THE OTHER PASSENGER

 

SYNOPSIS

It all happens so quickly. One day you're living the dream, commuting to work by riverbus with your charismatic neighbour 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?

Title: The other passenger

Author: Louise Candlish

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Publication date: June 25, 2020

REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐💫

A couple of weeks back my group of bookish friends was discussing how our ratings and enjoyment of some books can sometimes be affected not only by our current mood but by our earlier reads, and that's exactly what happened to me with The Other Passenger. It's not a bad book, in fact it's a very decent domestic suspense, but my two previous books were so fast paced and engaging that this one paled a bit in comparison.

Usually I read a book in a couple of day (three tops). This one took me five. It was the first half that took me four days and the one that was a bit of a struggle. There was quite a difference between both halves. While the first one served to present the characters and their backstory to explain their current predicament, I found it a bit slow and revolving around the same issues for several chapters.

The setting was fantastic. I could see myself river commuting along the characters. Some of them were a bit one note, imo. Kit and Melia were so entitled I could not stand them complaining about what they actually had and what they perceived they deserved. For a 48 yo, Jamie didn't act like one for sure! I didn't like his resentment towards Clare for being the one bringing the money home while at the same time he enjoyed all the perks. His relationship with Kit was quite strange and I don't know how many 20-somethings would socialize with 50 yo. Jamie was a coward, plain and simple, and a clear example of a middle age guy thinking with his dick instead of his brain.

All the twists and excitement missing in the first half were comprised in the second one, with several twists that managed to turn everything upside down once you thought you had everything straight.

The last few chapters after the resolution were a bit redundant and could have been condensed as they only offered one last interesting nugget of information (and a very satisfying one).