Kelley Armstrong’s The Masked Truth, and 5 More Heart-Pounding Hostage Stories

The Masked Truth, by Kelley Armstong
This action-packed thriller will haunt you long after the last page, as it plays with themes of trust, forgiveness, and strength in the most terrifying and violent way. Riley suffers from PTSD, a result of witnessing the brutal murder of her neighbors, and Max has received a medical diagnosis that changed his life. The two teens wind up at the same intensive weekend therapy camp, but things go awry when three masked men break in and take the teens hostage. From start to finish, the book is nonstop action and twists, so it’s best to clear some time before you start. You won’t be able to put it down.

This Is Not a Drill, by Beck McDowell
This Is Not a Drill perfectly captures the terror, confusion, and tension of two high school seniors who find themselves involved in a hostage situation. Emery and Jake are tutoring a class of first-graders when a gunman with PTSD bursts in, demanding custody of his son. Somehow the teens, who used to date, must calm the children and try to get help. Told through the two leads’ alternating perspectives, the story examines the subject of mental illness and gun violence in a balanced way. It’s a scary premise, and, unfortunately, a story ripped from the headlines.

The Song of an Innocent Bystander, by Ian Bone
This disturbing tale belongs to Freda Opperman, a girl held hostage by a gunman at the age of nine. Jumping between that life-altering day and her life ten years later, we learn how the gunman manipulated a scared young Freda and how she continues to suffer from guilt associated with the deaths that took place. As everyone fights for their own survival, it starts to become clear not everyone can make it. It’s a haunting look at survivor’s guilt, PTSD, and coming to terms with the brutal things that happen to innocent people for seemingly no reason.

Hostage Three, by Nick Lake
A thought-provoking look at bad circumstances and desperation, Hostage Three is the story of Amy Fields, daughter of a millionaire banker. When she, her father, and his new wife set sail on their yacht, Somali hijackers take them hostage to extort money. Her father becomes hostage one, her stepmother becomes hostage two, and Amy is dubbed hostage three. But after Amy begins to learn more about the pirates, she finds herself drawn to one of her captors. A nuanced look at war-torn Somali provides context for the story, forcing readers to face uncomfortable truths about our world, without pretending to offer easy answers.

Give a Boy a Gun, by Todd Strasser
Gary and Brendan are teased mercilessly by the jocks at their school, until they get hold of some guns and hold their classmates and teachers hostage at a school dance. Their sad story is told after the event in question, through interviews with their parents, classmates, and community members. Media analysis and online conversations are also included, making the novel read like an actual case study. The author also provides real-life statistics about gun violence in the United States, interspersed through footnotes, and ends the story with his own thoughts on gun control, which makes it a great book for sparking a discussion on an unfortunately pervasive issue.

After the First Death, by Robert Cormier
Published in the late 1970s, this hostage story mostly takes place on a bus full of children that has been hijacked by a group of terrorists. It’s told through alternating perspectives, including the 16-year-old bus driver and one of the young hijackers, and it’s completely bone-chilling. The reader slowly learns why and how the hijacking occurred and is forced to face differing perspectives on war and terrorism, leaving you disturbed long after the book ends. Cormier manages to convey such a deep horror and heartbreak that the story needs its own mourning period once you finish.