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ljwrites85's review
3.0
This is quite a slow burn psychological thriller that really gets inside the minds of both the victim, Beth and her abductor, Dominic. But I have to admit I got quite frustrated with this book. It started off so strong the opening with Beth escaping from her prison and finding her way home. We then find out about her seduction by the handsome and charming Dominic Perdue, then imprisonment and his subsequent manipulation, turning Beth into his ‘perfect’ companion.
But then I hit the middle and the story started to lag a little.
I don’t think this was helped by the switch in perspectives. The first half was Beth and Dominic and the second half was Ursula (Beth’s mother) and Beth. I would have loved to see a few chapters with Dominic’s view in the second half, see how he was reacting to Beth’s freedom.
It all culminated in an ending, (including a chapter were Ursula actually confronts Dominic), which while it tied up loose ends, it still fell a bit flat.
But then I hit the middle and the story started to lag a little.
I don’t think this was helped by the switch in perspectives. The first half was Beth and Dominic and the second half was Ursula (Beth’s mother) and Beth. I would have loved to see a few chapters with Dominic’s view in the second half, see how he was reacting to Beth’s freedom.
It all culminated in an ending, (including a chapter were Ursula actually confronts Dominic), which while it tied up loose ends, it still fell a bit flat.
meloches's review
3.0
I am a complete sucker for an abduction thriller; anything where people are held captive and live to survive the tale. Books like Room, Baby Doll, Method 15/33, and The Doll House stick with me long after I have read them. Now that I have finished The Second Captive, I would say this title would need to be added to that list! Fast paced and binge reading worthy; I finished this novel in a single afternoon.
When eighteen-year-old Beth is abducted, she tries continuously to escape. And then something changes. Her relationship with her captor begins to develop and her feelings become complicated. When she is able to escape, she has more than enough evidence to prove his guilt, but, she is unable to. A story of the human condition and Stockholm syndrome, The Second Captive delivers a snapshot into trauma and psychological manipulation.
Told through multiple perspectives and through two separate sections, James weaves the story, in the first section, through the eyes of captor, captive. The second section introduces the matriarch of Beth’s family that has changed forever. I loved the multiple narrations and found the story to be easily followed.
Although I found this one to be completely entertaining, I was a little disappointed with how linear the story felt and how one-dimensional the plot became. I did feel like this one ended a little too neatly for my own liking and that a lot of the story was left untold. At times, I felt this novel was a little too “surface” and I wished that the author had delved more. To be fair, this story focused more on the after effects and trauma of Stockholm syndrome and captivity, but I still would have liked some more details.
Overall, I feel like any fans of the abduction thriller will really appreciate this book; I know I did!
When eighteen-year-old Beth is abducted, she tries continuously to escape. And then something changes. Her relationship with her captor begins to develop and her feelings become complicated. When she is able to escape, she has more than enough evidence to prove his guilt, but, she is unable to. A story of the human condition and Stockholm syndrome, The Second Captive delivers a snapshot into trauma and psychological manipulation.
Told through multiple perspectives and through two separate sections, James weaves the story, in the first section, through the eyes of captor, captive. The second section introduces the matriarch of Beth’s family that has changed forever. I loved the multiple narrations and found the story to be easily followed.
Although I found this one to be completely entertaining, I was a little disappointed with how linear the story felt and how one-dimensional the plot became. I did feel like this one ended a little too neatly for my own liking and that a lot of the story was left untold. At times, I felt this novel was a little too “surface” and I wished that the author had delved more. To be fair, this story focused more on the after effects and trauma of Stockholm syndrome and captivity, but I still would have liked some more details.
Overall, I feel like any fans of the abduction thriller will really appreciate this book; I know I did!
sarahs_bookish_life's review
4.0
The Second Captive is a story that is told in two parts. The first half is told to us through Beth and Dominic whilst Beth is being held prisoner. The second half is told through Beth and her mum, Ursula, after Beth escapes.
Stockholm syndrome is certainly a fascinating topic and I think the author does a great job in helping the reader try to understand why someone being held captive would develop feelings for their captor.
Beth is just a young naive woman, who at eighteen, is really just starting to live her life when she is taken and kept in a basement. She goes through so many emotions of anger, hate, sadness, loneliness etc. She misses her family very much and her only companion now is Dominic, the man who took her.
Dominic, I had really mixed feelings for. I didn't want to like him or have empathy for him. Whilst I certainly didn't like him, I did start to feel empathy for him. Anyone who does what he does, usually comes from a troubled background and Dominic's is certainly no different, so in a way I could kind of understand why he was doing what he did even though it certainly isn't acceptable.
Ursula I certainly had every empathy for. Having your daughter disappear into thin air then turn up on the doorstop a couple of years later, I could very much feel her joy and pain. There is also a lot of frustration there as Beth does not want to divulge where she's been and for a mother to know her daughter has probably been through a horrible experience but to not know exactly what or how to help, well it made for some emotional reading.
The Second Captive is a story very much about relationships and the bonds that tie us. I enjoyed the insight from so many perspectives as it makes for some interesting reading. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and looking forward to reading more by the author.
Stockholm syndrome is certainly a fascinating topic and I think the author does a great job in helping the reader try to understand why someone being held captive would develop feelings for their captor.
Beth is just a young naive woman, who at eighteen, is really just starting to live her life when she is taken and kept in a basement. She goes through so many emotions of anger, hate, sadness, loneliness etc. She misses her family very much and her only companion now is Dominic, the man who took her.
Dominic, I had really mixed feelings for. I didn't want to like him or have empathy for him. Whilst I certainly didn't like him, I did start to feel empathy for him. Anyone who does what he does, usually comes from a troubled background and Dominic's is certainly no different, so in a way I could kind of understand why he was doing what he did even though it certainly isn't acceptable.
Ursula I certainly had every empathy for. Having your daughter disappear into thin air then turn up on the doorstop a couple of years later, I could very much feel her joy and pain. There is also a lot of frustration there as Beth does not want to divulge where she's been and for a mother to know her daughter has probably been through a horrible experience but to not know exactly what or how to help, well it made for some emotional reading.
The Second Captive is a story very much about relationships and the bonds that tie us. I enjoyed the insight from so many perspectives as it makes for some interesting reading. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and looking forward to reading more by the author.
petra_reads's review
3.0
Told from multiple perspectives, The Second Captive portrays one family's journey as they come to grips with the daughter suffering from Stockholm Syndrome after having been held captive in a basement for two years. You hear the daughter's and the mother's points of view as well as the kidnapper's.
It is a fairly well written story that moves along at a nice pace and keeps you turning the pages, but it wasn't as thrilling, deep or dark as I had hoped for. I was waiting for some surprising twists and turns but the story line was just pretty standard and culminated in a rather neat ending. An OK read but nothing outstanding.
Thanks to the author and her publicist for my copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
It is a fairly well written story that moves along at a nice pace and keeps you turning the pages, but it wasn't as thrilling, deep or dark as I had hoped for. I was waiting for some surprising twists and turns but the story line was just pretty standard and culminated in a rather neat ending. An OK read but nothing outstanding.
Thanks to the author and her publicist for my copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
wulfwyn's review
4.0
I was glued to this book. It had an interesting subject, a good twist and it educated me. It was a bit difficult for me at times. I have my own experience with domestic violence and being held against my will. It was different from Beth’s experience but certain scenes did bring that punched in the stomach feeling to me. I did not know very much of Stockholm Syndrome. That was very interesting to read about. I learned quite a bit.
I don’t know that I liked Beth that much. Maybe it was that I didn’t always understand her. Maybe I was comparing us too much. Maybe it was that I wasn’t as brave as she was. I shattered like glass..something I still feel guilty about. At times her bravery terrified me because I knew what could happen. I thought a lot about family dynamics and how things connected.
The book is told from Beth, Dominic and Ursula’s points of view. I’m not overly fond of multiple points of view but, in this case, it worked very well. Being able to follow each person’s thoughts brought the story to life. It added a necessary understanding.
The story was gripping, sad at times, intense and terrifying. I thought the ending was done right for the story. I don’t want to go into it for fear of spoiling it. It worked for me. I’m happy I selected this book.
I don’t know that I liked Beth that much. Maybe it was that I didn’t always understand her. Maybe I was comparing us too much. Maybe it was that I wasn’t as brave as she was. I shattered like glass..something I still feel guilty about. At times her bravery terrified me because I knew what could happen. I thought a lot about family dynamics and how things connected.
The book is told from Beth, Dominic and Ursula’s points of view. I’m not overly fond of multiple points of view but, in this case, it worked very well. Being able to follow each person’s thoughts brought the story to life. It added a necessary understanding.
The story was gripping, sad at times, intense and terrifying. I thought the ending was done right for the story. I don’t want to go into it for fear of spoiling it. It worked for me. I’m happy I selected this book.
keeperofpages's review
4.0
The Second Captive is split into two parts: before the abduction and after the abduction, so I’m going to split my review into two parts – and you’ll clearly see which part I enjoyed more…
Part I – Before: I enjoyed part one, I thought it laid the foundation perfectly for part two by detailing how Beth’s captivity with Dominic played out – the abuse he reigned down on her wasn’t intense physically but so emotionally manipulative, truly psychological. This part is narrated by Beth and Dominic. Interestingly, I didn’t feel as drawn to Beth as I thought I would and I didn’t dislike Dominic as much as I thought I would either. The more I think about it, the more I see how Stockholm syndrome works, it’s so subtle, that even as the reader, I didn’t feel it’s impact until part 2…
Part II – After: Now this is where the plot really took off for me, the aftermath, narrated by Beth and her mum, Ursula, we see the impact Beth’s captivity and escape had on her and her family. Enter my favourite character – Ursula – her determination to help her daughter was commendable. James did a wonderful job showing how events affected Ursula – I was confused by Beth’s actions, I so wanted to understand how she could feel anything, except hatred, towards her captor and that’s what made me like Ursula so much, the way she handled things, the patience she exhibited.
The tension in this part was sky-high, Beth was so fragile, while reading this part of the book, I keep thinking “oh no, she’s going to go back to Dominic.” While understanding the plot, my inability to put myself in Beth’s shoes made this psychologically thrilling because I keep asking myself what I would do in her situation but I just couldn’t see myself acting the way she did. My desire to understand coupled with the way Ursula supported her daughter gripped me to the pages of part II.
The plot doesn’t move at breakneck speed as that wasn’t needed in this novel, the slower, steadier pace allows the reader to get psychologically involved in this story. If you’re a fan of abduction thrillers, or interested in how Stockholm syndrome works, The Second Captive is a must read!
*My thanks to Bloodhound Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book*
Part I – Before: I enjoyed part one, I thought it laid the foundation perfectly for part two by detailing how Beth’s captivity with Dominic played out – the abuse he reigned down on her wasn’t intense physically but so emotionally manipulative, truly psychological. This part is narrated by Beth and Dominic. Interestingly, I didn’t feel as drawn to Beth as I thought I would and I didn’t dislike Dominic as much as I thought I would either. The more I think about it, the more I see how Stockholm syndrome works, it’s so subtle, that even as the reader, I didn’t feel it’s impact until part 2…
Part II – After: Now this is where the plot really took off for me, the aftermath, narrated by Beth and her mum, Ursula, we see the impact Beth’s captivity and escape had on her and her family. Enter my favourite character – Ursula – her determination to help her daughter was commendable. James did a wonderful job showing how events affected Ursula – I was confused by Beth’s actions, I so wanted to understand how she could feel anything, except hatred, towards her captor and that’s what made me like Ursula so much, the way she handled things, the patience she exhibited.
The tension in this part was sky-high, Beth was so fragile, while reading this part of the book, I keep thinking “oh no, she’s going to go back to Dominic.” While understanding the plot, my inability to put myself in Beth’s shoes made this psychologically thrilling because I keep asking myself what I would do in her situation but I just couldn’t see myself acting the way she did. My desire to understand coupled with the way Ursula supported her daughter gripped me to the pages of part II.
The plot doesn’t move at breakneck speed as that wasn’t needed in this novel, the slower, steadier pace allows the reader to get psychologically involved in this story. If you’re a fan of abduction thrillers, or interested in how Stockholm syndrome works, The Second Captive is a must read!
*My thanks to Bloodhound Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book*
thequietgeordie's review
5.0
The book is written in two parts, first set during Beth’s time in captivity, and then after she manages to escape. Each of these two parts are told from two different viewpoints – the first part is Beth’s and her captor, Dominic. The second half is again told from Beth’s viewpoint, but the other viewpoint is her Mother, Ursula.
At the beginning, Beth is a strong, independent 18 year old. She becomes interested in an older male, Dominic, and they go on a few dates. She soon realises what his true plan is. At first she is desperate to escape, but slowly she develops feelings for her captor.
When she escapes, she finds it difficult to readjust, having been held for two years. The family find their relationships with her changed, too.
I loved this book! I found the character of Beth believable, and felt her terror, her desperation and then slow decent into Stockholm Syndrome. I also liked her mother, Ursula, and her need to reconnect to her daughter, her need to understand what happened, and her need to protect.
It was a fast paced read, and I enjoyed the different viewpoints.
*My thanks to Sarah Hardy and the team at Bloodhound books for the free copy, in exchange for an honest review.*
At the beginning, Beth is a strong, independent 18 year old. She becomes interested in an older male, Dominic, and they go on a few dates. She soon realises what his true plan is. At first she is desperate to escape, but slowly she develops feelings for her captor.
When she escapes, she finds it difficult to readjust, having been held for two years. The family find their relationships with her changed, too.
I loved this book! I found the character of Beth believable, and felt her terror, her desperation and then slow decent into Stockholm Syndrome. I also liked her mother, Ursula, and her need to reconnect to her daughter, her need to understand what happened, and her need to protect.
It was a fast paced read, and I enjoyed the different viewpoints.
*My thanks to Sarah Hardy and the team at Bloodhound books for the free copy, in exchange for an honest review.*
ironi's review
2.0
Did I read the same book as the other people reviewing it?
I was in the mood for a psychological thriller, something to wake me up and make me feel stuff. I came across this book and felt it could be good.
Oh man, how do I begin unpacking my thoughts?
First of all, Beth is so stupid. It's impossible to root for her because she is an idiot. It's beyond being 18 and naive, I was 18 not too long ago. Beth is in a whole new catagory.
I feel like the author didn't consult any actual victims of Stockholm Syndrome, that she read the psychological definition somewhere (and made a character repeat it to prove her knowledge). All the steps are there but I just didn't believe it.
It's all so unrealistic, like this book keeps being like "I'm a book so this can happen" and I'm here like "okay no, where is your obligation to portraying something real".
Ah, I will continue later, I'm not into this now.
I was in the mood for a psychological thriller, something to wake me up and make me feel stuff. I came across this book and felt it could be good.
Oh man, how do I begin unpacking my thoughts?
First of all, Beth is so stupid. It's impossible to root for her because she is an idiot. It's beyond being 18 and naive, I was 18 not too long ago. Beth is in a whole new catagory.
I feel like the author didn't consult any actual victims of Stockholm Syndrome, that she read the psychological definition somewhere (and made a character repeat it to prove her knowledge). All the steps are there but I just didn't believe it.
It's all so unrealistic, like this book keeps being like "I'm a book so this can happen" and I'm here like "okay no, where is your obligation to portraying something real".
Ah, I will continue later, I'm not into this now.
bibliophilebookclub's review
3.0
Massive thanks to Maxine at Booklover Catlady and Maggie James for my copy of this book!
Having not read any books by this author before I didn't really know what to expect but I was pleasantly ( if you can write that about a psychological thriller!!!!) surprised by this book!
The Second Captive follows Beth, an eighteen year old girl who is abducted and held by a man for two years. She subsequently escapes! This book goes between present day and the events of the two years she was held captive.
Written in alternative views from Beth, her captor and her mother, we get the different thoughts from each. I found this style of writing really good for this book as you get into the minds of the victim and her captor as well as the emotional turmoil her mother and family faced as well.
We know that Beth escapes, so that's not really a spoiler. The reader learns that Beth will have to attempt to adjust back into normal life, away from the rules, control and punishment she had grown to accept from Dominic, her captor. You would think that the story would finish dramatically with her escape and subsequent return home.
It doesn't.
Maggie James has done a great job of enhancing the story in the aftermath of Beth's return. We learn more from her mother, Ursula, and we also gain emotional insight into Dominic's state of mind once Beth has left him. Stockholm syndrome is the psychological term for what Beth has experienced and the way it is portrayed in the book is interesting.
There were many questions left unanswered for me when I finished this book, but all in all I enjoyed it! I gave it a solid 3 stars on Goodreads.
My thanks again to Maxine and Maggie James!
Happy reading!
Having not read any books by this author before I didn't really know what to expect but I was pleasantly ( if you can write that about a psychological thriller!!!!) surprised by this book!
The Second Captive follows Beth, an eighteen year old girl who is abducted and held by a man for two years. She subsequently escapes! This book goes between present day and the events of the two years she was held captive.
Written in alternative views from Beth, her captor and her mother, we get the different thoughts from each. I found this style of writing really good for this book as you get into the minds of the victim and her captor as well as the emotional turmoil her mother and family faced as well.
We know that Beth escapes, so that's not really a spoiler. The reader learns that Beth will have to attempt to adjust back into normal life, away from the rules, control and punishment she had grown to accept from Dominic, her captor. You would think that the story would finish dramatically with her escape and subsequent return home.
It doesn't.
Maggie James has done a great job of enhancing the story in the aftermath of Beth's return. We learn more from her mother, Ursula, and we also gain emotional insight into Dominic's state of mind once Beth has left him. Stockholm syndrome is the psychological term for what Beth has experienced and the way it is portrayed in the book is interesting.
There were many questions left unanswered for me when I finished this book, but all in all I enjoyed it! I gave it a solid 3 stars on Goodreads.
My thanks again to Maxine and Maggie James!
Happy reading!
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