The Passenger

Author Website | Book Depository | Amazon |
Chapters/Indigo | Goodreads

I would like to thank Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Personally, I have been looking for a good thriller/mystery novel for a little while now. It’s one of my favourite genres, but I can be quite picky when it comes to choosing one. When I was an offered an ARC for The Passenger, the synopsis instantly grabbed me and I jumped at the chance to read it! The Passenger is so quick and fact paced it basically gave me whiplash. Once it starts, it takes off and doesn’t slow down until the final pages.

The Passenger tells the story of a young woman who jumps from identity to identity as she runs across the country while hiding in plain sight after her husband’s death. She claims she had nothing to do with it, but then why would she feel the need to run and constantly change her identity?

The Passenger is an extremely fast paced story, so much so that I didn’t have time to stop and catch my breath. Tanya (the name our lead character goes by at the beginning of the novel) jumps from identity to identity so quickly, you barely have time to get used to the new her before she becomes someone else again. While I absolutely love a fast paced story, some moments felt a little too quick, as if they were missing some details. New things started happening before I could even wrap my head around what had just happened. Although this frustrated me a little at first, it started to grow on me as the quick nature of the story matched how quickly Tanya had to act in order to remain in hiding.

The question is: what or who is Tanya hiding from? I loved the slow unravelling of the story. As each chapter ended, there were new hints and clues about Tanya’s past. We slowly learn that the death of her husband is only a minor detail of her life and that so much more has happened to this woman than we realize.

Parts of the story felt a tad unrealistic in the sense that things just went too perfectly for her. I felt like her methods of stealing identities and hiding in plain sight were so over the top that at least some problems or issues would arise, but everything seemed to work without a hitch. Everything just seemed so easy for her.

After every few chapters, there are a series of letters and emails between Tanya (who at the time went by the name Jo) and a man named Ryan that were a part of Tanya’s past. These letters provide key details into her life and are a key storytelling device that help to slowly unravel the mystery that is Tanya’s troubled past. The Passenger doesn’t contain twists and turns, but rather excels at unravelling a detailed and complicated story. I loved the letters and emails and found that I became really excited when I saw them at the end of a chapter.

The Passenger was one hell of an entertaining ride. I’ve been looking for a good thriller/mystery for a while and The Passenger definitely filled that void. I highly suggest picking this novel up if you’re looking for a fast paced read that does a great job in unravelling a detailed and intricate mystery.