Gripping, addictive - and terrifying. Yes, it's a cliche, but I really couldn't put this down, reading into the wee small hours with my heart pounding and my nerves jangling. Mackintosh's best yet; brilliantly crafted and utterly compulsive. I have never been more delighted that a holiday overseas is not on the cards for a very long time.

A good book you can enjoy reading at any time but it takes an exceptional book to lose yourself in when there’s a pandemic going on. Hostage is an exceptional book to invest time and emotions in. Set on a non stop flight from London to Sydney involving Mina a member of the cabin crew who gets involved in an impossible situation of saving her child or a plane full of people we are treated to a non stop thriller
. I’m glad there was a twist at the end because I tend not to like books that tie everything up all nicely. I have a feeling this book is going to be a very deserving bestseller. My thanks go to Little Brown and Netgalley for an. early copy.

Oh my word! What a journey I have just been on - a non stop flight from London to Sydney between the pages of the new book from Clare Mackintosh called Hostage. This book is surely on course to be a best seller for this year, and, given the restrictions on flying abroad at this time may make you re think a staycation! This book offers all the personal dimensions we have grown used to with her previous characters but I feel she has exceeded herself with Hostage. From the first page you get the feeling that you are actually watching a film not reading a book as the tension builds.
The story centres around Mina, a member of cabin crew on this inaugural flight who has recently separated from her husband Adam after she suspected he had an affair with their childminder Katya. Sharing custody of their adopted daughter Sophia, Mina swaps a shift with a colleague to get some breathing space and think about her future. Needless to say, the flight does not go as expected; Mina, passed a note from a stranger finds herself faced with a devastating choice - do as she is instructed or face someone hurting Sophia. Does she save her child or everyone on the plane? Who can she turn to for help?
Unable to contact home to check on Sophia, Mina makes a decision that will change everything. Is it the right decision?
One of the best books I have read in a long time, I highly recommend Hostage if you like a fast paced thriller with wonderful twists and turns and a stinger in its tail! It would be fabulous if Hostage could be made into a film or tv drama - it’s the kind of book that would translate brilliantly!
Thank you to Little Brown and NetGalley for a complementary e-copy of Hostage.

Another success for Clare Mackintosh! It was very different from everything I have read before and I found the ending absolutely amazing. Looking forward to her next novel already!

An excellent read! Fast-paced thriller that I couldn't put down. I was engrossed from the first page, constantly wanting to know what would happen next. The different characters were brought alive with vivid descriptions and real life problems scattered throughout. The book even moved me to tears at certain points. I highly recommend this book,

#Hostage #NetGalley
I loved it. It's a movie.
Mina is one of a hand-picked team of flight attendants chosen for the landmark journey. She's trying to focus on the task in hand, and not worry about her troubled five-year-old daughter back at home with her husband. Or the cataclysmic problems in her marriage.
But the plane has barely taken off when Mina receives a chilling note from an anonymous passenger, someone intent on ensuring the plane never reaches its destination. Someone who needs Mina's assistance and who knows exactly how to make her comply.
I loved Mina's character.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book UK Sphere for giving me an advanced copy of this book.

I was absolutely thrilled to be invited to view this title. I knew it wouldn’t disappoint!! Claire’s books get better and better. She had an uncomplicated, yet sharp sense of writing that draws you in from the first page. No waffle or padding, just straight into the story, which I love! This was and excellent, taut read which had my guessing all along.

Mina and her husband Adam were living apart after Mina suspected him of having an affair with the nanny of their child Sophia... Sophia was adopted and had some challenging behavioral problems associated with her life before she was adopted. One thing was certain she had the love of both her parents. Mina was dreading the run-up to Christmas and jumped at .the chance to change shifts and be part of the cabin crew on a very special first none stop flight to Australia. Little did she know of the horrors that awaited her on the flight and also what awaited Adam and Sophia at home. I did enjoy the book but found the first few chapters a little bit drawn out and slow. The rest of the book made up for it with tension and shocking revelations galore.

In a very crowded market Claire Mackintosh’s thrillers stand out head and shoulders above the rest. This one follows a familiar theme, the lengths a parent would go to to protect their child, but in a unique way that kept me on the edge of my seat as I raced through it. Switching between Mina the senior flight attendant on the inaugural non-stop flight from London to Sydney and her estranged husband who’s at home with their 5 year old adopted daughter we follow their increasingly frantic situation as Mina discovers she must choose between helping terrorists to take over the plane to keep her daughter safe or following the protocols to save the passengers. This was a real “edge of your seat” thriller that kept me hooked until the very last sentence with an astounding ending.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publishers and to Clare for an ARC copy of the exciting new book.

You can save hundreds of lives.
Or the one that matters most . . .

The atmosphere on board the inaugural non-stop flight from London to Sydney is electric. Numerous celebrities are rumoured to be among the passengers in business class and journalists will be waiting on the ground to greet the plane.

Mina is one of a hand-picked team of flight attendants chosen for the landmark journey. She's trying to focus on the task in hand, and not worry about her troubled five-year-old daughter back at home with her husband. Or the cataclysmic problems in her marriage.

But the plane has barely taken off when Mina receives a chilling note from an anonymous passenger, someone intent on ensuring the plane never reaches its destination. Someone who needs Mina's assistance and who knows exactly how to make her comply!

It's twenty hours to landing.

A lot can happen in twenty hours . . .

So firstly why a four star from me, well honestly the first 10% to 20% of the book was a little slow and a lot of characters, a lot of backwards and forward to different storylines, but then this book took off like a rollercoaster, a very fast moving rollercoaster.

Tensions high from what's happening on board to what is going happen next, gripping, tense, nail biting, powerful and fast paced, strong characters.

Clare has brought us another unique thriller, that could easily be made into a blockbuster thriller film.

Cannot really say anymore as I want you the reader of this review to enjoy the book!

When I received the request to read Hostage by Clare Mackintosh, I was thrilled! I have read her other novels and they are all superb and this one does not disappoint!

The novel is written from multiple POV which worked well in this setting – on the plane, at home, and what happened before. All the storylines combined well to create a comprehensive thriller.

I really enjoyed the snippets of information on some of the passengers, known only by their seat numbers, and the character development of the main characters was smoothly and intriguingly drawn out. Ms. Mackintosh deftly portrays the humanitarian side of the many crises in the novel and the characters are relatable and easily understood.

The narrative flowed smoothly right up until that final twist – which you really don’t see coming!

The best ending to a satisfying novel I have read in a long time!

#netgalley #hostage #claremackintosh #littlebrownbookgroup

I started reading this as I prepared for my annual cabin crew exams. A tense , page turning thriller which I found hard to put down . Clare’s research into my profession has been extensive and thorough and a lot of the book resonates with me . Easy 5 stars ⭐️ and my thanks to Clare and her publishers for the advance copy

Well! Another roller coaster ride. I really couldn't put this book down.

Ostensibly this is a hostage tale set on a plane travelling between London and Sydney but it is so much more.

It is also about a couple who have adopted a daughter with her own issues and precocious intellect. In many ways it is two stories in one.

Would strongly recommend anyone to read it. The ending- not what I was expecting at all. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers giving me an advanced copy in return for an unbiased review.

One of the best books I've read so far this year! I couldn't put it down - fast paced, with lots of hooks and intrigue. I think it might be the best of her books so far - although they are all good!

It may seem premature to label a book one of the top reads of the year in early March - yet I have no qualms in doing so here.

This novel is EVERYTHING. Great characters, a plot that keeps you guessing right up until the final page, a pace that means you won’t put it down - it is truly breathtaking.

One not to be missed - preorder today!

Hostage is one of those books thats intreguing. How can a book be basked on just one flight? I suddenly feel grateful for all the boring flights i ve been on.!
This book is brilliant, Mina is interesting, Adam is someone I want to dislike but I just dont and as for their daughter Sophia - whilst I can appriciate her behavious is maddening she is just brilliant.

Its no coincidence that Environmental Activists take over the flight that Minas on. They want people to take notice and make the world understadn their vsiion and do what they feel needs to be done. Despite security protocols they manage to take over the plane with different people expecing differing outcomes.

This storyline is brilliant, its a little scary because you can imagine how real this scenario could be which makes everyones actions so believable.

Mina is an air steward on the first nonstop flight from London to Sydney. It will take 20 hours. She is married to Adam a police officer and mum to an adopted daughter, Sophia. During the flight she receives a message threatening Sophia and has to make a terrible choice. Will she allow someone on to the flight deck thereby saving Sophia or will she let the authorities know the plane is being hijacked.

I loved this thriller which hooks you from the start and builds up the tension throughout. It poses difficult questions leaving you wondering what you would do in that situation. The characters of Mina and Adam are well developed. Adam from whom Mina is separated, has dark secrets which also have put the family into danger so they are facing peril from two sides. There are lovely twists throughout some of which you'll guess but others which will undoubtedly take you by surprise. If you want a book to take you out of the doldrums of lockdown, this is it. Just don't take it on a flight. It would not be a relaxing read for any nervous flyers out there. Me, I'm glad to have read it with both feet firmly on the ground. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I was excited to read this, having previously enjoyed 'After the End' and intrigued by the premise. I was gripped from the start (after being in a bit of a reading dry spot) and despite a lull at the start of part 2, the tension didn't let up, with twists and turns woven right through to the end. While I found it hard at times to track who done of the supporting characters were, this no doubt helped with the hijacking setting. My heart broke for Mina and Sophia is a QUEEN, although I wasn't sure why Mina had been targeted. Fantastic read.

The atmosphere on board the inaugural non-stop flight from London to Sydney is electric. Numerous celebrities are rumoured to be among the passengers in business class and journalists will be waiting on the ground to greet the plane. Mina is one of a hand-picked team of flight attendants chosen for the landmark journey. She's trying to focus on the task in hand, and not worry about her troubled five-year-old daughter back at home with her husband. Or the cataclysmic problems in her marriage. But the plane has barely taken off when Mina receives a chilling note from an anonymous passenger, someone intent on ensuring the plane never reaches its destination. Someone who needs Mina's assistance and who knows exactly how to make her comply.

Oh wow, what a read this is! I adore Mackintosh's books and with every new book, she offers something different and more exciting. Please keep doing what you are doing, I cannot get enough!

The premise alone for this read had me hooked. What could be more realistic and more terrifying than a hijacked plane?! Immediately, the atmosphere is heightened and the threat all the more claustrophobic due to this being set on a plane. I was absolutely gripped from the first page and could not put this down. Mackintosh includes so much drama, fear, danger and thrills that I could barely catch my breath. This is thriller writing at its best.

As well as being a thrilling, Mackintosh always ensures there is an emotional, human edge to her books and this could not be more true for this read. Mina is a fantastic character, incredibly realistic; likeable and flawed, I just wanted to get to know more about her and her family. You deserve to find out every twist for yourself so I will not go into more detail but prepare yourselves, you are in for one hell of a ride!

Mackintosh writes chapters from the different passengers perspectives and this really helps the reader get to know each person. We get a glimpse into who they are, how they think and operate and how everyone on the plane came to be together. The drama is real and the characters make it feel all the more emotional.

'Hostage' is just an incredible read and one I do not think I will ever forget. This is exhilarating, emotional and full of danger and secrets. I loved every word and every twist and turn the book took. I cannot recommend this enough, it is just the perfect read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sphere for an advance copy.

📚5🌟review📚
Clare Mackintosh is one of my top two authors so it was with great excitement & also a little trepidation, (would it live up to her previous brilliant novels?), that I read her latest book Hostage. NO PLOT SPOILERS. I needn’t have worried! The characters were so realistically portrayed that I still have them in my head days later.

I loved the multiple POV, starting from Adam the husband at home, to Mina getting ready to fly as well as some of the passengers. There are a variety of settings: Adams work, the journey to school, home and the flight. We gradually learn about the uneasy family dynamics of Adam, Mina and their five year old daughter, Sophia.

I was fascinated by the passenger backgrounds too as Clare dipped into a few of the passengers by seat numbers. I found I had a virtual seating plan in my head.

The back stories (scarily realistic) are revealed glimpse by glimpse, adding real depth to both your understanding and the development of the plot.

I felt as if I was on the plane with the passengers, sharing the urgency of every decision. It is difficult to say more without any plot spoilers so let’s just say - it was a brilliant, gripping, pacy read and (unusually for me) one I will reread soon!