The Passenger - by Lisa Lutz (Paperback)

About the Book

She's left her dead husband--and within forty-eight hours Tanya Dubois is a fugitive. It's almost impossible to live off the grid today, but Tanya-once-Amelia-now-Debra and Blue, a bartender, 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?

Book Synopsis

"A dead-serious thriller (with a funny bone)" (The New York Times Book Review), from the author of the New York Times bestselling Spellman Files series, comes the story of a woman who creates and sheds new identities as she crisscrosses the country to escape her past.

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 in the twenty-first century, 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. From heart-stopping escapes and devious deceptions, we are left to wonder...can she possibly outrun her past?

The Passenger's white-knuckled plot and unforeseeable twists make one thing for certain: the ride will leave you breathless. "When the answers finally come, they are juicy, complex, and unexpected. The satisfying conclusion will leave readers rethinking everything and immediately turning back to the first page to start again. Psychological suspense lovers will tear through this thriller" (Library Journal, starred review).

Review Quotes

At the outset of "The Passenger," Lutz's narrator knows that her only chance for freedom is to lose herself, and thus, leaving one dead man behind, she hits the diamond lane of America and storytelling with a carload of identities, including the reader, who is carried along as both passenger and pursuer. This tenacious and resourceful heroine will keep you chasing, rooting, lip-biting, and above all "reading" until you reach the ending you never saw coming. My advice: buckle up.
Tim Johnston, "New York Times" Bestselling Author of "Descent"
"A sharp, clever, and utterly compelling thriller about a woman running from the mistakes and misfortunes of her past. Terrific."
Chris Pavone, "New York Times "Bestselling author of "The Expats "and "The Accident"
"With whip-smart writing and a breakneck pace, "The Passenger's" clever plot twists and sharp characters are sure to keep you guessing long into the night, hoping against hope that its complex protagonist isn't nearly as guilty as she seems."
Kim McCreight, "New York Times" Bestselling author of "Reconstructing Amelia"
[Lisa Lutz] steps smartly out of her comfort zoneto write a dead-serious thriller (with a funny bone).
"New York Times Book Review"
"Binge-worthy fare, especially for those drawn to strong female protagonists."
"Booklist "(starred review)
When the answers finally come, they are juicy, complex, and unexpected. The satisfying conclusion will leave readers rethinking everything and immediately turning back to the first page to start again. Psychological suspense lovers will tear through this thriller, a new direction for best seller Lutz ("How To Start a Fire"). Fans of her beloved Spellman Files series will have high expectations, and if they are open to a new genre and a darker energy and intensity, they will find her trademark independent narrator, smart writing, and rapid pace delivered here.
"Library Journal" (starred review)
Lutz's pacing is excellent, and the interior monologue captures what it would be like not to have a name or, even worse, a valid ID. Lutz provides some great suggestions for going on the lam (a lot of hair dye and car switching is involved), but at its core, this is a novel about identity: a slippery notion which depends upon both how the world sees us and how we see ourselves.
"Kirkus Reviews"
Lutz s complex web of finely honed characters will keep readers turning the pages.
"Publishers Weekly"
With "The Passenger "[Lutz] has re-introduced herself as a more serious and intriguing author of crime fiction.
"Washington Post"
In her thrilling standalone, "The Passenger," Lisa Lutz keeps the pace blistering without sacrificing characterization.
"Shelf Awareness" (starred review)
If your idea of fun involves a dark, twisty noir about a woman on the lam stealing cars, dying her hair in seedy motel rooms, and constantly changing her name Lisa Lutz s" The Passenger" is the book you need. Lutz s turn at the road novel raises all kinds of vexing questions about who we are and who we belong to as her heroine tries to evade her shadowy past.
LitHub.com"

Best New Books of March 2016 Select by GoodReads * LitHub.com * Bustle.com

When the answers finally come, they are juicy, complex, and unexpected. The satisfying conclusion will leave readers rethinking everything and immediately turning back to the first page to start again. Psychological suspense lovers will tear through this thriller, a new direction for best seller Lutz ("How To Start a Fire"). Fans of her beloved Spellman Files series will have high expectations, and if they are open to a new genre and a darker energy and intensity, they will find her trademark independent narrator, smart writing, and rapid pace delivered here.
"Library Journal" (starred review)"

"Binge-worthy fare, especially for those drawn to strong female protagonists."
"Booklist "(starred review)"

"A sharp, clever, and utterly compelling thriller about a woman running from the mistakes and misfortunes of her past. Terrific."
Chris Pavone, "New York Times "Bestselling author of "The Expats "and "The Accident""

"With whip-smart writing and a breakneck pace, "The Passenger's" clever plot twists and sharp characters are sure to keep you guessing long into the night, hoping against hope that its complex protagonist isn't nearly as guilty as she seems."
Kim McCreight, "New York Times" Bestselling author of "Reconstructing Amelia""

"At the outset of "The Passenger," Lutz's narrator knows that her only chance for freedom is to lose herself, and thus, leaving one dead man behind, she hits the diamond lane of America--and storytelling--with a carload of identities, including the reader, who is carried along as both passenger and pursuer. This tenacious and resourceful heroine will keep you chasing, rooting, lip-biting, and above all "reading" until you reach the ending you never saw coming. My advice: buckle up."
--Tim Johnston, "New York Times" Bestselling Author of "Descent"