The Captive by Deborah O’Connor is pure entertainment from beginning to end. An intense and original thriller, it drew me in from the very first page and didn’t let go right up until the final thrilling page had been turned.

I’ve never read a book quite like this one before. Set in London in the near future it portrays a time when the UK criminal system has been radically reformed. Now, instead of going to prison, criminals are kept in a cage in the home of either their victim or their victim’s family for the duration of their sentence. The victim is responsible for the welfare of the prisoner, supported only by a Domestic Liaison Officer who oversees proceedings, making sure everything is running smoothly.

And so it is with horror and great reluctance that Hannah finds herself as host to Jem, her husband’s murderer. Forced to spend time with him due to the fact his cage has been installed in her kitchen where she needs to work, the pair begin to talk, with Jem telling her that he is innocent of her husband’s murder. As more and more details come to light, Hannah begins to question everything she thought she knew about the man she was married to. Could Jem be telling the truth? And if he is, can Hannah find out the truth before it’s too late?

The Captive is an utterly compelling read that I thoroughly enjoyed. With twists and turns throughout, it kept me guessing right up until its final, shocking denouement. Deborah O’Connor’s writing is wonderful, drawing you into the story and bringing this strange but horrifying tale vividly to life. Even the thought of it makes me shudder! Hannah is a character I liked from the outset, with the dilemma she finds herself in making me feel almost protective of her as the story progressed.

I don’t want to say much more for fear of spoiling the story, but suffice to say The Captive is an intense and original thriller that I would highly recommend. The perfect read to kick 2021 off with style!

Hannah is preparing herself for a life changing moment- when she comes face to face with the man who killer her beloved husband. Jem, is prepared to tell all but how will Hannah take the news?
This was one amazing read! The whole setting, although a very unknown concept, works amazingly and it was not what I expected at all. I highly recommend you read this! Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

When you read the title of this book you don’t know who does it refer to; is it the man in cuffs who has to stay in a prison for 20 years or the woman who will host him after he has killed her husband?
I really liked this ambiguity, in Catalan the names are feminine or masculine but in English they are neutral, making it interesting to discern who is referring to by this adjective. Because, let’s be honest, you have to be very brave to have in your own home the man who has killed your husband, taking care of him and giving him food. This is the world Hannah will have to live in for the next 20 years, he loved her husband but Jem killed him in a failed robbery, why? She can’t stay to ask questions till she discovers the real truth, a dark truth that will mark her forever.
This is a book to make you think about society and convicts, I really didn’t like the option that this book presented, that when someone commits a crime the person that was affected has to live and take care of the convict. It seems a way to keep the prisons free and everyone able to do whatever they want without the punishment they deserve. But this book touches other interesting themes that will keep any reader thinking; affairs, pregnancy, love… A slow paced story with a closed ending but with so many important points in it that it will be impossible to stop thinking about it.
So, expect a deep and intricate story, impossible to put down, believe me!

Well, this book kept me entertained from the beginning to the end!
What a novel idea! Someone commits a crime against you and they get to spend their sentence in a small jail cell in your house..... Doesn't matter if its 2 years or 20 years! In an ideal world this would be a perfect solution with jails that's overcrowded BUT we don't live in a perfect world and how can a victim find justice like this?
Hannah's husband was a Met detective who was stabbed to death in an alleyway. She must now host Jem, the man found guilty, but all is not what it seems and soon she finds out shocking things about her husband. What is Jem hiding and is he a good guy or not?
The characters are well rounded and the storyline is very unique and well-executed!

A definite must-read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK and Zaffre for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I would give this book 4 stars for the first half and 3 for the second half! The story takes place in the near future, where traditional incarceration in prisons has been replaced by restorative justice, with the perpetrator serving out their sentence in a cell within the house of their victim or victim’s family. The victim is responsible for the prisoner’s wellbeing, feeding them and looking after them in their small cell. It reads a lot like a Black Mirror episode in that the scenarios in the book really could happen in a frightening, not too distant future.

It starts really well and the story is very gripping and different, although towards the end it veers off a bit and becomes quite predictable. There are also a few characters whose stories aren’t brought to an end and who don’t seem to play an important part in the book.

Overall a good and unique read, and I look forward to reading more of Deborah O’Connor’s books!

With thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books/Zaffre for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Six months ago, Hannah's husband was murdered. The man convicted of the crime now lives in a cell. But he's not in prison. His cell is in Hannah's home, his care is her responsibility, and her life will never be the same again...

This started out as one of the most gripping and unique books I've ever read. I mean, come on, that synopsis is insane! And while I'm all for a bit of restorative justice, taking it to the extreme that the victim (or their family if the victim died) must care for the perpetrator seriously messes with your head, and it creates a world where things definitely get a little dark and morally ambiguous. If you knew you'd have to live with your burglar/rapist/attacker of any kind, would you report the crime? Would you be able to host that person, to be responsible for them, to care for them, for years? What sort of life would you, and they, have?

However, while I expected a complex thriller considering the moral implications of such a world, what you instead got was something that, despite a strong start, quickly devolved into something a bit less gripping. To be fair, it was an interesting book, but as it developed it lost some of its uniqueness and sparkle. As such, it's a tricky one to review. I loved the concept, and the unique nature of the world building and initial plot. However, the story as it developed did become more predictable, and I was disappointed that the author chose to take it down the route that they did rather than veer into more uncharted territory. However, I am very much in the minority here, as it does have excellent reviews, so make of that what you will!

3.5 stars rounded down to 3.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

An absolutely brilliant and terrifying story. I think I held my breath through the whole book. I loved it and don't want to give too much away. Highly recommended.

Imagine a society where the victim of a crime (or their family) is expected to accommodate the convicted person responsible in a prison cell in their own home?

In the near future UK prisons are a thing of the past. In their place, a focus on restorative justice and an emphasis on rehabilitation instead of mass incarceration for those who break the law.

Jem murdered Hannah's husband.

Now he's locked in a cage situated in Hannah's kitchen.

His sentence is twenty years.

Hannah is responsible for all his needs for the next two decades.

Then she uncovers several red flags regarding her husband's past.

And the more she gets to know Jem the less convinced she is that he is a killer.

But if Jem didn't murder her husband, then who did?

And how much danger is Hannah placing herself to get to the truth.

Holy cow! This unique, expertly-crafted futuristic thriller sure knocked me for six. The terrifying reality these characters inhabited makes me grateful for our current prison system. Okay so it may be lacking in some respects but this is not in any way an acceptable or healthy alternative. I was utterly impressed and shell-shocked by how everything came together in the end. The last 20% was nail-biting non-stop action suspense.

The Captive is mainly crime, mystery, and domestic noir, but sci-fi as well since the technology used doesn't currently exist in mainstream society. I’m also classing it as dystopian, which may seem a bit odd since life in general pretty much mirrored ours, however the justice system did not, and as a result it was definitely a country governed by a rigid set of rules, not to mention control, fear, loss of freedoms, and powerlessness that affected the majority of the population. And there was even time for romance, but there's nothing I can share about that subplot without spoiling it.

I love that the author took her time explaining the rules of the home prison system rather than bombarding me with an overload of information, yet it was always abundantly clear how the scheme worked. She even included personal accounts of situations where the current system had failed prisoners and victims, horror stories of all the ways things had gone disturbingly wrong, which made the whole thing even more scarily real.

Hannah and Jem were the main narrators, and Jem's chapters also included flashbacks to his childhood. I bonded with both characters and felt for their plight. The writing was straightforward, immediately drew me in, held my attention, and kept me invested emotionally.

Last year I added Deborah O’Connor's, The Dangerous Kind to my tbr, but never got around to reading it. After this phenomenal read I'll definitely be bumping it up my list.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Bonnier Books/Zaffre and Deborah O'Connor for the e-ARC.

My thanks to Bonnier Books U.K./Zaffre for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Captive’ by Deborah O'Connor in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is described as ‘high concept’ and after reading it that seems a fair description. Set in London in the near future, it takes the idea of restorative justice to an extreme that completely boggled my mind. Prisons have been dissolved and now when someone is convicted of a crime they serve out their sentence in a cell constructed somewhere in the home of their victims, who then assisted by an assigned liaison officer becomes responsible for their care.

Six months ago Hannah Carey’s police detective husband, John, had been murdered and Jem, the man found guilty of his murder, has been sentenced to life - in her kitchen! One has to wonder who is being punished here? However, Jem had always protested his innocence and continues to do so while Hannah bakes for her bespoke cake business. I won’t say more in order to avoid spoilers.

The narrative is split between Hannah and Jem, including revisits to his troubled childhood.

I had been impressed with Deborah O’Conner’s ‘The Dangerous Kind’, and once I wrapped my brain around the premise of ‘The Captive’, it was hard to put down. O’Conner holds her cards close and provides some excellent twists along the way.

I appreciated O’Conner sharing in a letter to her readers about the inspirations behind the novel. It was clear that she is interested in issues around the justice system, including its flaws and seeks to stimulate conversations around these subjects.

Taking the idea of restorative justice to this logical extreme certainly fulfils this criteria. As such, ‘The Captive’ is a novel that I expect will also be of interest to reading groups as alongside an engaging thriller it provides plenty of material for discussion.

Well... this was a little different... The premise behind the story is rather interesting. Restorative justice taken to extreme. Prisons are no more, if someone wrongs you and are convicted of their crime, they get to spend their sentence in a cage, in your house. You become responsible for them.
Hannah's husband was murdered so she gets to "host" Jem, the person convicted of the murder. Aided, instructed and monitored by a DLO (Domestic Liaison Office) Hannah is responsible for Jem, who she installs in a cage, in her home kitchen where she works.
But as time goes on Jem and Hannah start to form a sort of bond. Jem tries to protest his innocence but how will that go down with Hannah? Will she believe him? And if so, what's next for the two of them.
Well... this hit the ground running, sucked me in from the off, held me captive (see what I did there) throughout, spitting me out at the end exhausted but satisfied.
Although, to be honest, it really got me thinking about what I would do if I was forced to "host" someone who did me wrong - probably not report the crime in the first place - but then that's where the concept and system breaks down for me (especially if the crime was personal - assault or even rape) - but I'm happy to suck it up and accept that this is the normal in the book's setting - all in the name of fiction.
That aside, it's a cracking read that interested and intrigued me all the way through. Plotting and pacing are darned near perfect and the story got on with itself very well. Characters were well drawn and all acted their parts well. The twists and turns were mostly shocking and unexpected but all worked well for me.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Oh, this is so good! I love the concept of this book and I have to say the author has done a brilliant job with weaving a story around a country with no prisons. Yeah, you read that right, No Prisons! What you have instead is a money-saving scheme by the Government, obviously, and the prisoners now live in a cell in the victims home!

I cannot think of anything worse than having to face the person who killed your partner or loved one on a daily basis. Or being their keeper, making sure they are fed, clean, have access to phone calls and basically being part of your everyday life. This is known as restorative justice. While I do understand victims wanting to voice their feelings to those who committed the crime, having them live their sentence out in your own home is taking things to the next level. I mean spending 20 years living together. This is what Hannah, the main character has to do with Jem, the man who murdered her husband.

I do think they are several routes the author could have gone with this plot, it is only now after I have read the book that I can see this though. I have to say that the author decided on a brilliant route and r got me completely hooked in the story of Hannah, her life as it was and is now. Having Jem in the house when she works at home definitely would test anyone.

This is a book that has a basic synopsis, it gives you a simple idea and then the author works her magic. It has a chilling edge to it with loads of intrigue and it also kept me on my toes with changing attitudes as the story went further. I am not divulging anything more about the plot, even though I seriously want to!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and it is one for those who like a domestic noir edge, who likes a book with a good sense of intrigue, mystery and that gets you thinking about possible scenarios after you have finished the book. I mean can you imagine being in lockdown under this system! Sorry I digress yet again!

Excellent concept, brilliant story and very definitely recommended.

P.S. I don't think I have ever used so many !!!!!!'s in a review before!

This was a really interesting concept to me when I read the blurb, so I was excited to get a Netgalley ARC!

Set in a near future where prisons are no longer used and prisoners are now housed with their victims, Hannah finds herself having a cell built into her kitchen to house her husbands murderer for the next twenty years after his guilty verdict.
The Domestic Prison Service is brought about as a better alternative to the original system, that really doesn't work, in a way to get the victims or their families more involved in a new way of restorative justice. It gives them more control of the treatment of the prisoner (within reason!), but it also gives the prisoner the opportunity to fully face up to what they did and who they affected with their crime.
But when Jem pleads his innocence, can Hannah ignore that niggling feeling that something isn't right?

This is an original and thought-provoking thriller that takes you on a gripping journey. I highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed this book with its interesting premise of restorative justice taken to an extreme. Parts of the plot I found more difficult to believe (Jem's motivation for what he did) and some of the twists were easy to guess, but as a whole it was a good well paced whodunit with ethical considerations. I would have been interested to read the author's thoughts on the rest of the justice system if people were choosing not to press charges as they didn't want a caged prisoner in their home.
Thank you to netgalley and Bonnier books for an advance copy of this book

I hadn’t planned’ what I was going to read over Christmas, and so this book kinda ‘ended up’ being it, a dystopian psychological adventure with a whodunit and whodidntdoit theme running through
Prisons are now deemed ‘a thing of the past’ and so basically a criminal once convicted is placed within the victims home to serve their sentence, a cell is constructed within the house and an ‘officer’ visits for shower and outside recreation duty, if the victim is dead then the criminal serves their time in a families home, intriguing!
Hannah’s husband was murdered
Jem was convicted
And so the 2 start their ‘new lives’ together, the ‘host’ has to provide meals and a decent standard of life for the criminal in the cell now plonked in their home
Of course as the story evolves so does their friendship and as Jem continues to plead his innocence Hannah finds out more and more about her late husband ( and none of it good ) that makes her wonder if he is actually telling the truth...and the game really begins!
Highly original and to be honest a fascinating idea along with good characters and ever changing plot made this book a worthy read and kept you on your toes, the ending multi pronged and well done
I was also interested in the location as it’s based in Hampstead and I think one of the streets featured quite a bit in the book is based on ‘The Bishops Avenue’, a fascinating place that is one of the most expensive ( if not the most ) addresses in London and is known for its many art deco mansions and wealthy residents and includes many houses bought by Middle Eastern Royal Families years ago and never ever used!, I think at last count more than 10, anyway I may be wrong but think it is based on there
As say a really good, different read

10/10
5 Stars

What a brilliant premise! Deborah O'Connor's "The Captive" explores a world where restorative justice and rehabilitation replace mass incarceration. It's certainly a thought-provoking concept. There is A LOT going on in this book so there's never a dull moment. O'Connor has, once again, created a first class thriller which makes for compulsive reading. The plot is intricately woven which builds tension and keeps the reader guessing throughout. I don't want to risk any spoilers so suffice it to say it's a brilliant, exhilarating read. Deborah O'Connor possesses the writers' equivalent of the X factor. Her work is truly stunning. I particularly appreciated the note at the end explaining the inspiration behind "The Captive".

Loved this book. An interesting concept about justice and crime. The plot moved along really well and I really enjoyed the book.

The Captive is O'Connor's third crime thriller and is an impactful and gritty read set in and around London. Baker Hannah Casey is grieving the loss of her husband, John, a Metropolitan police officer who was brutally murdered. Twenty-eight-year-old Jem Dahlin was convicted of the crime. But under a new system, he will serve out his twenty-five-year sentence in a cell no bigger than the size of a single parking spot within Hannah's home. There it is hoped he will learn the true cost of his terrible crime. But who is the real captive? Jem, whose whole world is now confined to a few square feet - or Hannah, whose responsibility it is to look after her husband's killer? As Hannah and Jem settle into their strange new situation, they begin to get used to their new routines. But then something happens. Jem tells Hannah he's innocent despite his fingerprints and DNA being found on John's wallet and the murder weapon. He tells her something else too. That her husband had been lying to her. Before long, the relationship between Hannah and Jem begins to shift, as Hannah questions everything she thought she knew. But was Jem really wrongly convicted? Or is he simply a desperate man, willing to say and do anything that might grant his freedom?

This is a compulsive, captivating and refreshingly original thriller with a concept that is well-executed and thought-provoking. The government have abolished mass incarceration deeming it too much of a soft option and more like a luxury hotel than a place of punishment. In the name of restorative justice they have, in its place, created the Domestic Prison Service, a scheme that requires the victim to house the criminal that wronged them in a cell inside their home for the duration of their sentence and they are also responsible for the prisoner's welfare; the idea behind this system is that by living with the victim it is hoped the perpetrator will face up to his wrongful actions and the often irreparable damage they have caused. The narrative alternates seamlessly chapter by chapter between Hannah and Jem's perspectives and the characterisation was simply stunning. It is so much more than just cheap thrills and excitement as it is much more cerebral and intelligent than most thrillers and explores what it means to be both a convicted criminal and a victim. It's a brilliant, scintillating and intensely gripping psychological thriller from the beginning and the tension is expertly ratcheted up as the story progresses culminating in a shocking and explosive conclusion. Highly recommended.

What if someone murdered your husband and the murder is now in your care, caged in your kitchen for the entirety of his sentence.

This was an interesting and unique idea. We follow Hannah as she comes to terms with her situation and begins to solve the mystery of what really happened on the night her husband died. I enjoyed reading The Captive.

An innovative murder mystery that’ll keep you turning the page through the night.

This is my first Deborah O’Connor book. I spotted it on NetGalley as a new release and intrigued by the synopsis I requested it.

I’m glad I did because this is such a thrilling read! The concept alone (which I won’t give away) is enough to hold anyone’s interest let alone chucking in a good ol’ who dunnit. If anything the premise of the characters situation could’ve been given a lot more air time as I felt it pulled up a whole host (no pun intended) of questions regarding ethics and morality.

Short chapters ensure that this is a tricky book to put down! Flipping between Hannah’s (the Host’s) story and Jem’s current situation and history that led him to Hannah’s world... the whole book unfolds in an almost retrospective fashion whereby none of the pieces fully align until the end.

Personally I struggled to believe the relationship between Hannah and Jem but appreciate that it was as much of a necessary factor as it was a redemption for both.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes crime fiction with a twist dystopian.

Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

My initial thoughts when I started this book was that it was very confusing! I wasn't sure where the idea of a prisoner caged in the kitchen would go. What a bizarre idea that those who had been sinned against should house the sinner. But once I adjusted to this questionable practice, I found the story got into full swing. It's a twisty story full of unexpected tangents. It's well thought out story where random, seemingly unimportant details fall together like a good jigsaw. Well worth a read.