The Commuter by James Patterson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When a woman overhears a murder plot on her morning commute, she races to stop it—only to be pulled in deeper than she ever could have imagined.

Amy Nichols (Lizzy Caplan) was an FBI agent with a dogged need to protect everyone—until that instinct caused her to mishandle a crisis, lose innocent lives, and lose her job. Now a civilian working in private security, that mistake still haunts her.

One morning on the commuter train, she overhears a young couple plotting a murder. Ignoring warnings from her family and friends, Amy’s instinct to protect and serve compels her to investigate. But the further she goes, the more she finds her own life in danger.

Great Performances, Wobbly Plot

Amy Nichols has just earned a promotion within the FBI when a gunman storms an air traffic control tower and takes a hostage. Amy is placed in charge of the crisis, but her decisions lead to a tragic outcome when a small plane carrying twelve passengers crashes. Months later she has left the Bureau and now works as head of security for a French billionaire, a man with whom she is also having an affair. During her morning commute she overhears two strangers discussing a murder, and this moment pulls her into a new and dangerous spiral.

The story itself is where the problems begin. The airport incident strains credibility from the start. Amy ignores the advice of trained professionals and acts on her own instincts, and the result is a disaster that feels more contrived than believable. The idea that an airline CEO would send his own airport security team to storm a federal crime scene only adds to the confusion.

Once Amy overhears the murder plot, the story becomes even harder to accept. Law enforcement repeatedly dismisses her warnings. She becomes a suspect after the murder takes place. She makes reckless choices that defy logic, including entering a woman’s apartment immediately after hearing her being attacked over the phone. Predictably she is discovered standing over the body, and the entire sequence feels designed for shock rather than realism.

Despite these issues the story remains entertaining. The pacing is brisk, the twists keep the plot moving, and the dramatized format adds energy that helps smooth over some of the weaker writing. It is enjoyable enough for fans of audio thrillers, though it is not among the strongest or most convincing stories I have listened to.

This story began as a podcast series before being adapted into a full cast audio drama. The production quality is excellent. The cast is impressive, the performances are strong, and the use of music and ambient sound creates a vivid and cinematic listening experience. I always enjoy audiobooks that lean into sound design, and this one delivers on that front. The cast includes Lizzy Caplan, Richard Schiff, Thomas Lennon, James Urbaniak, and Sarah Steele. Their performances elevate the material and bring a level of polish that I fully expected from such a talented group.



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