Wow! What a book!
I’ve read Clare Mackintosh’s other books but this was definitely my favourite. It stands out to me as one of my favourite books this year.
It’s fast paced, original and intriguing.
I’d definitely recommend this to anyone and is definitely worthy of 5 stars.

I liked the plot of this book, and thought the concept was extremely interesting.

I found myself looking forward to the sections set on the plane with Mina and found that I read them more eagerly than I did the sections with Sophia and Adam but as a mother of two I feel very uncomfortable reading about children in danger so I think that was a personal preference, nothing to do with the writing.

I thought the plot was really cleverly crafted and the twists were shocking and effective. I didn't love the ending and felt like it was slightly drawn out, but overall I enjoyed the book.

I've really enjoyed Clare Mackintosh's previous books so I was looking forward to reading this and I'm so glad to say it didn't disappoint! Right from the start I was drawn into this and as the drama in the air and on the ground unfolded I was completely gripped. I don't want to give anything away so all I'll say is that the ending - WOW! Loved it. Would definitely recommend

Hostage is a really addictive, fast-paced read which ramps up the tension and ticks all the boxes as my kind of thriller!

I definitely don't need a novel to be non-stop action to make me want to read it, but if it IS that kind of book, this is exactly the sort of writing that really engages me. The writing is great - Clare Mackintosh sets the scene so well and creates a horrifyingly realistic yet entertaining situation. This is the kind of book that has you feeling a bit panicky thinking about what you'd do in the main character Nina's situation.

Air Hostess Nina is embarking on a landmark flight - the first-ever non-stop flight from London directly to Sydney. However, during the flight she gets a heart-stopping note which means she'll have to make a very tough decision... I don't want to give any more away but trust me, this is a read you'll want to set aside a good few hours to completely lose yourself in, because you won't want to put this one down!

Hostage left me struggling to put it down because every page is packed with more drama and it's so damn believable. It has you weighing up the plight of Nina and everyone on the plane but also considering the motivation of those on the 'other side' too. You're never entirely sure who to trust - there are so many characters you start to doubt just as Nina herself does. Meanwhile, Nina's family back home are facing their own issues...

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an intense, non-stop (much like the plane) read, with some great twists along the way too.

Hostage by Clare Mackintosh

Flight attendant Mina does all she can to get posted on the inaugural twenty-hour direct flight from Heathrow to Sydney. Not because of the media excitement surrounding the flight, or because it will be full of celebrity passengers, but because she needs a break from her estranged husband and difficult, albeit lovable little daughter, Sophia. But it’s not long before things start to go wrong aboard the flight. She finds Sophia’s EpiPen in her bag and then a passenger is found dead in his seat. It seems tragic rather than suspicious, until Mina finds a photo of her daughter, taken that very day, in his pocket. Mina receives a message. She only has to do one little thing and if she does it Sophia will be safe. If she doesn’t, Sophia will die. All Mina has to do is to let one of the passengers into the cockpit.

Hostage continues this summer’s trend for thrills at 30,000 feet but you know you’re in very safe hands with author Clare Mackintosh, who is the very best of thriller writers, largely because she combines incredible, ingenious plots with a great deal of heart and warmth, often exploring with great insight and feeling, as here, the relationship between parents and children. Children are innocent, their parents are not but they do all they can to protect these young souls who depend so completely on them. Loving them isn’t always easy. That’s the honest truth of these books. But it is overwhelming. Mina is very aware that passengers aboard a plane rely on the crew every bit as much. There is a trust there.

Mina’s troubled relationship with her husband, police detective Adam, and with her challenging, vulnerable daughter Sophia, lies at the heart of Hostage. The novel explores difficulties that Adam in particular faces and we fall deeply for Sophia. The plane situation dramatises the choices that both parents must make in a shocking and electric way.

This is a very exciting novel, there is no doubt about that at all. The chapters move between the ground and air and they also move between the passengers, giving us glimpses of the lives, dreams and sins of these people. I must admit that I did have some trouble keeping track as we get to know most by seat number rather than by name. Codes play quite a part in the book. It’s not always easy pinning people’s identity down. But it does serve to make the story deeply intriguing and very fast moving.

The scenes aboard the plane are full of fascinating details – the author’s research has been thorough.

I’m not going to give anything away about what goes on aboard the plane but I will say one thing – the ending of this book is absolutely brilliant! Clare Mackintosh does it again! As if that could possibly be a surprise…. Hostage is the perfect holiday read, not least because – possibly fortunately, having read this – so many of us are grounded.

Other reviews
I Let You Go
I See You
Let Me Lie

As a huge Clare Mackintosh fan, I couldn't wait to read her latest. I was easily drawn into the premise with the majority of the story taking place on a long-haul flight from London to Sydney and expected a multitude of tension, red herrings, and unforeseen twists.

Unfortunately, and it pains me to say this, I was disappointed. The writing didn't grab me the way it usually does and I struggled to connect to any characters. I wasn't on the edge of my seat during the scenes on the plane as they felt excessive and over the top. It was an important and current theme but I felt that it was dilluted because of the way it was executed.

I quite liked the switching perspectives between Adam and Mina - I felt that we needed that reprieve from the plane which could get a little tedious at times; that said, I found myself rolling my eyes at Adam's storyline a lot and wasn't a fan of the unoriginality. I also didn't really understand the point of all the different flight passenger stories; I was confused with all the different seat numbers and didn't feel like many added much to the story other than trying to take our attention away from the hijackers.

The ending did salvage some of the story for me and it was an unexpected twist but it just came a little too late for me; I was ready to move on by that point so I wasn't totally blown away. Such a shame because I could see where the author was going with the book and how she came up with the premise but there were just too many themes that didn't work for me. She's still up there as one of my favourite thriller authors though.

Hostage is Clare’s latest standalone thriller and was published last month at the same time as another hostage/hi-jack themed book, (it’s a bit like waiting for a bus when several come along at the same time) and I read the other one first for a blogtour and found it thrilling and nerve inducing, so I was expecting a similar type of read when I started Hostage and boy was I wrong.

Firstly, before I start to review Hostage, I have to let you know that Clare’s first book I LET YOU GO is one of my ALL TIME FAVOURITE psychological thrillers and still to this day is the only book that made me shout out loud “OH MY GOOD WTAF?”, so I know from her previous books that she is amongst royalty with regards to twists and pulling the wool over her reader’s eyes.

Hostage is a fast- paced, adrenaline-packed, butt-clenching, stomach churning thriller that will have you turning those pages quicker than the speed of light.

Mina is an experienced air-hostess, estranged from her husband and bringing up their 5 year old adopted daughter Sophia who has some behavioural issues. When the opportunity to swap a flight rota with a colleague for a 20 hour direct flight from London to Sydney arises, she jumps at the chance to escape her family.

However, within minutes from the cabin doors closing things start going wrong and she is put in a position no-one would ever want to be in – save her daughter or help crash a plane full of 300+ passengers.

The book is cleverly narrated by several of the passengers, each with their own reasons for being on this inaugural flight, giving the storyline the extra depth as we get to know each character.

Finally Adam, Mina’s estranged husband shares his story as his world which is already turning upside down and inside out threatens to explode when he and his daughter are caught up in the hi-jackers plans.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the characters, the situations, the panic and the hope made me “navigate” through the pages, “soaring” to the end and “landing” with a bump at the epilogue.

If you are only going to read one plane hostage book this summer – make it Clare Mackintosh’s.

Whenever I want a good read, I always turn to Clare Mackintosh. She certainly knows how to write a gripping read. And Hostage did not disappoint.

It tells the story of Mina, an Airline Stewardess and her husband Adam, a Police Officer. During a long haul flight to Sydney, Mina is approached and told to follow orders. The hijackers of the plane are threatening her family - she doesn't have a choice. Mina feels scared and alone. Who is part of the plan? Who can she trust onboard? Will the plane land safely?

A gripping read from start to finish. I will definitely be recommending this to friends and family.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was quite a ride or flight if you’ll allow 😆. A cleverly crafted suspenseful & claustrophobic thriller that is a real page turner.

This was another sure page turner for me and one I’m glad I read when air travel is not in my plans this summer.

The plot, characters and atmosphere that Clare weaves is breathtaking and had me hooked from beginning to end. The tension seemed to build as I got more into the book and I loved how ever character had their own story and seat number.

Just when I thought I had the plot figured out I was hit by a massive curve ball. I would definitely recommend this book but maybe not if you are on a plane journey.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this twisty thriller.

Having read previously read books by this author and enjoyed them i went into this with high hopes.
It was a bit hyped around the time i read it which is not something i would usually do,
I found it to be lacking some info and I wanted to find out more, it was repetitive in a few areas which i would of liked to have gone withour and use them to put more details in.

Overall for me i just wanted more

Some books are harder to review than others. That's when I know I have to stick with my first thoughts. I do know that I will look upon this book way more favourably in the future than I am now, because the things that will stick are the things I loved from this novel.

HOSTAGE is a claustrophobic thriller set partly on one twenty hour airplane flight from London to Sydney. Mina is trying to focus on het job as a flight attendant, not on the problems of her five-year-old daughter and the disintegration of her marriage back home. Her attention is pulled into the plane when she receives a note from someone in the cabin who is intent on ensuring the plane will never reach its destination. However, Mina will have to help and the note explains her exactly why.

I'm absolutely there for the premise. The second half of the novel delivers exactly what the premise promises. I couldn't put the book down from that point onward. The first half is an incredibly slow burn with (sorry to say) fleshed out but uninteresting characters. The fact that everyone has ab satisfying story arc at the end does redeem a big part of that.

The danger with a slow start is that if this would not have been an advanced reader copy, I might have put it away. I just couldn't get into it. I didn't feel any fear, danger, just annoyance with what was happening to the characters and their thought processes. If you're thinking the same thing, believe me continue reading because CLARE MACKINTOSH does make good on it.

Pre-corona I travelled (read by plane) 8 times per year. I have seen the insides of a plane for 1.5 years, next week is the first time I'll be flying again and I have to say the events in this book have me a bit spooked which is a big compliment!

I found this book interesting but with so many characters I found it hard to follow.
The story itself was very well written and very informative. The story was very fast paced as it covers just a 20 hour flight apart from the last 20 minutes or so.
I did work out some bits too but overall I enjoyed the book. Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publishers for the privilege to read this book for my honest opinion

What a ride! If you're looking for a book that is completely immersive and will keep you turning the pages late into the night, Hostage might just be it. This 'locked door' thriller sets the stakes high and keeps you guessing right until the end, with twists that will blow your socks off. It features an original concept that has been extremely well-researched.

Although I struggled to find any of the characters particularly likeable at first, their stories are gradually revealed to us and we build up a picture of very nuanced and conflicted personalities. The ethical decisions in the book would make for great book club discussion too.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a advance copy of Hostage in exchange for an honest review.

Another amazing book from Clare Mackintosh - I always think that maybe this time I'll see the twist coming but am wrong every time! Quite a slow burner to begin with but this helps to build the tension.

Very well written crime book, told from different POV that join together to make a thrilling ride. The start of the book was a little slow for my liking but once it got going it was good. I enjoyed the different characters and the way the author throws in little snippets of the people in the plane.

This is the kind of book you don't want to read before you catch a flight and I'd wary of travelling London-Sidney after having read it.
It'a page turner that kept me on the edge and sometimes I think i forgot to breath.
Great storytelling, great characters and a tightly knitted plot that kept me hooked.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Suspend reality at times and appreciate this fast paced thriller with lots of twists and turns. Definitely keeps going with surprises until the very last page

It's very weird to read two similar books in close succession. Obviously it's not the fault of either author, both of whom have invested significant time and energy in their story ideas.

Falling by TJ Newman is an excellent thriller featuring a pilot whose family (back home) is held hostage; the captors threatening to kill them if he doesn't purposely crash his plane, killing everyone onboard.

Clare Mackintosh's latest book Hostage is similarly themed, though focussed on a flight attendant whose young daughter is threatened unless she (the mother, not the 5 year old!) takes down the plane.

It's difficult not to compare the two novels, given the timing of their publication and themes. I'd suggest however, the genesis of the books probably reflects their respective strengths. Newman was a flight attendant so Falling is very much focussed on in-flight procedures and the attention to detail means it feels very real and thrilling.

Mackintosh, who wrote one of the twistiest books I've ever read (I Let You Go), focuses more on the people involved, on their stories and their lives. It's suspenseful but more of a psychological thriller.

So, although this book is about someone keen to sabotage the first non-stop London to Sydney flight, Mackintosh takes a more in-depth look into the complex lives of our two key narrators, Mina and her husband Adam. They both feel real and relatable and it's easy to engage with both. She also dips into the minds of some of the passengers on board, so we get first-hand snippets of their backstories and reasons for their travel. We're also offered an array of cast members with celebrities, athletes and 'influencers' onboard the inaugural flight.

In my review of Falling I comment on the motivation behind the kidnapping as being a bit of an anticlimax. Though Mackintosh gives a little more attention to the bad guys, the 'why' is probably a little underdone here as well.

It doesn't matter however as this book is as much about Mina and Adam and - dare I say (!?) - their hopes, dreams and regrets as it is about the circumstances in which Mina finds herself.

This is another great read by Mackintosh whose books I'm consistently enjoying. It's well paced with the flight-time ticking down and just when we think we've got it all figured out she throws a couple of twists.

LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!!
I can't believe I was given this book!! Clare Mackintosh is one of my favourite authors and this book did not disappoint. Now that it's FINALLY out on audible I'm heading over there to buy it for a long road trip