THE PASSENGER has an unforgettable heroine who has so many
names and aliases, I had to keep notes. Tanya Dubois is
taking a shower when Frank, her husband of seven years,
falls down the stairs, killing himself. When Tonya finds
him, she tries to revive him but knows it is too late.
Sitting down on his faux-suede La-Z-Boy, she has a drink of
Bourbon to honor his memory. She then packs, including
Frank's gambling stash he kept in his tool box, loads her
suitcase into his pickup truck and leaves. No way will the
police believe she is not involved in his death. She is
not willing to stay around to find out. This is not the
first time she has had to go on the run. She drives all
night and ends up in Lincoln, Nebraska. Time to lose the
truck. Replaced, with a used Buick Regal, Tanya drives ten
more miles and checks into a Motel, using cash and the name
Jane Green. Now on the run, she must make changes to her
appearance and eventually convince the police she no longer
exists. With her hair cut short and a different color Tanya
zigs and zags across the country, using disposable phones,
stealing to keep going. Tonya is very resourceful as she
creates new identities and sheds them quickly if she fears
danger of being discovered.
During the seven boring years Tanya was married to Frank,
she squandered away her time. She kept house during the day
and drank at night. Trying to find employment now would be
a problem. In her travels, she finds libraries, where she
would study the employment opportunities in that area hoping
to find something. Money was getting low. She would also
follow the latest news on Frank's death.The investigation
seems to be at a stand still. She also receives e-mails
from Ryan, someone from her past who refers to her as Jo,
and keeps her up to date on the news from home.
In Texas, a friendly bartender who introduces herself as
Debra Maze, is friendly to Tanya. Everyone calls her Blue
because she has the bluest but ice-old eyes. When Tanya
asks Tanya for ID, Tanya uses her newly forged Passport and
tells Blue she lost her license. Blue pretends to believe
her but later tells Tanya she knows she is on the run. She
invites Tanya to move in with her and they become buddies.
they begin to go to funerals looking for a perfect alias for
them to "borrow". One day, blue announces they will change
identifies. Tonya alias Allison will now become Debra Maze
and Blue will become Tonya and all her aliases.
Lisa Lutz tells the story of THE PASSENGER in the present,
in flashbacks and e-mails sent from Ryan to Jo, that give
clues about her past life and why she is running from
mistakes she made. It has an ending I never expected and it
pleased. It shows how difficult it is to exist without a
name and a valid ID. Just running, switching cars and even
having enough money is not enough to stop and begin anew. I
liked Domenic, the sheriff, and Blue was different, very
different. Very slowly, with great, riveting suspense, we
begin to learn about the events that first forced Tanya to
run. If you like an exciting plot with a psychological
twist, this one is for you. Well done, Ms. Lutz. I could
not lay it down!
“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).
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