Wednesday 1 December 2021

The Hostage by John Ryder (2021)


 

“You get us what we want. Or your wife dies. And we will make it hurt.”

Jerome Prentice used to sleep soundly. He is the nice guy next door. He hosts barbecues in his backyard and helps out his neighbors whenever needed. He is a good person. One who always stays on the right side of the law.

But that all changes the night he is awoken by the sound of masked kidnappers entering his house. Holding him at gunpoint, they drag his beloved wife Alicia out of the house with a promise to kill her if he goes to the police, or fails to do what they ask.

The next day the kidnappers issue their demands. They want Jerome to betray Beck Holdings, the company he has loyally worked for since graduating college, and they give him an impossible task: steal $50 million from Beck Holdings, or Alicia will die. Painfully.

They think he’ll do anything to save his wife. And he will. But they don’t know they are messing with the wrong man. Because Jerome is a nice guy who’s not prepared to go down without a fight.

What’s more, he will hunt the people who’ve taken Alicia to the ends of the earth. And if they’ve hurt even one hair on her head, he will make them regret it…

This utterly page-turning, jaw-dropping thriller is perfect for fans of Lee Child, David Baldacci and Mark Dawson.



I listened to the audio production of this book and I am so glad I did. The tension and sense of danger for the characters were portrayed so well by the narrator. I found the book difficult to put down with plenty of twists and a lot of drama.
I liked that the main characters were ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. They weren't larger than life heroes but they did what they had to in order to survive. I liked Alicia. She wasn't portrayed as a dumb damsel in distress waiting to be rescued. She was able to fight her corner when the occasion allowed for it.
This was an action-packed and exciting thriller. It made for great listening.


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