The story of a middle aged couple and their twisted friendship with a much younger couple. Kit Roper commutes with Jamie by boat. One morning, Jamie is confronted by two police officers. Kit has been reported missing and Jamie is in the frame.

For me this was a real book of two halves. To begin with, I found it really hard to get into. I wasn’t particularly convinced by the growing friendship between the couples, nor the other relationships encountered between characters.

I’m so glad I persevered because the second half was thrilling; twisty, dark and clever. I didn’t see the twists coming and the plot was very well executed and slick.

I would definitely recommend this. Worth persevering, it will have you absolutely gripped!

*I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Hooked from the moment I started reading. This is Louise Candlish at her very best. Always a fan of her books but this one may just be my favourite (hard to pick really!) I couldn’t put it down and was kept guessing throughout, I had inklings but never the full story, which is important, nothing worse when you can figure everything out early doors.
I’m not going to go into the ins and outs of the storyline, I don’t want to give anything away, but it will open your eyes to what people are capable of when they are under the influence of outside influences.
An interesting mix of inter-generational characters, nobody that I could especially relate with personally, but I enjoyed delving into their viewpoints, lifestyles and I felt empathy for some more than others. A great mix of threads to highlight the selfish desires of some, the hard-working innocence of others and the egotistical members of society who think they are owed more than they work for. So very well written by the author who weaves them all together so well.
It is a fun read, not exactly the faced paced thrill but clever and very interesting. Highly recommended. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Telling the story of two couples, Clare and Jamie, and Melia and Kit. How they meet and interact and looking at how they deal with the generational differences. When Jamie and Melia start an affair and then Kit goes missing, things are not all they seem. This is another excellent work by this author. Louise Candlish has a very easy writing style. There is a certain rhythm to her writing that is quite unique. I am fairly sure I could read some of her work without knowing it was hers and recognise the author. Her characters spring to life, the final twist is surprising and original. Really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to others. If you haven't read any of her other work and enjoyed this one, I would suggest you go to "Our House" and "Those People" next. Will certainly be reading more of her work.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc. I’ve loved Louise’s previous books, so was looking forward to this, and in true Louise Candlish style this was a fun, quick read one would expect.
This is narrated from the POV of Jamie, a 48-year old man who works as a barista and relies on the earnings of his girlfriend, with whom he’s been for a decade and lives in her glorious Georgian house. Following a panic attack on the tube Jamie takes the river-bus to work in Waterloo from St Mary’s (I suspect a fictional area in South London, near Woolwich). On his commute he’s usually accompanied by Kit, who also lives in St Mary’s. However one morning after Boxing Day Kit doesn’t turn up on the river-bus and then Jamie is accosted by the police, who want to ask him questions about Kit, who’s been reported missing by his wife, Melia...
Alternating with flashbacks to the year before we see how Jamie met Kit and Melia, through his girlfriend Clare - Melia has just started working in Clare’s letting company - and the young couple live in the same area. Even though Jamie and Clare are in their 40s, and Kit and Melia in their early 30s, they become a foursome of sort with Clare taking on a a type of older sister role. Although their relationship fractures due to Kit’s resentment of how much easier the older generation had it and his own dire financial situations, ramped up with debt, and soon things are complicated when Jamie embarks on an affair with Melia. But does this mean Jamie was impassioned enough to have killed Kit?...And what did the two fight about the last evening they took the river-bus?...
Plot-wise this was a slightly typical domestic thriller read. The story was predictable and even though there were a few reveals I didn’t see coming, most of the twists in the story were easy to spot. Despite this I found The Other Passenger a compelling read for two main reasons:
* the setting. I wasn’t aware there were river-buses (and I’ve lived in London my whole life!) so I found the commute aspect of this book innovative in this genre. I loved the writing and description of London’s scenery. It gave the novel a wonderful atmosphere, which I found absorbing and easy to fall into, the perfect escape read while I’m self-isolating in this difficult time.
* The characters, their relationship and banter. Some of my favourite scenes are when the couples are having dinner or drinks and talking about work, property, money and life. There is a strong aspect of classism here and I found their dialogues gripping and emotionally truthful. Also, the characters are so well-developed and the way they play off each other, every word loaded with tension simmering underneath their suburban facades. Candlish excels at this: showing the cracks behind these middle-class lives.
Although the ending could’ve been wrapped earlier (I felt like Jamie’s last couple of chapters went on for too long), and the second half was slightly predictable, nonetheless this was a fun, read with well-developed characterisation and acidic dialogues. Give this try if you’re looking for some escapism. 4/5.

Another great page turner from Louise Candlish.
I have enjoyed all of her books - Our House - being my favourite. She has the ability to write about subject matters that somehow seem relevant and personal - not that I am saying I would steal someones house, murder someone etc - but there are subject matters people can relate to.
This latest book is pacy and the twists and turns are satisfying and I looked forward to reading it every night.
The ending was well done and totally believable. I could not recommend enough.

The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish is a devilishly delightful suspense thriller that takes you on the wildest ride!

The constant theme is money: too much, too little, who has it, who doesn’t, and who will do anything to get it?

The setting was unusual and interesting – a river boat with the historical descriptions to add to the ambience.

The characters were all too conceited, self-indulgent and sometimes quite irritating. This was a letdown for me. I would’ve liked to have connected with one of the characters so that I became invested in their tragedy but, I didn’t like any of them so didn’t actually care what happened to them. I do like to have an emotional attachment to a book and with this one, there wasn’t one.

However, I did enjoy it. This is the first novel I’ve read by Ms. Candlish, and I will definitely be getting her previous novels now.

#netgalley #theotherpassenger #louisecandlish #simonandschuster

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I'm on the fence. I feel like some of the twisted secrets and relationships were predictable, but not all of them. Seems like just when part of the plot unfolded that I felt was predictable, a surprise would come to light. I liked her previous two books better, but still the writing was good. with some good suspense.

You’re feeling pretty smug about your commute to work by riverboat. No more traffic gridlock or getting stuck on the tube in tunnels (you’re claustrophobic). Now you’ve got fresh air, an iconic Thames view, a whole lifestyle upgrade. You’ve made new friends on board — led by your hedonistic young neighbour, Kit — and just had your first official ‘water rats’ get-together. The day after the drinks, Kit isn’t on the morning boat. The river landmarks are all the same, but something’s off. When you disembark, the police are waiting. Kit’s wife, Melia, has reported him missing and another passenger saw you arguing on the last boat home after your drinks. Police say you had a reason to lash out at him. To threaten him. You protest. You and Kit are friends — ask Melia, she’ll vouch for you. And who exactly is pointing the finger? What do they know about your private lives?

I was excited by the riverboat commute aspect of this read and eager to get stuck in and see how events were going to pan out. I had so many ideas about which way Candlish would take the book. I was wrong. A good thing you might think but for me what actually happens is a big disappointment and I feel a lot more could have been done with the book.

This does have a very strong start, like I say I was keen to get stuck in and at first I was gripped but then the read just loses momentum. The so called twists become obvious and dull and I found the latter half a slog to read and if I am brutally honest, boring. This read just is not thrilling and I could easily have not finished this and I do not think I would be particularly bothered.

Moving onto the characters and what a self-centred, irritating group they are! This centres around Jamie, Kit, Melia and Clare and I did not gel to any of them in particular. This is a book around deceit and these characters are full of deceit and lies. Trouble is, I needed something or someone to root for and make me engage and care about what happened, sadly this never happened.

'The Other Passenger' held so much promise for me but it just did not deliver. This gets off to a promising start but then goes absolutely nowhere.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for an advance copy.

‘That’s how boats capsize,’ Dad said, when I rejoined Clare and him and recounted my misapprehension about a man having gone overboard. ‘People attracted by the rumour that someone else is in danger, they end up creating it for themselves.’

This is another classic psychological thriller from Louise Candlish and I would go so far as to say it’s her best, even eclipsing her magnificent number one bestseller ‘Our House’.
Intricate plotting to the nth degree, convincing characterisation, telling observations - and an unreliable narcissistic narrator to beat them all - makes this nail-bitingly compulsive reading.
The storyline about the hold up in the London underground tube was so realistically described, it left me feeling claustrophobic just reading it. I did guess one of the twists early on but the later main reveal was jaw-droppingly unexpected
... all in all, the ideal distraction from our own ongoing nightmarish situation of a country in lockdown.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an ARC of this book.

Having read the brilliant ‘The House’ I was so excited to find Louise’s new book come up on NetGalley for review, jumped at the chance to read it and moved it to the top of my pile.

The Other Passenger is a story of a seductress, Melia, who instigates an affair with Jamie, the older boyfriend of a work colleague who has taken her and her boyfriend into their friendship circle.

As the affair continues Melia, who is in a huge amount of debt, comes up with a plan involving Jamie to make a small fortune.

The book was a little slow going until it got about half way through then it really took off with so many twists and turns it had me turning the pages until I reached the ending I had not expected!

I would have no hesitation in recommending this book just bear with the slower bits it is worth it!

Wow, Louise can certainly write! A smart, well written thriller. Slow burning to begin with but after taking it's time to get under your skin, it really twists the knife! Some throughly unlikeable charcters wven into interesting plot lines makes this a superb thriller.

The Other Passenger is certainly a well-written novel, and although not to my personal tastes for reasons I'll go into, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others.

The first half of the book is pretty slow. I kept putting it down, not particularly gripped by these unpleasant, shallow people with their lax morality and tendency to complain about everything. But just over halfway through, things really started to pick up and I read the rest in one sitting as twist after twist began to pile up. The twists and denouement were good enough that in retrospect I can forgive the slow start, which is why I'd happily recommend it.

However (and this is where my personal taste comes in) I found I didn't engage with the book on an emotional level, because I really didn't like the people. Some enjoy reading about horrible people, but I just don't. They can be deeply flawed, that's fine, but I have to like them. So in the end, for me, it all just felt a bit nasty and pointless.

I'm also not convinced (trying to avoid spoilers here) that certain people would have kept quiet about their involvement … but that's a minor niggle.

Jamie finds himself a suspect in the disappearance of his neighbour Kit.
A slow moving thriller with twists and turns.
Unfortunately the swearing affected my enjoyment of this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love a Louise candlish novel ...dark dynamic twisty domestics ...right up my street .
This though for some reason took me ages to read ....no idea why ....slow burn but then it takes off half way through ....and then it’s gripping .
Very femme fatale very classic tale of devious plots afoot and seduction
Liked the ending liked the downfalls of some and the survivalist nature of others .
Took me awhile maybe a tad tooo long but thoroughly took off later on
I have read all of Louise’s and I will continue to add them to my wish list

Firstly thank you to Jess at Simon and Schuster for accepting my request to read on netgalley.

Secondly wow...all the wows!!.

Louise is a fantastic author who ive had pleasure of meeting a lot now and is lovely even with all her success!!

This is an amazing book which is going to be another bestseller.

It had everything, sex,lies,scandal and secrets.

Written in the narrative of a man which is always interesting.

You really get into his psyche.

Unpredictable,steamy and addictive.

I highly recommend this if you like thrillers that lock you in straight away and take you on a ride!

Louise has the power to take the everyday situation with regular people like her readers and create a masterpiece of suspense and tension .

Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#TheOtherPassenger #NetGalley

Absolutely addictive. 'The Other Passenger' is one of those novels that demands to be read in one sitting. Given Louise Candlish's ability to consistently churn out 5 star novels, it should come as no surprise that she has written yet another first-class thriller. All the hallmarks of Candlish's brilliance are evident here, too. It begins with the irresistible hook of two strangers meeting, and becoming friends, on the way to work via river boat along an evocatively described stretch of the Thames. The strangers are Jamie Buckby and Kit Roper. The two, along with their partners, Melia and Clare, become quite the foursome. Complex relationships form in this tale of the tangled interplay of human relations, until Kit disappears. Jamie Buckby is the prime suspect in the disappearance of the younger man. He had a fight with Kit the night before and was the last person to see him. Or was he? Melia certainly thinks so, implicating Jamie for the murder of her lover. Yet, not all is as it seems. The foursome of Jamie, Clare, Kit and Melia have their secrets, but are these secrets deserving of murder? Well, it is only by reading this superior thriller that you will find out the answers to these questions. I'll willingly admit I was blindsided by the twists in this novel. Indeed, there are enough twists in this story to make your head spin. Candlish's talents extend beyond a fiendishly, clever plot, however. Her characterisation is meticulous in its projection of realism and depth, the narrative is taut, disposing of anything superfluous to the thrust of the plot, and her writing is as crisp as freshly fallen snow on a winters day. I loved every page.

One morning Jamie Buckby takes the commuter riverboat to work in Central London, and realises that his friend and neighbour Kit Roper isn’t on the boat as usual. When he reaches his destination, the Police are waiting for him. Kit has been reported missing and it turns out that Jamie was the last person to see him and another passenger saw the pair having an argument on the last boat home.

Kit’s wife, Melia, says Jamie had reason to harm him and this other passenger believes Jamie committed murder. But what really happened?

I really don’t want to say too much about the story because part of the appeal for me was the element of surprise and all of the twists and turns leading up to the final conclusion. What I will say is that if this was a film, I would be shouting and throwing things at the TV in frustration. I both loved and hated the way the story developed and that conflict is exactly what I love about a good thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review.

Oh my..
What a story! Full of deception that you won't expect it at all. I can't promise you'll like all the characters, but I can guarantee you'll like the plot and the twist, especially the ending!!
THANKS Netgalley for an electronic ARC of this book

Actual rating: 3.75 stars.

This book started out amazing, then became a little repetitive, and in the end it turned out to be a little too long for my tastes. I think some parts could have been shortened or even cut altogether.
That being said, I really enjoyed the story overall. The setting was great and it was what drew me to the novel in the first place: the story is about a bunch of commuters who take a river bus in London. Most of the story actually takes place elsewhere, but this angle was still well done and original.
I liked the fact that the narrator was unlikeable, and from the start it was clear he wasn't to be trusted. It made for a compelling narrative. The other characters weren't much better, which again I like in mystery novels because it makes the story more unpredictable.
There were quite a few twists, none of them particularly original or groundbreaking, but some did take me by surprise, and my interest in the story remained vivid until the end.
I will definitely keep an eye on this author in the future.

Another twisty turny delight to read here from Louise Candlish, a plot that holds your attention all the way and a group dynamic that both intrigues and is randomly frustrating in the best possible way.

An unlikely friendship, a daily gossip run of a boat trip commute - all great until one of the regulars dusappears. 

The author manages the different plot threads superbly, keeping you on your toes and ultimately offering up a very satisfying ending where the river mud clears and the truth is revealed.

A great read. Thumbs up from me.