"The Other Passenger" by Louise Candlish

 If there is a writer around at the moment who more consistently delivers a satisfying final few pages to a book than Louise Candlish, I haven’t found them yet. I’m not talking about game-changing, rug-pulling twists that change how you look at everything that’s gone before or leave you feeling cheated by a ridiculous revelation.  I’m thinking more in a “One more thing…” kind of way.  Not a Columbo “One more thing”, more of a Steve Jobs “One more thing”.  A gentle reminder of some of the information you’ve really had along but forgotten to put together, but which result in a logical - and almost inevitable - conclusion that’s bound to leave you with a wry smile.  They are almost akin to the mid credit scenes in a Marvel movie.

And so it is with “The Other Passenger”.   Two couples - Jamie & Clare, Kit & Melia - find their lives entangled when work colleagues Clare & Melia introduce their partners - resulting in Jamie and Kit becoming “waterbus buddies” on their daily commutes along the Thames.  When Kit disappears following a commuters group night out, Jamie finds himself subject to the attention of the Police.  The layers of plotting on display here would normally irritate me, but somehow Candlish keeps it within the lines of plausibility as the truth is gradually revealed.

I’ll admit that I’m not the hardest of readers to please, but Louise Candlish ticks every single box I look for.  Clever plots that avoid relying on coincidences, smart dialogue with an element of humour, a restrained approach to murders and an absence of tedious scene setting description.  I’ve currently read another two of her books (“Our House” & “The Swimming Pool”) and loved them both.

Check them out here.