amok

My Rating ~ Four Stars

4-gold-stars copy

RELEASE DATE: 11 November 2021

Format: E-ARC

Pages: 400

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Blurb

A dangerous psychopath has taken over Berlin’s leading radio station and is holding everyone inside hostage in the terrifying and twisted new thriller from Sebastian Fitzek.

‘Good morning. It’s 7.35 AM. And you’re listening to your biggest nightmare.’

This morning a dangerous psychopath is playing an old game with new rules. He’s taken six people hostage at Berlin’s leading radio station.

Every hour, a telephone will ring somewhere in Berlin. Maybe it will be in your house. Or your office. And if you pick up and answer with the new slogan, then a hostage will be set free.

Sounds fair, doesn’t it?

Police psychologist Ira Samin is rushed to the scene, where she must negotiate live on air. With the nation listening, the kidnapper makes an impossible demand. Can she give him what he wants?

And all the while, somewhere in the city… a telephone is ringing.

Review

Thank you so much to Head of Zeus for providing me with a copy of this book, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review!

Hostage negotiator, Ira, has decided to die. She’s suffered guilt over her daughter’s death for too long, her other daughter is not speaking to her and she’s had enough. But her plans are put on hold when the police summon her to help with a unique hostage situation. Someone is holding several people hostage, in a terrifying game – when he calls a random number, if the call is answered with the correct slogan, a hostage will be set free. If not, they die. Ira finds herself pulled in to the hostage taker’s world, as she tries to fulfill his demand. One that seems impossible to accomplish.

I thoroughly enjoyed this clever story, with its many twists and multi layered characters. I was captivated for almost the entire book, desperate to know what was going on and who could be trusted. There were also several mysteries woven into the story – what really happened to the kidnapper’s girlfriend? What was Ira’s daughter trying to tell her on her last day? Why was the full story behind Ira and her other daughters estrangement? and more! Thankfully all of my questions were answered by the end and we weren’t left to guess, as I feared might happen.

I did enjoy the first half of the book slightly more than the second half. The intense radio hostage ‘game’ had me riveted to my seat. The second half, although shining light on the answers to the mysteries, sometimes went a little too far in asking us to suspend belief, but I was still immensely entertained!

If you enjoy unique hostage mysteries, do pick this one up. I read an e-book version, but I have also heard it is also a brilliant audiobook with a full cast and sound effects, which I think would enhance the experience even more!