“Lutz develops riveting suspense by slowly revealing the events that first sent Tanya/Amelia on the run, while pouring threats on her gritty heroine’s increasingly tenuous bids at survival. Binge-worthy fare, especially for those drawn to strong female protagonists” (Booklist, starred review).
From the author of the New York Times bestselling Spellman Files series, Lisa Lutz’s latest blistering … Lutz’s latest blistering thriller is about a woman who creates and sheds new identities as she crisscrosses the country to escape her past: you’ll want to buckle up for the ride!
In case you were wondering, I didn’t do it. I didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s death. I don’t have an alibi, so you’ll have to take my word for it…
Forty-eight hours after leaving her husband’s body at the base of the stairs, Tanya Dubois cashes in her credit cards, dyes her hair brown, demands a new name from a shadowy voice over the phone, and flees town. It’s not the first time.
She meets Blue, a female bartender who recognizes the hunted look in a fugitive’s eyes and offers her a place to stay. With dwindling choices, Tanya-now-Amelia accepts. An uneasy―and dangerous―alliance is born.
It’s almost impossible to live off the grid today, but Amelia-now-Debra and Blue have the courage, the ingenuity, and the desperation, to try. Hopscotching from city to city, Debra especially is chased by a very dark secret…can she outrun her past?
With heart-stopping escapes and devious deceptions, The Passenger is an amazing psychological thriller about defining yourself while you pursue your path to survival. One thing is certain: the ride will leave you breathless.
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Have you ever been “accused” of something you didn’t do but no one believes you? In this story the main character faces that situation and has been running for 10 years. She puts on new identities like others change clothes. The truth does eventually come out and things come full circle. Lisa Lutz tells this story in a unique way. Each section of the book is a different identity and takes the reader on quite the road trip until the end when the reader finally learns the whole truth behind the main character’s actions. I found the book to be quite intriguing with many plot twists and turns. At the end I was left not really knowing how I felt about a couple of supporting characters and events, but it definitely made me think. If you like mystery, intrigue, and suspense, then you definitely should read The Passenger!
Great suspense with some humor – very unique story – a woman lives off the grid escaping possible murder charges taking on complete new identities every time she moves. The story shows how difficult this is to accomplish. Her life is filled with offbeat characters and lots of twist & turns that keep you reading into the night. She moves around the country, with new names and jobs. You wonder how this is possible, but Lisa Lutz makes you believe it is. Terrific story telling and unique characters. First of Lisa Lute’s books I’ve read, but will definitely read more. 4.5 Stars
This book captured my interest from the first paragraph. I was hooked. I loved the way this story was told in first person as our heroine takes over identity after identity in search of that elusive freedom that sent her on the run to start with. I figured out most of the twists very early on but that in no way took away from the story. I found the exploration of the heroines humanity and the lengths a person will go to in order to survive far more intriguing than the big reveal of what she’d done to go on the run in the first place. This is a fun, twisting, in your face read and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Love this book…and her style of writing. Just really original. Can’t wait to read her other books….
I thought this would be a great book. I was sadly mistaken. Parts of it were great and others were lackluster. The ending was very anticlimactic. It was a so so book
Amazing!
Didn’t realize how young Jo was until she went home. Given how resourceful she was, am hopeful her future, and others like her, will be better than her past.
A captivating start with a repetitive story line and a twist ending. After I had finished the book, I didn’t quite understand how the beginning and the end pieced together. She ran due to her husbands death but I was unsure as to why this happened and how it was linked to the story from Nora’s childhood about the swimmer and the 2 brothers. The book picks up mostly towards the end where you truly learn about Nora, her childhood and life on the run. A somewhat predictable ending but one that also threw up many questions. I’m glad Domenic never gave up. I like Dom.
This book will take you to places you don’t expect!!
Enjoyed this one. Good mystery.
This story was so twisted and action packed i could not put it down. There are many clues leading you to the very unpredictable ending but if you are not looking for them you may miss them. You will love, hate, feel sorry for, and be disgusted by these two main female characters. One of the best books i have read this year.
Completely different from The Spellmans. Devoid of the humor that defined that serious; therefore unexpected and original. Not what I was looking for, though.
I couldn’t put it down. It grabs you on page one and takes you for an exciting ride. I was sad when it ended because I didn’t want to let her go
Excellent thriller.
This is an older book that I stumbled upon. I loved it! A witty, funny, completely original thriller that also kept me on the edge of my seat. Yes, I had to have an open mind about a couple of elements — in other words, suspend my disbelief — but it is well worth that tad bit of outlandishness. I love it when a book surprises me, and this one definitely did!
I loved this book, finished it the day i bought it.
A sharp, clever, and utterly compelling thriller about a woman running from the mistakes and misfortunes of her past. Terrific.
Excellent! It’s written in a hard-boiled, in-your-face style that I really liked. Hooks you from the first line, then moves forward at a pace that never lets up.
Tanya Dubois find her husband of seven years, Frank, dead at the bottom of the stairs.
She tells us that she didn’t do it, but she doesn’t want to hang around being asked questions nor the police digging into her past.
So, she goes on the run. It isn’t the first time.
Leaving Wisconsin, Tanya first ends up in Austin, Texas where a bartender named Blue befriends her. Blue recognizes a fugitive when she sees one. It will prove to be a dangerous alliance.
Being in trouble herself, Blue switches identities with Tanya…it’s not the first time…for either of them.
Bad things happen and then they’re both separately on the move.
Tanya travels countless miles and changes identities often to put distance from her past.
There’s many narrow, pulse-pounding escapes and tight situations along the way as we begin to learn about “Tanya’s” history.
The story delves into the psychological toll and sheer exhaustion it takes to be on the run. The constant looking over your shoulder. Searching for new aliases. Finding money, resources, food and shelter.
When I found out the truth about “The Passenger” I was angry and relieved. In the best way!
It’s so good.
“The Passenger” is a brilliant new standalone by Lisa Lutz that takes you on a mind-bending odyssey in search of the perfect escape, the disappearing act that will finally heal past wounds. As a huge fan of the Spellman series, I became obsessed with this addictive thriller about Tanya Pitts (who changes her identity frequently). Tanya is a clever, down-to-earth protagonist who tries desperately to outrun her troubled past. After her husband dies from an accident (falling down the stairs at home), Tanya is afraid she’ll be accused of murder by the police and goes on the lam. There’s badness in her past that pursues her on a cross-country journey through a vertigo world of small towns, bleak cities, big-sky country, highway hotels and riverside bars. Fast, funny, keenly insightful, poignant, noirish, twisty, unsettling, intense, full of great characters and crazy U-turns, we come to understand what’s been chasing Tanya all along, and why she’s so afraid of her past. For reasons not of her own making, she’s been a passenger in her life, which is the crux of her mission—to seek out a fresh start and put herself in the driver’s seat. As we hurtle through one hair-raising escape after another, we meet a fascinating cast of thugs, con artists, working-class folks, drifters, drunks, greedy bastards, cheerful lost souls and unreliable allies. Who is Tanya? What did she do? Who is chasing her? The pace is relentless as she identity-hops into the slam-bang, redemptive ending. It’s entertaining as hell.