The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for a honest review. This did not effect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

I have been a fan of Lisa Lutz ever since her first Spellman Files book. When I heard she was coming out with a psychological thriller, one of my all-time favorite genres, I could not have been more excited. The Passenger did not disappoint.

When readers first meet their narrator, her name is Tanya Dubois, and her husband is lying dead at the foot of the stairs. Tanya chooses to change her identity and run, for reasons that gradually become clearer. Along the way, she meets Blue, who seems to be a kindred spirit, albeit one with her own deep dark secrets.

But the past is near impossible to leave behind, and Tanya struggles to know who to trust and where to turn. No matter where she runs, no matter who she becomes, something from her past refuses to let her go.

One of the best things about this book is how Lutz builds up suspense. The book is so tense, and so full of twists and turns, that reading it the time flies by. You simply cannot put it down. You have to know what "Tanya"'s secret is, and what will happen next. Lutz is an expert at dropping tantalizing hints and clues, just enough to keep a reader's rapt attention without giving too much away. There was one section of the book that actually made me gasp out loud, which to me is the mark of an especially good thriller.

I really hope that this isn't Lutz's last psychological thriller. She is an exceptionally talented writer, and her foray into this new genre has produced a great read.