There is something oddly comforting about the mundane familiarity of the daily commute to work, and this chilling thriller, based on Paula Hawkins’ best-selling 2015 novel of the same name, toys with this very truism. Recovering alcoholic Rachel Watson rides the same train every day – the 8:04 to London – returning home faithfully on the 5:56. The sad truth is that she lost her job some time ago because her drinking made her unreliable. She maintains the commute because it is the only thing that gets her out of the house each day. From her window seat on the train, along the route, she observes and fixates (with a voyeurism that will delight any fan of Hitchcock) on the lives of her ex-husband Tom, his new wife Anna and their near-neighbours Megan and Scott Hipwell (although she does not yet know their names of course). She idolises their lives, creates imagined identities for them and fantasises about what life could have been like for herself if only she’d been able to hold it together. Then, on one such journey, Rachel observes something strange from the window of her carriage and Megan Hipwell is reported as a missing person soon after. Rachel, aware at some level that she may hold the key to events, takes it upon herself to investigate the extraordinary happenings she has witnessed, catapulting herself into the dark heart of a web of deceit and mystery. There are definitely echoes of the great Agatha Christie thriller ‘4:50 From Paddington’ in the synopsis. I’ve never read this novel or indeed seen the 2016 film version, so I’m absolutely looking forward to seeing how the plot unravels as I take my seat in the theatre.

Giovanna Fletcher convinces as Rachel, the ever present eponymous girl on the train. Fletcher is superb at playing all of the complex facets of this character – from the slurring and shouty, tipsy Rachel who we are never sure if we can rely on, to the lucid and tenacious seeming heroine of the piece. From the off, we as an audience are confused about whether she is the victim, the perpetrator or just an innocent bystander wrapped up in the horror of the human drama that is unfolding. We completely live this unravelling mystery with her and are equally frustrated by the bumbling and slow-to-act police in the shape of DI Gaskill (sympathetically portrayed here by Paul McEwan, who also provides some wonderful moments of light relief along the way).

Jason Merrells gives us a likeable Tom, Rachel’s ex who has moved on with his life and now lives with new partner Anna (Zena Carswell). Tom does still seems to care for Rachel, much to the annoyance of Anna. Merrells and Carswell are both excellent – totally believable as a loving couple but equally edgy – always giving us the sense that there might be something amiss in their relationship.

Suspects abound in the shape of Psychologist Kamal Abdic (Daniel Burke) and Megan’s own husband Scott (Samuel Collings). These characters are both beautifully drawn and expertly performed, gaining our trust while at the same time sowing the seeds of doubt. Collings shares a couple of particularly powerful scenes with Fletcher, showing the raw emotion of two desperate characters seeking answers. The soon to be missing Megan, around whom the mystery is wrapped, is ethereally portrayed by Natalie Dunn, who wafts on and off stage in flashback and undergoes a transformation as the piece progresses which only a very skilled and subtle performance could convince us of.

Credit must be given to Duncan Abel and Rachel Wagstaff for their adaptation of a story which is essentially quite difficult to tell on stage – the way that the piece is presented to us with use of flashbacks, dramatisations and narrations is  perfect in that it helps and hinders our amateur armchair sleuthing in equal measure. There are some great transitions between scenes too, the movement (directed by Mike Ashcroft) of each character and constant use of atmospheric haze adding an eerie dream-like sensation to the piece.

This staging keeps those of us who have not read the novel or seen the film guessing until the very end. The denouement of the story does not disappoint either – a real gotcha moment which clever set design enables us to enjoy in full.

This is an evening of escapism in the company of a good cast telling a great yarn. It seems to me that The Girl On The Train is well and truly on track to entertain Nottingham audiences all week – get your tickets now and embark on the journey of discovery for yourself!