Passenger 23 by Sebastian Fitzek

Synopsis: Five years ago Martin Schwarz, a police psychologist, lost his wife and son. It happened during a holiday on the cruise ship Sultan of the Seas, and no one could tell him what exactly had happened. Martin has been a mental wreck ever since, biding his time with suicide missions as an undercover agent. During one of his operations he gets a call from a strange old lady, who introduces herself as a Thriller author. She wants him to come on board of the Sultan of the Seas immediately and claims to have proof regarding the disappearance of this family. Martin had sworn himself never to set foot on a ship again, but he returns to the ship and finds out that several weeks ago a girl gone missing on the Sultan reappeared – carrying his son’s teddy bear …

(not translated into English yet)

Review: This novel is as breathtaking as it is horrible. I admit that I was really impressed. It’s been a long time since I was so surprised by a thriller and I must say that for that, Sebastian Fitzek is really talented. We do not expect it, we are surprised until the last pages. When we think that we finally managed to understand what happened, that we have proofs, we realize that there are some pages left and that these few pages can still completely change the situation. So yes, Sebastian Fitzek manipulated me throughout the story as I tried to figure out where the story was going to take me and he blew me away with his ideas.

Of course, now you wonder why the story is horrible, is not it? It’s the topics that are discussed that are … fiou … horrific. Yes, really terrible, unhealthy, difficult and yes, horrible. One can only feel the horror after reading the words of the author. I can not really tell you what it is because it is also what the novel makes us discover, the horror we do not pronounce, the horror we do not envision, the hidden follies and especially the things we’re trying not to understand or hear. Things that we can not even believe possible.

You will not doubt either the things that can happen on a cruise ship, the money, the secrets that can be involved and especially of all that there can be behind the disappearance of a person or a suicide. I admit that I had never thought about that, suicides during cruises and it’s pretty appalling.

This novel really left me on the ass and if you are not afraid to discover the horrible things that a human can do to another for money, by madness, or worse, then this book is for you!