This study guide was created using the following version of this book: Unger, Lisa. Confessions on the 7:45. Park Row Books. 2021.

Confessions on the 7:45 tells the story of Selena Murphy, a married woman with two sons. Selena discovers her husband Graham is having an affair with Geneva, the family nanny. On the train ride home from work, Selena confesses her husband’s infidelity to Martha, a stranger on the train.

When police officers arrive at the Murphy house, Selena and Graham learn that Geneva is missing. Graham denies knowing anything about the disappearance. Selena confronts Graham about the affair. When Graham is interrogated about the disappearance, Selena’s ex-boyfriend Will acts as Graham’s defense attorney.

Selena starts getting texts from Martha to meet up. At first, Selena ignores the texts. However, as things escalate with Geneva’s disappearance, Selena reaches out to Martha to see what Martha knows or, perhaps, has done.

Martha is an alias for Pearl, a woman who disappeared after her mother was murdered and was taken in by the mother’s boyfriend Charlie. Charlie teaches Pearl how to run cons on people. Pearl suspects that Charlie may have killed her mother Stella, but Pearl thinks of Charlie as a father figure.

Pearl is a natural at conning people. She enjoys scamming money and hurting her targets. When Pearl learns the identity of her biological father, Doug, Pearl makes Doug her mark. Pearl takes money from her father and creates chaos in his business and family.

Doug also happens to be Selena’s father, but Selena is unaware that Pearl exists. When one of Selena’s sons shows Cora, Selena’s mother, a video he took of Geneva the night of her disappearance, Cora recognizes Pearl. When Selena learns that Pearl is Martha from the train, Selena tries to find out what Pearl wants from her.

A woman’s body is discovered, but the identity is revealed to be a woman that Graham worked with and harassed before Graham was fired. Will warns Selena that the police are looking for Graham, but have not found him yet. Selena hears Graham in the kitchen and confronts him. Selena and Graham argue over Graham’s treatment of women in the past and his affairs. The argument escalates to a physical altercation. Graham begins to strangle Selena, and as sirens approach, Graham is shot by Pearl. As Selena comes to, Pearl and Selena talk about why Pearl singled Selena out. Pearl gives Selena’s pieces of the puzzle, but not all of it, including what happened to Geneva.

After Pearl leaves Selena’s house and goes to get Geneva, who has been hiding in a root cellar off the grid. Geneva is another girl that Pop abducted after killing her mother. Geneva and Pearl both decide that they are done with running cons on people. They split the money and go their separate ways.

Before Pearl disappears into her new life, Pearl contacts Hunter, a private investigator that has been searching for Pearl and Geneva for years. Pearl clears up some of Hunter’s questions, including telling him that Pop was murdered by an angry mark named Bridget. Hunter asks Pearl if she ever knew Pop’s real identity, but Pearl does not. Pearl ends the call and starts her new life, but periodically checks in with Selena, who never responds to Pearl’s texts.