ABOUT THE BOOK

CAN THEY SAVE THE HOSTAGES BEFORE TIME RUNS OUT?

Just as DCI Banham and DI Alison Grainger are about to get married, a policeman is shot and all officers are urgently called to the scene.

Banham, a trained hostage negotiator, rushes to the street when he hears his friend, PC Martin Neville, has been injured and taken hostage, along with four others. As Banham tries to negotiate, things go from dangerous to critical, with PC Neville is in a life-threatening condition.

Meanwhile Grainger, having been left at the altar, defies orders and is working on the case from the CCTV room. When the pieces begin to fall together, she finds herself in a deadly situation. With time nearly up, the demands of the hostage-takers are yet to be met and lives remain at risk…

DCI Banham returns in the latest heart racing novel from critically acclaimed author Linda Regan. This fast-paced and gritty thriller is perfect for fans of Lynda La Plante and Kimberley Chambers.

MY REVIEW

Riots. Hostages. Family honor. A deranged and vile team of hostage-takers kidnaps civilians and policemen to set a deadly trap.

DCI Paul Banham is supposed to be on his honeymoon by now, but he’s negotiating a hostage crisis over a family feud. He didn’t even have time to get married. Two of his officers are hostages and one is injured badly.  Time is running out and the hostages don’t want to deal until Devlin McCaub is found and brought to them. Will they get the hostages out before there is any more bloodshed? He ordered his fiancee to board the plane to their honeymoon spot in Greece. Will she understand he couldn’t have her there after what happened to his family years ago?

DI Alison Grainger was ordered by her fiance to go to Greece for their honeymoon, but the department is short of hands and she’s staying to help at the command center whether Paul likes it or not. Known for her short temper, Alison is convinced by her commander to stay put in the office or else be written up and demoted. What she uncovers about the hostage-takers will possibly give her a medal instead.  Perhaps the marriage thing isn’t so bad after all. She worries about Paul in the middle of a dangerous hostage situation and she wants him to know how much she loves him, but he thinks she’s on the way to Greece and doesn’t want to distract him from his job.

PC Hannah Kemp is trying to save her partner from dying, but the gunmen are violent and don’t want to deal. She’s been beaten, her arm is broken, and she is being threatened with rape. God knows what her fiance Peter (another officer) is thinking right now.  Would it be her fate to die here? 

Wow!!! This is a gripping, suspense-filled ride of terror, violence, and desperation.  I could not put this book down. As a negotiator and one who has lost loved ones in a violent way, Paul is determined to save the hostages no matter what it takes. During the siege, he reflects back to the horrible deaths of his wife and child, and questions whether he should marry again. Alison is furious when Paul orders her to go to Greece, and questions whether she wants to marry someone who does not respect her and her career.  Apparently, the two love each other very much and let the very tense situation skew their judgment, but after the extremely stressful situation they find themselves in, they realize how lucky they are to have each other.  The supporting characters, including the crazy hostage-takers and their warped sense of family, are a crucial addition to give this story depth. 

Overall, this is a fast-paced, intense crime thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Yet another author to add to my favorites list!

Thank you to Ms. Regan for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda is a successful actress, still best known for her portrayal of April, the sweet yellow-coat, in the BBC award-winning comedy Hi-De-Hi. Other programmes she has appeared in include: The Bafta, nominated Channel five series: Harry and Cosh, The Bill, London’s Burning, Minder, Gentle Touch, The Knock, a Lynda La Plante series: Framed, to name but a few. Also many films, a season with the RSC, and many good theatre roles. To date, she has appeared in nearly a hundred commercials.

She has been writing all her life: short stories, radio, fact and fiction. Her first crime novel was published in 2006, and her subsequent novels have all received excellent reviews.

Follow Linda on her website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.