The character of Grace, a single mother who lost her husband and one of her children, is set up as a foil for Lee inside the church hall. Sutherland depicts some very tense moments and the short nature of the chapters means the book is hard to put down, especially once the hostage situation begins.

The Siege by John Sutherland | Goodreads The Siege by John Sutherland | Goodreads

Sutherland’s background is in the police force and his experience and knowledge is put to good use to create a believable and thoroughly engrossing story about a hostage situation, told from three points of view – the hostage taker, one of the hostages and the police negotiator. Each one of them have ghosts that are ever present during the events that take place and that form some of the decisions they make. I loved the originality of this thriller it was so different to any other I’ve read and trust me I’ve read hundreds. For more than twenty-five years he served as an officer in the Metropolitan Police, rising to the rank of Chief Superintendent before his retirement on medical grounds in 2018.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. When his idol Nicholas Farmer is sent to prison Lee Connor makes it his mission to carry on his work but more importantly to get Farmer released. So when his idol is jailed, he comes up with the perfect plan: take a local immigrant support group hostage until Farmer is released.

The Siege by John Sutherland | Hachette UK The Siege by John Sutherland | Hachette UK

He is aware that the things he says could lead to an outcome that could be good or bad, but he has to try. I would be really interested in going back the John Sutherland’s non fiction work about his life in the police service, and I look forward to his next novel. From the start nothing went the way he anticipated, despite his meticulous planning yet he was determined to see his plan through to the end, either gaining freedom for the person he looked up to or with the death of himself and all the hostages.

John Sutherland spent 25 years in the Metropolitan Police, spending some of that time working as a hostage negotiator. Distinguished speakers investigate those things in which we believe deeply – and for which we would be prepared to make a costly stand. There is no simple condemnation of the aggressor, Lee, nor hero like status of Alex as the negotiator. I am certainly glad there is a second book just around the corner as this one really his the spot and was everything I wanted in a thriller. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller but also fancies something a bit different.