The Siege

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Grace has agreed to help Rosie Phillips the church curate that evening, she arrives early to set out chairs and get the place ready for whoever turns out that evening. In addition the points of view which the event discusses also demonstrates the value that religion can have in times of hardship without using the topic in a taboo, over the top, manner. These insecurities actually make him seem more real as we always assume that hostage negotiators are confident self-assured people (or at least that is how they are normally portrayed) and I found myself willing him to get everyone out safely.

The Siege | John Sutherland | 9781398707566 | NetGalley The Siege | John Sutherland | 9781398707566 | NetGalley

When 9 hostages are taken in a church in London, it’s down to hostage negotiator Superintendent Alex Lewis to use his skills to ensure the safe release of the hostages, and find out why this is happening, the situation brings back memories for Alex as during his last job, the outcome left him traumatised. So when his idol is jailed, he comes up with the perfect take a local immigrant support group hostage until Farmer is released. I would be really interested in going back the John Sutherland’s non fiction work about his life in the police service, and I look forward to his next novel.This isn’t trying to depict a black and white view of people who are innocent, bad, heros or villains, it’s the humanity of caring of that fear, hurt and anger towards people who are even more vulnerable than themselves, but due to a warped and twisted way of thinking they see these vulnerable people as threats. An unexpected ending and although I read it quickly,you can’t not as it develops it was a read I wont forget……. Superintendent Alex Lewis may be one of the most experienced hostage negotiators on the force, but there’s no such thing as a perfect record. The books featured on this site are aimed primarily at readers aged 13 or above and therefore you must be 13 years or over to sign up to our newsletter. Lee James Connor has found his purpose in to follow the teachings of far-right extremist leader, Nicholas Farmer.

The Siege by John Sutherland | Waterstones

In trying to understand and empathise with people, even Lee the hostage taker, we can see how she finds her inner strength and fortitude in adversity. A searingly gripping page-turner told with real verve and with the unmistakable authenticity someone who’s been there, seen it and done it for real. I think this is a fabulous read, the atmospheric tension makes this a page-turner and the characters are so wonderfully portrayed. We see this as Grace tries to reach Lee using the words of Martin Luther King, expressing that if she was to meet Lee’s hatred for her with more hate then they would get nowhere. Sutherland’s background is in the police force and his experience and knowledge is put to good use to create a believable and thoroughly engrossing story about a hostage situation, told from three points of view – the hostage taker, one of the hostages and the police negotiator.As a senior hostage negotiator it is Alex’s job to try and get through to Lee Connor and convince him to let everyone go; however things are not as easy for Alex with a complex task on his hands at the present and being haunted by a previous case that hadn’t gone to plan will Alex be able to talk Connor round? The plot is straightforward, a hostage situation covered from the start to the finish with no deviation, so it remains focussed throughout. So while the tone is unmistakably him, calm with no fuss or bluster, it feels real, right up in your face real. It is an interesting novel, fast-paced with short chapters that make you want to read on and find out what happens. This feels like something that could happen now and it’s so tense and gripping you want to know what happened next.

John Sutherland – ‘The Siege’ review - Entertainment Focus John Sutherland – ‘The Siege’ review - Entertainment Focus

His first book, BLUE, written and published while he was still serving in the Met, was a Sunday Times bestseller. When his idol, far-right extremist leader Nicholas Famer is sent to prison, he decides to take action, taking 9 people at a local immigrant support group hostage and demanding Farmer’s release. As the hymn comes to an end Rosie spots Lee and walks to welcome him, but she is told to sit down, when she doesn’t do so immediately things change as he hits her in the face with his fist and a gun. The story of a young far right wing extremist who takes a church group that welcome refugees hostage, demanding the release from prison of the leader of a far right wing group(with hopefully intentionally funny initials! I read that the author worked as a policeman and hostage negotiator and this book seemed very factual.

I had no trouble believing the scenario and Sutherland’s own experience as a hostage negotiator shines through with authenticity on every page. When I knew he was venturing into fiction I grabbed a proof just as fast as I could with one question on my mind, could his knowledge and abilities translate into a novel?

The Siege – John Sutherland - policecommander

He’s also suffering from PTSD but in typical male fashion his remedy consists of completely ignoring this and assuming it will go away. It really is only two scenes with not much action, but that doesn't matter with the utterly absorbing tension.

He’s run through the plans so many times in his head, he done visualisation exercises and even a dry run. The political undertones only help to strengthen the story, giving credence to the plot, and the author cleverly shifts the point of view throughout, allowing you to experience the situation as it unfolds from every angle. Also, I know adrenaline is a factor, but the middle of a hostage negotiation seemed like a weird time for Alex to realise he was attracted to another memeber of the team! As a reader, it is great to see into the minds and lives of people in situations and also into their beliefs. If you’ve read his books, newspaper articles or his blog, heard him on the TV, at talks or worked with him then you will know he is principled, honourable, thoughtful, and that clearly comes across in his writing.