The Passengers By John Marrs

‘The Passengers’ is the latest book by John Marrs and having read his previous novel ‘The One’ and absolutely devoured it which is now being adapted for Netflix. I was delighted to receive a copy of his newest offering.

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 story is set in a time where people drive autonomous cars and one day 8 people’s cars are hacked and it’s the job of the jury and the public to decide who will survive as all the cars are driving forwards each other, about to collide.

The members of the jury have the impossible task of trying to safe lives, whilst the hacker is always one step ahead. They all have strong personalities as well as beliefs and morals, particularly Libby, a strong willed woman who totally opposes autonomous cars and becomes an unlikely voice of the nation. As the jury members battle to choose who will survive, it is Libby who challenges not only the jury but also the hacker.

I read this book in two sittings, it’s cleverly written that made for fast paced reading. The characters are all interesting and complex that really do, make the reader battle with their conscience and their morals as they try to decide who should survive. But, as the story progresses, secrets and scandals are revealed.

Addictive from the fast page, John has written an incredibly original, thrilling and gripping story. Set in a time where anything is possible, ‘The Passengers’ is a compulsive and terrifying story that will keep you awake into the early hours.

You can buy ‘The Passengers’ from Amazon and will be available to buy from good bookshops from May 30th 2019.