I've read some of Ms Candlish's books in the past, so I knew what to expect, but still this book was thrilling, and gripping and blew me away half of the time! Recommended for anyone who loves a good read!

What a helter-skelter of a read! It doesn’t get twistier than this. It’s unusual to find such a deliciously well-plotted book with ‘real’ characters you actually care about. A book you can’t wait to dive into at the end of the day.

Jamie Buckby has been living with Clare for ten years rent free. His salary hardly compares to hers which creates its own set of problems from the start. After a dinner party with a younger couple, Kit and Melia, Jamie upgrades himself to a daily commute on the Thames riverboat. Probably a smart idea after his panic attack on a stifling and claustrophobic tube. Although the tube journey is familiar to me, taking a boat is something I’ve never done and the scenery and history of London buildings is beautifully illustrated.

Kit and Jamie hit it off from the start, although I found Kit’s flaky personality wearing at times. Certainly not off-putting but skilfully drawn to reveal his grating behaviour. When he disappeared, I was almost relieved. However, a disappearance requires a police investigation and Jamie is their number one man. He was the last person to have seen him and their parting was less than harmonious. With Clare playing a super-sleuth and Jamie digging himself deeper into a hole of his own making, the book keeps you hooked.

The story is told in dual timelines: Jamie’s interrogation later in the year with two detectives, and his initial meeting with Kit in January. It takes us on a capricious journey interspersed with so many misleading and cleverly disjointed paths, it left me breathless. Jamie is likable, although easily-led, and I wasn’t surprised by his change of direction. The curiously seductive Melia has a turbulent relationship with Kit, although I found her the most interesting of them all. The police interviews, which confirm a high level of research for a book such as this, peel away the layers of an intricate plot. But in spite of everything, the gold nugget at the centre continues to evade us.

The ending was utterly shocking, and I have to say this is one of the best books I’ve read this year. If you like your books shaken and thoroughly stirred, with a twist of acerbic wit, then this is the book for you. Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for the ARC, and to Netgalley and the author for an intense and dazzling read!

What a fantastic, twisting and clever thriller. It’s so difficult to say much without spoiling, but it’s brilliant about modern life, struggles faced by different generations. I also loved the way London is portrayed, both beautiful and dark. It’s brilliant and complex and kept me on the edge of my seat.

i was absolutely glued to this novel, set among a bunch of commuters on a riverboat on the Thames - such a clever and unique setting. It's beautifully written, ingeniously plotted, filled with love-to-hate characters. If you liked Louise Candlish's other novels you will love this one.

Another fabulous read by Louise Candlish
Compelling and completely gripping
So many twists you just don't see coming
and an astonishing finish

Loved Loved Loved it

ThAnk you netgalley, Louise Candlish and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read and review this book.

This novel tells the story of two couples- Kit and Melia and Jamie and Claire. and how their lives are interwoven.

Jamie meets Kit, when he decides to change his daily commute from the train to the river bus. Melia goes to work for Clare's company and they begin to socialise as couples. When Jame and Melia begin a relationship, things get complicated. Especially when Kit goes missing and Jamie is suspected of his murder. This is where th clever twists begin, so I won't add any spoilers.

The author offers a good contrast between the older and younger couple and their differing financial circumstances. She does a fantastic job of keeping the reader engaged and building tension throughout. I also loved the way the puzzle pieces were gradually revealed and brought together at the end.

I have read a few of Louise Candlish's books now and would highly recommend them.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This was a brilliant read - I really enjoyed it and it easily gets five stars from me!

One detail that particularly stood out for me was the use of the water taxis to commute to work - this felt especially original.

This book had twists that I didn't see coming at all, which is something I always appreciate. It was extremely clever and kept me hooked. I wanted to keep reading for hours!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Candlish and have loved every one of her books. The Other Passenger is no different. It’s gripping and it’s twisty. I love her writing style and the uniqueness of her stories. I did enjoy The Other Passenger and would recommend it to others, but it’s definitely not been my favourite by her so far

A really great read, fantastic plot which kept you guessing all the way through and then twist after twist. I found myself siding with characters throughout and the whole story is so well put together and thought out. I really enjoyed how it took you back to earlier events and through you a curve ball! This will stay with me for a long time!

This is the first book I have read by Louise Candlish, and the first ARC I’ve received from Net Galley. It was absolutely gripping.

Lots of thrillers at the moment flick between before and after storylines, sometimes irritatingly so, it seems just to be on trend. The Other Passenger uses the device brilliantly to create tension and to allow Candlish several perspectives on the same narrative, told by the same narrator in different states of mind. I love an unreliable narrator, and Jamie Buckby is certainly that.

The mystery of the identity of the eponymous Other Passenger is also handled really well, with the final scenes in the book both humorous and chilling.

I was surprised to enjoy the intergenerational tensions between the protagonists, and the class element that drives the plot. The way the author plays around with stereotypes of both these issues with sardonic humour really works.

Finally, I loved the descriptions of London and Edinburgh, cities I know well. It must be hard to write about such tourist hotspots without falling into trope, but Candlish handles her settings with aplomb.

By the end of the book, there was not a single character I liked or admired - not even Regan. However, I enjoyed exploring their motivations and actions, and the delicious frisson of each of them getting their just desserts, though not at all in a way I could have predicted. 5/5 would recommend.

Now this is going to be the hardest review to write as there is so much I cannot say, but wow! Louise has been one of my favourite authors since I devoured The Swimming Pool. I can’t say I’ve read all of her books but the ones I have have been amazing. The Other Passenger may well be her very best. Now in a number of Louise’s books you don’t necessarily like the characters because she has a knack for creating real life nasty people, yet in their times of need you are made to feel for them.

Louise writes local to me, right now due to the virus that we are all sick of hearing about I’m not at my place of work. For those who are reading my blog for the first time I work at The O2 and currently work is non existent. I’ve never took the Thames Clipper riverboat as my journey rather than a tube but it’s something I know which also had a relevance to me. Although now I do want to take the riverboat just to see what Jamie, Kit and co saw on their daily commute.

Phobias are never written about where they show the impact on your everyday life. So in hearing Jamie’s fear I really did feel for him, I’ve never been scared of tubes or trains even after 7/7 and 9/11 but during these times I’ve felt an anxiety I had never experienced. So books are really pulling me through and this one has come at just the right time.

I found when I got to about 60% in the story started to free fall little did I know that the queen on I really didn’t see it coming would throw twist after twist. There is so much I want to say but I honestly want every other bookworm to get the rush that I got from reading this tale. This story has a lot packed into it it’s a tale of love, lust, friendship, loneliness, greed, want, ambition to name a few. I honestly want to say OMG but….but I honestly cannot a whirlwind read that I needed during these crazy times. As ever another bestseller from the queen that is Louise Candlish.

I often feel like a really rubbish blogger as half the time I have all the intentions but not enough time. Right now my passion for reading is pulling me through and I’ve already started prepping my what I read in March post…March really did change in the blink of an eye. Come the weekend I should be occupying my mind with a temporary position don’t get me wrong my books will still be pulling me through.

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster for yet again letting me read an absolute treat before publication this beauty will be released on 25th June. I will do my utmost to share this post again around then. You can get it Here

I’d give this a 4.5 rather than a 5!

I admit I felt this to be quite a slow burner, but boy did it pick up! Each plot reveal I’d be like okay this is where we are going and then BAM another twist I did not see coming comes along! If you’re a fan of Gone Girl, I think you will love this. It’s been a great lock down bit of escapism!

Brilliantly written as always, loads of twists as always with Louise’s books. Complex relationships, flawed character making mistakes that have outcomes that will impact on lives for a long time! Manipulation and the power of a younger person! Brilliant in every way. Thank you for letting me review this book, loved it.

Wow, what a book! I have loved all of Louise Candlish books, but this is definitely the best she has written so far.
I was gripped from page 1 and raced though it. It’s one of my favourite books of the year as it’s original, superbly written and stays with you a long time after finishing it.
I’d hugely recommend this book, it’s fantastic!

Louise Candlish does write some gripping and insightful dramas. This is another which would make a good TV show.

Jamie and his partner Clare work in London and they get to know younger couple Kit and Melia. Lives become entwined when Melia begins working for Clare’s company and the four begin socialising. The age differences make this unusual but there’s also the fact is that they have little in common.

Jamie takes the riverboat to work. A bit unusual but then you learn that he’s got a phobia of public transport due to an earlier problem. Kit starts taking the riverboat too and the two men get chatting more. And so the journey begins in more ways than one. It’s not long before Kit goes missing…..and then all hell breaks loose.

So begins a really good thriller and look into the generational gaps, the London way of life, the men v women argument and many decisions about right and wrong. There are some real moments of humour here too and I have to say, a very strong reason to start going on London River boats! (Apart from Kit going missing of course)

Candlish does it again.

When Lucy Foley says its a must-read, you bloomin well start reading!

This was my Louise Candlish book, but it won't be the last. There is no doubt that she has a skill for writing and drawing you in. I loved the setting with the London riverboat commute: nice to have something different for a change. And the main twist knocked me back for six, and that is what you want in a thriller!

My only quibble with the book is that the characters could be a bit one-dimensional at times. Especially in the first half where it appears the sole personality of two of the characters is that they want a house/money they don't have. I got a bit fed up of hearing about it!! But thankfully the second half was a saviour.

I really enjoyed this book! A great story line that kept me hooked and excellent main characters. I would highly recommend this book.

I have always loved louises books and this one was certainly a keep you guessing psychological thriller of a read, with an ending that I didn’t see coming at all !
Middle aged middle class couple Clare and Jamie befriend younger, financially impoverished couple kit and melia, this unlikely pairing of couples leads to a complex, twisty tale of intrigue,suspense and scandal and illustrates the complexities of love and scheming with clever plots and unseen happenings, which will leave you with dark sinister thoughts re the London underscene.
Thank you net galley for this early read.

Thank you for the advance copy, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster!

I really enjoyed The Other Passenger. I had all sorts of theories of my own as I read and thoroughly enjoyed being mislead. Candlish writes so well that I felt as caught up in a web of lies as her characters not knowing who and what to believe. Easy to read though, her writing isn’t pretentious.

There was lots to take in while reading: generation differences as a theme, the commuting by boat as a means to put different characters together, Jamie’s phobia being central to the plot. The author did a superb job weaving these things together.

This was the third Candlish book I have read and my favourite thus far.

Louise Candlish is the queen of the jaw-dropping plot twist.

This fantastic book never failed to surprise and astonish me.

I really enjoyed the commmuter river boat setting for a lot of the story, very different and historically interesting.

If you want a distracting and enjoyable read pick this book!