The atmosphere on board the inaugural non-stop flight from London to Sydney is electric. Numerous celebrities are rumoured to be among the passengers in business class and journalists will be waiting on the ground to greet the plane. Mina is one of a hand-picked team of flight attendants chosen for the landmark journey. She's trying to focus on the task in hand, and not worry about her troubled five-year-old daughter back at home with her husband. Or the cataclysmic problems in her marriage. But the plane has barely taken off when Mina receives a chilling note from an anonymous passenger, someone intent on ensuring the plane never reaches its destination. Someone who needs Mina's assistance and who knows exactly how to make her comply.

Oh wow, what a read this is! I adore Mackintosh's books and with every new book, she offers something different and more exciting. Please keep doing what you are doing, I cannot get enough!

The premise alone for this read had me hooked. What could be more realistic and more terrifying than a hijacked plane?! Immediately, the atmosphere is heightened and the threat all the more claustrophobic due to this being set on a plane. I was absolutely gripped from the first page and could not put this down. Mackintosh includes so much drama, fear, danger and thrills that I could barely catch my breath. This is thriller writing at its best.

As well as being a thrilling, Mackintosh always ensures there is an emotional, human edge to her books and this could not be more true for this read. Mina is a fantastic character, incredibly realistic; likeable and flawed, I just wanted to get to know more about her and her family. You deserve to find out every twist for yourself so I will not go into more detail but prepare yourselves, you are in for one hell of a ride!

Mackintosh writes chapters from the different passengers perspectives and this really helps the reader get to know each person. We get a glimpse into who they are, how they think and operate and how everyone on the plane came to be together. The drama is real and the characters make it feel all the more emotional.

'Hostage' is just an incredible read and one I do not think I will ever forget. This is exhilarating, emotional and full of danger and secrets. I loved every word and every twist and turn the book took. I cannot recommend this enough, it is just the perfect read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sphere for an advance copy.

📚5🌟review📚
Clare Mackintosh is one of my top two authors so it was with great excitement & also a little trepidation, (would it live up to her previous brilliant novels?), that I read her latest book Hostage. NO PLOT SPOILERS. I needn’t have worried! The characters were so realistically portrayed that I still have them in my head days later.

I loved the multiple POV, starting from Adam the husband at home, to Mina getting ready to fly as well as some of the passengers. There are a variety of settings: Adams work, the journey to school, home and the flight. We gradually learn about the uneasy family dynamics of Adam, Mina and their five year old daughter, Sophia.

I was fascinated by the passenger backgrounds too as Clare dipped into a few of the passengers by seat numbers. I found I had a virtual seating plan in my head.

The back stories (scarily realistic) are revealed glimpse by glimpse, adding real depth to both your understanding and the development of the plot.

I felt as if I was on the plane with the passengers, sharing the urgency of every decision. It is difficult to say more without any plot spoilers so let’s just say - it was a brilliant, gripping, pacy read and (unusually for me) one I will reread soon!

When an email drops inviting you to read and review the new Clare Mackintosh book, you drop everything immediately - work, kids, food - settle in and begin..
Hostage tells the story of the world’s first direct flight between London and Sydney, 20 hours in the air with no stops and over 350 passengers and crew on board. The flight is being heralded as the first of the future - what could possibly go wrong?
We meet Mina and her husband Adam when their marriage is falling apart. She is cabin crew and he is a policeman and they are cops renting their daughter Sophia.
Mina has one of the coveted cabin crew spots onboard and takes off whilst Adam is left with Sophia and his own demons to deal with....
During the flight, Mina is given a choice - save her daughter or save the flight. With the plane’s WiFi blocked she is unable to communicate with Adam so has to make an unbelievable choice....
I’ve read all of Clare’s books and find them engrossing, enjoyable and unputdownable. Hostage did nothing disappoint and is already my favourite book of 2021. My only worry is it’s now longer to wait for Clare’s next one...