Hostage: The emotional 'what would you do?' thriller from the Sunday Times bestseller

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I found the plot and motivations complicated and with misdirections. There is a diabolical twist at the end, which probably no one anticipated. The reader is forced to question what they would do in a similar situation. The days that followed are a blur. Grief and disbelief morphed into guilt. What had we done? The doctors had said might never walk, not would. They had said unlikely to swallow, not would never. Miracles happen all the time – Alex could have recovered, he could have laughed, could have loved, could have lived. “What if?” was the constant whisper in my ear. What if you’d let him live?

Some injuries and deaths occur. The terrified passengers become aware of what is unfolding and that they are all doomed. It added a dimension to the story that we got to know some of the individual passengers through their thoughts about their lives and why they took this inaugural flight to Sydney. You’re on board the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney. It’s a landmark journey, and the world is watching. There were so many brilliant surprises, twists and turns along the way making this a truly unforgettable story. I was constantly evaluating my thoughts on certain characters and feI thought of the poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken. “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood / And sorry I could not travel both.” I wanted to see both roads, to know for certain what lay ahead. I wanted to know how the story ended. Celebrating our inspirational female authors - Higher Online". Archived from the original on 4 January 2017.

Mina and Adam’s marriage has hit a really bad patch, and Mina isn’t sure it will survive, doesn’t know if she even wants it to. Her 5 year old adopted daughter Sophia, is also a challenge, and quite honestly, life isn’t looking too great, but things are about to take a further nosedive, when Mina receives an anonymous note onboard from a passenger, telling her that he/she will ensure that the inaugural flight never reaches its destination, and furthermore, that Mina will help them to carry out their threat - or else her family will pay! There is discussion of adoption and the challenges of raising a difficult child who doesn’t quite fit well in an average school setting. The ending was incredible. My favourite part of the book was actually the last few chapters. The genre changed into a psychological thriller and I loved it! I just wish there was more of it.This is a thriller like none I’ve read before. To be fair that’s probably because this kind of novel wouldn’t be my usual fare but I’ve read everything Clare has written so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. Could she choose between her daughter and the lives of people on the board? What she’s going to do? The book is told through a few different perspectives. Primarily, we hear from Mina, the flight attendant on the plane, and her husband Adam, who is at home with their daughter. In addition to those POVs, we also have sporadic POVs from some of the passengers on the plane. We get to learn a little bit about why they are traveling and about their lives, which are about to be changed forever! Mina is a flight attendant on an inaugural nonstop flight from London to Sydney. It comes at the perfect time. She and her husband, Adam, are having problems in their marriage. She is not sure what the future holds for them, so this opportunity is just what she needs. Adam, a police officer, will care for their five-year-old daughter, Sophia while Mina is away. The options were both straightforward and impossible. Keep Alex alive or let him die. Seeing it like that, written with such starkness, is as horrific as it felt that day. I recall the sensation of the ground shifting beneath my feet, as though some seismic change were taking place. Whatever we decided, life would never be the same again. The consultant was gentle and compassionate. “You need to imagine two futures,” she said. “One with a profoundly disabled son, one without that son at all.”

Membery, York (5 May 2019). "Fame and Fortune: I quit the police and found that crime pays". The Times. The story centres around Mina, a member of cabin crew on this inaugural flight who has recently separated from her husband Adam after she suspected he had an affair with their childminder Katya. Sharing custody of their adopted daughter Sophia, Mina swaps a shift with a colleague to get some breathing space and think about her future. Needless to say, the flight does not go as expected; Mina, passed a note from a stranger finds herself faced with a devastating choice - do as she is instructed or face someone hurting Sophia. Does she save her child or everyone on the plane? Who can she turn to for help?Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I anticipated. If you like a good old-fashioned thriller, but with an emotional concept as well, then this is one you won’t want to pass up!! The Novel and Award Winning Comic 21st Polar". Sud-Ouest. 14 October 2016. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. It was interesting to read this so soon after Falling - another plane based drama. Mina is a flight attendant and has organised to have herself rostered on World Airways flight 79, the first non-stop London to Sydney flight, all 20 hours of it. Adam is her policeman husband and they have a 5 year old daughter, Sophia. Mina and Adam are having a few problems, hence her desire to be away from home just before Christmas. Her study was propitious and thus she quit the police force, bring a twelve-year-long career to an end. While still policing, she used to be a blogger and often freelanced for notable publications. A particular mind-boggling incident, which involved hit-and-run, immensely inspired her and it is reflected on her first book. I felt tense, I felt butterflies in my tummy and I had stopped breathing without noticing until I gasped!

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.... There is an emotion decision that has to be made, weighing up options as to what she should do and being judged for it and herself feeling guilty for it. Secondly, I found it exhausting to live inside Mina’s head with the same thoughts/fears/resolve. Honestly, there were times I wanted to kill her myself just to shut her up. But then I considered how I would feel if I were her, and decided I’d be even more annoying so I forgave her. But why do we readers have to hear about it incessantly?He’s unlikely to be able to swallow,” she said. Strangely, of all the terrible news delivered in the quiet room, it was this that had the biggest impact on me. “We need you to make a decision about his future.”