Publication Day: 25 November 2021
“You get us what we want. Or your wife dies. And we will make it hurt.”
Jerome Prentice is a good guy. Loyal to a fault, he always stays on the right side of the law.
But everything changes the night he is awoken by the sound of masked kidnappers entering his home. 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. Their demand: betray the company he’s worked for his entire adult life.
They think he’ll do anything to save his wife. But they don’t know that they’re messing with the wrong man. Because Jerome might be a good guy. But betrayal doesn’t come easily to him. And he’s not a man who will 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’s going to make them pay…
Purchase
Ebook: https://geni.us/B09DPZCZ2Nsocial
Audible UK: zpr.io/C9Y7JxMtkpH3
Audible US: zpr.io/G2nPDjSvkMRA
Listen to the audiobook sample: https://soundcloud.com/bookouture/the-hostage-by-john-ryder-narrated-by-josh-wichard
THE HOSTAGE by John Ryder starts intensely when Jerome Prentice wakes to find a gun pointed at him. He is told he has been specially chosen to perform a task, and to ensure Jerome does exactly as directed, his wife, Alicia, is taken captive. His task: steal $50 million dollars from the company he works for or Alicia will die.
Jerome’s mind immediately starts thinking about his options. Should he ignore the threats and contact the police? Who of his friends can help? Is he capable of stealing that amount and keeping it hidden long enough for Alicia to be released? Will Alicia even be released? There are plenty of questions, but no answers from be because in this case, that equals spoilers.
The book is split into two parts: the first part focuses more on the ‘brainy’ side, where Jerome is thinking of how he might successfully pilfer the company coffers. It’s an interesting look at the real checks and balances companies use to stop embezzlement. The second part is more action focused as Jerome, our unlikely hero, decides that he can’t leave Alicia to an unknown fate and tries to find where she is being held.
The story takes place over a short timeframe, and Ryder does well in amplifying the urgency of the situation and both Jerome’s and Alicia’s desperation. There are some twists along the way but nothing that I would consider shocking.
Readers will be required to suspend belief at times, but there’s enough grounding in reality to make the story acceptable. It’s an entertaining read that doesn’t ask a lot of readers beyond going along for a wild ride.
John Ryder is a former farmworker and joiner. He’s turned his hand to many skills to put food on the table and clothes on his back. A life-long bibliophile, he eventually summoned the courage to try writing himself, and his Grant Fletcher novels have drawn inspiration from authors such as Lee Child, Tom Cain, Zoe Sharp and Matt Hilton. When it comes to future novels, he says he has more ideas than time to write them.
When not writing, John enjoys spending time with his son, reading and socialising with friends. A fanatic supporter of his local football team, he can often be found shouting encouragement to men much younger and fitter than he is.
