It is also about a couple who have adopted a daughter with her own issues and precocious intellect. In many ways it is two stories in one. Mina -- no, she deserved prison with her selfish act. She violated every rule of her job. There was not a single decent character in this entire book. It was definitely make-believe and unrealistic in every way.

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?I absolutely hated this book and though I could list all the reasons why in this review, I'm afraid it would have too many spoilers that would anger fans and potential readers. The narrative switches between Mina, in the aeroplane, and her husband at home, with other narrators/passengers in between. I loved how the story built up, and accumulated so many layers - a real onion of a book! Everyone had their own secrets and motives, and I loved how this was explored. The tension ratchets up brilliantly throughout the novel, and makes for a genuinely nail-biting read. And - no spoilers - but THAT ENDING! Another perfectly delivered final twist from the master of them. Special thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS LANDMARK for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts. Hostage is the tale of several hostage situations. The Smith family are held hostage by Dennis Rooney and the gang after their robbery, Jeff Talley is held hostage by his own past, and... well, I hold off on mentioning the hostage situation in the book. We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

After finishing the book, I had a nightmare about a different hostage situation on a plane. The intense and propulsive storyline must have had a stronger effect on my emotions than I felt while reading it. With air travel beginning to open up again, this book and Falling may add to the reluctance to fly. Mina is a flight attendant who deliberately places herself aboard an inaugural non-stop flight from London to Sydney, Australia. This subterfuge, of a sort, is intended to give her a break from her husband, Adam, whom she believes has cheated on her, and her five-year-old, special needs daughter, Sophia.Jim was one of my team leaders. I had a large team of negotiators split between two 12-hour shifts and he was in charge of one of the shifts. As the overall negotiation coordinator, I divided my time between the two teams. I brought Jim in because I thought he would do a great job managing that team, which he did. I like the use of different perspectives. At first I didn’t care about the passenger’s stories but it made sense later on which I thought was clever!