Author John Ryder delivers another stand-alone action thriller featuring an untraditional hero, Jerome Prentice. Different from the detective/fixer, Kyle Roche, in the Witness, Prentice has no training nor skills that he can rely on to help him save his wife, Alicia. The book opens with masked gunmen holding Prentice and his wife at gunpoint and demanding him to betray his employer.

Prentice may have been on the right side of the law his entire life, but when faced with this predicament, he vows to do whatever he needs to do to ensure his wife is returned unharmed. He is an average, ordinary guy who is driven by his love for his wife and this love propels him to do things he’d never consider doing in different circumstances. I ended up imagining his as MacGyver because of his untraditional methods of realizing his goals.

I felt that this book lacked the adrenaline rush I usually expect from Ryer’s books. However, it was refreshing to read about this untraditional hero and realize that the potential to rise to the occasion resides deep within many of us and can be called upon when the need arises. Let’s hope we are never put in this predicament.

Publishes November 25, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by John Ryder, Bookouture, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This is my first John Ryder book but won’t be my last
I absolutely loved this rollercoaster of a ride. Fast paced, with a griping plot that held me from the first page, I read this in one day.
Jerome and Alicia are awoken at gunpoint, Alicia is kidnapped while Jerome is charged with stealing $52 million from his employers in order to gain her safe release.
Despite the fact that you really do have to suspend disbelief at times it’s a breathing race to the finish
Great escapism

It's amateur time, and that could have been OK, but when all the action is based on stupid mistakes, it's not very interesting. The writing and the characters are OK, but the first half of the book is without suspense, and thus boring.

*4.5 stars*

How terrifying it must be to be woken up in the early hours of the morning, in the sanctity of your own bedroom, by three masked intruders. That’s what Jerome Prentice faces, and that’s not even the worst of it, they tell him they’re taking his wife Alicia and threatening to kill her unless he does as they say.

Jerome is your ordinary everyday guy, so he can’t even begin to imagine what they want with him. He finds out the next day though. They want him to steal $50 million from Beck Holding, a company that he’s worked for since graduating college. How on earth is he going to pull off such an audacious theft.

This was a terrific plot, executed particularly well, with breathtaking pace. The tech side of it was also extremely well researched, and this author sure can tell a tale. Well written, extremely tense, with vividly drawn characters, this is a story that will draw you in right from the start. One of the most exciting thrillers I’ve read this year.

How I love this author’s books! He has the great ability of turning every day normal men into real life Rambo meets James Bond types. They do not so good things because they are forced to do them, but it’s always for a very good cause.

I like the way his heroes think. They are a bit like MacGyver meets The A team too. They can use the most simple things and turn them into something they can use as a weapon or to help them find an escape route.

In this book the author even goes a step further and introduces us to the hero’s side kick, a kind of Jane Bond. 😊

This is a wonderful story with a bit of computer wizardry and lots of action. Is it a bit over the top? Yes, but I love it. It’s sometimes so incredible that it becomes masterly and you are swept up by it. You don’t stop to think. You just go with the flow and end up with a few hours of pure gold entertainment.

So, yes I am a big fan, but maybe I did not need to add that bit of information. I think you already read that between the lines. 😉 5 stars.

Thank you

When Jerome and his wife, Alicia, are awakened by kidnappers, the adventure begins. She is held as a kidnap victim while he must steal $52 million from company accounts. Plans are put in place to do that, but then Jerome decides to rescue Alicia instead. Lots of action as the plot plays out.

High Octane Thrills….
High octane thrills aplenty in this fast moving, edge of seat read from John Ryder. The action doesn’t stop from the first to last page and the high speed, well crafted plot is populated with a wholly credible cast of characters and plenty of unexpected twists and turns. A gripping, exhilarating one sit read.

Another awesome thriller from John Ryder.
Alicia and Jerome are in bed sleeping one night, when three masked men with guns kidnap Alicia and demand Jerome work for them. The men promise Jerome Alicia will not be harmed if he just steals $50 million dollars from the accounts at work and ciphers it into separate bank accounts. While Jerome is anxious to save Alicia, he also doesn't want to do what the masked men want and end up spending his life in jail.
This was definitely a race against the clock, page turner. Parts truly took me by surprise, and Jerome made me cheer! Loved the small twist at the end too!
Great book, read it in one sitting!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Hostage, by John Ryder, begins with Jerome Prentice waking up to three masked intruders pointing guns at him. They inform Jerome they are kidnapping his wife Alecia and in order to save her he must meet their demands. Jerome, an accountant, and Alecia, a lawyer, both work for the same multinational conglomerate and the kidnappers want Jerome to steal $50 million from said conglomerate.
Jerome doesn't know how he's going to meet their demands but he does know there is nothing he will not do to save Alecia.

I discovered John Ryder earlier this year and instantly became a fan. His previous books are action packed thrillers and there is an abundance of violence. The Hostage has very little bloodshed but Ryder ratchets up the tension with each turn of the page . It's a complete 180 from what he's written previously but it's just as good.

The Hostage is essentially a love story. Jerome, a regular guy with no special skills outside of accounting, will stop at nothing to rescue Alecia.

The Hostage reaffirms my opinion that Ryder is criminally underrated. Even though it's unlike his previous books, he pulls it off with a plumb. Ryder should absolutely be on your to-read list.

Thank you to John Ryder, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Hostage.

This was a good angsty read that pulls you in from the start. You begin with Jerome waking up in the middle of the night with guns pointed at him and his wife. He wakes his wife Alicia who is then taken as a hostage for Jerome to proceed to do what the kidnappers want him to do which is steal $50 million from the company he works out. This is a difficult task in itself but for someone like Jerome it is even harder as he is a stand up guy who always has done the right thing.

The story goes back and forth from seeing what is currently happening to Jerome and back to Alicia. Jerome’s desire to do absolutely everything he can to his wife is admirable but at some points I was a little underwhelmed with the overly heroic act. Also I felt it could have been condensed down a bit but I understand it was to really give the reader the understanding of the conflict and angst of the situation which did come across. Overall it was an entertaining read.

Thank you to Bookouture and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

OMG! This drew me in quickly and there was that instant tension of a drama unfolding. An incredibly well thought out, very original plotline and one I had not foreseen. I turned ever quicker and devoured this- the sign of a gripping, well written read. A captivating, rollercoaster of a book. Loved it.

My thoughts about John Ryder’s The Hostage springs you into action that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end. The Hostage is a rousing, straight-ahead chase thriller. The hero, and the book, takes no prisoners as he frantically hunts down the men who kidnapped his wife. Author John Ryder delivers yet another tensed masterpiece, that takes your breath away. The Hostage is an absolute fast moving thrilling ride,with great pace and action thrills it will blow your mind. The story of The Hostage begins with the introduction of the lead character 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. Hats off to Author John Ryder,who I’ve been a fan of his writing since,I’ve read his first book First Shot,yet again he works his magic in his powerful writing which is incredible. John Ryder’s The Hostage is high speed super crime thriller make you sit on the edge of the seat.The book will make your eyes wider every frame/ page.I would like to say thank you to Author John Ryder, and Publishers Bookouture and netgally,for kindly giving me a chance to read and review this spectacular thriller that blows your mind.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐💥💥💥💥💥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Once again, John Ryder drags his readers into his latest novel with that killer hook opening that he has become renowned for. Well and truly hooked and invested from the first chapter and then it just keeps giving! This author sure knows how to drip feed his readers tension by writing ticking time bomb thrillers! Short, sharp chapters add to the sense of pace and kept me turning the pages long after my bedtime.
Jerome and Alicia are probably the least likely couple you would think to be of any interest to kidnappers, they are the epitome of good guys, the all-round decent people who just get in with their lives and help out others along the way. and that is what makes the plot all the more chilling; there is nothing better than ordinary people caught up in a spiders web of deceit and corruption. And the way in which the kidnappers dangled Alicia on a string, with a strange sort of respect alongside the clear threat on her life meant I was left wondering just how far her husband would go to save her life! Nail biting suspense indeed!
John Ryder is known for his explosive storylines, the kind that push at the boundaries of reality yet still manage to draw his readers in and keep them glued to the pages, and The Hostage is no exception to this.
I found myself firmly inside the heads of both Alicia and Jerome, rooting for them for part of the time and yelling "nooooooo don’t do that" at others. Alicia’s feisty nature at times made me think she was going to end up on the last nerve of her kidnappers while Jerome could have done with some of her balls! Yet, despite his initial quiet ways, he had other skills, he was not as naive as he perhaps came across and so those two very different personalities in the mix led to some delicious suspense as the author notched up the chill factor right until the last minute. Full of thrills and spills, with some unlikely heroes, The Hostage is a must for lovers of thrillers and once again this author has created a story that would work wonders on the big screen!

Well this book was good, it was a little tame, although it did have suspense, intrigue, and some really rough them up scenes! It definitely had my heart pumping in a few spots! The build up was good but it just kind of went straight after that?! I guess that's the tame part? Its definitely worth reading! Not one of my all time favorite but still a decent read! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

What Would Job Do? For those unfamiliar with the Biblical story of Job, Job was the most honorable man on Earth. One day, God and Satan decided to test Job to see if he would ever turn his back on God, in any situation. And… that is where the tie to this book comes in. Meet Jerome. Jerome is a stand-up guy that generally tries to help people where he can and is known to all – certainly to his superiors at work – as an absolutely honest man. So what is this man going to do when he wakes up to guns pointed at himself and his wife, and his wife kidnapped to ensure his compliance with the scheme of the kidnappers? Well… you’re going to have to read this explosive yet realistic (within reason, this *is* fiction) tale to find out. Very well crafted, this book does a tremendous job of keeping you in the heads of both Jerome and his wife, Melony, as they try to stay alive long enough to figure a way out of this mess. This is one of those books that will keep you guessing and racing to the end… even as it has a few unconventional elements that might make you think there is no possible way the author can keep the tale going that much longer. He does, and you’ll be glad he does. Very much recommended.