The Passenger

Have you ever wondered what it be like to be on the run? Tanya Dubois is now finding this out. After discovering her husband Frank dead at the bottom of their stairs, she assumes the police will conclude she killed him even though she is innocent. Due to her questionable past, she feels her only option is to flee. She transforms her appearance, withdraws differing amounts of money from her credit cards, grabs some belongings, and flees without any particular plan in mind.

She drives for hours before checking into a seedy motel, paying cash, and signing in under an assumed name. Against her better judgment, she calls in a favor from a man who owes her requesting a new identity and money. Now using the moniker of Amelia, she heads to a tavern where the barmaid, Blue, waits on her and at once Amelia considers her an ally. Blue offers Amelia a place to crash with Amelia trustingly accepting, not knowing the woman’s history. Upon leaving the bar, they are apprehended by “friends” of Amelia's benefactor who are out to kill her.

They escape, and Blue suggests Amelia take her identity, sending her on her way having Amelia believing the man Blue recently murdered—and whom she and Blue just buried—to be Blue’s abusive husband. Assured no one is looking for Blue under her real name of Debra, it’s not long before Blue’s past catches up with her and surprises both the “new” Debra and the unknown stranger, also formerly known as Tanya.

Escaping multiple localities and acquiring new identities Tanya must perform acts she never thought possible to survive. Deception and intrigue abound as the central figure remains incognito and one step ahead of the law as well as the man who wants her dead.

This basis of The Passenger proves captivating in some instances, yet it wraps up too smoothly and is tedious to follow with all the differing identities.   

The many characters make this story rather farfetched. Blue could have been fleshed out more to show the motive behind her actions, and Dominic, the cop involved, acts somewhat absurd in his dealings, as well, we’re not sure why he’s included in the novel. Though the premise of this tale is appealing, the subplots tend to confuse with the character changes, especially those of the protagonist, leaving questions unanswered and the overall story unsatisfactory.