I'm sorry but I won't be placing a review publicly as I couldn't get into the story and don't review books that I'm not the reader for. Thank you for the opportunity and good luck.

The Passenger is the first book I've read by Daniel Hurst. I was immediately intrigued when I read the description of the book and I found it quite quick and easy to read once the story got going. I didn't really find that I empathised with any of the characters though, so I wanted to get to the end to see how everything resolved itself, but didn't particularly care who came out on top. There were plenty of twists which I didn't generally see coming, and the ending was definitely surprising, if a little unbelievable.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and this is my honest and voluntary review.

This is my first book from this author.
I really enjoy the opening. We are introduced to the main character, Amanda, who's a working single mother. The description of her train commute is really good(waiting at the same spot on the platform... So familiar!)
It's her last day at work as she saved enough money to become a full time writer. She keeps this money in a safe in her wardrobe. (And I couldn't stop wondering why in a safe and not at the bank??? We had the explanation later but unfortunately maybe too late for me.)
On her last train commute, she meets The Stranger...

This psychological thriller is fast-paced.The chapters alternate between the perspectives of Amanda, her daugther, her daughter's boyfriend and the Stranger.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A reasonably good read which can be completed in a couple of days at most. The plot was enjoyable but I didn’t take to any of the characters and Louise, the daughter, especially annoyed me. There was tension at times but a lot of the twists you could predict.

This book was so gripping I finished it within 24 hours!

The story starts off with a woman named Amanda who is a single mother to a teenager named Louise who has dreams of traveling and exploring the world but doesn't have the best relationship with her mother because she refuses to spend her savings on her daughters trips. Amanda rides the train to and from work everyday from London to Brighton with a fixed schedule down to where she sits. Amanda dreams of being an author so she spends her journey home writing a story on her laptop, on her way home a man takes interest in her and is asking her about her life when suddenly the ride home becomes her biggest nightmare! This man has been following her and knows her every move, he even knows about her secret stash of money in a safe hidden in her wardrobe. Amanda has to give the code to her safe up to this man by the time they hit Brighton or his partner is going to kill her daughter Louise. They've definitely messed with the wrong mother!!


Thankyou NetGalley and publishers for an early read for an honest review.

The Passenger
By Daniel Hurst

5 Stars

A gripping psychological thriller that keeps you turning to the very last page.

Fast moving story line, that pits the wits of the writer and reader against one another to solve how to escape from a terrible mess.
Amanda takes the same train every day. But this is a journey she’ll never forget.

One night on her commute home from London to Brighton, she meets a charming stranger - who seems to know everything about her. He delivers an ultimatum. She needs to give him the code for the safe where she keeps her savings before the train reaches Brighton - or she’ll never seedaughter again.

Characters are fast paced, with the story moving quickly. The ending might be a bit of a grasp, however that is far from uncommon in the current crop of psychological thrillers.

This title has been reviewed by www.books-reviewed.weebly.com

This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review.

# ThePassenger #NetGalley

With the success of “The Girl on the Train” I was expecting this to be another imitation as it also takes place in London, but I am pleased to say that it was not! Those are where the similarities end.
Two formal criminals (and cellmates) weed their way into Amanda and her daughter, Louise’s, life in order to steal the money she has stashed in her safe at home. However, they get more than they bargain for with these two badass women because there’s much more to Amanda than meets the eye. Even as the story unfolds and we find out what she’s done, I couldn’t help but root for her.
The book took place over about a 2 hour time span of time and it was a page turner fro, start to finish. Every time I thought I found a good place to stop, I had to just keep going until I got to the end. And it was an ending that did not disappoint! We had a bit of foreshadowing in the beginning, but that was far from the actual ending.
I loved every twist and turn and will definitely read more books by this author!

Thank you Netgalley for the copy of this page turner. Amanda is on her daily commute traveling by train home to Brighton. She believes her daughter is alone at home. A stranger sits at the same table as Amanda. He tells her that Louise is not alone. She is with a man she believes to be her boyfriend but in reality is a dangerous ex con. If Amanda gives them the combination to her safe containing her life savings Louise will be unharmed. Amanda is worried not only for her daughters safety but the secrets the safe will reveal.

I have never read any of Daniel's other thrillers but I have heard good things about his work which is why I was excited to receive this arc.

First of all this book was a really fast and enjoyable read! I devoured the story in one sitting.

'' Many humans are creatures of routine, they generally wake up, leave their place of residence to travel to work, travel home afterward, and go to bed at the same time, every day.''

This is one of those books that are structured around a solid and intriguing plot but unfortunately, its execution wasn't carried out to its full potential. The plot twists were predictable and the ending was expected. the opening of the book pretty much gave it away, I kind of predicted the ending pretty early in the story, and then it was just a matter of when it's gonna happen. I also thought that the characters lacked some depth to them, I would have loved some more character development that would increase my attachment to them, but unfortunately, I didn't get anything like that for this book. and furthermore, I got the impression that the story was being made up as the narrative was carried out with no pre-established structure, there were a lot of instances in which some of the developments didn't make sense, and it gave the impression that maybe the author himself wasn't aware of how the story will unfold eventually.

Having said all of that I have to admit that I really did enjoy this book, the story, and the premise behind the story, even with the predictability it entailed and its flaws. and it is the reason why I have boosted this review from three to four stars, especially thanks to the author's writing style which was very smooth and well-turned, I will definitely be reading more of his books going forward.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator books for the eARC!

A fast paced, page turning rollercoaster. A very cleverly written storyline which unfolded unexpectedly. A seemingly normal train journey for Amanda soon turns into a nightmare when the stranger she is sitting opposite begins to blackmail her. The Stranger's accomplice, James, is also at home with Amanda's daughter Louise, resulting in an intricate heist. However, the Stranger doesn't realise how much is actually at stake. A number of twists and turns throughout meant I read this book extremely quickly as I was so keen to find out what was going to happen. A thoroughly enjoyable read!

This book begins by meeting single mum - to a teenage daughter - Amanda and at first it seems like she has just a standard life with the usual office-work commute from London to Brighton. As the book progresses we gradually find out all is not as it seems with Amanda's seemingly boring life. We learn fairly soon on that Amanda is an aspiring writer looking to give up her day job, but just how did she manage to save enough to do this?

I liked this book as I felt we find out a lot about the main character and her thoughts and feelings and I did really warm like her. The book was pacey and had tension through out. I raced to finish to find out just what happens.

I will be recommending this thriller and will definitely be looking for more Daniel Hurst reads!

The Passenger by Daniel Hurst is a psychological thriller published by Inkubator Books and one I really got into. I found myself picking up the book whenever I could so I could read what was going to happen next.
Amanda is a single mum to her daughter Louise, who is being a typical rebelling teenager Amanda can do nothing right in her eyes. She is as hardworking as they come and has an orderly life with work and Louise at the forefront. Every day she makes the same commute Brighton to London as regular as clockwork. We meet Amanda on a special day this is the last day she needs to commute. Finally she has managed to save enough to quit work and do what she wants for a change.
On her final commute home she meets a charming stranger who singles her out and then spooks her out! He seems to know everything about her, even things only Louise knows. He delivers an ultimatum give him the code to her safe that holds every penny she has saved before the train arrives in Brighton or she will never see Louise again. Amanda is very aware that the threat has every possibility of being credible, he knows too much and she is terrified of giving him the code...because in that safe she has kept a terrible secret that will not just destroy her life but that of Louise's too.
A psychological thriller that is just up my street this. The story begins innocuously enough with the main issues being a mother and daughter at loggerheads and soon speeds up into a book which keeps you reading until you absolutely have no choice but to put it down. The story is told by each character each with their personal chapter and flips from one to another. This gives us every angle to this story and also more in depth knowledge of these characters. I felt sorry for Amanda immediately, working so hard with an ungrateful teenager at home blaming mum for everything. I get that, probably with having three girls and knowing how some kids are today...so entitled. I felt like shaking Louise all the way through untill desperation showed us and even her what she was made of.
Poor Amanda, stuck on a train with the sense of impending doom and no way out. The feeling of claustrophobia was so thick and intense right there that I felt it too. I really was cheering Amanda on, no matter why she was scared of opening the safe I was hoping all would end well and had to carry on to the end to find out.
A story that is like a snowball, growing by the minute in size and picking up speed until the very last pages. Then it races to the end as we learn everything and we see if the women have the mettle to solve a difficult and seemingly impossible situation. A book that was a brilliantly vivid and realistic story that made me as nervous as all the characters. Great descriptions of Brighton too, they gave me a great sense of place along with the tension and intensity of both women's fears.
Yes I would recommend this book and will be checking out Daniel Hurst's other work also. Thank you to Emma at Damp Pebbles Blog tours and Inkubator Books and Netgalley for my copy of the book.

Amanda has worked hard and saved her money, She even has a second job that nobody knows about, not even her daughter. She has her money hidden in her home in a safe. Her daughter knows about some of the savings and wants her mother to let her have some so that she can travel. Amanda has other ideas. She wants to be able to stay at home and write. One day she meets a fellow passenger on the the train and he seems to know a lot about her and her daughter. It soon becomes clear that the stranger needs to have the code to the safe or her daughter will be killed. Will Amanda be able to risk losing her daughter or risk her dirty little secret being exposed.
I did enjoy this book and thank Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Happy Publication Week! “The Passenger” was released this Tuesday, March 28th. It’s currently FREE on Kindle Unlimited or only 99c! You will not be sorry that you pick this book up!

This book was paced at lightning speed! I devoured the story in two settings, it would’ve been one had it not been past my bedtime.

“A sickening combination of shattering bone and squealing brakes was not what most people were expecting to experience as they made their way along the platforms...”

Amanda is a hard-working single mother, raising her seventeen year old daughter Louise who has zero motivation. Louise refuses to get a job, instead lounging around watching TV, requesting take-out for dinner and doing whatever she pleases. It’s Louise’s lack of maturity and real-life social skills that get both her and her mother in a sticky situation.

It’s an average day for Amanda, a creature of habit, boards the train at the same time, standing in the same place, every single day. She ate the same expensive salad for lunch and as per usual checks in to see that her daughter has done nothing of substance all day.

“It’s depressing that my life is this mundane...”

But in the coming days, she has something to look forward to. After saving up money from working multiple jobs at all hours of the night Amanda has managed to stash away enough money to invest in the future that she’s always dreamed of. She’s dreamt of being a writer since she was young, and she’s decided that her aspirations are FINALLY about to come true at the age of 37. She handed in her notice at work and she’s bound and determined to succeed.

“I am finally going after what I want, and nothing is going to stop me. Nothing.”

So when she boards and sits at the same old seat , and goes to take her laptop out she plans to get started on that very vision, only the good-looking gentleman that sits across from her has other ideas. For this stranger wants everything that Amanda has worked so hard to save and she’s going to give him the means to get that money because her daughter’s life is on the line.

“I’m your worst nightmare.”

For me this book was a combination of “The Girl on The Train” by Paula Hawkins and “You Are Not Alone” by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen meets the movie “Speed” starring Keanu Reeves.

Daniel Hurst does a great job at making sure that all the loose ends are tied and doesn’t leave room for any plot holes.

Thank you to NetGalley, Inkubator Books and Daniel Hurst for allowing me to read an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I will definitely be picking up more from this author in the future!

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 5 ⭐️ for Goodreads.

WARNING SPOILER AHEAD:

There was one thing that kept this book from getting 5 stars and that was the believability for James to have anaphylaxis just from touching the crisps. I have many food allergies myself, and even looked it up to make sure that I was correct. It would be EXTREMELY rare for him to have had that reaction without actually ingesting the food. I wish instead that something had been slipped in his drink since he kept saying how bad he wanted a beer. Many alcohols contain allergens.

Looking for an easy score, two criminals pick the wrong woman.

I should have paid attention to my initial instincts but I forced myself to finish what was a predictable story with truly hideous characters. It's typical fare -- a single mom with a teenage daughter who gets in trouble but uses her wits to come out on top.

I wish I could report that this was thrilling and full of suspense, but I'd be lying. I did read it all hoping that there would be a surprise ending but, alas. Good characters would have helped but I couldn't stand any of them so it's hard to enjoy a book when you don't care and find most of it completely unbelievable. This was not for me.

I appreciate the e-book ARC to read and review from NetGalley and Inkubator Books.

A very well deserved 5 stars! This story had me on the edge of my seat and tearing through the pages, I didn’t want to put it down. Very exciting and suspenseful. Highly recommend!

The Passenger is a twisty, psychological thriller, centred around Amanda, a woman being threatened to reveal her secrets. I enjoyed the “back-and-forth” chapters, unveiling the clues behind each character’s true motives. The story moved very quickly, whipping up to a fantastic climax. Excellent read, especially for a long commute.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Passenger by Daniel Hurst. Most of the action took place on a train, which was such a unique and interesting setting for this thriller! I also always love multiple perspectives in a thriller, and this one definitely ticked off that box!

The Passenger explores the lengths that a mother will go to protect her daughter but also her own secrets. Alternating between the perspectives of aspiring writer and single mother, Amanda, her daughter, Louise, and two con men/criminals determined to take advantage of them - James and an enigmatic man known only as "The Stranger." Mother and daughter are pitted against the con men in a race against time with their lives on the line. Filled with suspense, secrets, and a shocking ending, this was a fantastic read!

Definitely a 'wild and unpredictable ride'! Amanda has dreams of becoming a published writer and has managed to save enough money to quit her job and concentrate on writing for a couple of years. Her teenage daughter, Louise, also has a dream - to travel using some of her mother's savings which are stored in a safe to which only her mother knows the code. Close to the end of her working days, Amanda meets a stranger on her daily train commute from work to home and her well-thought-out plan to spend her days writing is threatened, as well as her daughter's life. The story is told from the points of view of each of the four main characters with some flashbacks as well. There are many surprise revelations along the way, most of which I didn't see coming. I really enjoyed this book, it was well written and fast-paced with realistic characters and an interesting storyline. I've read one other book by this author which I liked and I look forward to reading more of his books. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one to a friend.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the opportunity to read an e-copy of this book.

This is not the first book I have read by Daniel Hurst, and I have enjoyed them all. This one did not disappoint!

Amanda is sick of the daily grind. She hands in her notice at work to become an author, using money she has saved in her safe at home.

She isn’t banking on a stranger knowing her every move, knowing she has the money in the safe, and wanting it for himself, accosting her on the train and demanding the code number, or her daughter falls prey to his partner in crime. And so ensues a game of cat and mouse. Who will win?

I loved this book. Fast paced right from the start, I didn’t want to put it down! 5 stars, which isn’t something I award very often!