Louise Candlish | The Other Passenger

other passenger louise candlish

The Book: 

The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish
Published July 20th 2021 by Atria Books
Date read: July 3, 2021

The Characters: 

Jamie and Clare
Kit and Melia

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon


The Plot (from Goodreads):

It all happens so quickly. One day you’re living the dream, commuting to work by ferry with your charismatic neighbor Kit in the seat beside you. The next, Kit hasn’t turned up for the boat and his wife, Melia, has reported him missing.

When you get off at your stop, the police are waiting. Another passenger saw you and Kit arguing on the boat home the night before and the police say that you had a reason to want him dead. You protest. You and Kit are friends—ask Melia, she’ll vouch for you. And who exactly is this other passenger pointing the finger? What do they know about your lives?

No, whatever danger followed you home last night, you are innocent, totally innocent.

Aren’t you?

Click here for book spoilers for The Other Passenger
Book spoilers ahead–if you haven’t yet read The Other Passenger, I suggest you turn back now.

The Twist: 

Clare suggests to Jamie that Melia and Kit have faked Kit’s death as an insurance scam. We then find out that they had, and that Jamie was in on it all along. Jamie and Melia intended to use Kit’s faked death to get the money, and then kill him.

Melia blindsided everyone, killed Kit, and framed Jamie for the death so she got all the money to herself.

The Ending:

Jamie accepts his punishment and ends up in jail. Melia comes to gloat.

The Review: 

Thank you to @atriabooks for this physical copy and to @simon.audio for the audiobook!

As this book was somewhat a slow burn, I’m very glad I got to listen to an advanced audio copy of it. Audiobooks really help keep my attention through a lot of plot buildup, as opposed to my squirrel brain getting distracted while reading. I do think some of the backstories in the beginning could have been pared down some.

The slow burn paid off in the end, though, as twist after twist unraveled in the most clever way. The last third of the book had me hooked and unable to stop listening. I had no idea where the author was leading me, only that none of the characters were to be trusted.

I enjoyed the gloomy London atmosphere and the fact that most of the book took place “in-between” various locations. The dialogue was entertaining, and the characters were well-developed. I really felt for Clare, supporting a partner who was no longer in love with her but could understand Jamie’s frustration with their imbalance in earning potential.

Overall, an entertaining thriller with whiplash-inducing twists that would be perfect to listen to on a road trip with a group. I’m definitely interested in reading more by this author.

other passenger louise candlish

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