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Book Review

Review: The Passengers

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The Passengers

The Passengers
By John Marrs
Berkley, 9781984806970, August 2019, 352pp.

The Short of It:

Interesting concept. Wasn’t sure it would work well but it all came together and raised some good questions about privacy.

The Rest of It:

A select group of participants, chosen for the secrets they harbor, suddenly become hostages as their self-driving cars are overtaken by terrorists.

What added to this story is that a group of jurors have been appointed to watch their every move inside their vehicles and as their secrets are revealed, they determine whether they live or die.

Sound crazy? It is!

The pace of the story took off with a bang but then slowed down considerably as each passenger is revealed to us. Once we get past all the introductions the pace picked up again, significantly. I had mixed feelings about the story. It felt a little cold and it was hard to like anyone in the story, which affected how I felt about their chance for survival, but what the story says about privacy and what we allow technology to know about us gave me pause. This story is not that far-fetched, which is chilling.

I enjoyed The Passengers. I read it in one sitting. If you want a quick read that has a little more to it than just a lot of action, then give it a try.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Book Review

Review: No Exit

16 Comments

No Exit
By Taylor Adams
William Morrow, 9780062875655, January 2019, 352pp.

The Short of It:

A fast-paced, tightly-woven tale of survival.

The Rest of It:

On her way to see her dying mother, Darby finds herself stranded in a blizzard, unable to continue. Without snow tires and one broken windshield wiper and no hope of the snow letting up, she stops at a rest stop to ride it out. Inside the rest stop are four strangers. Outside in the parking lot is a van with a young girl caged inside. What should Darby do? What would you do?

This was a terrific read. From the very beginning you find yourself running along with Darby. It’s relentless! It’s twisty in all the right places and some of it, quite honestly, was pretty clever. There are some surprises but the real winner is Darby. Such a likable, tenacious character. You will be rooting for her at every turn.

Adams did a really good job handling all the loose ends too. I was pretty impressed. Plus, it’s just one of those books that make you love reading all over gain. The act of pushing all your commitments aside just so you can enjoy another page or two. You know that feeling?

If you haven’t read No Exit yet, and you like to be held captive by your reading (who doesn’t?), then find a copy and jump in. I read it in a mere three hours on a work day!

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.