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The Hostage
Lindsey O'Reilly is at home, cleaning up after dinner, when she sees armed police swarming over her garden wall.
There's a noise downstairs. A knock on the door.
She opens up, but it's not the police. It's the man they're chasing.
A stone-cold killer.
Now he's inside.
There's a noise downstairs. A knock on the door.
She opens up, but it's not the police. It's the man they're chasing.
A stone-cold killer.
Now he's inside.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 20, 2020
This could have been SUCH an excellent novel if the story were fleshed out more, the characters given more time to fully develop, and the reader given a chance to even catch their breath. Instead this is a breakneck-paced novella, which reads more like a screenplay since it’s written in present tense and carries very little detail beyond what’s relevant to the action.
The Hostage does get points for not being boring, not even for one page. Still, it’s frustrating to think of what could’ve been if the author were more interested in providing a substantive, well-rounded book rather than a brief, 2-hour thrill. Each character here has incredible potential to be deeply memorable. Lindsey is an Irish-American studying in Dublin who has a child after getting date raped by the selfish, loathsome Adrian. Dean is a criminal on the run, tortured by his accidentally executing his own child. Mike is a murderous psychopath who guns people down almost indiscriminately…yet he’s a solid friend if he likes you. Flaherty is an ERU officer so committed to her job that it’s left her emotionally isolated. See?
These characters could’ve been legendary, but here they are just not given nearly the amount of ink they deserve. They feel spit out in the writer’s rush to start the next novella and simply make whatever money he can already. It’s understandable, of course, since the modern culture of publishing now calls for quantity over quality. Still a real shame though.
The Hostage does get points for not being boring, not even for one page. Still, it’s frustrating to think of what could’ve been if the author were more interested in providing a substantive, well-rounded book rather than a brief, 2-hour thrill. Each character here has incredible potential to be deeply memorable. Lindsey is an Irish-American studying in Dublin who has a child after getting date raped by the selfish, loathsome Adrian. Dean is a criminal on the run, tortured by his accidentally executing his own child. Mike is a murderous psychopath who guns people down almost indiscriminately…yet he’s a solid friend if he likes you. Flaherty is an ERU officer so committed to her job that it’s left her emotionally isolated. See?
These characters could’ve been legendary, but here they are just not given nearly the amount of ink they deserve. They feel spit out in the writer’s rush to start the next novella and simply make whatever money he can already. It’s understandable, of course, since the modern culture of publishing now calls for quantity over quality. Still a real shame though.
April 8, 2021
Another brilliant book from Alan Gorevan. Set in March 2020, during the start of the global pandemic, it is just the right mixture of eerie and terrifying. Gorevan does a great job of showing how tension around the pandemic mounted during this time even though the book isn't really about the pandemic. It's about a woman who is taken hostage in the most strangest of circumstances. Despite this being a novella, the characters are remarkably well drawn with plenty of depth. I really enjoyed this book for its incredible pace and jaw-dropping thrills. It is written with Alan Gorevan's trademark sharp wit and flair so expect to laugh a lot along the way. Don't miss it for the world.
May 10, 2020
Exciting, thrilling and a fast-paced read! Although a short story but it was well-written with diversity of characters.The detailed description for Dublin makes me want to travel there.
This is my second book of the author and as with the first book, I wish it can be a longer story to create more suspense.
Continue to wow us with your books!
This is my second book of the author and as with the first book, I wish it can be a longer story to create more suspense.
Continue to wow us with your books!
August 6, 2020
Loved it, it was fast paced on the edge of your seat kinda story. 5 shiny stars
April 25, 2020
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This was a fab novella to read, it was fast paced and very enjoyable!
I really enjoyed how the author told the story with chapters having different characters as the focus, that really helped him build up the suspense in the story as it reached the end.
I loved the mix of characters that were involved and I thought it was well written too, it was a quick read but I flew through the pages as I wanted to see how it would all end for Lindsey!
This was the first of Alan’s books that I have read but I will definitely be looking to check out some of his other releases now!
It is 4.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 5 stars for Goodreads and Amazon!
This was a fab novella to read, it was fast paced and very enjoyable!
I really enjoyed how the author told the story with chapters having different characters as the focus, that really helped him build up the suspense in the story as it reached the end.
I loved the mix of characters that were involved and I thought it was well written too, it was a quick read but I flew through the pages as I wanted to see how it would all end for Lindsey!
This was the first of Alan’s books that I have read but I will definitely be looking to check out some of his other releases now!
It is 4.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 5 stars for Goodreads and Amazon!
December 22, 2020
A lot packed in a short space
Wow, this is an action packed little roller coaster of a story. Escaped convict, murder, hostage, kidnap, potential rape. This manages to cram it all in in just over 100 pages. Mad. I will absolutely be reading more by Alan after recently being introduced to him.
Wow, this is an action packed little roller coaster of a story. Escaped convict, murder, hostage, kidnap, potential rape. This manages to cram it all in in just over 100 pages. Mad. I will absolutely be reading more by Alan after recently being introduced to him.
November 22, 2020
Until I had the chance to interview Alan on a podcast I was featured on, I am sorry to say I had never heard of him. Well, now this has completely changed! I am going to have to reign myself in before I get a restraining order because he now has a huge fan with me. I asked Alan for all new readers, like myself, what book should I read first, his answer The Hostage. While he was still talking I had popped on to Amazon and bought the book. I have not looked back, I even have my next one lined up.
Being a novella, I read this in a day, what a book! What an introduction to Alan! This was only released this year, April, and yes there are a couple of references to COVID but nothing to detract from the book, just something to emphasise a characters’ quirk. What is even more fascinating about this book is the beginning of the book is based on something that happened to his girlfriend, however, he allowed his mind to go to the extreme to what would happen if it all went to pot.
Here we have a book that is literally go go go, it is only 142 pages but it is a taut thriller. From the get-go, your head is spinning with the threats to your life. Lindsey, struggling with a baby, university and a complete douche in her life is the unlucky lady to be home the day Dean is on the run. You feel things could work out ok if its just Dean in the book. You feel Lindsey could maybe handle the situation. The second we are introduced to Michael however, you know it will never be the same. Cold, calculating and hates witnesses, this is where you feel the first shiver of doubt.
I found the way Alan wrote this book to such an enticing one. He does not relent on the action, he has wasted no word with long drawn out scenes of descriptions. It is literally wham, bam, thank you mam kind of book. It knocked my socks off. It is not a boring book, I love that we are drawn into the whims of everyone’s lives. We have the key players, we know things aren’t right, but all you care about at the moment is who will make it out alive. However, that is not to say I don’t want more, more writing, more books by this author because I do, and thank god I do!
Being a novella, I read this in a day, what a book! What an introduction to Alan! This was only released this year, April, and yes there are a couple of references to COVID but nothing to detract from the book, just something to emphasise a characters’ quirk. What is even more fascinating about this book is the beginning of the book is based on something that happened to his girlfriend, however, he allowed his mind to go to the extreme to what would happen if it all went to pot.
Here we have a book that is literally go go go, it is only 142 pages but it is a taut thriller. From the get-go, your head is spinning with the threats to your life. Lindsey, struggling with a baby, university and a complete douche in her life is the unlucky lady to be home the day Dean is on the run. You feel things could work out ok if its just Dean in the book. You feel Lindsey could maybe handle the situation. The second we are introduced to Michael however, you know it will never be the same. Cold, calculating and hates witnesses, this is where you feel the first shiver of doubt.
I found the way Alan wrote this book to such an enticing one. He does not relent on the action, he has wasted no word with long drawn out scenes of descriptions. It is literally wham, bam, thank you mam kind of book. It knocked my socks off. It is not a boring book, I love that we are drawn into the whims of everyone’s lives. We have the key players, we know things aren’t right, but all you care about at the moment is who will make it out alive. However, that is not to say I don’t want more, more writing, more books by this author because I do, and thank god I do!
March 6, 2022
Lindsey, an American living in Ireland, is nervous about the coronavirus people keep talking about, even though it hasn’t become widespread yet. As she goes to answer the door, she is unaware that her own life is about be become a lot more dangerous. Before she knows it, she’s held hostage in her own home by a man with a gun running from the Gardaí (Irish police). Will she make it through the night?
Gorevan has a talent for making 100ish pages cover only a short amount of time (it was max a couple of hours, but possibly only like 20 minutes) and still have everything fast paced and thrilling. I was constantly surprised with each new item of information we were given and how well it tied everything together.
Also, it was really fun reading a book that was written and based around the beginning of the pandemic. I always get a little excited when I find the virus portrayed in the media, like on This is Us, A Million Little Things, and it’s mentioned in passing in the two Edmond Geanta books I’ve read, so it was cool having it repeatedly referenced and included.
I’ve only read one other book by Alan Gorevan so far (Hit and Run, 9/10), and I can’t wait to read more (I have the Kindness of Psychopaths, it’ll be coming up soon)!
Gorevan has a talent for making 100ish pages cover only a short amount of time (it was max a couple of hours, but possibly only like 20 minutes) and still have everything fast paced and thrilling. I was constantly surprised with each new item of information we were given and how well it tied everything together.
Also, it was really fun reading a book that was written and based around the beginning of the pandemic. I always get a little excited when I find the virus portrayed in the media, like on This is Us, A Million Little Things, and it’s mentioned in passing in the two Edmond Geanta books I’ve read, so it was cool having it repeatedly referenced and included.
I’ve only read one other book by Alan Gorevan so far (Hit and Run, 9/10), and I can’t wait to read more (I have the Kindness of Psychopaths, it’ll be coming up soon)!
May 3, 2020
This is a great read! Each chapter leaves you wondering what will happen next and I couldn't put it down until I got to the end! I loved reading about all the different characters' backstories throughout the book and liked how the perspectives change with each chapter. I think it would be even cooler to have first person narrative from each of the characters to get inside their heads.
I felt really bad for Lindsey that she had such a traumatic and terrible experience, not just as a hostage, but with her ex-boyfriend, Adrian as well. He is an awful person! I wanted him to suffer so much pain while I was reading about what a terrible human being he is! He is so selfish and didn't seem to care that Lindsey was taken hostage with his child! Well, he didn't believe the child was his but the way he was so cold and heartless throughout the whole thing made my blood boil!
I was a little disappointed that the story ended so quickly though! I want to read more! Perhaps to see what happens a few years in the future and where everyone ended up.
I felt really bad for Lindsey that she had such a traumatic and terrible experience, not just as a hostage, but with her ex-boyfriend, Adrian as well. He is an awful person! I wanted him to suffer so much pain while I was reading about what a terrible human being he is! He is so selfish and didn't seem to care that Lindsey was taken hostage with his child! Well, he didn't believe the child was his but the way he was so cold and heartless throughout the whole thing made my blood boil!
I was a little disappointed that the story ended so quickly though! I want to read more! Perhaps to see what happens a few years in the future and where everyone ended up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2022
This was everything I’ve come to expect from the master of the fast paced and thrilling ride. I’d just finished a book, late at night and wasn’t quite nodding off, so I read the first few pages of The Hostage and… forty pages later was forced to put it aside because I literally couldn’t keep my eyes open. The next day, as soon as I had the time, I was back in there and didn’t stop reading until it was done.
This is a quick read; just over a hundred pages with short, sharp chapters, so brilliant as a pick up, put down read… if you can actually do that. I dare you. It’s played out in something approaching real time, with some back story here and there to embellish both characters and plot. It’s March 2020, covid is just beginning to dawn on the collective psyche of Dublin. There’s a young woman, a baby, a despicable man, a desperate man and a downright psychopath of a man, as well as the cops trying to contain the uncontainable. That’s all I need to say really. Brilliant read from a brilliant author. Highly recommended.
This is a quick read; just over a hundred pages with short, sharp chapters, so brilliant as a pick up, put down read… if you can actually do that. I dare you. It’s played out in something approaching real time, with some back story here and there to embellish both characters and plot. It’s March 2020, covid is just beginning to dawn on the collective psyche of Dublin. There’s a young woman, a baby, a despicable man, a desperate man and a downright psychopath of a man, as well as the cops trying to contain the uncontainable. That’s all I need to say really. Brilliant read from a brilliant author. Highly recommended.
May 22, 2020
Alan Gorevan is a Brilliant thriller writer. This is the 2nd book of his I've read, and he's on a roll! I could not put this down. The Hostage, was so breathtaking and never dragged. Some authors over describe things and it slows the pace. The writing had me holding my breath at times. The characters are so real, and action never stops! If you love thrillers, you have to read this amazing story. I'm so grateful to have found such a talented author. If you haven't read his 1st book, The Forbidden Room, you are in for another fast-paced, creepy thrill ride! Highly Recommend, The Hostage! This is a 5 Star read!
January 25, 2022
UNLOCK THE DOOR.
I am happy to give a rave for The Hostage, a fantastic novella from Alan Gorevan. There are 109 pages between its covers and you'll fly through every one of them. High energy, twists just where they will pack the most surprise, action counterbalanced with a perfectly-sized dollop of setting and character. It's not flawless but it's great fun.
Mick says: pay the ransom and rush this Hostage away to your safe house!
I am happy to give a rave for The Hostage, a fantastic novella from Alan Gorevan. There are 109 pages between its covers and you'll fly through every one of them. High energy, twists just where they will pack the most surprise, action counterbalanced with a perfectly-sized dollop of setting and character. It's not flawless but it's great fun.
Mick says: pay the ransom and rush this Hostage away to your safe house!
April 26, 2020
I really enjoyed reading The Hostage!
This is my first book from Alan Gorevan and definitely not my last. The story was very well written and easy to follow. I found myself speeding through the pages to find out what happens. The ending didn’t disappoint! I really liked the character Lindsey and wanted everything to work out for her.
This is my first book from Alan Gorevan and definitely not my last. The story was very well written and easy to follow. I found myself speeding through the pages to find out what happens. The ending didn’t disappoint! I really liked the character Lindsey and wanted everything to work out for her.
March 10, 2022
Fast paced, breathless. Brilliant from Alan Gorevan.
Whenever I start a novel by Alan Gorevan, I know a couple of hard facts. Firstly, there is an immediacy in his writing that grabs you and draws you in. Taut dialogue, fast paced, action driven and unrelenting. An effective economy of description of people and place that allows the narrative to build quickly. Yet you easily imagine the characters and locations as events unravel, pushed forward by concise, breathless chapters. Alan Gorevan holds a vice like grip on the reader until the end, keeping you guessing and holding you interested. You can't put Gorevan's books down for long.
Secondly, you know that every word is written with purpose and to great effect. Each moment is crafted to create a story that is entertaining and satisfying, leaving you anticipating the next book.
The Hostage is another excellent Dublin based crime thriller. Superbly written and devoured in a single sitting. Highly recommended.
Whenever I start a novel by Alan Gorevan, I know a couple of hard facts. Firstly, there is an immediacy in his writing that grabs you and draws you in. Taut dialogue, fast paced, action driven and unrelenting. An effective economy of description of people and place that allows the narrative to build quickly. Yet you easily imagine the characters and locations as events unravel, pushed forward by concise, breathless chapters. Alan Gorevan holds a vice like grip on the reader until the end, keeping you guessing and holding you interested. You can't put Gorevan's books down for long.
Secondly, you know that every word is written with purpose and to great effect. Each moment is crafted to create a story that is entertaining and satisfying, leaving you anticipating the next book.
The Hostage is another excellent Dublin based crime thriller. Superbly written and devoured in a single sitting. Highly recommended.
February 20, 2021
Super short read, but what a tense page turner 😳
May 20, 2022
Brilliant, Loved this. Smaller chapters to move forward.
Strongly recommend. A must read...
Strongly recommend. A must read...
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews