The thriller genre is not my usual read, however I was intrigued by this bite-sized novella sent to me for review by author Elainie La Force.

Book One in a series of three, it introduces Anastasia Pestova, a twenty-three year old teller at the Bank of Moscow, who gets into a situation that quickly spirals out of control when she is accused by her employers of fraud.

A series of large transactions she authorised at work is questioned and she is under suspicion. Her father is appalled, even more so when he learns that an old friend might also be implicated. As the suspicious activity is investigated, it looks like money laundering and drug king-pins might also be involved.

Far from having an opportunity to clear her name, there seems no option for Anna but to get out while she can.

What follows is a high-stakes, fast-paced flight from Moscow, relying on help from strangers and her own intuition and resourcefulness, to get to safety.

This little book is definitely a page-turner, with well drawn characters and settings. I enjoyed the snippets of Russian language and landscape, too. I read it on a train journey and it felt satisfying to follow Anastasia’s adventures to their conclusion in the time available. It’s a great opening for a series for fans of the thriller genre. The next two books in the series are Displaced and Foreign Muse.

No Passengers was published by Rockhouse Press in 2026.
My thanks to the author for a review copy.