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The Siege by John Sutherland
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publisher: Orion
Publication date: 23rd June 2022
Blurb:
Nine hostages. Ten hours. One chance to save them all.
Lee James Connor has found his purpose in life: to follow the teachings of far-right extremist leader, Nicholas Farmer. So when his idol is jailed, he comes up with the perfect plan: take a local immigrant support group hostage until Farmer is released.
Grace Wheatley is no stranger to loneliness having weathered the passing of her husband, whilst being left to raise her son alone. The local support group is her only source of comfort. Until the day Lee James Connor walks in and threatens the existence of everything she's ever known.
Superintendent Alex Lewis may be one of the most experienced hostage negotiators on the force, but there's no such thing as a perfect record. Still haunted by his last case, can he connect with Connor - and save his nine hostages - before it's too late?
Review:
I did not want to put this book down for a second.
It is told from the points of view of Lee James Connor - a supporter of far-right organisation Home Front which is led by Nicholas Farmer, Grace Wheatley - widow and mum to a teenage boy, Isaiah, and Superintendent Alex Lewis who is also a hostage negotiator.
The pace of this book is absolutely perfect. We learn just enough about each characters backstory before their stories tie in together.
Following Nicholas Farmer's arrest, Lee James Connor finds a church hall with 'Refugees Welcome' above the door - the perfect place to carry out his plan. Grace is in attendance alongside some regular attendees, a Syrian mother with her two sons and the reverend. Lee threatens to kill them all unless the police release Farmer. Time ticks on and Alex Connor tries to "talk him down" whilst Grace is doing the same inside.
This is such a well-written novel and it is obvious that Sutherland has both taken from his own experience but also done a lot of research as well. I didn't expect it to be as emotional as it is. We understand just how easy it is for someone who is a bit of a loner to become radicalised.
I absolutely loved Grace's character, how big her heart is and her thoughts on hatred. A fantastic read.
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A massive thank you to Compulsive Readers for having me on the blog tour. Information about the other bloggers taking part in the tour is in the graphic below.
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