LoveReading Says
Hostage would make the most perfectly fabulous holiday read, if you’re brave enough! On board the first non-stop flight from the UK to Australia, a flight attendant is given a horrifying either/or decision to make. Author Clare Mackintosh sets emotions rocketing from the get-go. I love her writing, she always successfully captures the entirety of my concentration and I know I need to set plenty of read-in-one-sitting time aside. This is incredibly visual, people, places, and the plot all popped into my minds eye and I felt, really felt as though I was there. The first person narrative is used to great effect, it allows you access to a number of people, toying with preconceived ideas and encouraging thoughts to explore. The tension keeps expanding, gathering new observations, and I can honestly say that I had absolutely no idea where I was going to end up. The last few chapters hit hard, and as for the epilogue, well, I’ll just proclaim it, and the last sentence in particular, an absolute doozie! Hostage is a monster of a fabulous read, clever yet entertaining, thoughtful yet provocative, I declare it a LoveReading Star Book.
*
The less said the better about this latest nail-biter from Mackintosh. A kind of locked-room mystery aboard an intercontinental flight in which a flight attendant is given an impossible choice by terrorists: bring down the plane if you want your daughter at home to live. But there is a dark underbelly to this tale, and the stunning, unsettling conclusion will stick with you long after you’ve put that jaw of yours back in place. - Selected by Linwood Barclay, Our Autumn 2021 Guest Editor. Click here to read the full Guest Editor Piece.
Liz Robinson
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Hostage Synopsis
You can save hundreds of lives.
Or the one that matters most . . .
The atmosphere on board the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney is electric. Celebrities are rumoured to be among the passengers in business class, and the world is watching the landmark journey.
Flight attendant Mina is trying to focus on the passengers, instead of her troubled five-year-old daughter back at home - or the cataclysmic problems in her marriage.
But soon after the plane takes off, Mina receives a chilling anonymous note. Someone wants to make sure the plane never reaches its destination. They're demanding her cooperation . . . and they know exactly how to get it.
It's twenty hours to landing.
A lot can happen in twenty hours . . .
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780751577082 |
| Publication date: |
23rd June 2022 |
| Author: |
Clare Mackintosh |
| Publisher: |
Sphere an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
416 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Thriller and Suspense
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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Clare Mackintosh Press Reviews
Hypnotically good -- LEE CHILD Mackintosh builds [the] dilemma into a rip-roaring finale - GUARDIAN
Tightly plotted, tense and with an unexpected twist, it's the book of the summer - SUN
An utterly riveting read - with so many jaw-dropping twists and turns you won't dare unfasten your seatbelt -- LUCY FOLEY
A nail-biter of a thriller with an unexpected gut-punch at the end - a fantastic read! -- SHARI LAPENA
Taking the locked room mystery to a new, white-knuckle extreme, this is electrifying - HEAT
Feels like a blockbuster movie; edge of seat, nail biting, propulsive, compulsive, thrilling and just so beautifully done -- LISA JEWELL
A propulsive read - Hostage will have you questioning 'what would you do?' at every turn -- KARIN SLAUGHTER
I dare anyone to read this high-octane, tense thriller on a flight - PRIMA
When Clare Mackintosh goes high concept, she doesn't mess around . . . A true page-turner that will have producers lining up with movie offers -- LINWOOD BARCLAY
A thrilling, chilling gut punch of a book - RED
A thrilling rollercoaster of a story. It'll leave you breathless -- JANE FALLON This is an incredibly tense read that has a satisfyingly clever ending - GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
Always a compelling storyteller, ex-cop Clare Mackintosh has devised the year's most intriguing high-concept plot - DAILY EXPRESS
A smart pay-off - THE TIMES, THE BEST THRILLERS FOR JUNE
The ultimate modern take on the classic locked-room thriller . . . proves why [Mackintosh] is the queen of nail-biting suspense - IRISH INDEPENDENT
A tense, convincing, nail-biter of a thriller -- ADELE PARKS - PLATINUM MAGAZINE
A banger of a book with a truly agonising 'what would you do?' -- RUTH WARE We're right there with Mina as she agonizes over what to do. Mackintosh is a pro - NEW YORK TIMES
Chilling! - BELLA
Why did no one warn me how bloody addictive it is? -- TAMMY COHEN Buckle up for some edge-of-your-plane-seat action with this read-in-one-sitting thriller! - SUN ON SUNDAY, FABULOUS MAGAZINE
Hostage has everything: fascinating characters, amazing writing, perfect pace, full of mystery, tension and emotion. An incredible thriller -- ALLIE REYNOLDS I am still on the floor! I thought I knew where it was going, then I got wrong-footed, then I got whiplash! A mind-blowing read -- SANDIE JONES A truly gripping and terrifying story - WOMAN'S WEEKLY
Fasten your seatbelts. Hostage is a white-knuckle ride that takes the classic locked-room thriller airborne . . . Gripping - HERALD
Surprising twists propel the story to an unexpected finale. Mackintosh has raised her game - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STARRED REVIEW
A chilling read that you won't want to put down - CLOSER
Page after page of unrelenting suspense . . . hard to put down as readers are willingly lured on by one plot twist after another . . . A gifted writer with a captivating voice - NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS
Clare Mackintosh has an enviable talent for creating credible families and putting them in enough jeopardy to make the story fly while stirring up emotions of all kinds - LITERARY REVIEW
Heart-stopping - CRIME FICTION MONTHLY
An impossible situation which Clare Mackintosh tackles masterfully - WOMAN'S WAY
The queen of intensely paced thrillers is back with another gripping read - NEW
Incredibly gripping, incredibly brilliant and incredibly frightening . . . Definitely one of my reads of the year - NB MAGAZINE
Fasten seatbelts for a deliciously turbulent ride with an ace story pilot! - PETERBOROUGH TELEGRAPH
So tense you'll feel you're on board - get ready for this thrill ride - REAL PEOPLE
Keeps the reader guessing until the final chapter - EAST ANGLIAN DAILY TIMES
