The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

Author: Lisa Lutz
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date of publication: March 2016

Forty-eight hours after leaving her husband’s body at the base of the stairs, Tanya Dubois cashes in her credit cards, dyes her hair brown, demands a new name from a shadowy voice over the phone, and flees town. It’s not the first time.

She meets Blue, a female bartender who recognizes the hunted look in a fugitive’s eyes and offers her a place to stay. With dwindling choices, Tanya-now-Amelia accepts. An uneasy―and dangerous―alliance is born.

It’s almost impossible to live off the grid today, but Amelia-now-Debra and Blue have the courage, the ingenuity, and the desperation, to try. Hopscotching from city to city, Debra especially is chased by a very dark secret…can she outrun her past?

I was surprised at how much I ended up liking this book.  It's a kind of hard one to review without giving major plot points away.  The basic set up is that Tanya's husband dies from a fall down the stairs.  Instead of calling the police, she runs.  Not because she did anything, but because she isn't really Tanya. She doesn't want the police to look at her too closely.  She has been on the run for 10 years.

The reader follows Tanya-Amelia-Debra through her many name changes and situations as she runs from her past.  Blue is another mystery to be solved. Tanya's meeting with her changes her life in ways she never imagined.  I thought this was a pretty cool book.  It really showed how hard it is to live off the grid, especially with today's technology.  The book was fast paced and kept me guessing until the reveal toward the end.  Although, I did predict one twist.   I do recommend this one.  It will keep you on your toes.