Hostage

by Clare Mackintosh

Overview

"Feels like a blockbuster movie."—Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone

"Mackintosh is a pro...the final scene in the book almost made me sick as I read it. I mean that as a compliment of the highest order."—The New York Times

You can save hundreds of lives. Or the one that matters most...

From New York Times bestselling author Clare Mackintosh comes a claustrophobic thriller set over 20 hours on-board the inaugural nonstop flight from London to Sydney.

Mina is trying to focus on her job as a flight attendant, not the problems with her five-year-old daughter back home, or the fissures 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: "The following instructions will save your daughter's life..."

Someone needs Mina's assistance and knows exactly how to make her comply.

When one passenger is killed and then another, Mina knows she must act. But which lives does she save: Her passengers...or her own daughter and husband who are in grave distress back at home?

It's twenty hours to landing. A lot can happen in twenty hours.

For fans of the locked-room mystery of One by One and the heart-stopping tension The Last Flight, Hostage is an explosively addictive thriller about one flight attendant and the agonizing decision that will change her life—and the lives of everyone on-board—forever.

Praise for Hostage:

"A banger of a book with a truly agonizing 'what would you do?'"
—Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One by One

"Hypnotically good. Should be a hit, could be a classic..."
—Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series

"Fiendishly clever."
—Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before She Disappeared

"A propulsive read."
—Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Wife

"A nail-biter of a thriller."
—Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728245539
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	06/22/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	3,071
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

With over 2 million copies of her books sold worldwide, number one bestseller Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of I Let You Go, which was a Sunday Times bestseller and the fastest-selling title by a new crime writer in 2015. It also won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year in 2016. Both Clare's second and third novels, I See You and Let Me Lie, were number one Sunday Times bestsellers. All three of her books were selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club, and together have been translated into over thirty-five languages.

Clare is patron of the Silver Star Society, a charity based at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, which supports parents experiencing high-risk or difficult pregnancies. She lives in North Wales with her husband and their three children.

For more information visit Clare's website www.claremackin­tosh.com or find her at www.facebook.com/ClareMackWrites or on Twitter @ClareMackint0sh #ILetYouGo #ISeeYou #LetMeLie #AftertheEnd

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/26/2021

A 20-hour, nonstop plane flight from London to Sydney provides the claustrophobic backdrop for this terrifying thriller from bestseller Mackintosh (Let Me Lie). Flight attendant Mina Holbrook trades shifts to join the crew of World Airways Flight 79, preferring to contend with sometimes demanding business class passengers than to face her rapidly deteriorating marriage to police detective Adam Holbrook. Mina is sure Adam has been sleeping with their Ukrainian au pair, who recently quit her job caring for their five-year-old daughter, Sophia. A few hours into the flight, Mina receives a note demanding she help an unknown terrorist group divert the plane. If Mina refuses, Sophia will die. What starts as a domestic drama focused on the Holbrooks’ marital problems becomes the airborne equivalent of a classic country house mystery. The suspense builds as Mina, whose co-workers think she’s shirking her duties, tries to determine who among the 353 passengers are part of the terrorist plot. Surprising twists propel the story to an unexpected finale. Mackintosh has raised her game with this one. Agent: Sheila Crowley, Curtis Brown (U.K.). (June)

Publishers Weekly

"A banger of a book with a truly agonising 'what would you do?'" - Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"The airborne equivalent of a classic country house mystery...Surprising twists propel the story to an unexpected finale." - Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

"Mackintosh is a pro...the final scene in the book almost made me sick as I read it. I mean that as a compliment of the highest order." - New York Times

"If you're looking for a thriller that never lets up on the tension, then look no further than Hostage by Clare Mackintosh." - POPSUGAR

"Mackintosh has filled Hostage with fear, panic, and excitement, and jam-packed it with action. In addition, she has included bits of smart social commentary on prejudice and discrimination, extremism, and the assumptions we make about those around us. This is a true edge-of-your-seat suspense thriller that is not to be missed." - The Nerd Daily

"It felt like watching a blockbuster movie; edge of seat, nail biting, propulsive, compulsive, thrilling and just so beautifully done." - Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone

"Hypnotically good. Should be a hit, could be a classic..." - Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Fiendishly clever. Mackintosh takes domestic suspense to new heights in this tale of a kidnapped child, hijacked plane, and two parents' desperate fight to save their family." - Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"A propulsive read—Hostage will have you questioning 'What would you do?' at every turn." - Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Wife

"A nail-biter of a thriller with an unexpected gut-punch at the end—a fantastic read!" - Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The End of Her

"A mind-blowing read that questions everything you know about somebody. A triumph!" - Sandie Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Woman

"Hostage is one of the summer's must-reads, but you'll want to enjoy it with your tray table locked and your armchair in the full upright position, anchored firmly to the floor." - AirMail

"Written by New York Times bestselling author Clare Mackintosh, Hostage focuses on Mina, a flight attendant, who gets an anonymous message warning her to comply with directions or risk her daughter's life. When passengers start dying, she has to start making some life-shattering decisions." - Zibby Owens for Good Morning America

From the Publisher