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.

I loved this surprising, thought-provoking, engaging novel and read it in one sitting! Taking an extreme version of restorative justice and putting it into people's everyday lives is a genius concept and in the hands of a brilliant crime/thriller writer like Deborah O'Connor. I'm so excited to see what she does next.

Deborah O’Connor’s “The Dangerous Kind” was probably my read of the year in 2019 and after such a tremendous book, I wasn’t sure her latest novel “The Captive” could meet my high expectations.
I need not have had any concerns, for as soon as I started reading, I was engrossed, engaged and invested in it and found it an impossible book to put down. Highly original and set in the near future, restorative justice has taken over the normal prison service. Prisoners are kept and attended to, by the families or victims of the perpetrator, in a custom built cell within their houses. The idea being that the prisoner truly understands the damage they have inflicted on the victim or on the families left behind. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. 
When Hannah temporarily ‘houses’ Jem, the man accused and found guilty of her detective husband’s murder, she’s nervous of him being in the cell in her kitchen. “What if he speaks to me?”. “What if he hurts me?”. “What if he gets out?” Everyday the same thoughts run through her head. But what happens when she starts to suspect he could have been wrongly sentenced and he didn’t kill her husband? 
Brilliantly played out and executed, this exciting, high-concept story was imaginative and constructed with a superb plot that keeps you turning the pages in anticipation of what will happen next. I liked Hannah and Jem, I was thoroughly invested in their stories and I thought the fact she suffered with Type One Diabetes, which played a big part in the intense story, was a realistic addition to her character. 
Although far fetched at times and probably an unfeasible solution to prison costs and overcrowding, if you’re invested in part of the story you may as well believe in it all and it is for this reason I give “The Captive” five stars - for the sheer entertainment factor and engrossing storyline. #UnlockTheTruth

5 stars

A high-concept psychological thriller, The Captive is set in London some time in the near future when, for a host of reasons, not least the cost and supposed lack of justice facing criminals in holiday camp condition prisons, the government has taken restorative justice to its logical conclusion and done away with mass incarceration.  Replacing the old system with the Domestic Prison Service, a system that requires the victim to house the criminal that wronged them in a cell inside their own home for the duration of the sentence, it sees victims made accountable for their prisoner’s welfare, all overseen by a Domestic Liaison Officer.  The theory goes that situating the prisoner within the home of the victim ensures they truly face up to the damage they have done, yet minutes prior to the man found guilty of murdering her husband arriving in her home, cake maker and newly widowed Hannah Cavey is distraught.

Despite pleading not guilty to the murder of Met detective John, overwhelming evidence has seen twenty-eight-year-old Jem Dahlin sentenced to twenty years served in a cell the size of a car parking space in Hannah’s kitchen.  Support for Hannah comes in the form of best friend Aisling and John’s police partner and one-time alcoholic boss, Rupert Cammish and DCI Mickey Coomes respectively.  Jem professes his innocence from the off and on revealing the contents of the final conversation that he overheard John having on the night of his murder it triggers doubt in Hannah’s own mind.  As Hannah instigates her own investigation into John’s murder and finds some truth to Jem’s words there is a gradual thawing of the tension between the pair that sees them foster an unlikely, albeit unequal, bond.  As Hannah uncovers further evidence that John wasn’t the man she thought he was with suspicions of corruption, money laundering and death of another officer all circling, it all seems to corroborate Jem’s innocence.  But is Hannah right to trust him or is she making a fool of herself letting Jem words get inside her head?

The narrative shifts focus between Hannah and Jem, with parts telling of Jem’s troubled childhood and the path that saw him collide with John and tie their fates together.  The characterisation of flawed Jem is superb and although there is a slight second half abatement of tension as Hannah’s investigation into John’s death loses its impetus and her and Jem’s relationship comes to the fore, the whole novel is expertly plotted.  The close ramps the tension right up and brings not only the exact circumstances of John’s death to the surface it also resolves several loose threads that provide an explosive conclusion to Hannah and Jem’s stories.  Several aspects of the novel prevented it from being a stellar five star read for me however from the early signposting of Aisling’s involvement in the wider plot through to other things that didn’t quite ring true and a rushed denouement. 

Whilst there are very obvious problems with the concept of restorative justice and the possible abuses of the system the novel benefits from bringing a totally new focus to the saturated psychological thriller market.  It is also impossible not to ask yourself the same questions that Hannah faces and follow the concept of a lawless country where victims of crime choose not to prosecute to its resultant conclusion.  Compelling, tightly plotted with two credible characters in Hannah and Jem.

It is billed as a high concept thriller and it certainly ticked all my boxes. Set in the near future there are no longer prisons. The victim now becomes the jailer. The criminal is incarcerated in the victim's house in a cage. Not much bigger than a car parking space for a supermarket. Inside this cage is enough room for a single bed, a basin, a table and chair. The cage has a hatch and a metal drawer which can pull out to deliver food and other essentials. The victim now has sole charge of the criminal. Can you imagine how Hannah feels having the murderer of her husband in her home ensconced in a cage in her kitchen??? A murder mystery/ psychological thriller which had me reading late into the night. A multi layered thriller which had me glued to my seat. What would you do in this situation and how would you react??? The only thing that put me off was the side story of Aisling, it detracted from the main story and in my opinion was not needed. Otherwise this would have been a five star read.
Thanks to Bonnier Books UK and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Hannah is married to John, a police officer, when he’s killed the man convicted of killing him is imprisoned in her home; a very strange concept and one which I had to google to make sure it doesn’t happen anywhere! The story follows their relationship from getting used to living under the same roof to how this evolves. Hannah wants to find out the truth about her husbands murder and is fearless in uncovering what her husband had been working on and with whom. There were a number of points in this book which literally made me gasp out loud at what was happening, the pace was fast and there is never a dull moment. The author has a wonderful way of portraying all of the range of emotions so well, as a reader you can feel it all. This kept me reading late into the night and I wanted to keep reading to know what was going to happen. I enjoyed the ending too, there was a bit of a twist and I very much enjoy a book that keeps me guessing and doesn’t give things away easily. I very much recommend this.

This was an absolutely great concept read. It was very thought provoking and gripping. I can definitely see it being turned in to a movie! I was amazed by the author’s ability to get the concept across so well!

This has been described as a high concept novel and golly, it is. Criminals now live in cages in the homes of their victims for the duration of their sentence and it is the victims, not the prison system, who are responsible for prisoners’ welfare. Hannah Cavey’s husband John was murdered by Jem Dahlin, who has been sentenced to 20 years – all of which are meant to be in Hannah’s home she had shared with John. Understandably, Hannah turns to close friends to get her through this strange time and, although unexpected, she starts to question her late husband’s activities leading to his death. She also begins to see Jem as more than a prisoner but naturally a relationship with a prisoner is forbidden – but can she trust Jem? This is a multi-layered story with plenty to keep you entertained and the premise is such that you can’t help but wonder what you would do in a similar situation.

In the future there are no prisons and convicted criminals serve their sentences in the homes of the people who are most affected by their crimes. 
Deborah now has a cage in her kitchen and inside it is the man who killed her husband who was a Police Officer. 
Jem who was convicted of her husband’s murder is now trying to convince her that he is innocent and Deborah starts to look into the death of her husband and the mystery surrounding it.
I really enjoyed this book it had me hooked from the beginning. It had plenty of tension and twists and turns.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.