The Last Hostage

Ok, I'll admit it. I'm just a slut for any John Nance novel. I can't help it. The Last Hostage is his third. All three suck me in from word one. Last Sunday morning I opened up The Last Hostage. I barely ate or drank until the final word. I was afraid that if I put the book down even to get something to drink, one of my favorite characters would get killed while I was gone. It's sick, I know. An ordinary commercial flight was getting ready to take off from Colorado Springs. The pilot, a season veteran, takes off with all the passengers but without his co-pilot. And then there is a hijacker or is there? This book is a great ride.

Wow! "The Last Hostage" was a thriller from start to finish. It did drop a bit in the middle and I was disappointed with this since, before that, I had been engrossed in the air hostage situation that was occurring over the Rocky Mountains. However, the author managed to salvage the plot and the twists and turns at the end were unexpected and gripping.

Captain Ken Wolfe was a sympathetic character. Despite what he did, it was impossible not to feel sorry for him once I discovered why he was doing what he was doing. I also liked FBI hostage agent, Kat Bronsky, who showed empathy and initiative when it came to resolving the situation.

I enjoy air disaster novels (and movies) and this was a page-turner. Although "The Last Hostage was my show more first book by John Nance, it definitely won't be my last, especially when I discovered he is also a pilot, an aviation safety expert and a war veteran. A suspenseful, non-stop ride. show less

I wasn't sure entirely what to expect when I started out on this one, the blurb made it sound interesting, but there wasn't a great amount of detail about what entirely goes on other than a nominee for US Attorney General boards a plane, the pilot of which is the father of a murdered girl whose case he bungled and the pilot will do 'whatever it takes' to get revenge. It piqued my interest, but there's plenty of ways for that to turn out tedious, dull and boring.

Thankfully, in no way at all is that the case with The Last Hostage, rather it's an almost non stop ride as the layers of an onion peel away to find that not only does the seemingly deranged pilot has very valid reasons for his actions, what appears to be straight forward, is far show more from such. Despite, the criminality of the pilot's actions he takes you can't help but empathise with his predicament, which as a parent was rather relatable.

I really enjoyed it, so much so that I read it cover to cover in one epic evening reading session. show less

From the first page to the end the author grabs and holds your attention. Nance can spin a tale, that causes nail-biting confusion and still manage to construct an ending that is logical and makes perfect sense. The book was written 1998 so it's comforting to know that what happened here would be nearly...and the key word here is "nearly"...impossible to happen today.

Solid thriller about a pilot who takes his plane and passengers hostage in order to get revenge against a judge and rapist who killed his little girl.

suspense thriller; victim's parent tries revenge

3.98