Wow, what a book! This was such an exciting read with lots of twists and turns that kept me gripped until the very end. A great story with one of the best endings I've read, just brilliant!

Amazing, as I expected.
I am a HUGE Mackintosh fan. Her books are all so different, and all incredible. This was one of my most anticipated reads this year.
She blew it out of the park. A gripping read with an extremely fast pace. Some scenes made me hold my breath, they were so intense.
The characters were fantastic. Multi layered and ones I was rooting for throughout.
The twists at the end were GREAT!
There was one part that did slightly confuse me, to the point where I had to discuss with another reader who also got an early copy! But I'm unsure if this was just me not picking up on the explanation, or whether it wasn't made clear enough. Either way, it made me much more satisfied with the ending!
Fabulous.

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

Mina is about to board the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney, as a flight attendant she's used to flying all over the world, but she feels a bit uneasy about this journey and she's not sure why. Apart from that she's concerned about her 5 year old daughter Sophia and her failing marriage to Adam. Not long after take off, she finds a note addressed to her and is faced with the ultimate dilemma, but who will she save?

Hostage follows the lives of Mina, her husband Adam and their five year old daughter, Sophia. The story is told from both Mina and Adam's perspectives, but also some of the passengers, who are only referred to by their seat numbers. This latest by Clare Mackintosh starts off as a bit of a slow burner, but the tension is building from the beginning, and it continues to ramp up throughout the book. I felt so much empathy for Mina and am certain that if I was put in that situation, I would have come to the same decision that she did. Apart from the issues in her and Adam's relationship we also learn that they both have secrets and Adam, as a serving police officer, is loathe to reveal his, not only to his wife but to his seniors, as it would have a detrimental effect on his career. This is an intense read with a well crafted plot and a twist that, if you've read any of this authors novels, you are waiting for it to happen, but are never quite prepared when it does. I've read all this authors books, loved them all and this was no exception, it's an edge of your seat thriller that had me hooked throughout. An exceptional read with a very clever ending.

I'd like to thank the publisher for inviting me to read an advanced copy of this book, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Hostage is a locked room thriller, the locked room being a hijacked airplane on a non-stop flight from London to Sydney. Mina, a member of the cabin crew, is given a choice - help the hijackers take control of the cockpit or her five year old daughter back home will be killed. What will she do? Who are the hijackers? Why have they hijacked the plane? Will the hostages get out alive? How will this end??

This is a multifaceted story effectively told from Mina’s perspective as well as her husband, some of the passengers and the hijackers. The plot is well-paced (though I did find the middle a bit slow in parts). The ending was good although not unexpected and the epilogue added a great unexpected twist. Overall, a good thriller read that kept my attention. 4 🌟stars. Hostage is out on June 22!

P.S. I’m glad that I don’t have any plane trips planned for now!

Thanks to @littlebrownbookgroup_uk and @netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hostage is my first book by Clare Mackintosh but it won't be my last.
I could not put it down, it had me hooked from the beginning. It was full of twists and turns with high tension throughout, I didn't know how it would end but it was a very satisfying ending which was brilliantly written.
I highly recommend Hostage.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Mina has a lot going on in her life. She is a flight attendant with a busy schedule whilst trying to balance her challenging 5 year old daughter and her fractious marriage. Mina is given the opportunity of a lifetime to work on the first non stop flight to Australia, but shortly into the flight, Mina gets a note telling her to do exactly as she's told or her family will be in danger😨 Will Mina help the hijackers?

4⭐- This is a fast paced and tense read with a lot of moving parts and it kept me reading until the very end! I read this book in about 2 days, I had to find out what happened next and I liked the twist at the end😀

This was just so good. A different setting for Clare's new book, "Hostage". Set on a 20 hour long haul flight with Mina but also with the problematic husband and their 5 year old daughter at home. Half way through the flight there is an unsettled feeling in the cabin which will probably make you think about getting on a plane!

Brilliant plot and makes you want to keep on reading and finish in 1 sitting, its THAT good.

This was yet another excellent piece of work from Clare. An absolutely superb read that I highly recommend

This book gets 5 massive stars from me! I think I’m pretty lucky in that I don’t tend to really find myself in reading slumps, however I have been a bit less motivated to read recently and this book absolutely snapped me out of it!

I don’t even know where to begin - the spine-tingling building of tension from beginning to end? The claustrophobia and panic that literally slid off the pages until I felt choked with it alongside the characters? The multiple nail-biting and action packed chapter conclusions that left me no choice but to continue reading? This story had everything and more that, for me, makes a fantastic and engaging book.

I am absolutely terrified of flying (although I do make myself do it) so maybe that’s why this particular story got under my skin so much but even if you’re somebody that loves being propelled across the sky, this book will definitely be on your brain when you’re next about to board a plane.

Putting the whole horrifying aeroplane escapade aside, there is still so much more to unravel here! While Mina is trapped on the 20 hour direct and now hijacked flight from London to Sydney, her police offer husband Adam is at home with their adopted daughter Sophia and what starts off as an innocent evening for them quickly becomes an unthinkable nightmare with horrific connections to Mina’s situation…

And finally, the ending! Just when I thought everything was safe and I could breathe again, I was presented with maybe the most sinister part of the story in the form of an almighty twist. My jaw was literally hanging open until the very last word.

I cannot recommend this book enough, I read it in less than 24 hours and it will be on my mind for a while yet!

This was such a gripping, fast paced, and high-octane read!

Mina has the job of cabin crew on one of the most highly talked about flights – the inaugural non-stop flight from London to Sydney. Leaving her concerns about her husband, Adam, and daughter, Sophia, on the ground, she takes to the skies only to find a much greater worry awaits her.

Without wanting to give too much away, all I can say is that the action in the story line was non-stop with some real “edge of your seat” moments.

Highly recommend this title to anyone who enjoys the thriller/suspense genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley UK and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the review copy.

Wow wow WOW, what a great book!!
One of the best I've read this year.
This book involves so many interesting topics like parenthood, adoption, special needs chidren, addiction, brainwashing, proselytism, environmentalism just to name a few, including them in a thriller format that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
I'm in awe of MacIntosh's skillfulness in describing so many characters by their own point of view, with their own words and their own mannerisms.
And that ending is the icing on the cake, great book, wonderful job Clare Mackintosh, you never disappoint!


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What a plane ride! I have looked forward to reading this book for so long - just everything about it appealed to me. It did not disappoint.
This is the story of Mina, an air hostess, her estranged partner Adam and her adopted daughter Sophia. The family dynamic is complicated. Mina suspected Adam of having an affair, but Adam is actually holding back other secrets from Mina. Sophia has attachment disorder and Mina has secrets of her own.
Mina has a shift on the first non-stop flight to Australia. There is huge excitement about this flight, journalists and celebrities on board, but as the plane taxies down the runway Mina feels a sense of foreboding - she was not meant to be on this plane. I cannot tell you any more, but the clue is in the title!
Reading this book felt like being in an epic disaster movie where your heart is in your mouth, your tummy twisting in knots and gasps are flying out every few minutes. At the start I felt all the excitement of heading off on a flight - and gosh has it been a long time for most of us - all the jangling around storing luggage away, getting your first drink, choosing your film…I was totally caught up. Then as things go disastrously wrong at home and on the plane I was biting my nails! I could not believe what was happening, and I could not imagine how there could be anything but disaster at the end of the story.
I give this five stars for sheer entertainment value. The story would make the most amazing film. If I was being picky I didn’t feel it needed the final twist but that didn’t detract from the roller coaster experience I had reading this fantastic book.
With thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for a digital copy of this exciting read.

I can see this being a massive hit, a quick, summer thriller. Clare Mackintosh writes in a really engaging style that makes for an enjoyable easy read.

I was entertained by Hostage but I didn't love it & I think it's because I knew what was coming throughout & although it moved along at pace, once it got going, it did feel a little like we were hurtling towards the inevitable. I'd been hoping for more twists & suspense, for me it could have handled a little more tension & darkness, particularly with the ending.

Overall this is an entertaining, commercial, action thriller, movie style book that I think will be seen everywhere this summer, but isn't everyone's cup of tea if you prefer your thrillers deeper and darker.

This is most definitely NOT a book you would take on a plane to read as it would have you fighting to get out of it with a parachute !
What a rollercoaster of a read . I've read Clare Macintosh before and I'm in awe of how different her titles can be. It's not a case of read one - read them all .
The premise of the story is Mina who is on a 20 hour flight from London to Sydney as a flight attendant.
She receives a note , and then it's all about whether she wants to save them or a special person in her life.
It's terrifying , it's full of tense moments and what an ending ! Brilliant .

4.5 stars! Clare Mackintosh has done it again with another nail-biting novel! Based on an aeroplane mid-flight, 'Hostage' is a locked-room thriller, which follows flight assistant Mina's thoughts and actions after she receives a threatening note onboard.

My attention was grabbed from the first chapter and held throughout the novel thanks to its fast pace and the switching between the POVs of Mina and her husband, Adam, who is at home looking after their daughter, Sophia, and watching Mina's journey on a flight tracking app together.

Mackintosh did a fantastic job of creating tension, and I must say that I'm definitely glad that I'm not going on a flight for a while!

I'd highly recommend this book, and can see lots of book club members itching to discuss the difficult discussion of saving one life of someone close to you, or one hundred+ lives!

I have loved Clare Mackintosh's previous novels but I have to confess I was somewhat sceptical that I would find a book about a hijacked plane an equally engaging read. But, it was Clare Mackintosh so I strapped myself in for the ride, and I'm so glad I did.

The setting is the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney at a horrific sounding 20 hours long. Mina is a flight attendant on board having swapped with a colleague to avoid a painful week before Christmas with her cheating ex and their adopted daughter with the attendant problems caused by attachment syndrome. Mina's ex is a policeman working in CID in London. So far so straightforward except these characters buried themselves beneath my skin. The characters are what lifts this story to another level although the plot is genius. If like me you have no sympathy for those who commit atrocities in the name of a cause then this book probably won't change anything but you will be fascinated by the techniques used to try to get what they want.

All of this, with some serious heart-ponding moments, some heartfelt emotions and a hidden sting or two means this was a definitive five star read.

I loved this book. It had a unique storyline which kept me hooked from the very beginning. It was an exciting read that was full of suspense. Excellent twist at the end as well

Oh my goodness! Another great novel from Clare Mackintosh! The twists kept shocking me right up to the final paragraph. Such a good book, I couldn’t put it down.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC, 4.5 stars.

This is one of my favourite authors and I get rather excited when I get my hands on a new book from her. I say excited - I also mean scared. Scared that it won't live up to my now very high expectations. But, every time I am blown away, every time my expectations are matched or, like this book, exceeded.
This time, we follow Mina as she finds herself single parent to Sophia, having kicked husband out for, well, being naughty, losing their au-pair at the same time - you do the math! She's an air hostess and has just scored a rather sought after position on the inaugural non-stop flight between London and Sydney. Some 20 hours in the air! She's left Sophia with her father Adam, with a bit of supplementary assistance from the babysitter.
But her world is rocked when she finds a few strange things on board just after taking off. First a few small things which unnerve her but then, she finds the note... The threat... But she's a mother. She'll do anything for her child. But, will she go all Meatloaf on us - well, that'd make for a short book - or will she capitulate and carry out the task presented to her, in exchange for her daughter's life...?
Oh My Days - this book is gripping all the way through and the author certainly keeps the tension ramped up high all the way through. OK, so it's a wee bit slower for the first quarter or so as the scene is set and all the players are introduced and moved into position. Yes, actually, it does all play out a bit like chess in parts! There's a lot of what you'd expect all the way through, secrets, lies, duplicitous behaviour. Motive and manipulation, and belief in a cause.
Mina is easy to connect to - well, I managed it from the off - and, although never having been in even a similar situation, I can wholly believe in her doing what she does all the way through. The only criticism was the slightly twee bit where she manages to resolve something personal. It felt a bit contrived and sugary - but that probably says more about me than the author!
A good, solid plot which invoked pretty much all the emotions all the way through and, well, maybe by accident or design, did get me thinking about things... Delivered in a no-nonsense way that hooked me early doors and kept hold of me throughout. Delivering punch after punch all the way through and with a rather fabulous ending when all was said and done.
So, another book done - and I now have to wait for the next one - hopefully the time will fly... My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Clare Mackintosh is an auto-buy author for me and her debut novel I Let You Go is a book I always recommend. So, I was very excited when I was approved on NetGalley to read her latest release Hostage and I'm glad to say that I really enjoyed it! I found the story totally gripping and fast-paced throughout, and although the title heavily hints at what is to come, there was so much of the story that completely took me by surprise.
I enjoyed the changing viewpoints, which I felt kept me reading to see what would happen next. The plane setting is isolating and feels claustrophobic which adds to the tension and makes all of the events feel more real.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding the characters on the plane and as a reader I enjoyed trying to work out which part each person was going to play in the drama. The characters were also very well-written, especially Mina, Adam and Sophia, whom the whole book centres around.
As I’ve found in her other books, Clare Mackintosh ties the storyline together in such a clever way. I was also surprised at how many themes and topics she managed to incorporate amidst the thrills.
The twists and revelations keep coming until the very end - and I did not see the ending coming. Definitely recommend!
Thank you to #NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advanced copy of Hostage.