumped overboard. She searches for any trace of Carrie on the ship, all of which are removed mysteriously from the boat as soon as they are mentioned to a member of the ship's staff. Then, Carrie appears in front of Lo's door. Lo is lured into the staff quarters and taken hostage by Carrie, where she learns that Carrie has been posing as Anne Bullmer. Believing at first that Carrie murdered Anne, Lo is confused about her motive. Later, Carrie confesses that she is Richard's mistress, and had no intention of being part of a cover-up aboard the Aurora. Carrie tells Lo about her relationship with Richard, and Lo helps her realize that Richard is using her to help him murder his wife, and will likely kill her after he kills Lo. Though Carrie is hesitant to believe Lo, she does eventually bond with Lo, and helps Lo escape from the ship. At the end of the novel, Carrie reveals her true colors when she murders Richard and sends him overboard, escapes, and then wires Lo a huge sum of Swiss francs as a thank you and an apology for the days she spent captive in the boat. Lo talks about Carrie as a sweet and caring woman who fell under the spell of a powerful man, fell in love, and struggled to escape his manipulation and abuse. 

Camilla Lidmann is the manager of hospitality aboard the Aurora. She is almost painfully gracious, and welcomes Lo aboard the ship. She appears very little in the novel, but does manage the entire ship staff, and watches over the young female staff members when they give Lo their statements about the night of the murder. 

Cole Lederer is a well-known travel journalist and photographer. Lo recognizes him from his work on global warming and the Arctic Circle. Though Cole typically does more politically-conscious work, he was invited aboard the ship to photograph the cruise as a favor to Bullmer. In Lo's first experience with Cole, he reveals that his wife is having an affair with his best friend. Later, Cole hits on Lo, and invites her back to his cabin. Lo refuses, and Cole doesn't seem too put out by her rejection. Still later, Lo sees a photo of Carrie on Cole's camera, and becomes suspicious. Cole loses the photo when he cuts his hand on a glass and his camera is thrown in the hot tub where he, Lars, Chloe, Lo, and Bullmer are lounging. Though Lo initially suspects Cole, it is ultimately unclear whether or not he was in on the murder plot. From his anger and his drunken state after his camera was destroyed, it seems more likely that he was an innocent, if bitter, onlooker with a high sex drive. 

Tina is one of the most complicated characters aboard the Aurora. She is an editor for the acclaimed Vernean Times, and at first appears catty and gossipy. Lo has some ideas about Tina's personality from her boss, Rowan, and Ben Howard, who both claim that she is cruel and manipulative and will do anything to get to the top, particularly if it means stepping on the dreams of aspiring young female journalists. Despite their beliefs, Lo realizes over the course of her time with Tina that she is more misunderstood than anything, and wonders if Rowan and Ben might be envious of her power. Tina offers Lo some freelance work aboard the ship, and calls to let Lo know she is thinking of her after she is rescued by Konrad Horst. Tina becomes a symbol of female power and the struggle for women to gain power in a man's industry and a man's world. Her sexuality is heavily critiqued, and Lo ultimately begins to feel for her because she is treated so poorly by both men and women in her industry because of her ambition. 

Ben Howard is a journalist and former coworker of Lo's. He and Lo had a relationship when Lo was in her mid-twenties, but Ben broke up with her because she was experiencing severe symptoms of depression and anxiety. Ben is one of the only people on the ship who believes Lo when she reports the murder, and he helps her investigate. Lo becomes paranoid, however, and begins to suspect Ben after a few elements of his story don't add up with the reports of other guests aboard the ship. Ben also engages in some suspect behavior–the first night he attacks Lo while they are both drunk, and Lo kicks him in the groin to get him off her. Though he apologizes, it colors his character for the remaining of the novel. Ben is one of the primary suspects up until the end of the novel, but is redeemed when he sounds the alarm about Lo's disappearance in Trondheim, and persists despite being ignored by the ship's staff. Despite his valiant behavior in defense of Lo, he is emotionally manipulative, and Lo is thankful she isn't dating him anymore after their interactions aboard the Aurora. 

Alexander Belhomme is a well-known food critic and travel journalist aboard the Aurora. He is quite overweight, and struggles to climb a flight of stairs. Initially, Lo suspects him, especially after he engages in a strange discussion of poisonous sashimi over dinner the first night. Ultimately, Lo realizes that Alexander is too unhealthy to successfully overpower a healthy young woman, which crosses him off the suspect list. Alexander is essential to the plot because he struggles to sleep the night of the murder, and goes on a walk through the halls. During his walk, he sees Cole Lederer prowling, Josef leaving Tina's room, and a young woman leaving Ben's cabin. He reveals this to Lo and Ben during a chance encounter. Alexander is prissy and a gossip, but mostly well-meaning and harmless.

Chloe is an ex-model and the wife of Lars Jensenn, high-powered financier. Chloe is kind and one of the few people to reach out to Lo after her disappearance. She reveals to Lo that she was once in an abusive relationship, and offers to help Lo cover a bruise left on her cheek from the burglar. Chloe is a trustworthy character, and looks out for Lo, despite her lack of knowledge about the circumstances happening on the ship. 

Lars is a close friend of Bullmer, and a bit blunt and unpleasant. He plays a small role in the novel itself, and is cast as a stereotypical white, male patriarch. 

Owen White is another investor on the ship. He mostly keeps to himself, but does tell Tina that he isn't interested in giving money to Richard to support the Aurora. He is the character who talks to Lo about Solberg, and is one of the few male characters in the story who doesn’t act violently against the women aboard the ship. 

Johann Nilsson is the head of security aboard the Aurora, and in cahoots with Bullmer. He is first called when Lo believes she heard a scream and a splash. He doubts Lo's testimony, but feigns interest and belief in order to appease her. He takes her on a tour of the ship to meet the staff. While at first Lo believes Nilsson is taking her seriously, he eventually calls her testimony into question because she is taking antidepressants and drinking. Nilsson appears infrequently after these initial scenes in the novel, but throughout he provides an illusory sense of security. Like the policemen on the mainland who are under the thumb of Bullmer, Nilsson is more a figurehead than a symbol of safety on the ship. 

Iwona is a Polish cleaning woman who tidies Lo's cabin. She plays a minor role when Lo questions her about the woman in Cabin 10's missing mascara. She speaks broken English and is well-meaning, but misunderstands Lo when she reveals that her mascara has been stolen.

Ulla is the beautiful front cabin steward who waits on Bullmer and the other elite guests who stay in the front of the ship. Ulla is loyal to Bullmer, and may or may not have been aware of the various threats that Bullmer orchestrated to get Lo to stop investigating the murder of the woman in Cabin 10. Ulla is the staff member who gives Lo a mud wrap during the morning at the spa; after she disappears, someone breaks into Lo's room to leave threatening messages on her bathroom mirror. Ulla is eye candy for the many guests aboard the ship, and Bullmer demonstrates his power by keeping her under his control.

Eva is the spa coordinator aboard the Aurora. She is sweet and bubbly, and tries her best to accommodate Lo in both her investigations and her panic during the morning at the spa. Lo is initially suspicious of Eva, but Eva seems to have very little to do with the murder plot.

Karla is one of the two stewards that serve Lo's cabin. She is chipper and friendly until Lo questions her about her whereabouts the night of the murder. Karla reveals, under duress, that a staff member may have smuggled a friend aboard the ship. Lo tries to ask for more, but Karla runs away before she can get more information. 

Josef is the other steward serving Lo's cabin. He plays a minor role in the story, but does engage in a sexual relationship with Tina the first night aboard. Tina's relationship with Josef becomes fuel for the men aboard, who mock her sexuality and criticize her choices. Lo questions this mockery, particularly when it comes from Ben. She recognizes that it stems from sexist and patriarchal understanding of female power. 

Rowan is Lo's boss at Velocity. She is about to go on maternity leave, which is why Lo goes on the cruise in her place. Lo wants to please Rowan so she can take on her responsibilities when she is on leave, which causes Lo a significant amount of stress. Rowan heavily criticizes Tina for her power-hunger, telling her staff that Tina steps on the backs of other young women to get her authority.

Lissie is a long-time friend of Lo. Lo sends her an email her first night on the ship. Lo refers to her a few times when she thinks about her most beloved family and friends. 

Solberg is an investor. He never appears in the story himself, but he plays a significant role in the plot. He was supposed to stay in Cabin 10, but had to cancel his trip at the last minute because his passport was stolen after a break-in. Lo becomes suspicious that both she and Solberg experienced break-ins only days before the trip. Later, Lo learns that Bullmer orchestrated Solberg's break in to keep a cabin empty for Carrie.