I was absolutely fascinated by this story. Stockholm Syndrome is a complex subject to deal with yet this is written so convincingly that I actually felt part of the situation. Beth is only eighteen, not overly comfortable with her home life and is flattered when an older guy takes an interest in her. Dominic is attractive, has intense eyes of different colours that intrigue her. She drifts into dating him before things take a sinister turn. Dominic is desperate for companionship, his mother died suddenly when he was a child and his father was an abusive bully. Dominic has witnessed things no child should see. Once he has lured Beth to the basement of his house her nightmare begins .. this is the section of the book that kept me entranced. I kept asking myself how I would react in those circumstances. At what point will Beth break and conform to his demands. How much humiliation can one person tolerate? The Second Captive is dark, tense and slightly unsettling, so many things to take into account, how he treats her, how she responds. A battle of wills and who has the strongest personality basically. The middle of the story deals with how Beth copes with her mental health after Dominic, her relationship with mother Ursula. How did Ursula cope not knowing what had happened when her daughter didn’t return home one day? Looking at it from various viewpoints including Dominic’s makes for an interesting story and one that will prompt me to research the condition further. A tense read that will have you yelling at Beth in the hope she can just get the hell away from this jerk, all he wants is her love but love and hate are so closely joined! Yet in some weird warped way I felt some emotion for him as well. I along with Beth wanted/needed closure of some description and the author doesn’t disappoint. This is the first book I have read by Maggie James and I will certainly be keeping an eye out for her others. Thanks to the author and Sarah at Bloodhound books for my copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Beth is abducted and confined to the basement of a cottage. Her captor renders her completely dependent on him for food and basic needs. He bargains with her for these by allowing her to have them only if she conforms and obey's him completely. If she disobey's him or questions him, she loses her pillow and blanket, even her chemical toilet which is replaced by a bucket until she has earned them back again. Beth is held captive for two years until she manages to escape. she is reunited with her family but she struggles forming any kind of relationship with her family or friends. She rides a roller coaster of emotions and makes bad decisions in an effort to get through each day. Beth has always been close to her Mum but even she struggles to reach her but never gives up hope. The characters in this book are well developed and believable. The book addresses and is written around the condition known as Stockholm Syndrome - the psychological tendency of a hostage to bond with his or her captor. The book is divided into two main parts - leading up to and during captivity and after Beth returns home. I would recommend this book.