Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Hostage is a "closed-room" thriller about a flight attendant named Mina who has to rescue the rest of the plane during an attempted hijacking. She's doing her usual job one day when she gets a note from an anonymous passenger. If she doesn't follow the instructions exactly and help them gain access to the cockpit, they have threatened to harm her daughter, who is at home with her husband. But who is this passenger? What does he want? How is this hostage situation connected to her cheating husband?

Here is an excerpt from the first page of the book: (This is not a spoiler because it's from the first page.)

"OPERATOR: Emergency services are on their way, caller.
CALLER: But it's going to be too late - it's {inaudible}. It's going to crash, it's going to crash...
OPERATOR: Can you confirm you are at a safe distance?
CALLER [inaudible]
OPERATOR: Caller, are you okay?
CALLER: It's crashed, it's really crashed..."

After reading that on the first page, I flew through the rest of the book. I couldn't put it down. The book uses alternating perspectives between Mina on the plane, her husband Adam, who is with their daughter Sophia, the perpetrator of the "hostage" situation, and various passengers on the plane. The pacing was a bit slow until just before the halfway point, when the action suddenly ratches up. I found the chapters from the perpetrator to be the most scary and thrilling.

The highlight of this book, though, is the protagonist Mina. Although it's not explicitly stated, she's coded as Arab/Muslim, and I am so happy to support a PoC protagonist. It's a fact that most thrillers are about white women, and there just aren't enough thrillers about women of color. In addition, Mina is a great protagonist. She struggles between saving everyone on the plane or saving her daughter. She is strong, makes good decisions, and is a good person at heart. I found myself rooting for her through the book, and I'm sure you will, too.

Overall, Hostage by Clare Mackintosh is a great thriller that will appeal to readers of The Last Flight or The Flight Attendant. To be completely honest, I have read a few mediocre domestic thrillers by Clare Mackintosh before, but I enjoyed this one more than the others. It's not a typical domestic thriller. It's set in a plane! There's a lot more action and adventure. If you're on the fence because you haven't enjoyed one of her books before, but you're intrigued by the description, I encourage you to give Hostage a try when it comes out in June!

Another great book by Clare Mackintosh! "Hostage" is a wonderfully tense thriller, with not just one, but rather scores of hostages, in great danger. I loved the dual storylines, with life or death situations taking place simultaneously in two settings. There are many moral dilemmas and "what ifs" to ponder: if this or that character had behaved differently, how would that have changed things? In addition to the chapters concentrating on the main characters--Mina, who is being held hostage along with a plane full of passengers on a hijacked plane and her husband Adam and daughter Sophia, who are locked at home in the cellar and in equal peril, there are chapters giving the background stories or thoughts of secondary characters. Rather than detracting from the flow of the narrative, these chapters read like little gems of short stories. A reveal towards the end had me going back to reread some of those chapters and appreciating how cleverly they were crafted. For a moment, I thought I was going to hate the ending, but the last page was just masterful and added to my love of this book. Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an e-ARC of this wonderful book!

Mina is a flight attendant for World Airlines and has been scheduled to work on an inaugural flight from London to Sydney on a 777 aircraft. While excited to work the flight, there's a lot going on in her personal life. For one, she's estranged from her policeman husband Adam whom she suspects had an affair with their Russian au pair. For another, she'll be leaving behind her 5-year old adopted daughter Sophia who, though highly intelligent, suffers from separation anxiety and is often difficult to deal with. Carrying all these conflicting emotions with her, her life is further complicated when not too far into the flight, one of her co-workers finds a note with Mina's name on it. The note tells her to follow all of the instructions in it or there will be harm to her daughter. Now Mina really has problems...does she risk the lives of everyone on her flight in order to save her daughter's life?

Clare Mackintosh kept me guessing as to who wrote the note and what exactly was behind it....was it someone connected to the Russian au pair? Someone biologically related to Sophia?

I found the answer surprising and inventive and it got me thinking. While the story may have been a bit farfetched, it was entertaining and kept me turning the pages. Many themes were explored: adoption, addiction, PTSD, and global warming. And there's a good, twisty ending.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC ebook of this novel.

Another cracking psychological thriller from Clare Mackintosh. Fast paced and packed with
There were moments of 'I saw that coming' interspersed with 'wow I didn't see that coming' to keep the most ardent thriller reader happy. Highly recommend.

I absolutely love this fast paced thriller. The setting the characters I got swept up in the excitement. I would highly recommend this one.

Wow, this was a great read! I will unapologetically read the end of a booking I want to know what’s going to happen, but I promised myself I wouldn’t with this one. I kept my promise, but it was hard! Hostage is a carefully thought out thriller that delivers from start to finish. Flight attendant Mina and her husband Alex are going through a rough patch, and she signs onto the first non-stop, 20 hour flight from London to Sydney. Oh course things don’t go as planned, and I promise you - the journey is riveting!

If you're in the mood for a page-turner with high stakes, this book is for you!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this was definitely a wild ride. I was on the edge of my seat for much of this. Could actually feel my chest tightening with anxiety. A winner!

Clare Mackintosh is one of those authors whose books I will always read; she never disappoints. Like her other novels, Hostage is a wild ride - you'll want to make sure you have plenty of uninterrupted reading time because you will not be able to stop turning the pages. Mina is a flight attendant who has to make an impossible choice on an inaugural nonstop flight from London to Sydney - you'll wonder how you would have reacted in the same situation. Mina's decision sets off a crazy series of events that will keep you guessing throughout the book. If you are looking for a thriller, this is your book. You will not be disappointed.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Sourcebooks Landmark for the advance e-copy.

Clare Mackintosh is a tried and true Psychological Thriller expert! Do not pass this one up and if you haven't read her before then please do! Thankful to NetGalley for allowing me a copy of this title to read and review.

Clare Mackintosh is in a class by herself. As always, a recommended first purchase for all fiction collections.

This is a very suspenseful novel that keeps you quickly reading as the tension mounts. Mina, a flight attendant, is headed to Australia on a 20 hour flight with a group of hijackers determined to make a statement. Meanwhile, her husband and daughter are home with life threatening problems of their own. Clare MacKintosh ratchets up the tension as passengers on the flight reveal themselves as part of the terrifying plan. This novel would also make a terrific movie! #Hostage #ClareMackintosh #NetGalley

I absolutely love Clare Mackintosh books. She always has me guessing. many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this title early.
Well that was an edge of your seat kinda ride!!! Holy smokes it’s a good job we cannot fly anywhere right now as I would be nervous. Fantastic story, loved it.

Mina is a flight attendant who will be working on a new, long distance flight (20 hours!) from London to Sydney. She is currently estranged from her husband Adam because of an incident with their au pair. They have a young adopted daughter Sophia who has bonding issues. The flight is hijacked by eco-terrorists who are upset about global climate change. Meanwhile Adam and Sophia are also taken hostage. Lots of drama, very engaging. Suspenseful. Alternates between Adam and Mina's POV. Also interspersed with different passenger stories. Characters are well-crafted and continue to develop over the course of the book. Several excellent plot twists.

Clare Mackintosh did not disappoint! Hostage is the intense, exciting, on the end of your seat thriller that has made me love her books. The multiple character perspectives helped you connect with what each person was going through and as well as added the suspense of trying to solve the mystery of who was involved. This is definitely a book I will be hand-selling for years to come!

Mina is a flight attendant on a long haul flight from London to Sydney. It would be a lot to deal with all on its own, but Mina is also dealing with a faltering marriage and a troubled 5 year old daughter. Then she gets a not from a passenger who makes it clear that they don’t intend to let the aircraft to ever arrive at its destination. They want Mina’s help and they know just the right buttons to push to ensure she complies. A high octane thriller that might not be the best choice of reading material for your next flight