Passenger 23

An Audible Original Drama

By: Sebastian Fitzek

Narrated by: Max Beesley, Rebecca Hall, Anthony Head, Robert Glenister, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Sian Phillips

Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

A gripping psychological thriller set on high seas. A transatlantic crossing that becomes a nightmare.

With no police to investigate and no escape, could it be the perfect setting for a crime? Martin Schwartz (Beesley) is an undercover detective who is recovering from his wife and sons' bizarre disappearance from a cruise ship 5 years ago. He is a desperate man willing to take big risks. Martin never wanted to step onto a cruise ship again until he receives a call which can't be ignored. On average, 23 people per year disappear without a trace from cruise ships. Never before has someone come back... until now.

Please note: This title contains explicit language.

©2014 Sebastian Fitzek (P)2015 Audible Ltd.

The first Audible Original I've Really Enjoyed!

Great story, fine performances, super production qualities. Well done,Audible! Until now it's been a disappointing series of releases - here's hoping you're now hitting your stride.

Very interesting!

This is a fascinating story and keeps you guessing. I was wishing it was a bit longer!

The recording has a glitch or two and some odd fade outs where the audio isn’t normalised to a standard volume, but the performances are excellent and the mix of performed and narrated script brings it to life!

I love full cast recordings!

The production quality of this book is great. I wish all audiobooks came with sound effects and music. The story is good too and piqued my interest right away. If you're looking for a good mystery with a kinda creepy, slightly disturbing vibe, you'll probably like this book.

Very entertaining!

I've been a fan of audiobooks for a while, and I've listened to some that have a "cast" or at least more than one narrator, but this was just great! I'm now going to seek out other audiobooks that have this level of production to them. It's what I imagine the radio plays from the 1940's (I think that was the right era for those) must have been like. Heck, if you are going to have a book read for you why not have it turned into a full-blown production? Very well done!

Amazing book, excelent performance.

loved the story and the actors were really good, wish the volume could be turned up a bit in some occasions.

Came for Rebecca Hall, stayed for the mystery

After watching the German adaptation of his book, Cut Off, I’ve been very intrigued by Sebastian Fitzek. He seems like the perfect fit for fellow fans of David Fincher and the Dragon Tattoo series. And so far, I can wholeheartedly say he is 2/2 in terms of dark mysteries with the tendency to dip into the unpredictable depravity of humanity. I was a little let down by how little Rebecca Hall is in this audiobook, but that isn’t to say she nor the cast did a bad job.

Are you sure you want to book that cruise?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The best thing about this book is the premise: mysterious disappearances at sea, the lack of competent investigatory resources; the cruise ship owners' powerful motivations to cover up the situation.

Would you recommend Passenger 23 to your friends? Why or why not?

I wouldn't especially recommend this book, because the author goes into too much grisly detail (listeners' imaginations are always worse than whatever far-fetched torture methods writers come up with). Also, there's a huge plot hole (spoiler alert: all the mother-child victims "won" their cruises in an online contest they don't remember. The authorities wouldn't pick up on that? Even semi-competent ones??). Finally, we get into really unbelievable territory with the opening scene where a man's healthy leg is being amputated, the significance of which isn't explained until an epilog, which, BTW, comes after the credits, so many people are likely to miss.

Would you listen to another book narrated by the narrators?

The main narrator was a bit heavy for the content; the other actors were fine, but since they're only used for dialog and there wasn't much, their voices felt intrusive. And I didn't think the sound effects were more than distracting. They were OK when used for atmosphere, but not when relevant to the plot--footsteps, doors slamming, and the like. It's the difference between a sentence that reads (in a straight narration), “He ran up the stairs to the fifth deck and arrived panting. ‘Where is she?!’ he asked” versus “He ran up the stairs to the fifth deck. ‘(pant, pant, pant) Where is she?!’” A fast-moving thriller contains a surprising amount of panting and shrieking.

Do you think Passenger 23 needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

There doesn't need to be a followup, because the main character has resolved his personal mystery, which was his principal motivation.

Any additional comments?

Thriller writers need to find other ways to engage readers than over-the-top gruesome violence (especially against women) that destroys credibility. That worked for a while, but now has become such a cliche of the genre that it's silly.

Meh

The performance is decent, although I prefer to have a single reader and don't really think the sound effects add anything of value. The story is pretty over the top and rather campy. It's unlikely I'd listen to or read another book by this author.

awesome

more audio books should be like this. it was immersive and intriguing. the performance style was interactive and took the listener directly on board. it went beyond narration and could be compared to a movie for the blind. well done.

great story

I loved it and it got me hooked right from the beginning. the performance is also well done.