We open the story with a kidnapping. But the group of kidnappers, an underground revolutionary group, quickly realize they’ve bitten off more than they can chew. Because the young woman they’ve kidnapped is not only pregnant, she seems happy to be kidnapped and has no interest in returning home. This group comprised of Luke, Rosa, and Cam, who want to use this kidnapping as a way to expose the Woolsaw Group who seemingly run everything from the military to mental hospitals. But the young pregnant woman they’ve kidnapped is carrying no ordinary child. And once a freak deadly weather event happens, the group realize they may be over their head.

Hitting shelves on September 30th is the horror debut of Kit Burgoyne (Ned Beauman) called The Captive.

Here’s what I loved:

This is incredibly fast paced, I read this entire thing over a Saturday despite it almost being 400 pages. The speed of which this story takes place is insane. The first chapter is the kidnapping, by chapter three we’re encountering a horrifically bloody weather event, and by chapter five the baby is born. And that’s not even spoiling anything!

I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters. Luke is a complex and damaged individual who’s struggling with how far to take the revolutionary group’s actions, and trying to understand his feelings for the kidnappee, Adeline. Adeline is this absolute bad ass who’s been through hell and back a few times. Her entire arc was so satisfying to read, and I loved her so deeply by the end.

The Woolsaw Group is just every big, horrible corporation and this story really studies how far the negative impacts of these types of companies can stretch, and the true lows they will go to for prestige and money. I think Burgoyne has a lot of great things to say here about how we do become numb to the horrors of capitalism and how impossible it can all feel to make serious changes to fix things.

Overall, this was a really solid horror debut and I’m excited to see what else Burgoyne writes in this genre in the future. A big thank you to Hell’s Hundred for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Pick up a copy for yourself when this book is published on September 30th.