The Other Passenger

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author Louise Candlish drops the reader into a group of commuters, friends by circumstance being on the same long ferry commute in London, who bond hating their jobs and comparing beyond their station. The two prominent couples are Kit Roper, an overbearing, sophisticated young man with a beautiful wife, Melia Roper, who live beyond their means. Then there is Jaimie, advancing beyond middle age, losing his marketing career and now working at a coffee shop, while his partner, Claire, the primary earner from a well-off family that had gifted them their regal home. The intrigue begins when Kit disappears on Christmas Eve, after a drunken fight with Jaimie, and the police suspect the reserved, passive Jaimie after he returns from holidays with Claire. Not everything is as it seems, of course, and relationships become complicated and intertwined, as motivations and explanations subtlely change when police pressure shines new light upon seemingly innocent (or nefarious) actions.

While some reviewers didn't like the characters, I didn't mind them and enjoyed the shifts. The ending, though, wasn't quite what I hoped for and extended longer than needed. But with my busy schedule these days, I consumed the book in two sittings and found it an enjoyable, quick read.