As always with Gillian McAllister novels, the plot is complex and unexpected. A ghost writer and new father leaves a note one morning and disappears. The note is not clear in its meaning and he is uncontactable. When the police arrive at his wife’s workplace, she finds out that he is involved in a hostage situation – only he is the kidnapper and he has a gun. A negotiator is called in but people die and the kidnapper disappears somehow.
Set in central London, the story is told through two points of view in the third person, the wife and the negotiator. As the mystery unfolds of why a nice man became a kidnapper and what became of him, the two narrators attempt to deal with other issues in their personal lives too. The hostage siege is a turning point for both.
From such a great premise the book weaves through some aspects of the publishing world, the Dark Web, infertility and pining for lost love. At times it is slow and the pining bit is a tad repetitive. This makes the story drag, particularly towards the end when everything is coming together. The thing that drives the reader through is the need to find out the truth of what really happened and who these other characters are.
The story is original and there is a good mystery to solve, but not really a thriller. A bit short on suspense and long on the gazy love aspect (not for me) but a worthwhile read.
Published by Michael Joseph on 30 January 2025.
Advance review copy supplied by the publisher.
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Classics, contemporary, crime, psychological, dystopian, mystery and thrillers. Diverse stories, mostly set in England.
Anglo-Saxons through to the twentieth century, history including wars, folklore and castles. World history with a focus on England.
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Anthologies and Collaborations
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Amherst, Michael The Boyhood of Cain
Amory, Cleveland The Cat Who Came for Christmas
Andrews, Rosie The Leviathan
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Blake, Matthew Anna O
Bridges, Chris Sick to Death
Brittain, Vera Testament of Youth
Brolly, Matt The Running Girls
Butler, Octavia E. The Parable of the Sower
C
Christie, Agatha And Then There Were None
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Dorricott, Fran The Lighthouse
Doyle, Arthur Conan The Hound of the Baskervilles
Duffield, Kit Pretty Little Thing
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Erdrich, Louise The Sentence
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Hardy, Thomas Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Hemingway, Ernest For Whom the Bell Tolls
Hill, Justin Shieldwall
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J
Jacobson, Howard The Finkler Question
Jennings, Amanda The Haven
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Lawrence, D.H. The Rainbow
Lynch, Paul Prophet Song
Lusk, Sean The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesly
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Mackintosh, Clare I See You; Other People’s Houses
Anthologies and Collaborations
N
Nesbo, Jo The Snowman
O
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Q
R
Remarque, Erich Maria All Quiet on the Western Front
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T
V
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Wise, Frances The Book Game
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Number of reviews available: 489.
