cw for the book: suicide, rape, paedophilia, some questionable depictions of a trans character

I'm kind of mad that this was such a genuine page-turner, given how much there was to hate about it.

The story begins with our antihero police investigator, Martin, working undercover at a party where a young child is about to be infected with HIV via a public rape. ...Yes, you read that right. That kind of shock value is something that is relied on several times throughout the book with, in my opinion, nowhere near enough emotional payoff to justify it.

We are soon transported to a cruise ship, where the majority of the story takes place. An eccentric older woman calls Martin, and suggest that his wife and son's apparent murder-suicide that took place on the ship five years previously may not have been what it seemed.

It's by far the most testosterone-filled action thriller I've read in a very long time, but has done a good job of reminding me of why that's the case. There's so little character work that they're largely indistinguishable from each other, regardless of differences in gender, age, race, cultural background etc. There are some descriptions of female characters (albeit through the eyes of unsavoury male characters) that made my skin crawl, including a young girl whose description included "if you saw her in the light, you'd be able to appreciate the striking woman she would be one day".

The translation work is largely well done, although there are a handful of sentences or paragraphs that felt a little clunky. The twists unravel at a really good pace, and very few of them are ones that I could see coming.

One thing I did note is that several times throughout the book, Martin appears to have pieced together some of the puzzle – although his revelations are not shared with the reader at the time. However, each new reveal seems to be totally fresh information, so I did wonder what exactly he thought he'd worked out.

Really, I'd like to read a book that's as much of a meaty page-turner as this, but that didn't feature so many twists that seemed to be purely there for shock value, to be as dark as possible. It's kind of hard to decide on a rating, because as much as I absolutely hated aspects of it, it did keep me fully engaged throughout the read.

2.5 stars for now, rounded up, but I may change this once I've had time to mull it over.

(An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts are my own.)

I thought when I read the blurb about this book that a murder story on a cruise boat might be really interesting and something I don’t think I’ve read about before. Unfortunately this story soon became too convoluted and I struggled even to finish it.
I’ve not read a Sebastian Fitzek book before but they do all sound quite original so will probably give the author another chance and read one more of his.

Really enjoyed this read, very intriguing, the motives are almost impossible to guess. There are plenty of moments where I wondered what on earth was going on. I won't buy this for the school library due to it's content however and I would imagine it may deter some readers as well.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

this book is so much more and will put you off going on a cruise for the rest of your life....

martin is a police officer...who seems to be on a death wish after his life took an unexpected turn when he lost his wife and son on a cruise ship.... the verdict was that the wife had killed her son by throwing him overboard and she jumped after him with the result being death by suicide...

martin is in a terrible place and volunteers for all the worst jobs going and if that mean injecting himself with hiv to get accepted into a group of people so that he could rape a victim and give them aids then that is what he will do and then arrest them when there is enough evidence collected...

but before he can go in..he receives a phone call that sees him back on the very ship that he had vowed never to ever set foot on again as a missing passenger has just returned

and so begins the journey of discovery...at times its brutal and others times you are jumping for joy...but the twist at the end was totally unexpected...

will be keeping an eye out for more of this authors works

What an interesting book that was. Martin Schwartz is a German police officer with a bit of a death wish. Ever since his wife and son died 5 years ago on a cruise - the wife tossed the boy overboard and then jumped from the ship herself - he has volunteered for the most dangerous undercover assignments. And he has had to do some truly awful things.

Then he gets a phone call from an old lady on board a ship, the Sultan of the Seas, who gives him a garbled account of it happening again - a mother and child disappearing from the ship. Apparently it happens more than you would think and cruise companies find it is better for business to claim most of the disappearances are suicides. Martin is not really interested until the old lady, Gerlinde Dobkowitz, who happens to live on the ship tells that the daughter has recently reappeared. Oh, and that she suspects there is a hidden deck on the massive ship where really weird stuff goes on. And the real kicker is, it is the same ship that his family died on.

So, although it is the last place Martin wants to re-visit, he joins the ship post haste. From then on things get weirder and weirder and there is a definite sense of menace throughout the remainder of the story. You know there’s something fishy going on but you have no idea what. The captain is being evasive but eventually it transpires that he is under the control of the owner who happens to be on board. It’s a feast of misdirection and unreliable narrators and the menace continues to grow.

I don’t want to say any more about the plot except that whatever you think is going - that’s not going to be it. This story is much too twisty for us armchair sleuths! I was suspecting everyone at some point. The pace was excellent and never really let up. I loved the plot, the intrigue, the red herrings and I had to feel some sympathy for the much beleaguered Martin who had a tough time putting the jigsaw pieces in the correct spots while fending off would-be assassins. We had the odd murder, dead people turning up alive, people being not who they say they are a meddlesome old lady who somehow stumbles on some things she’s not supposed to see.

All in all, a fabulous story that I can recommend to all mystery and thriller fans. Thanks to Netgalley, Head of Zeus publishers and Sebastian Fitzek for providing me with a copy to review. My opinions are my own.

This author is well known throughout Europe where he has sold 12 million books and is seen as one of the top psychological thriller writers’.........

This book was a must for me as soon as saw the title I knew I would be reading it as love anything to do with travel and means of transport and stories set around that theme
As a bonus I love cruising ( ok a cheap joke but there you go ) so this even more shouted ‘READ ME’
Now it turns out ‘Passenger 23’ is the code that all ships use for ‘missing passengers’ those that have vanished ( presumed overboard ) on journeys and there are many more than we would imagine, as many ships are governed by the flag they bare most ‘Passenger 23’s’ are not really investigated and are swept under the carpet ( or under the sea!!)
This book looks at the possibilities that there are more sinister reasons than a drunken stumble or a gust of unexpected wind for these deaths
But what the story shows is not a ‘dipping the toe in the ocean’ mamby pamby look but a full on hardcore story of what could really be happening
It hold’s no punches, there is no frilly dialogue, it is there, bold and in your face and ‘please or offend’ take your choice, at times very raw the subjects covered are not sugar coated and are dealt with in jaw dropping honesty, it’s fair to warn that every subject that may trigger people is covered and often not subtly but honestly and in grim crude reality, the opening chapter is probably one of the most shocking read and more than a few times I winced throughout the book
The story however captivates and doesn’t let go, the detail, narrative and characters are all to be applauded and the 4 possibly 5 endings just keep going and dont let up
An amazing book, informative and dramatic, scary and unshying of the norm, it is a book that I wont forget and an author I am now going to look up more about and look for his other books

10/10
5 Stars

Passenger 23 is a code for people who disappear from cruise ships either accidentally or by suicide. When under cover police officer Martin Schwartz is urgently contacted by passenger Gerlinde Dobkowtiz on board cruise liner Sultan of the Seas requesting he comes aboard as soon as he can, he does not hesitate. His wife Nadja and son Timmy disappeared from the same ship five years ago, presumed a murder/suicide. What unfolds is a very dark tale taking you on an unexpected journey into some surprising areas on the ship.

The book starts well with a chilling incident on the cruise ship and draws you in with many questions about what is actually happening on the Sultan of the Seas. This is a multifaceted plot with several points of view contributing to the outcome taking the storyline into some dark places with stories of sexual abuse. However, although this is intrinsic to the plot it’s not gratuitous though some readers may wish to avoid such storyline. Martin is a flawed but good central protagonist although you do feel you don’t REALLY know him even by the end of the novel which may be due in part to his role changing job undercover. It’s possible too that grief for the loss of his family has led to him putting barriers up and armouring himself against the depths of its despair. The plot is very twisty and has a number of elements such as blackmail, revenge, coverups, murder and violence. Some sections are very sad and heartbreaking as victims suffering is revealed. It’s a convoluted plot with multiple red herrings along the way and the setting on board a cruise ship is excellent as it allows for many literary possibilities. There are some tense scenes which don’t always make sense initially but do keep the readers interest. The end is partly unexpected although I guess guess some of it but this does not detract from how good it is.

My negatives about the book are that the plot convolutions takes a while for the threads to connect, there are quite a lot of characters to sort out and some dialogue strikes a casual off note although this may be down to translation issues. I’m not totally convinced we needed all of Martin’s undercover backstory as although it’s interesting it doesn’t add to the events on the ship. I assume by including it the author is trying to help us understand his character.

Overall, it’s a darkly twisted thriller with a hint of a horror vibe that keeps you reading to seek out the truth.

With thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the ar for an honest review.

An elderly woman living on board a cruise ship contacts Martin Schwartz about the night he lost his wife and son aboard that very same cruise ship. This leads him to learn about and investigate a series of missing people on cruise ships. Easy to account as suicides. All is not as it seems as he finds out. Interesting story but beware it's pretty gruesome at time - there is definitely a flavour of needing to fill in details in extraordinary gore these days rather than leaving it to the readers' imaginations, more's the pity. Too much TV I guess where we are fed images. Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I am a big fan of this author and I eagerly await every new book to be translated into English. In the case of this story the translation was proceeded by an audible dramatisation which I already listen to a while ago. Nothing beats the full story though so I was excited to get my hand on this.
We start with a strange scene that I kept waiting for an explanation for... I got it eventually but I did have to wait til the very end. That aside, we then meet Martin Schwartz and hear about his tragedy and the way it has affected his risk-taking at work in the police. We then follow as he is summoned on board a cruise ship - a familiar one as it turns out - where a "passenger 23" has turned up. Interesting fact that - about how on average 23 cruise passengers disappear without trace each year. Anyhow, this one is a child and, when we eventually meet her, well, there's a fantastic story to be told. One that will both shock and disgust our main characters along the way.
Oh my. Please be warned that this author is dark and brutal and, like most of his other books, this contains some really heavy and nasty stuff. He pulls no punches and always hits his marks. It's also chock full of misdirection and twists and turns and, again as usual, nothing is ever quite as it seems along the way. Admittedly it does skirt the credible a tad but hey, when a book is this engaging who cares whether it's wholly possible!
And the ending when it eventually all came together... Well... Mr Fitzek, take a bow!
All in all, a cracking addition to an already impressive back catalogue. Looks like a few ore books of his are coming soon in English - I'm ready... bring them on...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is a book with many twists and turns, stories that interlock and are designed to confuse and puzzle while keeping you reading long after you thought you’d stop.

Martin has given up on life after the death of his wife and child on a cruise ship. When he receives a call from a woman who says they have information about them, he can’t resist going to speak to her. This is how he ends up stranded on The Sultan, a floating city of a ship. With suicidal youngsters, kidknap, torture, paedophilia, guns and blackmail, there is a lot to unravel.

It’s incredibly far-fetched but the detail and cleverly constructed plot keep you reading anyway. I really enjoyed it and would read more by this twisted author if given opportunity. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

An interesting variation on a closed room mystery, this time on a cruise ship, that brings into focus the dangers people face in the most serene of places. A great read!