This was a well paced psychological thriller with a number of good twists and turns. It did keep you wanting to continue reading to find out the ending. Although it was mainly fast paced I did find the conversations at the start rather drawn out between Amanda and The Stranger. I liked the fact that the book was written from different points of views and you can see each character's thoughts and state of mind. Amanda and Louise both turned out to be very strong willed and stubborn characters whereas the Stranger and James characters were slightly more shallow. The plot was good with Amanda and Louise able to give the men a run for their money. The ending was interesting and able to tie up the story well.
The premise of the book is that Amanda, a hard working mum, can now afford to give up work and chase her dream of becoming a writer after saving money. On her commute home on the train she is blackmailed by a stranger whilst his accomplice is with her teenage daughter Louise at her home. The charming stranger and his accomplice aren't aware of Amanda’s terrible secrets which unravel through the plot.
I enjoyed reading this book. The author, Daniel Hurst, was new to me and i will seek out his other thrillers.

Men are portrayed as good for nothings in this book. It just shows that there are only 'a few good men." Girl power personified! If you enjoy reading books that has female lead characters who had several strokes of bad luck but manage to turn their life around by being resilient, read this! The teenage daughter was just too much for me. I like that it was written with different POV's and you can see what goes into each other character's mind.

Thank you for the ARC!

3.5 stars rounded up.

That was a kind of claustrophobic psychological thriller. All the action takes place over a few hours and in mainly two locations - the London to Brighton train and Amanda’s flat. There are very few characters to keep track of - all of which gave it a closed in feel for me. Which was good!

Amanda longs to be a writer and she has finally saved up enough money, which she keeps in a safe at her home, and has given notice at her job. She hopes to make it as a full time writer, anything to get out the grind of the daily commute and her soul destroying office job. Amanda also has a 17 year old daughter, Louise, who is full of teenage angst and thinks her mother is selfish to follow her dream when she also has the dream to travel but not the funds.

On her third last day of commuting, Amanda is busy typing away on her laptop, writing more of her book when a charming looking man sits across from her and engages her in conversation. A conversation that soon veers into dangerous territory. The man knows a lot about her, has been following her and knows she has £20,000 pounds in her safe. If only that were all that was in the safe... he wants the codes for the safe or his accomplice, James, who is posing as Louise’s boyfriend will hurt her.

You’d think any mother would immediately cave and do whatever is necessary to protect their child and that is what the conspirators are counting on. But they don’t know all of Amanda’s secrets, that there is something more dangerous than money in that safe. Amanda and Louise both turn out to be very feisty and give the crooks a run for their money. How does it end? Well, it was quite interesting - not particularly realistic but interesting. My main gripe is that this book could have been a bit shorter. There were a few plot threads that were not that relevant to the story that could easily have been left out. Nevertheless, it was a quick, fun read although I would not want to run into Amanda in a dark alley one night! Thanks to Netgalley, Inkubator Books and Daniel Hurst for providing a copy to review. My opinions are my own.

I was wary going into this once since it sounded so similar to The Girl On the Train, and while there were similar elements to that (girl takes the same train every day, the whole "can we trust this narrator?" vibe) but I really felt this was unique.

I am not typically a domestic thriller reader, but I decided to pick this up because I was such a fan of The Girl On the Train, and this satisfied my hope.

Daniel Hurst has written such a wonderful thriller that will suck you in so much, you might just miss your own stop on the train to wherever you're headed.

Karma (car-ma) is a word meaning the result of a person's actions as well as the actions themselves. It is a term about the cycle of cause and effect. According to the theory of Karma, what happens to a person, happens because they caused it with their actions.

I wasn't planning on reading another book before bed last night, but this kinda sucked me in & before I knew it I'd finished!

This was exciting, edge of the seat stuff & I really enjoyed it. I defy anyone not to read this in one sitting. Excellent plotline, unexpected twists & turns, nail bitingly (is that even a word) fast paced from start to finish.

Amanda is on the daily train commute home from work, making polite conversation with the stranger sitting opposite her. Her daughter Louise is at home in bed with her new boyfriend.

What is it that connects them all & just what is Amanda hiding in her safe that will change everything?

Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC in return for my honest review.

𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 5 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

Really enjoyed reading this book. the author Daniel Hurst was new to me but having enjoyed The Passenger i will be reading his other thrillers.

This is a fast paced read that I demolished in two sittings with a number of good twists and turns. The premise is that a woman called Amanda is blackmailed by a stranger on her train commute home whilst his accomplice is with her teenage daughter and a safe with £20k in cash at her home in Brighton. The story was certainly novel and i really enjoyed that non of the characters were particularly 'likeable' it was much more nuanced than the common good vs evil characterisations.

The novel then develops into a much more complex twisted plot in the second half as you find out more about the characters and the ending is cleverly executed.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Passenger by Daniel Hurst.
A young woman Amanda who is leaving her job so she can dedicate her time to her passion - writing. Just one more week and she can start her dream job.
But Amanda does not expect or see a train coming - no pun iintended, and life as she knows it is going to change.

This is suspenseful and quick read. Good Ending.

3.5 stars.

Let me strat with saying that I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was great and it made the book unputdownable - I read it in like two sittings.

My main problem was that the both villains - The Stranger and James weren't particulary scary. I mean, I guess The stranger was a con artist so he shouldn't be, but James defo should.
The ending was a bit weird (I'm not saying it was bad - I loved it, but I'm doubting how probable it was.
Also, I'm not particulary ok with The Stranger calling himsef a grifter, since obvs what he's doing is not grifting.

Amanda is a good protagonist. Not particulary likable at first, but she grows on you as the novel progresses.

Also, I love how the majority of the novel takes place on a train during one hour train ride. How fun is that.

A new author to me, although when just looking at his back catalogue there looks to be many previous books of his I would enjoy, all look intriguing, anyways back to this one
I love books set around journey’s, commuter, holiday, any kind of travel on any means of transport and so this stood out for me to read....I did wonder reading the blurb if was going to be similar to ‘Girl On The Train’
It wasn’t
What I did get was a real unexpected little find, fast and furious and with the odd pinch of salt being taken a really thrilling tale
We meet Amanda, who has the trudgery of the daily trip from London to Brighton and back, she is about to give it all up to follow her dream of being an author, but she is being stalked, and has been for a while, and on tonight’s journey ‘The Stranger’ is going to make himself and what he wants known.....but if he thinks it is going to go all his own way, he is mistaken, truly mistaken and as he begins to realise he has bitten off way more than he can chew we see just exactly who he has chosen to stalk, and she is nothing like he or we presume
Oooooo its good, really good, so good I want to tell you all about it and what happens and just how it had me on edge all the way through but I wont!
This is not a perfect book but its a fine book, literally telling itself and grabbing you to come along for the ride, I absolutely loved every thrilling page

10/10
5 Stars

#ThePassenger #NetGalley
A different psychological thriller.
Amanda is a hardworking single mum, completely focused on her job and her daughter, Louise. She’s been saving for years and now, finally, she can afford to give up work and chase her dream.But then, 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 see Louise again.
Thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for giving me an advanced copy.

This is one of those books again that has a lot of potential but the execution fell flat for me.
The 'twists' were predictable and the ending was expected. I think the only reason I have boosted this review from two to three stars was the writing.

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. From what I can gather, I don't think this is his best work but as I said, I haven't read anything else from him so I can't confirm or deny this. However, I do like his writing style and the voice he put for each of the characters.
I really liked the premise of this book but besides it being very drawn out, I don't think the execution was that good. It didn't feel high intensity or thrilling and it was obvious from about twenty per cent in what was going to happen. I did feel like for a lot of the book we, as the reader, were being told about what was happening (especially in the past) rather than shown it and I think it would have been more effective for us to see how it played out.

There wasn't much of a thriller or even a thinking aspect to this book but I do think if someone was trying to get into thriller books, this would be a good place to start and it's easy reading but notably, forgettable.

<i>I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Thank you #Netgalley, Inkubator Books, and Daniel Hurst for allowing me to read an arc of “The Passenger”. I loved this book to begin with, it was so intriguing! Who wouldn’t want to give up a job and commute you hate? It was a great story. I was sorry we didn’t get to know the characters more, especially Louise. I also felt the end was too drawn out. I ended up skimming some of it just to find out what happened, then I’m not sure if I actually liked/believed the ending. I really enjoyed the first three quarters of the book though, and I will be looking for more books by Daniel Hurst!

This is a fast paced thriller with a number of good twists and turns. The main storyline is about a woman (Amanda) being threatened by a stranger on the train. If she doesn't give him the code to her house safe (where she keeps all her savings) then his accomplice (who is currently in her house) will hurt her teenage daughter. This was an interesting storyline and it didn't take long to become immersed in the story. I found the first half of the book slightly drawn out however with such long conversations between the two main characters. Neither the man blackmailing Amanda on the train or the accomplish who was waiting to unlock the safe seemed particularly threatening or scary! I much preferred the second half of the book as the plot developed and you found out more about Amanda's life and the real reason she didn't want to give away the code to the safe. There were a lot more twists in this half and at this stage I couldn't put the book down. Overall I would recommend this book as it was an enjoyable read.

Amanda has worked hard for years while being a single mother, saving enough money to give up her job and pursue her dream of being a writer. She spends her last days in her job, commuting on the train as she has done for years. However today is not going to be the same mundane trip home from London to Brighton as usual. Instead, she gets chatting to a stranger who seems charming at first, but then seems creepy when he seems to know all about Amanda and her life. Things turn sinister when the stranger gives Amanda an ultimatum, give him the code to her safe or her daughter Louise will be killed. Amanda knows that there is much more at stake than just the money, and tries everything she can to fight against the stranger. Can she save the contents of the safe and her daughter?

A brilliant psychological thriller that keeps you turning the pages until the fantastic ending. Loved how it all came together and the tense and sinister feel of the book. Recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

The synopsis of the story tells you everything you need to know - Amanda is on a train when a stranger threatens her: give me the code to your home safe or your teenage daughter will die. An intriguing premise, but hard to stretch into an entire story. She either will give the code, or not. How can you make a few hundred pages from that? Well, you really can't. So the main character, much like the author, stretches it out as long as possible. Stalling, diversions, etc. We see the story from both Amanda's point of view and her daughter Louise's. Louise is at their apartment with her boyfriend who turns out not to be the wonderful new love of her life, but a criminal working with the man on the train to get Amanda's money. We also see flashbacks of Amanda's that she happens to be narrating to the stranger to stall for time. This is the most patient criminal in the world - he lets Amanda hem and haw and try to run more than once. Not too believable.

As the reader, you sit there thinking Amanda's a terrible mother because of course her daughter's life is more important than money so why isn't she just giving up the code? It turns out she has more than just money in the safe, and a secret from her past would be discovered, as well. Still, you would have to think that any parent would put their child before anything else, even their own guilty secret, no matter the outcome. But that would make for a much shorter story. Which I think it should have been. However unbelievable parts of it may be, it is an enjoyable breezy read that you can finish in one sitting. Perhaps on your next train ride?

Amanda has one more week before she's done working at an office job she hates. What she wants is to be a writer. She is several thousand word into her book. When she quits her job she can devote all her time to her writing. She has managed to save 20,000 lbs. Enough to let her take the time to finish her book and get it published. Until everything goes wrong.
I was given this book to read and review by the publisher.
It is a psychological thriller. It definitely keeps you guessing what may happen.
Great read!! Smashing ending!

This was a fantastic book, it starts off with a death and the pace never lets up all the way through. I loved it!!! a I just wants to keep on reading it and probably would have if life hadn’t got in the way! I’ve never heard of this author before but now I have I will be looking out for more of his books. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This book started off with a bang and ended with one as well.

It was suspenseful from beginning to end.

It’s definitely a book for someone who like mystery and suspense

Thanks you Netgalley and Inkubator books for the eARC.
Unfortunately I couldn't enjoy this book at all. I didn't take to Amanda or her daughter Louise and as for the two 'bad' guys, ugh...
The writing seemed simplistic to me and the psychological aspect was not really that interesting. I was bored and had to force myself to finish the story. Sorry!

This book starts with a bang, and ends with one. It was difficult to not rush through it to see what comes next of the characters, Hurst knows how to keep the page turning for the reader. From the very first pages you’re thrown into the thick of the plot, which I throughly enjoyed (although a little gruesome lol!). You really feel that you’re in the main protagonists mind as they set off to answer a multitude of mystery hidden in the plot.