Wow ……… what a tension filled book !! This what I have come to expect from a Clare Mackintosh book. If you’ve read any of her previous books you will know what I mean, if you haven’t then you really need to read them all !!

Mina is a flight attendant on the inaugural nonstop flight from London to Sydney. She is finding it hard to concentrate as she is constantly worrying about her 5 year old daughter and her estranged husband. But barely after take off she finds something strange in the aeroplane and then she receives a note from a passenger, which makes it clear that they have no intention of allowing the flight to reach its intended destination. What can Mina do ? Will she tell anyone ? Or will she do as the note asks ?

This is a claustrophobic thriller which is mainly based in the aeroplane thousands of feet in the air, with no way out. The tension is intense and I really loved Mina. What would you do …….. save hundreds or lives or save the life that matters the most to you ? If you are planning a long flight then I would advise you not to read this onboard !!

A definite five stars from me. I have previously read all of Clare’s books and this one is just as well written and, of course, it wouldn’t be the same without a twist or two.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

I love Claire Mackintosh books and this one did not disappoint.

Another gripping fast paced thriller that kept me on the edge of the seat.

Brilliantly written

I loved it

Hostage is a compulsive locked-room thriller set at 35,000 feet and measures up well against both Falling and The Pilot's Daughter, two other recent aviation-based thrillers. Flight attendant Mina Holbrook decides to trade shifts with a colleague in order to join the crew of the first history-making 20-hour nonstop flight from London to Sydney, Australia. World Airways Flight 79 is an exciting prospect for both passengers and crew and as her marriage to Adam is in such bad shape and fraught with domestic issues Mina has resorted to trying to claim the shifts that happen when Adam is at home so when she is off and returns home he is at work. She finds it a damn sight easier to contend with business class passengers, who can often be quite difficult, than to face her monosyllabic police detective husband. Mina believes Adam has been bedding their Ukrainian nanny, Katya, who unexpectedly decided to quit recently leaving Mina’s adopted daughter Sophia, who is 5 years old, without a carer. A few hours into the flight on the Boeing 777 carrying 353 passengers, a person falls ill and dies and as Mina checks his wallet to identify him she is shocked to find a photograph of Sophia secretly taken through her classroom window without her knowledge and she can tell it had been snapped that very morning.

A short time later, she is presented with a note and the hijackers make themselves known. If she wants to save Sophia's life she must open the locked door to the flight deck where the pilots are currently taking care of the journey. Once the terrorists get inside there’s no telling what they're going to do but many lives are at stake. They seek to divert the plane and if Mina refuses to help they will crash the plane killing all onboard. Will Mina choose to save her beloved daughter and sentence 100s of people to certain death or make the ultimate sacrifice? This is a scintillating, terrifying and exhilarating airborne thriller with a heavy sense of claustrophobia and dread running throughout. It's a fast-paced domestic drama that quickly morphs into a high-octane, nail-biting thrill ride with twists that blindside you and a tension that builds steadily to a level intense enough to be palpitation-inducing. Mina is a strong character in the midst of a horrifying situation and is faced with an impossible choice. No one knows how many hijackers are on board so everyone is viewed with suspicion, and I found the twists to be both explosive and propulsive as well as exceptionally well thought out. This is riveting and one hell of a page-turner, and it even manages to stun with its final jaw-dropping surprise. Highly recommended.

I sat down to read this book and did not move again until I had finished it. It is absolutely spellbinding.

Everyone is talking about the inaugural non-stop flight from London to Sydney and flight attendant, Mina, is lucky enough to be part of the cabin crew.

She will really miss her five year old daughter, but she is glad to get time away to think about her marriage.
Each chapter is like a mini book in itself. I could feel the excitement of the passengers as they boarded the plane, looking forward to being pampered, served champagne and eating Michelin starred food whilst on the lookout for the elusive celebrities.

It is not long though until Claire Mackintosh really racks the tension up. Panic sweeps through the passengers and crew when they realise the flight has been infiltrated with a group of individuals who will stop at nothing to get their message across. No one is above suspicion.

Whilst Mina is caught in the crossfire in the air, on the ground events are unfolding which will put her daughter in danger.

Will anyone get out alive?

And that ending - OMG it absolutely blew me away!

Another jaw-droppingly brilliant read by the master Clare Mackintosh!!
This book left me with heart palpitations!

Will all passengers onboard flight 79 please board at gate.......

A quick 5 day trip to Australia on a landmark flight. A 20-hour straight flight from London to Sidney but why is Mina feeling so nervous? Why is the voice in her head telling her a lot can happen in 20 hours?  And boy did a lot happen!

Clare is definitely one of a few authors who grabs my attention from the go! I tend to get distracted quickly and a lot of times find myself reaching for my phone after a while but not with her books! You want to read as fast as possible because you want to know what's going to happen and what is going on but you also don't want the book to finish!
In the end, I felt quite emotional because it felt like I was part of flight 79.
And boy the ending!! 😲

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book group for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I always enjoy Clare Macintosh's mile-a-minute, pacey thrillers. She gets to the heart of what makes a good page turner and she never disappoints.

High-flying action and thrills, with a powerful message!

Clare Mackintosh’s Hostage may just be her best book yet! I was glued to the page from the opening chapter and flew through this book (excuse the terrible pun!). It goes without saying that Mackintosh has created an edge of your seat story and this one reads just like an action movie. The narrative builds at pace, culminating in a thrilling climax that perfectly weaves together various - equally exhilarating - storylines. The format of the novel is fantastic and I enjoyed reading both from different perspectives and in chapters that counted down the remaining flight time. Each chapter ended with me wanting to read on immediately!

Hostage is also so much more than a locked room mystery or action-packed thriller. This story is about family, activism, deception and facing fears. Whilst I was frantically turning pages to lap up all the breathtaking events over the course of the narrative, it’s very much the character development that drew me into this novel and made me feel invested. Mina and Adam’s marriage is complex and fraught, which added an additional layer of mystery and suspense to the plot. As more of the truth is revealed, I found myself further and further invested in both of them and their relationship. Similarly, their relationship with their adopted daughter Sophia (who suffers from attachment issues) is explored in a sensitive way and as a father, I really felt Adam’s emotions in particular as their relationship changed over the course of events. I was as invested in the impact to the Holbrook family as I was the fate of flight 79 and Mackintosh intricately wove in fascinating storylines dealing with deception, jealousy and the facing of past traumas. This made me really care about them. The whole cast of characters are excellently drawn and I was reminded of those big budget disaster movies from the 1960s/70s, where every character is so intriguing.

In a year where foreign travel is going to be off for most of us, it’s the perfect time to read Hostage...you may just find yourself reflecting on the aviation industry as a whole (make sure to read the author’s note at the end of the book).

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard Flight 79 with service from London to Sydney. Please fasten your seatbelts, secure all baggage and turn off all personal devices. Thank you for choosing World Airways. Enjoy your flight…if you can!

HOLY MOLY! That’s what I call a bumpy ride! I love flying. I’ve never been afraid of it, but after reading Hostage I don’t know if I’d like to go into a plane right now. Tension was palpable from the get go and it kept building nicely throughout the story.

The dual timelines, alternating Mina and Adam’s POV worked perfectly well. I would hate to be on Mina’s shoes and be presented with her dilemma. How gut wrenching must be to have to make that decision! The claustrophobic atmosphere the author managed to create inside the airplane was out of this world.

But not only the situation inside the airplane was nail biting. Adam and Sophia’s predicament at home was also filled with twists that made me gasp more than once.

I was ready to rate it with 4 ⭐️ because of the motivation behind the hijacking and some aspects of it not being really believable until that last passenger chapter and the epilogue came. How did I not see that coming at all??!! And the epilogue? OMG! I swear I stopped breathing for a moment. So well done!

Fantastic thriller that will make you think twice about catching a plane even when you love flying!

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Crikey Mikey! What a tense, pulsating, rollercoaster of a ride! This is one of those books that you’ll stay up late for, get up early for, sit on the toilet with, and basically grab every opportunity to read, because it’s simply impossible to put down.

Mina is a flight attendant on the inaugural 20-hour, nonstop flight from London to Sydney. Adam, her estranged husband, is at home looking after their adopted, five year-old daughter Sophia, a damaged child from an abusive background. Already a short time into the flight, Mina is on edge. Things just aren’t right. And her fears are confirmed when she is suddenly faced with an agonizing choice: either to save Sophia or the lives of the 350 passengers and crew on the aircraft.

What follows is a plot so blisteringly gripping, so twisty and sharp, it should carry a health warning. Like a juggler spinning plates, Mackintosh balances the triple narrative to perfection, dashing breathlessly back and forth between the three — Mina, Adam and a threatening, unknown voice — until you’re dizzy with the thrill of it.

Her character development is superb, taking you right inside the minds of both Mina and Adam, as each grapples with the shock and terror of the rapidly unfolding nightmare. She puts you right there with them, forcing you, as the reader, to live the experience and question how you’d react in such a situation.

For me, by far the most affecting aspect of the narrative was the difficult relationship between Adam and Sophia. He, beset by demons he can’t control and confused about his feelings for her. She, needful of the understanding and affection he struggles to give. The two of them suddenly forced together in a state of life or death interdependence.

Yes, this has all the elements of a first-class thriller. But, as is always the case with Mackintosh, what she delivers is much more complex and nuanced — the high of the ultimate, stomach-churning fairground ride followed by the disorienting afterburn that leaves you flailing around like a drunk trying to fit a key in a lock.

Thrillers really don’t get much better than this.

Such a fab book about flight hostess Mina who ends up in an impossible hostage situation whilst working on a flight. I thought it would be good and it didn’t disappoint ! Twists and turns and amazing characters, a bit confusing but totally fab!

I don’t remember being this excited about getting to read and review a book. I loved Clare’s other book I Let You Go being one of my favourites.
The story is set on the first non stop flight from UK to Australia, 20 hours in the air! I wasn’t sure the whole book could hold me when it was all told in one day but I certainly did.
Mina is Cabin Crew and has swapped her shift to be on this flight. A move she might live to regret!
Adam is Minas husband and they have been separated after Adam has an affair. He says at home to look after their daughter Sophia while Mina is away.
Becca is the babysitter who is collecting Sophia from school until Adam finishes work. Things take a turn for the worst when an unexpected visitor arrives to see Adam while they eat tea.
In the air things take a twist when a group of environmentalists take control of the 350 passengers on the flight, how is Adam and Sophia tangled up in this mess.
As always their are twists in the plot to the very end. Another fantastic book by Clare Mackintosh.. don’t delay get out on Tuesday and get a copy, you’ll not be disappointed.
Thank you Little, brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for an early copy of this amazing book.

I was late to the Clare Mackintosh party but I have since gobbled up all her previous novels. What's great is that the subject matter varies immensely but with the same thrilling writing style. Hostage was no different and I was hooked from the first page. It reads like watching a nail biting movie, with the protagonist Mina facing an impossible decision. Does she save the lives of her family, or the passengers on the flight she is on?

Another outstanding read from Clare Mackintosh, perfect for a bit of escapism but might put you off stepping on a plane for a while!!

A tense and twisty thriller, Hostage is a smart and high-tension thrill ride that will have you on the edge of your seat (and with Clare Mackintosh, you’re always in first class!).

The thing I look forward to most of all when reading a Mackintosh book is her standout character development. And as is expected, Hostage is a very character-driven story that’s full of engaging human drama. You can really feel the emotional bond and affection of the family unit at the centre of the story which really grips you emotionally.

Told between three main different points of view – Adam on the ground, Mina in the air, and an unnamed passenger behind the hijacking – I love how the story comes together. Well-paced and full of action, the various angles provides a front-row seat to their experiences. I would have liked the hijacker’s intentions made clearer earlier on as I was wondering what the purpose of their actions were for a while, but the final twists are absolutely brilliant.

Without giving too much away, I really enjoyed the discussion that Mackintosh opens up with her story about how it’s important for us to make changes, no matter how small, but that it’s not always the easy thing to do despite our good intentions. Because although she is using her story to explore a very important topic, she does so without being patronising or preachy.

I especially enjoyed the Author’s Notes at the end which discuss some of the real-life events that inspired her story. At first, there were a couple of things that I thought were a little far-fetched about the hijacker’s plan, but I found the points that Mackintosh makes about how some activists don’t always consider the severity of their own actions when wanting to send a message really insightful. This helped me make sense of the book much better, as I realised how true it is that the actions some people make can often be hypocritical of the point they are trying to prove, which tied into the book brilliantly.

Hostage didn’t leave me breathless from the claustrophobic setting as I was hoping it would, but it is a thoroughly entertaining read and one that I would love to see adapted into a film.

There’s a bit of an influx of stories set on a plane this summer, no idea what brought that about, and having read just this one, I have to say I’m quite happy I didn’t plan any holidays by plane this year. When boarding a plane, I find it’s best not to dwell on all that could go wrong, but I don’t think I’ve ever considered the possibility of a hijacking. I fear I will be from now on….

Hostage takes us aboard a Boeing 777 on the first nonstop flight from London to Sydney, and I absolutely loved this setting and the look behind the scenes at the jobs of the cabin crew. The events are told from the POV of flight attendant Mina, who boards the plane with an ominous feeling, which is only made worse when she finds a photo of her daughter among the things of one of the passengers. Still trying to figure out what that might mean she finds a note addressed to her, a note with instructions, a note that will force her to choose between the life of many and the life of the one that matters the most.

Meanwhile, we follow the situation at home from the POV of Mina’s husband Adam, who is struggling both at work and at home following some bad decisions and lapses of judgement, and things will clearly get worse before they get better – if they get any better at all.

Interspersing these perspectives are chapters from the POV of some of the passengers, giving us some other insights and some background, and while these may seem rather irrelevant at first, their purpose soon becomes clear.

As I’ve come to expect from Clare Macintosh, Hostage is a balanced combination of plot-driven and character-driven: while the plot is important and you want to know what’s going to happen next, characterisation is equally important, the characters are well-rounded and at times the plot slows while all the attention goes to the characters and their issues and backgrounds. To be clear: I’m not criticising, the pacing doesn’t feel off and I actually really like that approach.

To be perfectly honest, Hostage is not the most likely nor the most unpredictable scenario out there and I did have to suspend disbelief a few times and I also had a few niggles (that will remain undisclosed cos spoilers). Did I really care though? Actually, I did not. I could easily overanalyse this story, pick it apart and find fault, but the fact is I binged it in little over a day, it was very entertaining throughout and I had a great time.

If thrillers laced with human drama are your bag and you’re looking for your next summer read, be sure to check out Hostage.

This book totally consumed me, I could not put it down. Within pages I was sucked into the ‘movie’ going on in my head, living the drama as it unfolded. Clare Mackintosh has skilfully created vivid characters and a plot with a clever, current theme. Gripping until the final sentence. Brilliant!

Hostage is a book I don’t know where to start with as it is definitely the best book I’ve read this year.
Mina is an air stewardess, it wasn’t meant to be that way but here she is about to make history and be one of the cabin crew on the first plane to go London to Sydney without stopping. Twenty hours for her to work, think about how her 5 year old daughter is coping and how can her and Adam become so separated so quickly with him living elsewhere. That all goes out of the window when she receives a letter saying she must follow instructions or her husband and daughters life is in danger, what should she do? What should she do? What should she do? Meanwhile Adam has his own struggles trying to keep himself and his daughter safe.
This was an absolute belting storyline, I loved how to break the story up we got chapters of who was in certain seats and why they were doing what they were doing, I felt myself visualising where they were sitting and trying to match their code names to them. The tension was at times almost unbearable and I could not read fast enough to see what Mina did and the ending, I mean WTF that twisted everything. This is a book I would recommend to anyone although I don’t know if I’ll get on a plane again!!
I would like to thank Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group, Sphere for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Make sure your seatbelts are fastened - this is on thrill ride that you will not forget in a hurry. Hostage by Clare Mackintosh is a tense and twisty thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Good job nobody is flying anywhere anytime soon as it will make you think twice before boarding that plane. As always, the author has a way of making you feel as though you are going along for the ride with her characters - some that you will be hoping make it and others that you will be glad to see the end of - but who do you trust??

Mina is a flight attendant and is part of the flight crew for the first London to Sydney non stop flight - all 20 hours. Once in the air she is given a note from an anonymous passenger - give them access to the flight deck or her family will die. What an impossible choice? What would you do? Her family is her police officer husband Adam who is keeping secrets from her and her 5 year old daughter who they are still trying to help with her own troubles.

It is non stop action both on the ground and in the air. Definitely one you don't want to miss.

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.

Hostage is a fast-paced, edge-of-the-seat thriller following cabin crew and Mum, Mina. After dropping her daughter Sophia off at school, she sets off to work to go on the inaugural flight of the non-stop service from London to Sydney. It would be hard enough to leave her family for that long at the best of times, but while going through a rough patch with her police detective husband, she is feeling very apprehensive, even more so when unexplained things start to happen.
The story is told from the perspectives of Mina, her husband Adam, and passengers only identified by their seat numbers on the plane. It follows the events taking place onboard the flight and back on the ground during the 20-hour duration and it ramps the tension up slowly, but steadily from the start with a very unexpected twist at the end.
A perfect holiday read, just maybe not for while on the plane!

This is a great read.
It’s a hard one to review as I don’t want to give too much away as it will easily spoil it for you.
The story centres around Mina and her husband Adam and their five year old daughter, Sophia.
Mina is a flight attendant and is on the first ever 20 hour flight to Australia.
Mina and Adam have their own problems but Sophia is the centre of their world.
The story also centres around Sophia as Mina is forced to make a decision that could affect her life.
The title of the book indicates what happens on the flight, but how this comes about is far from obvious.
This is a gripping thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thanks to Little Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is my first book by author Clare Mackintosh and all I can say is what a book! Enjoyed it all..
Mina is a flight attendant with a busy schedule whilst also being a mother to her 5yr old daughter and estranged from her husband. She takes on a 20hr non stop flight from London to Australia whilst her estranged husband looks after their 5 Yr old adopted daughter at home. During the flight Mina must make a decision,
'you can save hundreds of lives.
Or the one that matters most . . .'

Secrets of Mina and Adam are discovered in the plot and although the ending is expected the epilogue added an unexpected twist.
It is told from multiple viewpoints, mainly Mina and Adam, but also from some passengers and the hijackers. The plot was slow paced to begin with however the tension was always building up from the beginning to end. It was a tense, thrilling roller-coaster of a ride with plenty of twists and untold secrets being uncovered. The characters are very well developed with the author getting you inside them, experiencing their emotions and empathy.

Will definitely be searching for more of Clare Mackintosh books. Riveting read. 5 stars

The overview from book:
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.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.