The 7th Passenger

The Alaska Thrillers #3

by Andrew Cunningham

In 1966, The Wonder Boys, one of America’s top rock bands, embarked on a flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks for a concert. However, their plane mysteriously vanished en route. Adding to the mystery, the band’s manager, who opted out of the flight, disappeared the following day, leaving no trace.

Fast forward nearly six decades to the present day. Bush pilot Scott Harper, accompanied by his recently adopted daughter Michaela and his former police dog Max, stumbles upon the wreckage of the missing aircraft. In it are the skeletal remains of its two pilots and seven passengers. But official records only account for six passengers. Who was the seventh?

When the investigation takes an unexpected turn with the sudden involvement of the CIA, Scott finds himself grappling with unthinkable and chilling discoveries.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Thriller

260 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 23, 2024

About the author

Andrew Cunningham is an Amazon bestselling author of 22 novels, including The Alaska Thrillers (Wisdom Spring, Nowhere Alone, The 7th Passenger, and Lost Passage); the "Lies" Mystery Series (All Lies, Fatal Lies, Vegas Lies, Secrets & Lies, Blood Lies, Buried Lies, Sea of Lies, and Maui Lies); the terrorist/disaster thriller Deadly Shore; the Yestertime Time Travel Series (Yestertime, The Yestertime Effect, The Yestertime Warning, and The Yestertime Shift); and the post-apocalyptic Eden Rising Series (Eden Rising, Eden Lost, Eden's Legacy, Eden’s Survival, and Eden's Fury). As A.R. Cunningham, he has written a series of 5 humorous children's mysteries in the Arthur MacArthur series for middle-readers. Formerly an interpreter for the deaf, an independent bookseller, and a freelance writer and copy editor, Andrew was a long-time resident of Cape Cod. He and his wife now live in Florida. Visit his website at www.arcnovels.com, and his Facebook Page (Author Andrew Cunningham).

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action packed

Non stop action with nuclear tones. I do have to mention that the young girl in this story is quite a bit beyond any girls that age that I have met...quite a character. Enjoy!

[Anne B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Page-Turner!

The chance discovery of plane wreckage from more than six decades ago reveals disturbing clues, pointing to a sinister reason for its crash. Following a tense encounter in the remote Alaskan wilderness, Scott Harper enlists his friends in a race against time to stop a plan long in the making. This riveting thriller will keep readers on edge until the final page. Highly recommended!

[Sallie Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The 7th Passenger by Andrew Cunningham is billed as a thriller but, for this reader, there’s a strong cozy mystery feel to it. Told mostly in first person, with a tad of flashback to 1966, the main character, Scott, has a recently adopted 13 year old daughter and a dog named Max. He’s a bush pilot in Alaska and he and his daughter find an old wrecked airplane on one of their excursions, complete with dead bodies and signs of foul play. That’s the premise and it soon escalates into a search for a cache of missing weapons, including some nuclear warheads, CIA agents, KGB operatives, even Mossad out in the woods.

Felt like light reading to me.

ATY Goodreads Challenge - 2024
Prompt #51 - a book published in 2024

[Terry Segan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This thriller raced along with non-stop action. I enjoy novels where a mystery from the past ties into events of the present. The author artfully wove in several viewpoints and storylines to a climatic conclusion. The characters were great, especially the spunky thirteen-year-old daughter, who was anything but a helpless bystander. I'll definitely be looking up the previous books in this series, as well as Cunningham's other novels.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If this was the last book of the Alaska series, it was a spectacular ending. All of your favorite characters from the first two books are here, with plot twists that are impossible to predict. I was so afraid that Max might get bumped off but he came through like the true champ he is. (My mantra of "not the dog, not the dog" worked.) I hope there will be another book in the Alaska series but if not, it came to a great end...whew!

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad mystery

The first half of the book was good. It built up a nice mystery and had interesting characters.
The second half devolved into a juvenile action adventure story. Sorry, but a thirteen year old saving the day and finding nuclear weapons that operatives from around the world couldn't. That just wasn't believable.
Also, I don't like young people killing people, even if they are killing the bad guys. I doubt I'll read anymore by this author.

[Linda Clemons · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are exciting stories

I’ve read all 3 books in the series and I hope there are more in the works. The 7th Passenger is an exciting story with characters you will like and some you won’t. I especially like Max! The books can be read as standalone stories but I recommend reading them in order.

[Julie Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay this wasn't what I was expecting but I still enjoyed it. I was expecting the story to focus on Scott, his daughter Michaela and there dog as they investigated the plan crash. Instead the story jumps around in history as a little bit of the puzzle is told by the different characters. This did mean you got a good understanding of why things happened but it does mean you are introduced to a lot of characters for only a few pages. especially with all the guns and action involved. This is book three in the series and while I have listened to book two I didn't really remember the story or the characters, so can say it does work as a standalone. That's not to say I didn't like the characters because I did, especially Michaela. Who doesn't love it when a child out smarts the bad guys. Off to relisten to book two.
When Scott and his daughter Michaela discover an old plans crash, they had no idea that by doing so they would be putting there lives in danger. They quickly discover the plane crash holds the secrets to what happened to a boy band that was on the rise before suddenly disappearing. Only it's the mystery passenger that holds all the real answers as to what happen that night and why governments would be sending there three lettered agents to the site now. Can Scott and his daughter come out of this encounter alive?
I liked the narrator. He used accents to help you tell the characters apart and bring the story and situation to life.
I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Patty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the premise not believable in all aspects. I love adventure and spy books. I can suspend my disbelief in a few instances just to roll with the story but no way KGB would allow a young pregnant spy to retire and settle in US where they keep an eye on her and then never contact her again. A normal, sweet 12-13 yr old girl has the wherewithal to kill people and be ok with it afterwards. And what adoptive dad would take her on missions because she wouldn’t have it any other way.
There were so many scenes like that. I’m one of those people who has to finish a book once started. Even the ending was unsatisfactory. I give very few 5 stars. Usually 3-4 stars are my norm.

[Celeste Deerinwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting

This writer is able to snag your interest from the start and run with it throughout the entire story. There are just enough facts scattered within the storyline to be believable. Really enjoyed the timeline from past to present during the plot. Characters are real enough to be your cousin or uncle or the neighbor next door. Easy reading with bits and pieces to keep you guessing. Would definitely recommend this book

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read a preview of the first few chapters and wanted to see where the story was going. No disrespect intended to the author, but I didn’t find the novel particularly well written. It seemed way too superficial with characters and dialogue, more like a summary of the overall story than a fully fleshed out final draft. The plot was interesting, though it involved far too much willful suspension of disbelief for me.

[Jerry Mount · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fast-paced, high-action thriller in Mr. Cunningham's Alaska series. This one involves all the characters, and the main locale, from the other two books. Again, lots of action and twists, with little nuance or character development. Overall, I enjoyed it as a relatively short action thriller. I did find it to be much too similar to the second book, 'Nowhere Alone'. Even in a series, I like to see some progression in characters and overall story arc. Still, a fun ride.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as the thrills just kept coming. It moved along well and didn’t get hung up describing every weapon in minute detail. There were a couple incidents that were a little hard to believe for instance, a 13-year-old girl able to handle terrorist situations like a 30-year-old and a man who had never handled a weapon able to take out a KGB group with a gun. But, all in all, it was a good read.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twists

Captivating book with lots of complex characters. Kept me interested from beginning to end. Just enough description to make it easy to picture everything as if it was a movie. More gunfire than I am used to reading. Action has plenty of twists and turns to keep one engaged in the action. Good book.

[Sheridan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this 3-book series by Andrew Cunningham! The 7th Passenger is the third about an Alaskan bush pilot and the intrigue and adventures in the Alaskan wilderness. The first two books, Wisdom Spring and Nowhere Alone, set the stage for this final book. Great reads, interesting characters (and dog), lots of action and adventure.

[Kristoffer Jost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly Entertaining

Andrew Cunningham is one of my favorite authors, and this latest book from the Alaska Thrillers doesn’t disappoint! I eagerly await his next book as well as his next newsletter which gives one a glimpse into his personal life and adds a few gems of inspiration.

[Gene Archdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book yet

This is a very fast moving book. I couldn't put it down. Scott finds a missing plane from 60 years earlier. Then there are other people near by looking for something else. It seems there are some missing nuclear weapons that was suppose to around the same sight as the plane crash It gets even more interesting when Mechal

[Christopher Mckinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great adventure & mystery story

This is the first book that I've read by this author. Of course I bought the book after reading what it was about, however the story turned out way much better than anticipated. I look forward to reading more from this author soon. Great job Mr. Cunningham.

[Dale DePrima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great characters and story

I have read all of Andrew Cunningham's books. I love how he brings each character to life and develops his story! Each book so far has been a page turner, and it's hard to put down. I rarely write reviews,but his books are definitely one of my all-time favorites. Can't wait for the next series.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story

This book starts a story that happened around 1966 ANd finishes it in today's world. The plot and character are interesting and the action always moving foteard. This writer seems to have other books with the same characters. As ill be reading those too.

[Victoria Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good mystery

The 7th Passenger was a good mystery. I found it lite summer reading to get me ready for the summer season of backyard reading. No spoilers here. It was good 'til the end.

[Ann Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting fact read

Pilots flying planes in Alaska, the CIA, FBI, missing munitions from 60+ years ago, combine a 13 y.o. girl, her adopted father and a dog combine to solve the mysteries.

[Vicki L Pulley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mystery is solved.

Spies from all different agencias a private investigator with his daughter are finally able to solve this old mystery. There is lots of excitement and danger.

[KerryO · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the main characters in this series and the story was going great until it got bogged down with all of alphabet agencies chasing down the reason for the Wonder Boys plan crash. An enjoyable pool read!

[Ed Stracka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this series!

This is not the first series I have read by Andrew, but the one I have enjoyed the most! The characters became real throughout the series which made the experience more enjoyable. Looking forward to more from him.

[Janet Hudnall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good one

This was my favorite in the series. When I received the notice there was a third in the series, I jumped at getting the book and quickly moved this book up on my to be read list. So glad I did. Amazing book..

[Judith K Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action and adventure on steroids

So many plot twists and a high body count, but fun to read. I enjoyed the characters -- and they were all "characters"! I would have liked a little more character development, but it was enjoyable light reading.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good ending to the series on Audible. Lots of action, murder, character twists, and more. I liked the continuing story on the main characters. Once again, my favorite character is Max, the dog. He saves the day several times.

[MGMuir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Great characters! A fast-paced thriller with a satisfying ending. A great read!

[Beverly McFall Killough · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 7th Passenger

This was a really good read with an exciting end. I loved the characters and especially the dog and teenager. Will look forward to the next read.