Of all my novels, The Other Passenger was the most enjoyable to write and I think the reason for this is that I gathered together lots of influences that I was just bursting to explore. So even when the fiendishly twisted double-crossing plot threatened to defeat me, I was still eager to open my laptop every morning and plunge back in. Here are five things that inspired me:
1. ‘Double Indemnity’
Though set in the present day, The Other Passenger was inspired by the 1944 noir classic ‘Double Indemnity’ (Barbara Stanwyck is my favourite actress). The parallels are loose, but if you know the movie well, you’ll find them. I love writing femme fatale characters, the kind of empty-hearted women who, like Phyllis in ‘Double Indemnity’, effortlessly lure men into their criminal plots. They look good, yes, but sex appeal isn’t enough in itself and these women also have a vulnerability that stirs a kind of warped chivalry in the men they target. I loved writing Melia. She is truly a piece of work.
2. Generational conflict
I’m obsessed with generational labels: Boomer, Gen X, Millennial and now Gen Z. Though I’m proud to be a Gen X Brit myself, I recognise that for all the greatness of our Cool Britannia Nineties heyday, we have also gone on to develop less attractive attributes. I’d wanted to tackle generational warfare for a while and chose Gen X versus Millennial because the economic injustices between the two cohorts are so very stark. I can’t wait to hear from US readers if the clashes resonate on your side of the pond too.
3. Commuter culture
I’ve always loved crime and thrillers set on boats and other forms of transportation and I’m particularly fascinated by commuter culture, the casual friendships that spring up between people catching the same service every day. Initially, I considered a train setting, but I always strive to do something original and was wary of following the mighty Girl on the Train. Then, one morning the Tube was disrupted in Central London and I found myself taking a Thames Clipper (catamarans that transport commuters by river from East and West London into the centre, a bit like the Brooklyn ferry in NYC). It struck me that this would make the most perfect backdrop for my story. I was on a high when I got off that boat.
4. The music of Lana del Rey
I always give my characters favourite bands and artists and several songs are mentioned in The Other Passenger. The scene where Melia and a friend dance on the river path at Greenwich to ‘Doin’ Time’ by Lana del Rey is probably my favourite moment in the book. The clues to her cruel intentions are right there in the lyrics – if only the other characters will listen!
5. Beautiful houses
Thanks to my previous novels Our House and Those People, I’m known for property (real estate) thrillers, with covetable family homes at the centre of the stories. The Other Passenger is a departure from this, but you can’t set a book in London without including property, it’s a crisis and an obsession that pervades every Londoner’s life. Claire and Jamie live in a Georgian town house by the river, while Kit and Melia rent a bog-standard one-bed flat on the wrong side of the tracks – and they can barely afford that. They will do anything to raise their status – and I mean anything.
Louise Candlish is the Sunday Times bestselling author of fourteen novels. Our House, a #1 bestseller, won the Crime & Thriller Book of the Year at the 2019 British Book Awards, was longlisted for the 2019 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and was shortlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award. It is soon to be a major ITV drama made by Death in Paradise producers Red Planet Pictures. Louise lives in London with her husband and daughter. Visit her at LouiseCandlish.com or connect with her on Twitter @Louise_Candlish.
