Publication Date: October 20, 2026
A twisty, high-stakes thriller in the breathless, page-turning style of Ruth Ware, Lisa Jewell, and Claire Douglas, in which nothing is as it seems and saving the day is only the beginning.
Claire Fitzroy was on the way home to London when her train from Manchester was hijacked by a group of armed men. In one terrifying moment she faced the starkest of choices: to passively stand back or act and fight back-knowing that with either choice, she could die.
With nothing to lose, the middle-aged art lecturer gathered and led a squad of passengers who, against all odds, overcame the hijackers and saved hundreds of lives. But what at first looks like heroism may play out very differently in the courts of law and public opinion. Especially when you have the blood of two men on your hands.
Opinions are heated and divided. Was she a selfless and quick-thinking hero? Or an attention-seeking vigilante and unrepentant murderer? Until now Claire has remained silent. Now, she’s finally speaking out about what happened that morning on the 10:12.
But is it the whole story?
What was supposed to be a normal commute turns into a matter of life and death for the people on board the train to London.
Author Anna Maloney delivers an action-packed thriller in The 10:12. Central to the story is Claire Fitzroy, a history of art university lecturer in her 50s.
The author’s approach is through a manuscript Claire writes in which she tells the “real” truth behind what happened on that train and in the ensuing trial two years later.
The sheer horror of dealing with hijackers aboard a train is detailed through the perspectives of different characters. How Claire managed to not only have a front-row seat to the action, but also played a pivotal role in saving the train, looks different through the lens of the court system.
Getting the truth, not just the convenient answers from the police, proves to be a risky quest that Claire is determined to complete.
The 10:12 packs a powerful punch not only during the train rescue, but also in the ensuing fact-finding mission.
The 10:12 is Anna’s first novel, for which she won the CWA Emerging Author Dagger. She also writes for TV, film and radio and won a BAFTA award for the TV drama Falling Apart. Previously she worked as a lecturer, in factual TV, journalism and PR – as well as being a qualified playleader and sometime usherette. Anna lives in London, near where she grew up as part of a large Irish family. She also spent some years in Australia.
