4.5 ☆

『 plot 』
camilia is starting back at work properly, after maternity leave, her daughter is 9 months old and is starting nursery, she’s nervous about it all, but normal nerves. however, her husband is nowhere to be seen, his not his phone and she’s getting worried. she gets her daughter off to nursery and takes herself to work, she can’t shake the feeling that something is seriously wrong, and then there’s breaking news on the tv, a man has held 3 hostages up in a warehouse, police come to visit her at work and start asking questions about her husband, her husband who is now the man that has taken 3 hostages, he’s the gunman.


『 my thoughts 』
as far as thrillers go, this was an excellent one for me, i absolutely loved it and devoured it in one sitting. the story is told through the POV of camillia, the hostage negotiator niall and snippets of an anonymous person/s and it was done so so well. the writing style, the unanswered questions, the how, the why, the twists, the different POV, everything, just kept me so engaged throughout the whole book. camilla’s POV had you rooting for her husband, it had you wanting to believe he was a good person. niall’s POV was similar in the beginning, and then later, he’s so unsure of himself and second guessing his gut instinct. loved every page of this book!

I have been a big fan of Gillian McAllister books for years, so this was one of my most anticipated reads this year. Reading this one, I couldn't help but think that her writing style is just a cut above most thriller authors, and her world-building is second to none in my opinion.

Sieges and gunmen are not usually something I would find interesting to read about, but I love the 'ordinary person in an extraordinary situation' trope, so I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did. Was it my favourite of Gillian's plots? No, but the excellent writing and multi-faceted characters kept me invested. I particularly liked hostage negotiator Niall, and found myself really caring how things ended up for him.

In terms of negatives, I did find the plot a bit slow-going in the middle section, and whilst there were lots of little twists throughout, I felt that I was waiting for a shocking, heart-stopping twist which never quite came.

Overall this was a really well-written book, and whilst I will continue to recommend some of Gillian's other titles over this one, I would absolutely still suggest that fans of her work read this one.

Cam, Polly and Luke. A perfect little nuclear family, a toddler about to start the crèche as Camilla goes back to work after nine months on maternity leave. Luke was up and had gone out before she even woke, it seemed like an ordinary day, but it’ certainly wasn’t.
A devastating hostage situation, a shooting and Luke has disappeared, leaving no explanation of his involvement with the hostages, with the shooting, with whatever is going on.

This is one of the most compelling books I have read in a long time and I would like to thank the publishers for sending me this book as an arc prior to publication and exchange for an honest review #NetGalley

An absolutely brilliant page turner

I have read and enjoyed all of Gillian McAllister's books, so was excited to read this new one. It certainly didn't disappoint! Camilla is happily married to Luke and they have a baby daughter. Camilla has recently been concerned that Luke has not been himself, but, as she is just returning to work after maternity leave, she has more important things on her mind. So when the police arrive at her office and tell her that Luke is caught up in a hostage situation she is horrified to be told that he is the gunman. What follows is a real roller coaster of a read. What possessed Luke and where did he go after he escaped the scene? 7 years on the story continues.....
Thanks to Netgalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

There is not one of Gillian’s books that I have not read, and I have loved every single one of them. I don’t even care what they are about, I just buy them and know that I will absolutely adore them. It feels like each book just gets better and better, which is pretty crazy, but very true. Each one you read you think it can't possibly be topped, and then she goes and does it again.

I was absolutely thrilled to be given the chance to get my hands on an advanced copy of this, and I was not disappointed in the slightest.

I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, except to say this story is based around a hostage situation. It is very very exciting, unbelievably clever, and I was immediately sucked in from the very first page. I struggled to put it down and found myself getting annoyed when I had to. I read this in two nights and now have a massive book hangover. No matter what I read next, it just won’t be as good, even remotely. Unless I go back and re-read one of her previous books.

If I could give this book ten stars I would, and I will be buying a physical copy for my bookshelf. I cannot wait to read whatever comes next.

Huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Where to start? This title literally set my pulse racing. I was engaged with the central character and invested in her story. Equally, I wanted to know what secrets her husband was hiding and why. Gillian McAllister is skilled at creating tension. The hostage situation is so authentic and I raced through the book, packed with unexpected twists and all in all, a totally satisfying domestic thriller. Simply brilliant.

Very suspenseful thriller. A woman returns to work after maternity leave and drops her child off at child care for the first time. A seige in London becomes very frightening. A real page turner from the start. Gripping.

Another brilliant book by Gillian McAllister. Suspenseful from the start it had me gripped. I expected something different and certainly got it. The story is complex and compelling. I had great difficulty putting it down. I'm not going to give a synopsis as I don't want to give anything away. I'll just say whether you are already a Gillian McAllister fan or not if you like a good thriller give this one a go. You won't be disappointed.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Another great thriller from Gillian McAllister with more than a few twists and turns to keep you guessing. A hostage situation that that’s not quite all that it seems unexpectedly separates Cam from husband Luke, turning her life upside down. Niall, the hostage negotiator, is caught up in the fall out, and determined to get to the bottom of what happened, while burying his head in the proverbial sand when it comes to his own personal life.
Five stars from me, with thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph Penguin Random House for the chance to read an ARC.

I absolutely adore Gillian's books, she is one of my go to authors always, and so I felt hugely privileged to receive an ARC of this book!

The story begins with Camilla's first day back at the publishers where she works after maternity leave, having first dropped her daughter at nursery. But then some shocking news filters through....there's a hostage situation developing and Luke, her husband, is involved. This is shocking enough, but when Camilla discovers he isn't a hostage but the instigator, her whole world is thrown into turmoil forever....

Where to start with this one?! I instantly loved it and felt hooked straight away. Gillian has such a clever way of making the characters feel real, thus ensuring you care about them, and she does this here in spades.

The whole hostage situation felt incredibly true and is clearly tantamount to the amount of research that must have gone into this book to reach this level of authenticity.

The pace is quick ensuring you always want to know more. Not only is the plot intense and gripping, Gillian's prose is real and powerful.

Another stunning book from the "Queen of the what would you do thriller", it of course comes highly recommended!

Thanks to author Gillian McAllister, publishers Michael Joseph Penguin Random House and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this interesting mystery. I loved the concept and didn't see some of the twists coming. I found the middle quite slow but the story picked up again the last third.

Would recommend if you're a can of this author

An ingenious premise for a book - what do you do when your husband has taken two people hostage? Told through multiple PoVs we find out what the messy aftermath is for Camilla, her daughter Polly, and the hostage negotiator.

The majority of the book is actually after the siege, which was super interesting as I didn’t expect it. Lost a star because I did work out a few of the twists way ahead of time. I don’t want to give too much away but it’s one of those you can’t put down once you start and I very much encourage thriller fans to pick this one up!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Synopsis —It’s Camilla’s first day back at work, her daughter’s first day at nursery.
But husband Luke is nowhere to be seen. The only trace of him is an unfinished note. Camilla tries to put it out of her mind; there must be a rational explanation.
At work, there are welcomes back, and too many distractions.
Then it starts.
Breaking news: there's a hostage situation developing in London.
The police arrive: Luke is caught up in it.
But he isn't a hostage. Luke - doting father, successful writer, enthusiastic runner and eternal optimist - is the gunman.
What Camilla does next is crucial. Because only she knows what the note he left behind says, and the clues it might hold . . .

My thoughts ….. what a rollercoaster of a ride !
Who’s truthful who’s not ?
Camilla was an excellent character and you completely invested in her plight! Written perfectly, of who, what, where and how!

I am not putting too much on here as I want you to read it without spoilers ! This is a great read preorder it’s coming January !!!!!!

Camilla is returning to her publisher’s job after the birth of her first baby who is starting nursery that day. Her husband Luke, a writer (ghostwriter) is nowhere to be found. She carries on, a bit disappointed he isn’t wishing them luck with their new beginnings, but determined to get back to the job she loves. However, things do not turn out as planned.

A hostage situation develops in London and the police arrive at Cam’s workplace. The beginning of this book is superb; exciting, fast-paced and unexpected. However, the book then jumps to 7 years later and it all slows down rather a lot: How Camilla is living, the hostage negotiator, the police charged with trying to find out anything about the case… It picks up towards the end and there’s lots of twists. Some of the story is unbelievable (just don’t ask yourself “and how are you going to evidence that, to be believed”???! at the end). But ignoring this and more, read along for the ride. It’s very entertaining.

I decided not to read the synopsis beforehand with this one. Having read from the author before.
I ended up devouring this. I didn't want to put it down.
I had some theories of who I thought certain characters were but the reason behind it I had no clue.
While some things seem a little unrealistic I can look past it as I enjoyed the book so much.

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC.

I love McAllister. Her twists are amazing, so I had to request this as soon as I could and it didn’t disappoint.

There’s a hostage situation. You’re on your first day back at work after maternity leave. The last thing you need is to find the police in reception asking for you.

It turns out your husband is the hostage taker. When you think about it, he’s taken on a lot to support you and was acting a little stressed at times.

There’s a lot I cannot talk about without spoiling this but I loved the characters. You hear from the wife, the negotiator and an unknown voice. There’s so many unknowns that I challenge you to work out what’s real and what’s not until it’s all revealed at the end.

Another amazing book.

I've been staring at social media recently, feeling very jealous of people who were receiving early copies of this book, and so was thrilled when I was sent a digital copy. Technically I should have left it closer to publication day to read and review, because I had so many others to do beforehand, but I couldn't resist.

It is always a good day when there's a new Gillian McAllister book out, and it is another firecracker, a tour-de-force of a book.

There's not much preamble with this. We get a few pages introducing out characters and the environment we find them in and then bam - we're in!

Looking back at my reading history, I would say thriller is one of my most - if not the most - read genre, and generally I like what I read. But if I'm being completely honest, there are only a certain amount of plot devices and stories and tense situations. And when handled well, they feel completely new and fresh, but when handled badly they can feel repetitive. But with this, Gillian has given us something completely different, at least it is for me. I don't think I've come across stories like this one. It's not a murder-mystery as such as like most thrillers, which made it refresh and that then helps rejuvenate the genre.

I am someone who likes her bed. I don't always get as much sleep as I would like though, not for lack of trying. But I like my bed and my peace. So it takes a special kind of book to steal me away and this definitely did. It broke my main two rules (although at this stage I'm thinking I break them more than I stick to them) of not reading my kindle in bed, and only reading uplifting stories in bed. This broke both! But I had to really tear myself away form it. I was about 3/4 of the way through before I had to put it down because I couldn't keep my eyes open. But I then finished it for breakfast the following morning.

It's split into rough sections: firstly the incident and direct aftermath. And then after 7 years, and years after that. Which I thought was great because all of these things, trauma etc. it lingers, but no-one really focusses on it after the immediate event. And so that was an interesting addition.

I think I've read 5 of her books now and with each one, I think it can't possibly be any better than the one before it, and lo and behold, it is! I don't know how she keeps doing it, it's amazing.

This sounded like it could make a great TV show, providing cliff-hangers at the end of each episode. It would be completely binge-able. It is full of twists and turns and surprises and shocks, and is expertly done. I already can't wait for her next book!

Another fantastic book by Gillian McAllister which drew me in and kept me reading until late. Camilla is happily married and due to return to work on the day her husband Luke goes missing and is then found to have taken three people hostage.
As ever the story is far from straightforward and the solution ingenious

A suspense story to set your nerves a jingling and make you think ‘what ifs’ . Luke goes out early and does not return. Cam’s world is turned upside down and into the stratosphere when he is in a hostage situation and kills. Two love stories are intertwined in Cam and Luke with Niall , the damaged police hostage negotiator, providing the other. Believable characters abound in a spellbinding story

Astonishingly good.

I am in awe of Gillian McAllister as she always manages to create a completely brilliant scenario, totally believable which sucks you into the storyline from the start.

I'd also like to thank her- I have been in a bit of a reading rut where it's been taking me ages to read a book, but I picked this up and devoured it in one sitting. Very gripping and engrossing all the way through, and yet again, all is not what it seems.

When Camilla starts her first day back at the publishing house she works in following maternity leave, her husband is uncontactable which is unusual for him. Then news breaks of a hostage situation in London and Luke is caught up in the unfolding drama.

This was an epic thriller. I fear I am gushing a bit too much now so I will leave it there but just add - READ THIS BOOK, you won't be disappointed!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.