I am delighted to share my review today for The Captive by Deborah O’Connor. This is such a brilliant book and, well I’m going to stop there and show you what the book is about first…

Hannah knows the cage intimately. Small, the size of a shopping mall parking space. A bed, a basin, a table and chair. A hatch and metal drawer through which to exchange food and other items.

Then there’s him. Always there on the edges of her vision, no matter how hard she tries to block him out.

Every day, the same thoughts run through Hannah’s mind:

What if he speaks to me?

What if he hurts me?

What if he gets out?

My Review…

Oh, this is so good! I love the concept of this book and I have to say the author has done a brilliant job with weaving a story around a country with no prisons. Yeah, you read that right, No Prisons! What you have instead is a money-saving scheme by the Government, obviously, and the prisoners now live in a cell in the victims home!

I cannot think of anything worse than having to face the person who killed your partner or loved one on a daily basis. Or being their keeper, making sure they are fed, clean, have access to phone calls and basically being part of your everyday life. This is known as restorative justice. While I do understand victims wanting to voice their feelings to those who committed the crime, having them live their sentence out in your own home is taking things to the next level. I mean spending 20 years living together. This is what Hannah, the main character has to do with Jem, the man who murdered her husband.

I do think they are several routes the author could have gone with this plot, it is only now after I have read the book that I can see this though. I have to say that the author decided on a brilliant route and got me completely hooked in the story of Hannah, her life as it was and is now. Having Jem in the house when she works at home definitely would test anyone.

This is a book that has a basic synopsis, it gives you a simple idea and then the author works her magic. It has a chilling edge to it with loads of intrigue and it also kept me on my toes with changing attitudes as the story went further. I am not divulging anything more about the plot, even though I seriously want to!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and it is one for those who like a domestic noir edge, who likes a book with a good sense of intrigue, mystery and that gets you thinking about possible scenarios after you have finished the book. I mean can you imagine being in lockdown under this system! Sorry I digress yet again!

Excellent concept, brilliant story and very definitely recommended.

P.S. I don’t think I have ever used so many !!!!!!’s in a review before!

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx