Clare Mackintosh has done it again, in fact I would go as far to say this is her best one yet!
I read the synopsis and knew straight away that I had to read this . Having done the UK - Sydney flight many times it somehow made it more real for me and now I think the brain could be working overtime next time i fly to Australia !
The first few chapters don't really get you into the plot so if you start it and wonder where it is going don't give up. Once on board the plane you will not be able to stop reading. It''s told from various POV which works well. We have Mina ( our main protagonist) who is cabin crew, we have Adam her husband who has his own story going on and then we have snippets from the passengers on board the plane. . The tension builds throughout the journey and it's a proper classic thriller with a VERY clever ending . This would make a great film !

This is a book full of suspense and tension. I was completely hooked from the first page. Mina and Adam have a five year old daughter Sophia who they adopted. But things are falling apart for Mina as she has recently separated from Adam as she is convinced that he was having an affair with Katya, their childminder, Adam is having a lot of problems of his own. He is a police officer but is keeping back a terrible secret from everyone as he could potentially lose his job and everything. Mina is a flight attendant for World Airways. She is excited to be on an inaugurated London to Sydney non stop flight which will take twenty hours, this is a well publicised flight with celebrities and media people on board. Mina is busy attending to to the passengers when she receives a message which threatens the life of her daughter and the passengers. We learn about the individual passengers and how they come to on the flight. The tension, nerves and apprehension of the outcome becomes unbearable. This book has such a gripping storyline with tension building and so many twists and turns with a further one right at the end. A book not to be missed.
Thanks to Netgalley and Sphere for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

And she does it again!!!

Clare Mackintosh has this rare special power of having her reader gripped in a vice from the very first page! This was everything I wanted and expected..

The story had me feeling so many things, one of the main feelings... claustrophobia, I literally felt trapped myself at times which was a really surreal experience.

The tension and suspense runs throughout. Its fully immersive and I think I'll feel a little spooked next time I board a plane!

My only downside was the slooooow beginning which if I had purchased I may have put down and not gone back to BUT I'm so glad I got past that as once I hit the halfway point I flew through it. It gripped me from the beginning, it was just slow going.

Told from varying POVs that all tell their own stories, these all come together to form a fantastic thrilling read.

Many thanks to netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the ARC.

This was amazing. Can you imagine being in a hostage situation? This book will suck you in so much that you will feel like you living the experience. I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of it.
I liked the main character, Mina, I could totally understand the reasons she made each decision she made, it was tense, realistic and brilliant!
It was written really well and I could imagine this being made into a movie. It really was that good.

I’ve just finished reading Hostage and it’s difficult to put into words just how good this book is!

Mina is cabin crew on the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney. At home, her five year old daughter anxiously awaits her return along with policeman husband Adam. Things have been difficult lately between the couple and Mina volunteers for the epic, long flight to escape their troubled marriage.

As Mina wanders the aisles checking on her passengers we are given a fascinating insight into the characters of the people taking the momentous journey. Each one has a special reason for taking the flight and the atmosphere is overflowing with nervous energy.

Everything changes when a note appears addressed to Mina and she finds herself with an unbearable decision to make.

I raced through the pages, desperate to know what happens to the passengers and crew on the flight. As well as incredible writing and fascinating characters the book highlights really important global issues and insight into the depth of maternal love. I felt the dramatically tense atmosphere as the aircraft fuel gauge reduces and a sense of panic ensues. A special mention has to go to Sophia, Mina’s daughter who has a starring role in the story, despite not even being on board the plane.

Hostage is highly recommended (unless you are about to board an aeroplane!). Another winner from Clare Mackintosh.

There has been a lot of hype around Hostage and I totally jumped on the bandwagon. But I’ll tell you what: it was worth it.

The blurb might initially tease a story that’s been told a hundred times before. I set myself up for a certain plot line but what I got was unique, clever and contemporary. Plus, I loved the way information was dropped throughout the chapters. This is the kind of book that hooks you with action from the very beginning. A true fast- paced thriller.

The characters were great as well. The days are gone where I look for a stereotypical “hero”. Give me flawed, three dimensional characters any day. The actions of the characters also make you think. What would you do if you were in their situation? It’s something you can’t really know unless you are in their shoes, but the author really has you feeling you are living each minute.

I absolutely loved Hostage. No doubt it will be one of my top reads of the year.

I finished this a while ago but forgot to review! I loved it so much and read the whole thing in a day.

It was incredibly fast-paced and utterly compelling and I was immediately drawn in from the first chapter.

I had lots of theories running through my head while reading too. I adore Clare Mackintosh and will definitely be picking up whatever she writes next!

I would highly recommend picking up a copy if you’re looking for an compulsive story to read this autumn.

Review coming to IG soon.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great storyline with excellent characters. I would highly recommend this book as it was a great read.

I've not been able to finish a book in one sitting in quite a few months but when I picked up Hostage I just could not put it down. It's an absolutely fascinating, compulsive and terrifying read that had me glued to my kindle for 5 hours.

If you had to choose between saving hundreds of people but losing the one you loved most, or saving that loved one to sacrifice all the others what would you do? Clare looks at this absolutely torturous situation from the mind of a mother, Mina, who is battling to decide whether to save the lives of those around her or that of her beloved daughter, Sophie, at home.

While the hostage situation on the plane is the main storyline Mackintosh manages to enmesh each and every characters storyline together in a way that has you clung to your seat in anticipation and dread. There is so much trauma and sorrow within the lives of each character but at no point does any character's story get lost along the way. It's testament to Clare's talent as a writer that while each story is scattered within the pages, they all meld together towards the end to give you one hell of a bumpy ending.

If all of the above wasn't enough to have you hooked the book also looks at the concept of cults and people being exploited to follow a perceived shared ideology. The way in which Mackintosh demonstrates the levels of manipulation that these people go through is a an absolute masterpiece!

Ok so, it might sound like there is a hell of a lot going on and there is, but it all works perfectly. Including that absolutely turbulent ending which left the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.

A must read, but make sure you have plenty of time to read it because you will not be able to put it back down once you pick it up.

A great read
Clare has you hooked from the start
The book is fast paced from the start to the finish
Buckle up for the read of your life.
Thanks NetGalley

This book really wasn't for me unfortunately. I've read most of Clare Mackintosh's books and generally enjoyed them but this one was a bit too messy and convenient for me. It reminded me of her debut 'I Let You Go' which I disliked for similar reasons. The concept is solid (if overdone) but there were so many side plots and different traumatic experiences squeezed in I couldn't take it seriously. It was definitely fast-paced (after a slow start) and gripping in parts, but I just didn't care about any of the characters or what happened to them. So many of the additional storylines felt convenient to push the story in certain directions and very little was a surprise. It also dragged on massively at the end which I had the same experience with 'I Let You Go'.

Overall, an okay thriller from someone else but I'm disappointed that it's from Clare Mackintosh. Maybe this needs to be the last Mackintosh book I pick up!

Ich wollte das Buch nur kurz anlesen, aber die Geschichte hat mich sofort gefesselt und eingesaugt. Was verbirgt Adam auf seinem dienstlichen Telefon und warum wollte Mina unbedingt mit auf diesen besonderen Flug? Man rätselt gleich mit. Und einige Stunden später geschehen erste seltsame Dinge
Mina Holbrook ist Stewardess und darf den ersten non-stop Flug von London nach Sidney begleiten. Das gibt dem Leser interessante Einblicke in dieses besondere Fluggeschäft. Während Adam ihre 5-jährige Tochter Sophia abholt und den Tag mit ihr verbringt und angespannt darauf wartet, dass seine Chefin ihm auf die Schliche kommt. Sophia haben sie mit einem Jahr adoptiert. Aufgrund ihrer ersten schlechten Lebenserfahrungen ist sie ein Kind mit besonderen Bedürfnissen und Problemen Vertrauen zu fassen.

Mina vermutet, dass Adam eine Affäre mit dem letzten Kindermädchen hatte. Seitdem herrscht in der Ehe Eiszeit, zudem ist immerzu das Geld knapp. Nach dem ersten Fünftel des Buches kommt es schon zu einem tragischen Ereignis. Manches ist nicht so, wie es zunächst aussieht. Der Spannungslevel steigert sich kontinuierlich, zur Hälfte kann man das Buch nur noch schwerlich aus der Hand legen. Man muss sich mit den Hauptfiguren nicht identifizieren können oder sie sympathisch finden, aber man fiebert mit ihnen mit.
Der Roman bietet hochaktuelle Hintergründe und die Frage, was man alles bereit ist für sein Kind zu tun.

Die letzten Abschnitte muss man in einem Rutsch lesen, so atemberaubend spannend sind sie. Es kommt dann im Nachgang zur eigentlichen Handlung noch zu zwei völlig unerwarteten weiteren Entwicklungen, die einen sehr zufrieden auf die Lektüre und ihr Ende zurückblicken lassen.

Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass mir ein locked in Szenario so gut gefallen könnte, da doch geringe Flexibilität droht, aber das hat der Autorin hier keine Grenzen gesetzt.

This was my first Clair Mackintosh book, I’d heard so much about her I had to give it a try!
I did really enjoy but there is a huge cast of characters, I had to write a list to keep up with who was who!.
I read this as a buddy read with a couple of people from my book club, we were highlighting a few things which at the start we thought were inconsistencies but by the end made perfect sense.
It’s one of those books where all the clues are there for you, if you can connect the dots. Even though I picked up on a lot of the clues I didn’t figure out who it was!

Compulsive storyline and characters. I couldn’t see how this could be resolved.
I particularly liked the ending

I went into Hostage not reading the blurb. The cover and title totally sold this book to me! I sure as hell wasn’t disappointed. This book is quite easily one of the best books I have read this year.

So there I am on holiday having my morning cup of tea when I decided to start this book. What I didn’t expect was to be sat there all-day. With a truly amazing opening I simply couldn’t tear myself away. Each chapter leaves you wanting more.

I am not a fan of flying and Hostage demonstrates my fear. You can feel the tension and the anxiety through the different characters. With the story set on an aeroplane there are an array of different characters.Having said that there are scenes set on land so the mixture gives this story the perfect balance

This story will take you on a white knuckle ride I can assure you of that. It is a pulse racing, terrifying on the edge of your seat read. This is one of those books that I could rave on about all day. It would make an awesome movie.

What more can I say but I absolutely love this book, It deserves so much more than 5 stars! I cannot wait to see what the author comes up with next.

Thank you to Little Brown UK for a copy all thoughts are my own and not biased in anyway

As you can see I'm late with my review, this book was released 4 days ago and if I were you I'd grab a copy now!

For once the hype is real! This was a fast paced thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails and happy that your teacher talked you out of becoming a flight attendant, back in high school.

A mixture between a domestic thriller and a locked-room mystery, you've got to love this adrenaline-pumping story with a clever plot, well-developed characters and a fantastic setting!

Who’s afraid of flying? I definitely wasn’t before reading this book. 😬

Mina, our MC, is a flight attendant and adoptive mother to 5-year-old Sophia. When she boards her inaugural non-stop flight to Sydney with an impending sense of doom, she almost feels guilty for wanting some time off from looking after a troubled, albeit prodigious, child. Her guilt quickly turns to terror when she receives a handwritten message telling her to follow instructions or her daughter will die! Her whole world is turned upside down when she discovers that communication with the outside world have been cut off and she only has a few minutes to make a decision that could decide the fate of 350 passengers.
From then on you are in the thick of it as we go from what is happening on board the plane to Adam, Mina's husband at home as he fights for his life and that of his daughter!

The setting was very original and I loved how the ending of each chapter left you craving the next one.
My only reason for not giving 5 stars was that the "cause" was a bit far-fetched, and because I had to suspend my belief while reading the epilogue! 😳

Thanks to #netgalley and #LittleBrownBookGroupUk for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A great read. All set onboard the longest flight in history. The first non-stop between London and Sydney. A hostage situation assisted by Mina who has to make the hardest decision anyone could. A terrifying, tense situation to be in that you can fell the fear while reading. A really good thriller.

This book needs a warning: Do not miss this novel! But maybe don't pick it as your holiday read if you're flying. If you've been grounded by Covid you may find yourself glad to be staycationing this year!

Mina is a flight attendant on the first non stop flight from London to Sydney. There's great excitement, with journalists and celebrities amongst the passengers. Minas busy but worrying about her daughter and the sorry state of her marriage. Then she gets a note...she has to help hijack the plane or lose her daughter....

This is tense and thrilling throughout. The author has managed to create a mixture of an action thriller, domestic drama and a whodunit to great effect. The threat feels very credible so if like me flying is a problem you will probably find this scarier than Stephen King. Another great novel from a author who always delivers.

This book was everything I expected it to be and everything I had wanted.
Fast-paced mile-high thriller with plenty of twists.
Following the drama in the air and the action on the ground, it was a great read.

However big trigger warnings for gambling - which did affect my enjoyment.

As you would expect from a book by Clare Mackintosh, this is an exciting rollercoaster of a read. As the story develops and we get to know Adam and Mina, and their adopted daughter Sophia, the writing draws you in to their lives and you can't help rooting for them to get through their troubles. While Mina lives through a nightmare on the plane, Adam has plenty of problems of his own to contend with on the ground. Can they beat the odds and keep Sophia safe? Clare Mackintosh is a great writer and her books never disappoint.