The Passengers by John Marrs

I am so thrilled to be on the tour today for The Passengers by John Marrs. I have only read one other book by him, which I loved, but the others are all on my TBR pile, and I have only heard good things about them.  And the premise for this book was so good I couldn't say no! Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton (who appears in all John's books) for inviting me on to the tour, and the publishers for my review copy.

The Blurb:

Eight self-drive cars set on a collision course. Who lives, who dies? You decide.

'Provocative, terrifying and compulsive. Another savagely clever near future thriller' Cara Hunter, bestselling author of CLOSE TO HOME

The new gripping page-turning thriller for fans of BLACK MIRROR from the bestselling author of HER LAST MOVE and THE ONE - soon to be a major Netflix series.

When someone hacks into the systems of eight self-drive cars, their passengers are set on a fatal collision course.

The passengers are: a TV star, a pregnant young woman, a disabled war hero, an abused wife fleeing her husband, an illegal immigrant, a husband and wife - and parents of two - who are travelling in separate vehicles and a suicidal man. Now the public have to judge who should survive but are the passengers all that they first seem?

The Passengers was published as an eBook on 31st March 2019 by Ebury Digital. You can purchase it from here.

My Review:

I have been so lucky this year. I have read about 26, 27 great books so far and know that there maybe three which will feature in my end of year highlights. Well, with The Passengers, I can make that four. Original, bold, controversial in places and beautifully written, it's just fabulous.

Marrs has written a number of books, all standalones. Before this, I had only read one other of his books, When You Disappeared (formerly entitled The Wronged Sins), which I really enjoyed (still to be reviewed here). In it, he created a character that I hated so much I still get angry thinking about him, so I knew going into this one what a strong writer Marrs is.

The Passengers is set in the near future and fully automatic driverless cars have been introduced. A top secret jury meets one week out of every month to decide where the fault lies with any car accidents. It consists of four regular members and a nominated member of the public. Libby is not a fan of driverless cars and doesn't want to be there, but is determined to hold her own in the sessions.

Whilst the jury is in session, 8 seemingly random cars are hacked by 'The Hacker', and forced into a collision course with each other. The jury members, and the general public, have the power to change things, by voting for who should live and who should die, via social media.

The advance of technology fascinates me and terrifies me in equal measure and this book plays on those fears. When the cars are hacked, the Passengers have absolutely no control over what's going to happen. Marrs also highlights our obsession with social media, as we see votes, articles, and quizzes pop up almost immediately regarding the fate of the Passengers. And he touches on prejudices that really shouldn't exist in society, but still do.

Almost every character has some kind of secret, and I never really knew how to feel about them, which was brilliant. Libby was The only one I was sure about, and for me she was like an anchor in a crazy, but all too plausible, story. 

I really can't tell you any more about the story because it's a treat you should discover yourself. As it's a standalone you don't need to have read his other works, although there are references to The One (which will be moving up my TBR list). It's brilliantly, tightly written with surprises all over the place. The characters are beautifully drawn, and the claustrophobic setting of both the jury room and the car interiors are wonderfully described.

It's original and brave and more than a little frightening, set in a plausible future, touching on the advance of technology, the power of social media and mob rule. But it's very human and emotional too and shows how little we need to know about people before we make judgements on them. It still has me thinking about it says after finishing it. Can't recommend the Passengers highly enough - go read it!

The Author:

John Marrs is a former journalist from Northamptonshire, England, who spent 25 years interviewing celebrities from the world of television, film and music for national newspapers and magazines.

He wrote for publications including The Guardian’s Guide and Guardian Online; OK! Magazine; Total Film; Empire; Q; GT; The Independent; Star; Reveal; Company; Daily Star and News of the World’s Sunday Magazine.

He recently gave up his job to write novels full time. His first car at the age of seventeen was a three-door, Ford Escort with a Batman sticker in the rear windscreen. He thought the sticker was cool at the time. 

Author Social Media Links:

Follow  John on Twitter @johnmarrs1, Facebook @johnmarrsauthor, Instagram: @johnmarrs.author, and
Website: johnmarrsauthor.co.uk