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Captive
Khalil, an Al Qaeda operative, is held in American captivity after being seized evaluating the location for a possible bombing in London. George, a psychology professor on leave to work as an interrogator, is charged with extracting any information Khalil may know. Meanwhile Omar, a graduate student in Los Angeles, is painstakingly planning a series of bombs to detonate across the United States. Khalil was to lead this mission; but his disappearance doesn't slow down the plot. George senses that Khalil is hiding important information but struggles to make him disclose much. Will George break Khalil in time to stop Omar? Can the plot succeed with its mastermind imprisoned? Each man must face his own limitations as they are tested by circumstance and their own past decisions.
406 pages, Paperback
First published October 11, 2010
4 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Megan Lisa Jones
5 books9 followersMy name is Megan Lisa Jones and I’m a sometimes author, former investment banker and now doing online stuff (long story). I live near the beach in Santa Monica, CA and stay sane by jogging/walking on the bike path and yoga classes. I read – a lot. With two children and many ongoing projects I never seem to get as much done as I expect I can.
I was born in California (up north) but grew up all over. Most of my youth was spent in Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and my grandparents’ farm in Wales. But, my parents also threw in Dallas and Boston. I escaped my ever changing realities by getting lost in books and then writing my own stories.
Both my parents are European immigrants and had dramatic tales of their romantic countries of origin. Wales, my father’s homeland, is a rebellious part of Britain, birthplace of Merlin and full of fantasy stories. His town had rolling green hills, winding country roads and fields of animals. We’d go down to the stormy shore for ice cream. Poland, where my mother was born, had a devastating time in the 20th century and my family lived through Hitler, Stalin and then a move to the United States. My great grandparents had actually lived and prospered in the US before returning to Poland just prior to the start of the war. It was a tragic decision. Visiting Poland as an adult I couldn’t help but imagine the soldiers my grandfather had known in the dense forests and lovely grassy knolls.
I traveled a lot while younger and those landscapes and lifestyles helped me learn empathy. We all see the world through different lenses. Wandering the streets of Varanasi I almost walked into a burning corpse then stumbled through a spice bazaar in a daze. In Paris I’d wake up each morning to run along the Seine, one of my favorite workouts. Then I’d eat dark chocolate with my coffee as a reward.
Captive is my first book. It reflects my youthful impressions of terrorism as I witnessed many a bomb scare in London on my way to Wales. And it also addresses a new mother’s perspective on the wars all countries fight. Watching the US bomb Iraq while I held my new son I wondered at the pain of the children who were witness to such tragedy and how that would impact them. So I turned my thoughts and research into a story about two men. People are shaped by circumstance but how do we each respond to those challenges? How different do men become as a result of very different choices?
The book was featured by BitTorrent in its new artist program and has been downloaded globally. I love hearing from readers their impressions of my novel. Writing has the potential to impact others and I take that responsibility as a blessing.
I’m almost done with the sequel and will continue writing regardless. Recent favorites are Portraits of a Marriage and 11/22/63. I consider candy a food group, love horses and always prefer beach vacations to any others. All input, thoughts and insights are welcome.
I was born in California (up north) but grew up all over. Most of my youth was spent in Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and my grandparents’ farm in Wales. But, my parents also threw in Dallas and Boston. I escaped my ever changing realities by getting lost in books and then writing my own stories.
Both my parents are European immigrants and had dramatic tales of their romantic countries of origin. Wales, my father’s homeland, is a rebellious part of Britain, birthplace of Merlin and full of fantasy stories. His town had rolling green hills, winding country roads and fields of animals. We’d go down to the stormy shore for ice cream. Poland, where my mother was born, had a devastating time in the 20th century and my family lived through Hitler, Stalin and then a move to the United States. My great grandparents had actually lived and prospered in the US before returning to Poland just prior to the start of the war. It was a tragic decision. Visiting Poland as an adult I couldn’t help but imagine the soldiers my grandfather had known in the dense forests and lovely grassy knolls.
I traveled a lot while younger and those landscapes and lifestyles helped me learn empathy. We all see the world through different lenses. Wandering the streets of Varanasi I almost walked into a burning corpse then stumbled through a spice bazaar in a daze. In Paris I’d wake up each morning to run along the Seine, one of my favorite workouts. Then I’d eat dark chocolate with my coffee as a reward.
Captive is my first book. It reflects my youthful impressions of terrorism as I witnessed many a bomb scare in London on my way to Wales. And it also addresses a new mother’s perspective on the wars all countries fight. Watching the US bomb Iraq while I held my new son I wondered at the pain of the children who were witness to such tragedy and how that would impact them. So I turned my thoughts and research into a story about two men. People are shaped by circumstance but how do we each respond to those challenges? How different do men become as a result of very different choices?
The book was featured by BitTorrent in its new artist program and has been downloaded globally. I love hearing from readers their impressions of my novel. Writing has the potential to impact others and I take that responsibility as a blessing.
I’m almost done with the sequel and will continue writing regardless. Recent favorites are Portraits of a Marriage and 11/22/63. I consider candy a food group, love horses and always prefer beach vacations to any others. All input, thoughts and insights are welcome.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 14, 2017
An interesting insight into the mind and life of terrorist, just my kind of thing. And of course of those who try to capture them.
December 6, 2012
I was hooked early on in this story but then it changed in the middle. It was still interesting and thought-provoking but went a different direction. I will explain more.
At first you learn about Khalil, a terrorist, who is caught in London and tortured for information in different places. When he is brought to America he is interrogated by George, a psychology professor who now helps break suspected terrorists using different means. It is an insightful look into the mind and thought process of a terrorist. Why does he do what he does? What horrors has he faced? Does he really think he is doing this for a god that will reward him?
After awhile you meet Omar. He is a graduate student sent away from his home by his abusive father to learn in the west. Omar's thought process and reasoning is different than Khalil's with of course some similarities. The parts with Omar were what really changed in the book and reduced the number of stars I gave it. Omar is a chauvinistic pig. He knows he looks good and loves to play the game of getting the slutty American girls into his bed. I can see that some of it can be relevant but it got too graphic in parts.
Can George get enough information from Khalil to stop what he has a feeling will happen? What will Omar's part be? I don't want to say more. Read for yourself.
At first you learn about Khalil, a terrorist, who is caught in London and tortured for information in different places. When he is brought to America he is interrogated by George, a psychology professor who now helps break suspected terrorists using different means. It is an insightful look into the mind and thought process of a terrorist. Why does he do what he does? What horrors has he faced? Does he really think he is doing this for a god that will reward him?
After awhile you meet Omar. He is a graduate student sent away from his home by his abusive father to learn in the west. Omar's thought process and reasoning is different than Khalil's with of course some similarities. The parts with Omar were what really changed in the book and reduced the number of stars I gave it. Omar is a chauvinistic pig. He knows he looks good and loves to play the game of getting the slutty American girls into his bed. I can see that some of it can be relevant but it got too graphic in parts.
Can George get enough information from Khalil to stop what he has a feeling will happen? What will Omar's part be? I don't want to say more. Read for yourself.
April 28, 2011
‘Captivating’ reading!
I must admit that I wasn’t drawn to this book by the topic. Terrorism, interrogation, and imprisonment without trial aren’t really topics that I seek out when it is time to read. I admit that I found this book because I was intrigued by the author’s ground-breaking approach of using the Peer-to-Peer BitTorrent service to distribute a Creative Commons edition of her book. I was curious, so I found the tracker and downloaded it and started reading.
Captive is not a light book, in either topic or treatment. The characters live in worlds that most of us only think about for a few minutes as we get our news. However, as I read, I was drawn in to the novel by the writing and the pacing. The diverse characters seem very real, and you get to know them very well by the end.
As the story builds to an exciting conclusion, you will find yourself really caring what happens. I for one will definitely read the sequel.
I must admit that I wasn’t drawn to this book by the topic. Terrorism, interrogation, and imprisonment without trial aren’t really topics that I seek out when it is time to read. I admit that I found this book because I was intrigued by the author’s ground-breaking approach of using the Peer-to-Peer BitTorrent service to distribute a Creative Commons edition of her book. I was curious, so I found the tracker and downloaded it and started reading.
Captive is not a light book, in either topic or treatment. The characters live in worlds that most of us only think about for a few minutes as we get our news. However, as I read, I was drawn in to the novel by the writing and the pacing. The diverse characters seem very real, and you get to know them very well by the end.
As the story builds to an exciting conclusion, you will find yourself really caring what happens. I for one will definitely read the sequel.
November 14, 2011
I got this one free (legally) of of a torrent site. That was how the book was promoted. Being free, I had my doubts from the start, but hey, who knows? I did notice quite a few spelling and punctuation mistakes. I can't understand how that got through. It took me a while to get into the book. for me it was a bit slow to get rolling, then I got interested about mid-way through. And then there is the ending. Without giving anything away, there is the climax of the book, then it jumps ahead a few months without any detail at all. What the hell? How can there be extreme detail all along, then a, "Oh, screw it! The end!" At least finish the book properly. I wouldn't bother picking up this book if I were you. It would be a waste of your time to read an unfinished book.
Read
March 3, 2011Mystery writer, Megan Jones to speak about her book Captive on Thursday, January 20 at 7 PM at the Mission Viejo Council Chamber. Don’t miss this author whose book received rave reviews:
“Plenty of gut-wrenching action… the narrative is bold and thought-provoking… writing with a natural grace, succeeds in converting theories into credible, engaging fiction…” — Publisher’s Weekly
For more information go to http://www.cityofmissionviejo.org/Lib... or email Stanton@cityofmissionviejo.org
“Plenty of gut-wrenching action… the narrative is bold and thought-provoking… writing with a natural grace, succeeds in converting theories into credible, engaging fiction…” — Publisher’s Weekly
For more information go to http://www.cityofmissionviejo.org/Lib... or email Stanton@cityofmissionviejo.org
September 18, 2014
Very detailed in the horrendous torture and mind games played. Not for the weak. Also sex scenes that really did not need to be as detailed as they are.
It is gross, sad, frustrating, objectionable, nauseating at times, but also very interesting from a psychology point of view. The reasons behind a terrorists actions, the men who break them and their rationale, etc.
I dealt with the distasteful parts (skipping and skimming some scenes) because to me the real story was so fascinating. Demented but fascinating.
It is gross, sad, frustrating, objectionable, nauseating at times, but also very interesting from a psychology point of view. The reasons behind a terrorists actions, the men who break them and their rationale, etc.
I dealt with the distasteful parts (skipping and skimming some scenes) because to me the real story was so fascinating. Demented but fascinating.
October 27, 2010
The best way to describe this book is to say that you will be on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. There were some parts that were hard for me to read because terrorism is real and it kept taking me back to 9/11. That being said, it was a great book and I can't wait to see what happens in the sequel!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews