The Castle sees John Sutherland send his police negotiators on a much needed holiday but as you would expect there is a twist or three. This book is a fast moving, page turning thriller that keeps the reader interested from the first to the last page with numerous twists and turns throughout. Definitely recommended.

Alex and Pip are hostage negotiators in London, desperately in need of a holiday, so they eagerly accept the use of a holiday cottage on the Blane Estate in Banffshire, when it is offered to them by an old friend Tom, who is now the estate’s head gamekeeper. On their second day, they are high on a hillside with Tom when they witness the death of an angler on the riverbank far below and their peaceful holiday turns into a nightmare. This is a fast-moving thriller with convincing characters and the chase and obstacles thrown up by the remote landscape make for a riveting read. I was hooked to the very last page! Review by: Juno, Oundle Crime

I have been a huge fan of John Sutherland's books since I read The Siege - and his latest, The Castle, is the third book featuring Met Police hostage negotiator Alex Lewis. And it’s another gripping read that had me turning the pages and holding my breath in a story full of tension. This book is a little different from the first two in that Alex and partner and colleague Pip decide to escape London and the stresses of the job for a get away from it all break on a Scottish estate where Alex’s former training sergeant Tom is now a gamekeeper. Sadly the idyllic holiday quickly takes a dramatic turn as Alex and Pip find themselves in the midst of a kidnap plot, and are soon playing cat and mouse in the Scottish Highlands in inclement weather with a family intent on revenge and a bunch of hired killers. This time the hunted rather than the hunter, Alex must draw on all of his experience to ensure those he cares about gets out alive. What I love about Sutherland’s books is that he draws on his own experience to really draw the reader into the world of hostage negotiation - and the very human element it entails, with even the “baddies” having their own story to tell. It all feels very real and all the more tense as a result. With strong characterisation, and a Scottish setting that is clearly dear to Sutherland and very much brought to life, add a plot that will have your heart in your mouth and it all makes for a proper page turner! If you haven’t discovered Sutherland’s books yet, then this is a series I wholeheartedly recommend - and is even much loved by my generally non-reading husband!

John is the author of two non fiction books and three crime fiction books to date. My first book of his that I read was The Fallen and I loved it. The Siege / The Fallen / The Castle are a series but having now read book 2 & 3 I am very pleased to report that not only are they great but they also work perfectly well as standalone reads so don't panic if you have picked up book 3 first. Alex and Pip are great characters but their back story only plays a small part in each book which is why the books work brilliantly in isolation. The tension and pace in each of his books so far have made them pretty impossible to put down. My next read will be The Siege then I am going to be pacing for the 4th fiction read from him. The setting for The Castle was fantastic! Very happy to recommend! An author all crime fans should be reading.

Thanks to John and Netgalley for allowing me to read The Castle prior to the publication date. I doubt that the prologue could have set the tension bar any higher than it did, providing an insight into the work of the police and particularly those tasked with negotiating a good outcome with the hostage taker. The reader is introduced to Supt. Alex Lewis, a trained hostage negotiator with the Met. A lengthy list of previous incidents has left Alex with PTSD and he experiences flashbacks. Alex has been wakened at 1 am to attend a Domestic Violence situation which has escalated. A traffic unit blue lights him to the locus where he makes his way through the line of TSG officers to reach the flat where a man, high on drugs and alcohol, has taken a 6 month old child hostage. Returning home almost 7 hours later, Alex is physically and mentally drained. The decision is made that Alex and his partner, Pip, who is also a hostage negotiator, need a break. 10 weeks later, Alex and Pip travel to Blane Castle in Banffshire for a fortnight of rest and relaxation. The gamekeeper for the estate is Tom Jamieson, the man who was Alex training sergeant when he joined the Met. Tom has arranged for one party of guests to go stalking with his assistant, Cam. A second party are fishing on the river. As Tom gives Alex and Pip a conducted tour of the estate, he realises that the fishing party have moved away from the spot they were allocated. Gunfire is heard and both fishermen are seen to enter the water. What initially seems to be an accidental shooting will rapidly become a full scale manhunt with Alex and Pip in the wilds of Scotland instead of the London streets. Without giving away any spoilers, this book will give the reader pause for thought about the characters, their motivations and their decisions. A tense thriller and a page turner with more than a few surprises. The use of a few Scottish terms adds a tiny bit of levity to the book.