I had no idea that this was book three in a series and it didn't affect my enjoyment at all, it has just made me want to read the first two now!

Alex is a police hostage negotiator with The Met and after a stressful but successful negotiation, he heads up to Scotland, with his partner, Pip, for a break in a remote cabin. The following morning, the two find themselves caught up in a kidnapping attempt and they have no choice but to flee into the mountains with the Scottish Earl, who the kidnap attempt was targeted at and with a storm incoming.

The writing is immersive, the tension holds throughout and I loved reading the negotiation scenes; they were fascinating, gripping and felt realistic. I found myself holding my breath at times. The characters were well developed and I especially liked the main characters of Alex and Pip,

The Earl is being accused of horrific crimes and although Alex and Pip believe him to be guilty, they don't let their personal feelings towards him cloud their judgement and I found that incredibly admirable, especially in such difficult conditions where many people may have just left him behind to his fate. A great read!

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, John Sutherland and Orion for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Following the successful conclusion of a demanding negotiation in south London, Superintendent Alex Lewis and his partner Pip head to the Scottish Highlands for a much-needed break. However, their peaceful retreat is shattered when they find themselves caught up in an attempt by an armed gang to kidnap a well-known Scottish Earl at Blane Castle. In the desperate hours that follow, Alex and Pip must use all their negotiating skills to save the Earl's life and their own
Really enjoyed!

The Castle sees John Sutherland send his police negotiators on a much needed holiday but as you would expect there is a twist or three.

This book is a fast moving, page turning thriller that keeps the reader interested from the first to the last page with numerous twists and turns throughout.

Definitely recommended.

You know, part of me is wondering if John Sutherland likes his characters very much. I mean, in Alex and Pip he has certainly created two people who I really like to spend time with, but, as if their lives as hostage negotiators aren't stressful enough, with Alex's latest case taking a particularly hard toll on him, he can't even allow them a quiet week away without putting them well and truly through the ringer. Which, to be fair, is absolutely bloody brilliant news for us readers as with The Castle we are delivered one hell of a treat, a book packed with tension, danger and threat, and a hostage situation that is perhaps Alex's most personal case yet.

I'm maybe being a little harsh to Mr Sutherland. He does give the pair one nice night away, and the scenery, as described, is stunning, so if they are going to get caught in a fight to the death with a group of mercenaries hell bent on catching hold of their target, there are much worse places he could send them. It sounds - murderous hunting parties aside - quite idyllic, and the kind of place I would love to escape to myself. The scene he sets, based on a real life estate in the very north of Scotland, is so vivid and seemingly tranquil that I could almost feel the breeze and smell the scents of the pines and heathers. And hats off to him for that as doing justice to that area of the highlands is no mean feat. But we're didn't (just) come for the description of the views. It's not long before tranquility turns to bedlam, and with one estate guest killed, and Pip caught in the crossfire as they try to evade the killers, you know it will take all of Alex's calm and skills to get them out of there alive.

And this is where this series really is brilliant. Able to draw on his own experience as a hostage negotiator, you know that John Sutherland is speaking from experience in all of the tactics Alex employs in his work. I am assuming that he hasn't actually found himself holed up in a basement of a Scottish castle trying not to be killed, but I'm sure some of his experiences have felt equally as hairy, and emotionally draining, at times. This particular situation is a mixture of negotiation and action, with Alex not just trying to talk the potentially killers and hostage takers round, but also working alongside his old friend and Blane Estate manager, Tom Jamieson, to plot and enable their escape. There are so many moments that I found myself with my heart in my throat, that kind of pulsing tension that really draws you in and had me powering through the pages. A real edge of the seat ride that I ate up.

There are some very emotional moments in the books too, and the revelation of the motivations of those who planned and executed the attack on the estate are the kind that led me to have more than a little sympathy for them, perhaps more so than their intended victim. But we are talking hulking great figures armed with very powerful guns, so that there is a constant sense of danger from about 20% in that never lets up. And yet, despite the very real risk that they face, the way in which Alex steps up, the compassion he shows towards his pursuers, one in particular, felt so real, so authentic, with a very gentle method of delivery it only renews my respect for those that step up and take on that most demanding, and no doubt harrowing, of roles, putting other's safety ahead, perhaps, of their own.

So yes. I loved this latest offering. I've been excited about it since I heard it was in the offing, and from the introduction to the book that I was lucky enough to be a part of at Bloody Scotland last year. It did not disappoint. But it's left me in a bit of a bind. I want Pip and Alex to have that overdue break - lord knows they need it, although the author does deliver some very happy moments in amongst all of the danger too. But I'd like more from the pair too, back in the danger zone, if you like. It's a series too fabulous to resist. And, in lieu of a raised glass of malt, it can have one of these instead. The red hot read badge. I think Alex earned it

Thanks to John and Netgalley for allowing me to read The Castle prior to the publication date.

I doubt that the prologue could have set the tension bar any higher than it did, providing an insight into the work of the police and particularly those tasked with negotiating a good outcome with the hostage taker. Without giving away any spoilers, this book will give the reader pause for thought about the characters, their motivations and their decisions.

The reader is introduced to Supt. Alex Lewis, a trained hostage negotiator with the Met.
A lengthy list of previous incidents has left Alex with PTSD and he experiences flashbacks.
Alex has been wakened at 1 am to attend a Domestic Violence situation which has escalated.
A traffic unit blue lights him to the locus where he makes his way through the line of TSG officers to reach the flat where a man, high on drugs and alcohol, has taken a 6 month old child hostage.
Returning home almost 7 hours later, Alex is physically and mentally drained.
The decision is made that Alex and his partner, Pip, who is also a hostage negotiator, need a break.

10 weeks later, Alex and Pip travel to Blane Castle in Banffshire for a fortnight of rest and relaxation.

The gamekeeper for the estate is Tom Jamieson, the man who was Alex training sergeant when he joined the Met.
Tom has arranged for one party of guests to go stalking with his assistant, Cam. A second party are fishing on the river.
As Tom gives Alex and Pip a conducted tour of the estate, he realises that the fishing party have moved away from the spot they were allocated. Gunfire is heard and both fishermen are seen to enter the water.
What initially seems to be an accidental shooting will rapidly become a full scale manhunt with Alex and Pip in the wilds of Scotland instead of the London streets.

A tense thriller and a page turner with more than a few surprises. The use of a few Scottish terms adds a tiny bit of levity to the book.

Both the author and the series are new to me, but based on this outing, I’ll be looking for more. The cover was the first hook; clearly Scottish and an air of mystery was created. The story centres on a couple of hostage negotiators who are invited to a highland retreat for a very welcome break. Things, of course, go horribly wrong and they end up involved in kidnap and mayhem. The plotting is superb; tense, fast paced and genuine edge of your seat thriller. It’s good old fashioned adventure stuff. More modern than Buchan but I was reminded of some of the chase scenes in The Thirty Nine Steps. A cracking cast of characters, great writing and pure fast paced escapism. Couldn’t put this down and blown away, almost literally, by the ending.

Alex and Pip are in desperate need of an escape. Their stressful roles as hostage negotiators are eased only by the fact that they get to come home to each other every night. When an old friend invites the couple up to the Scottish Highlands for an extended break, Alex and Pip jump at the chance. It's the rest they both need. But soon after they arrive at the castle, they hear the sound of gunshots, and their perfect escape turns into a perfect nightmare. The remote mountainous landscape is now the setting for a terrifying kidnap plot targeting one of the other guests! Wow wow wow!! For some reason this book took me a minute to get through. I kept going back to it, but I’m so glad I did. This was a fantastic read.! This book had great suspense, murder, mystery, fantastic characters, revenge, rape, a sort of who done it and a few wild twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me! Can’t wait for more!

A masterclass in thrillers.

I had no idea that this was part of a series, and I will go back and read more now.

This book is so tense I found myself reading aggressively! I had to know what happened and I wanted more the second I had finished.

Incredible.

Now this was an interesting read which I really enjoyed
Edge of your sit intense thriller
I was so stressed reading it I love it
Literally so much was happening
The characters we’re brilliant
The whole story was amazing
Brilliant thriller

With many thanks to Netgalley for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily

A change in direction in the third instalment but it’s still an absolute cracker from John Sutherland. He takes us away from London and the Met to the very beautifully described remote location in Scotland. This is proper edge of your seat stuff and moves at a blistering pace. The very likeable Alex and Pip find themselves the hunted rather than the hunters and makes for a very tense read. I like the fact the author has somewhat gone out of his comfort zone, but still maintaining the integrity of the police negotiator storyline. Mr Sutherland is going to be someone that stays on my radar. Loved this!

Alex and Pip are hostage negotiators and when they are invited to a remote scottish castle for a break they jump at the chance.

They soon hear gunshots and find that there is a kidnap plot to get one of the guests and this is where Alex and Pip come into their own.

This is an action packed and gripping read. There is a lot of drama and I loved the main characters.

I did find myself fully immeresed in the book and most of reading time was spent holding my breath, it is an exciting read ..

3.5 🌟


Fast paced, sometimes edge of your seat stuff.
It's a tough one when you have to combat some crazies AND crazy weather.
Alex and Pip really do take their day job home with them in this one.
Good stuff.