On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the new novel by B A Paris, The Prisoner.
BLURB
THEN
Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents as a child in Paris to making it on her own in London. As she builds a career for herself in the magazine industry, she meets, and agrees to marry, Ned Hawthorne.
NOW
Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Ned?
MY THOUGHTS
B A Paris has written a tense, exhilarating read with her new novel, The Prisoner. She opens her book with a captivating opening, when we see a young woman, Amelie, being bundled into a van, and then being held against her will, along with her husband. But what is the motive behind their kidnappings?
As Amelie begins to realise the horror of the situation she is in, B A Paris takes us back to the weeks leading up to the kidnapping. I was really interested in these scenes as we get to see what happened. This part of the novel was gripping and I was invested in Amelie’s story, especially when she becomes acquainted with her new friend, Carolyn, who offers her employment and accommodation in her home. As we begin to build up to the part where Amelie is kidnapped, we begin to understand why. These chapters really helped to create tension and build suspense. I was turning the pages really fast to find out what happened next.
In the present day chapters, following Amelie’s kidnap, B A Paris details the horror of her situation. I could feel the fear Amelie was experiencing, as she tried to understand what was happening to her. These chapters were so tense, especially when she meets her kidnappers for the first time, and tries to think of a way how she could escape. You can see just how dependent she is on them to survive.
I was surprised by the direction in which B A Paris took the plot, as she begins to reveal why Amelie and her husband are kidnapped in the first place. But it did make sense as everything began to unfold. There are some really nasty characters in this book, I won’t say who; but I was rooting for Amelie from the beginning to get out of the situation she was in.
The only criticism I would have, is that I did feel that it took too long for the book to wrap up at the end, and felt it could’ve been a bit shorter. Other than that though I thought The Prisoner was a thoroughly entertaining read.
Publisher: Hodder & Staughton
Publication date: 3rd November 2022
Print length: 308 pages
The Prisoner is available to buy:
Hooked From Page One 
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