Reviewed by Craig Sisterson
Every year, on average 23 people disappear without a trace from cruise ships. No one has ever come back. Until now.
Five years ago Martin Schwarz, a police psychologist, lost his wife and son. They were holidaying on a cruise ship when they simply vanished. A lackluster investigation was unable to shed any light on what happened—murder-suicide being the coroner's verdict. It is a verdict that has haunted Martin ever since, blighting his life.
But then he is contacted by an elderly woman, a writer, who claims to have information regarding their fate and wants him to come on board The Sultan of the Seas immediately. She explains that his wife and son are not the only mother and child pair to have disappeared. Only a few months ago another mother and daughter also vanished. She believes there may be a serial killer on board. But when the missing daughter reappears—carrying the teddy bear of Martin's missing son—it becomes apparent that the truth could be much, much worse...
Berlin thriller author Sebastian Fitzek is an absolutely massive name across Europe, though until recently his tales have only sporadically been available in English (sometimes as audio dramas but not in print). His debut, THERAPY, knocked Dan Brown from atop the bestseller list in Germany. His books have now sold 13 million copies, been translated into 24 languages, won numerous awards, and been adapted for both screen (five films) and stage. Along with audio dramas and even board games.
So I went into PASSENGER 23 quite curious - as I'd heard a fair bit about him as a thriller writer (the biggest in Germany), but hadn't yet read any of his work. I came away very much seeing what all the fuss was about. It's a high-concept book that also delivers on character depth and style.
Like Stuart MacBride and Paul Cleave, Fitzek is unafraid about taking readers into some pretty dark places, yet does so with a touch that means things never seem gratuitous. There's emotional impact and suggestion and powerful writing.
After suffering a huge personal tragedy while he was undercover, police psychologist Martin Schwartz is now addicted to the most dangerous undercover gigs. He has nothing left to lose. But he's lured onto the floating township that is The Sultan of the Seas cruise ship by something more personal after the missing daughter of a presumed murder-suicide reappears onboard months later.
While looking to help the girl who came back from the dead - while fending off the machinations of those more concerned with publicity, business, and other matters than the girl's wellbeing - can Martin also uncover the truth behind his own tragedy? And perhaps hunt a serial killer – or worse – at sea?
Fitzek drops readers into a setting that when you stop to think about it, is like a floating town. Imagine a dizzying array of cultures, personalities, and vices all thrust together in a contained space, living side-by-side with no law enforcement. It's a dicey situation, and a landscape where it would be very easy to make someone disappear. A ship could have travelled many miles on the vast ocean before anyone even realised someone had been lost at sea - by suicide, accident, or something far more sinister.
Evidence washed away by the currents.
Overall I thought PASSENGER 23 was a terrific tale. Fitzek delivers a cracking good read that has personality and punch to its prose, along with the high-concept set-up and well-drawn characters that make you care. And fear. And laugh. There's several nasty topics that are explored (eg paedophile rings and child abuse), so it could be too dark for some. But it never feels gratuitous.
While English-speaking readers are playing catch-up with Fitzek's oeuvre, the good news is that Head of Zeus are publishing five of his books in a 12-month period, so there's lots of great reading ahead.
Take a look at this one. I'll certainly be reading the others (eg AMOK, SEAT 7A).
Craig Sisterson is a lawyer turned features writer from New Zealand, now living in London. He has been a judge of the Ned Kelly Awards and the McIlvanney Prize, and is founder of the Ngaio Marsh Awards and co-founder of Rotorua Noir. His first non-fiction book, SOUTHERN CROSS CRIME, was published in 2020. You can heckle him on Twitter.
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