One of the secrets we know that Tanya Dubois keeps is that she recently left her dead husband, Frank, lying on the floor of their home. Once she verified that he really was dead, she treated herself to a shot of Frank's good bourbon, took his hidden cash, packed her bags and left. What kind of heroine is this?

For those who have read her Spellman Files series, Lisa Lutz fans will recognize the kind of heroine she does best: a woman who is a mass of contradictions and often unpredictable but who consistently lands on her feet, ready to face another challenge. Izzy Spellman, a private investigator for Spellman Investigations, stars in the tradition of Stephanie Plum rather than Nancy Drew. Tanya Dubois is that kind of heroine as well.

"Lutz's first departure from the Spellman Files series was HOW TO START A FIRE, and it met with rave reviews in 2015. THE PASSENGER is sure to garner the same enthusiasm and thus lessen the sense of loss regarding the Spellmans."

One immediately wonders why a woman who is innocent would not simply call the police and report that her husband fell down the stairs and died. However, that's not the way Lutz's heroines operate. If there is a way to make matters worse, they find it. And thus continues the journey of Tanya Dubois, aka Amelia Keen, aka Debra Maze, aka Emma Lark and others.

It soon becomes apparent that this was not the first time our heroine packed her bags. Something happened in her hometown six years ago that made her leave and never go back. What that was will keep you reading and guessing page after page. Some clues are provided in periodic email exchanges with a former acquaintance from her past. There seems to be an intense love/hate relationship rooted in yet another secret.

Another clue is revealed when the mysterious Mr. Oliver sends some thugs to kill her. Who is he, and why has he been willing to send Tanya money and help her establish various fake IDs? Is he a part of her past secret, or does he have secrets of his own?

Places, incidents and characters that Tanya encounters along her journey are well drawn and display the talent that Lutz has for being able to create a realistic scenario. She has a way with words that brings a smile of understanding to those who have faced similar situations. Though most of us have never been on the run from some mysterious event in our past, many of us can understand the pain of a betrayal and the fear of retribution. This is where her sensitivity and word skills shine.

Though I always have a sense of loss when a favorite author drops a series in favor of “stand-alones” or starts a new series with different characters, I can understand the writer's desire to explore and grow. Lutz's first departure from the Spellman Files series was HOW TO START A FIRE, and it met with rave reviews in 2015. THE PASSENGER is sure to garner the same enthusiasm and thus lessen the sense of loss regarding the Spellmans.