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Maggie James
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The Second Captive: A chilling novel of psychological suspense Kindle Edition

by Maggie James (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 796 ratings

He'll never let her go...

Beth Sutton is eighteen years old when Dominic Perdue kidnaps her. Held prisoner in a basement, she’s dependent upon him for food, clothes, and her very existence. Beth never allows herself to forget that her abductor killed his last captive. She has evidence to prove it, as well as Dominic’s own admission of murder.

Then Beth escapes…

And discovers Dominic Perdue is not a man who lets go easily. Meanwhile, despite being reunited with her family, she spirals into self-destruction. Release from her prison isn’t enough, it seems. Can Beth free her mind from Dominic’s grasp before he recaptures her?

Because if he does, he’ll kill her…

A study of emotional dependency, The Second Captive examines how the mind makes dark choices under duress.
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  1. Print length
    308 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    24 Nov. 2014
  5. File size
    2.0 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00PFQ65SA
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orelia Publishing
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 24 Nov. 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.0 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 308 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0957558373
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 796 ratings

About the author

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Maggie James

Maggie James

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Maggie James is a British author who lives near Newcastle. She writes psychological suspense novels.

Before turning her hand to writing, Maggie worked mainly as an accountant, with a diversion into practising as a nutritional therapist. Diet and health remain high on her list of interests, along with travel. Accountancy does not, but then it never did. The urge to pack a bag and go off travelling is always lurking in the background! When not writing, going to the gym, practising yoga or travelling, Maggie can be found seeking new four-legged friends to pet; animals are a lifelong love!

Sign up for Maggie's Special Readers' Group for the chance to win one of her signed paperbacks! Copy and paste this link into your browser: http://eepurl.com/bzW8ZP

Find out more about Maggie, including how to get her free novella Blackwater Lake, at https://www.maggiejamesfiction.com.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
796 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a page-turner with a fantastic psychological thriller plot full of twists and turns. The writing is well-executed, with one customer noting how convincingly it portrays the captor's perspective. Customers engage completely with the characters and appreciate how the story makes them empathize with the characters. The book is gripping from the first page, well-paced, and thought-provoking, with one review highlighting how small details gain significance as the story unfolds.

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36 customers mention ‘Readability’36 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a page-turner and brilliant read, with one customer noting how it kept them engaged throughout.

"...Dominic is creepy and dark, but at times somewhat likeable, the author did an amazing job of giving us, the reader a taste of Stockholm Syndrome in..." Read more

"...by Maggie James is an excellent psychological thriller that will appeal to many readers. I’ll definitely be reading more from Maggie James." Read more

"A real page turner. Beth is hoping for a bit more excitement in her life. She's 18 and wants to break free from her family...." Read more

"...and 'phew,you've come to your senses!'. A great read with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing!" Read more

15 customers mention ‘Plot’15 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the plot of the book, describing it as a fantastic psychological thriller full of twists and turns.

"...That's how it was for me. I was in book world with this one, lost in the plot, the characters and the atmosphere...." Read more

"...I found The Second Captive got me into the story really quickly, I wanted to keep reading, no, I had to keep reading, especially once Beth was..." Read more

"...The carefully constructed story begins with a Prologue in which our protagonist Beth Sutton, the second captive of the title, makes her way back to..." Read more

"...A great read with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing!" Read more

14 customers mention ‘Writing quality’14 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one customer noting it is exceptionally well-written as a self-published thriller, while another highlights how convincingly it portrays the perspective of keeping Beth captive.

"...The writing is crisp throughout and the narrative moves forward at a fast pace, making this a book you will not want to put down...." Read more

"...It is well written and the use of language helps you to engage, empathise and interact with the characters." Read more

"...His explanation for keeping Beth captive was written so convincingly that the author almost makes readers feel some sympathy for him...." Read more

"...The characters in this book are well developed and believable...." Read more

13 customers mention ‘Thought provoking’13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking, describing it as a psychological thriller that keeps them intrigued throughout. One customer notes how small details gain great significance as the story unfolds.

"...The book makes you think, it keeps you on the edge, at times it's disturbing and difficult to imagine with Beth's situation...." Read more

"...While I certainly didn’t like Dominic, I did appreciate reading his thoughts and processes...." Read more

"...This is a carefully plotted story where small details gain great significance as it unfolds, and unforeseen links emerge between the cast of major..." Read more

"...A real psychological thriller!" Read more

8 customers mention ‘Character development’8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book.

"...I was immersed in the plot and the characters. Could not take my eyes off the book as I devoured every word in it...." Read more

"...and the use of language helps you to engage, empathise and interact with the characters." Read more

"...I really enjoyed this book. The development of the characters’ personalities and their relationships added to the tension and suspense of the story...." Read more

"...The characters in this book are well developed and believable...." Read more

6 customers mention ‘Empathy’6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate how the book makes them empathize with the characters, with one customer mentioning feeling Beth's loss and another noting the heart-stopping moments.

"...It is well written and the use of language helps you to engage, empathise and interact with the characters." Read more

"...captivity is minutely studied and described in a way that makes her feelings of loss,later in the story, completely understandable...." Read more

"...The characters were believable and made me empathise with then. Would definitely recommend." Read more

"...It was a proper page turner for me. I felt the agony of Beth and could understand the problems that Dominic was facing...." Read more

6 customers mention ‘Grip’6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book gripping from the first page.

"...This is the best I have read so far. I was hooked from start to finish. It was a proper page turner for me...." Read more

"...Gripping from start to finish, I've never read a book soo quickly (i usually take ages getting through a book)...." Read more

"I thoroughly enjoyed this book it was gripping from the first page Very few books have kept me up at night this was one of them,..." Read more

"...From page one it is truely gripping and SO well written. Well done Maggie James." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Pace’4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-paced, with one mentioning it's the fastest read they've ever had.

"...The plot is excellent, tight and paced well, not a boring moment in the whole book...." Read more

"...The writing is crisp throughout and the narrative moves forward at a fast pace, making this a book you will not want to put down...." Read more

"...Gripping from start to finish, I've never read a book soo quickly (i usually take ages getting through a book)...." Read more

"...Both the plot and characterisation is solid and well-paced. Her's is an exceptionally well-written self-published thriller...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Booklover Catlady
    5.0 out of 5 stars Stockholm Syndrome tackled in this chilling and taut psychological thriller, a must read book! Loved every word of it.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 November 2014
    Verified Purchase
    The new novel from British author Maggie James is exceptionally well done. This psychological thriller will ease it's way into your psyche and stay there, a book to not only read and enjoy but become totally immersed in.

    From the moment I started reading until the very end I was riveted. Turn off the phone, forget to eat, take quick toilet trips and ignore everybody around me. That's how it was for me. I was in book world with this one, lost in the plot, the characters and the atmosphere. I felt so many different emotions reading this book from anger and rage to sadness and pity even. Clever that.

    What happens when you love the man you should hate?

    Beth Sutton is eighteen years old when Dominic Perdue abducts her. Held prisoner in a basement, she’s dependent upon him for food, clothes, her very existence. As the months pass, her hatred for him changes to compassion. Beth never allows herself to forget, however, that her captor has killed another woman. She has evidence to prove it, not to mention Dominic’s own admission of murder.

    Then Beth escapes…

    Beth is kept in the basement of Dominic's house, can you imagine? Like a dog, not a human being. No dignity at all. He is training her to be with him forever. She is not always compliant with her captor, I mean who would be, but slowly she begins to realise how terrible her fate is and is broken down bit by bit by the psychological trauma and situational stress of being captive to this crazed man. But it's not that simple. She has to learn how to please him to get things that ease her situation. It's a mind-f*$k at times this book, it really is.

    There is tension that is so taut in this book you think the book will snap. The plot is excellent, tight and paced well, not a boring moment in the whole book. We get to taste the world from both Beth and Dominic's perspectives as the book changes viewpoints, it's done really exceptionally well and adds to the book hugely that we enter the minds of each of them. How they each see things is so very different.

    At times the excitement and tension was so built up I thought I was going to pop! Like Beth's escape. OMG, I was yelling at her to RUN, hurry up, get the hell away. I could not breathe properly. But the book does not end with Beth's lucky escape, in fact the book takes you to a whole other level after she is free.

    Beth finds her way home, back to her dysfunctional family. One of the most incredible aspects of this book is how Beth's mother embraces her home then becomes obsessed with wanting to know what happened to her daughter, she ignores all the warning bells and decides to investigate for herself.

    Beth is struggling with the feelings inside of her, as many victims with Stockholm Syndrome do, when you become attached to your captor, even like them, or love them. It's a survival mechanism. It's hard to break.

    The characters in this book are brilliant. Beth grows in strength during her ordeal, but we see her broken for parts of it, she is clever and uses her brain to help her in her horrific situation. Dominic is creepy and dark, but at times somewhat likeable, the author did an amazing job of giving us, the reader a taste of Stockholm Syndrome in the way we view Dominic. At times I was feeling sorry for him then had to remind myself of what he was doing to Beth!

    Beth's mother is a stand out character. Really exceptional. She will be a memorable character for me in books for a long time. I would like to have a mother like that. Loved her.

    The book makes you think, it keeps you on the edge, at times it's disturbing and difficult to imagine with Beth's situation. I was immersed in the plot and the characters. Could not take my eyes off the book as I devoured every word in it. I was desperate for a decent outcome, hoping for a powerful end to the book and I got it, oh yes! What a brilliant ending. I am a happy reader now.

    I am a huge fan of Maggie James and her work, her psychological thrillers just get better and better and this is her best book yet in my opinion. 5 stars, highly recommended!

    Please note, I was a beta reader for this book, however when I read the book again once published be assure I read and reviewed it as any reader would, the fact I had beta read the book before publication did not influence my rating. No matter what this book is a 5 star book.
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  • If Only I Could Read Faster
    4.0 out of 5 stars A really great read!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 July 2017
    Verified Purchase
    The blurb to The Second Captive really appealed to me. The concept of the captive starting to see their kidnapper and keeper not as the enemy but as someone that they care about (Stockholm Syndrome) is fascinating to me.

    I found The Second Captive got me into the story really quickly, I wanted to keep reading, no, I had to keep reading, especially once Beth was kidnapped. I had to know how she was going to escape and how was Beth going to cope once she did.

    I really liked how the story was told, the first half is told by Beth and her kidnapper Dominic. This meant that we got to understand what was behind his decision to kidnap Beth and keep her in his basement for so long. While I certainly didn’t like Dominic, I did appreciate reading his thoughts and processes. Once Beth manages to escape, and this is no spoiler, we know from the first chapter that she does, the story is told by Beth and her mother, Ursula, with a small amount from Dominic too. This worked really well. I liked that we didn’t hear from Beth’s family while she was missing, it meant that the whole focus of the book was on what was happening inside the cottage that Beth and Dominic lived and that we were never quite sure what efforts had been put in place to find Beth by her family.

    Having had every aspect of her life controlled by Dominic it was never going to be easy for Beth once she broke free. Fearing disappointment from her mother Beth tried to keep her ordeal secret, but of course, this isn’t as easy as it sounds. This was the only part that I thought The Second Captive strayed into the ‘not quite believable’ side, and that was a shame but it didn’t spoil the book in any way.

    Overall, I think that The Second Captive by Maggie James is an excellent psychological thriller that will appeal to many readers. I’ll definitely be reading more from Maggie James.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • narika blines
    5.0 out of 5 stars Could not put it down
    Reviewed in Australia on 18 July 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Didnt take long to finish at all due to needing to know the ending. Excellent read as are the rest of these books
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  • Candi Silk
    5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating, striking, and resonating thriller!
    Reviewed in the United States on 24 November 2014
    Verified Purchase
    In The Second Captive, author Maggie James weaves an intriguing psychological thriller based upon the psychology of the Stockholm syndrome which was highlighted during a real event that took place in Stockholm, Sweden in August, 1973. However, James’s fine-tuned fingers of fiction tap out an absorbing account of much more than a rehash of a journalistic or historical rendition of a harrowing real life event. The author seems to have a fondness for taking the reader further than simple reality. And that she does with The Second Captive.

    James puts a modern day spin on her novel, and broadens it with deep layers of twisting suspense that ripple beyond the central character of Beth Sutton. The author cleverly coaxes the reader into a believable scenario of the “syndrome” becoming a harsh reality to an ordinary person. It is that possibility painted by the pen of James that puts the reader on the edge of one’s seat as well as the edge of reality. Scary, but that’s the rush that comes from anything James writes.

    Protagonist Beth Sutton could easily be your family member, or even you, as you will discover when reading The Second Captive. James is masterful in crisscrossing the emotions and agendas of the protagonist, and antagonist, Dominic Perdue, as her novel proceeds. And Dominic wants something far beyond one’s imagination. What seems unthinkable and most unlikely, suddenly becomes all too real for all of James’s characters. And that alone peels back another layer of human relations, revealing the underlying fragility. James has a way of presenting her characters in full dimension, reflecting easily the connection between characters and reader. And that’s the point where a story becomes real, believable.

    My reviews never divulge story elements, but I’m more than glad to let potential readers know you won’t be disappointed with The Second Captive. James does not allow her story to drag, and neither does she fill it with fluff. Every chapter is saturated with substance. Her word choice, and plot pacing will keep your pulse pumping, as you pant and fret along with her characters, begging for some kind of resolution and relief. Proof again that the excitement James spreads with ink is felt within the emotions of readers. You don’t just read a book by Maggie James, you experience it, emotionally!

    Rather than hold my gold stars captive another moment, I gladly award 5-Stars for The Second Captive! Keep writing winners for your readers, Ms. James!
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  • Frances Hampton
    4.0 out of 5 stars Wow
    Reviewed in the United States on 4 January 2019
    Verified Purchase
    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.
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  • Erika
    5.0 out of 5 stars All the love, hate
    Reviewed in the United States on 24 November 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Maggie James kept my eyes peeled to each page in The Second Captive. A psychological read about Beth an average 18 year old whose naiveté and grandiose dreams get into a world of hot water with predator Dominic Perdue. Life has played an evil number on Dominic Perdue, who grew up with an abusive father who did unspeakable crimes. The images and his father’s raging temper, control issues, and psychological illness repeat themselves inside Dominic’s head as he abducts Beth and forces her into a lifestyle that he has complete control over.

    Dominic wines and dines Beth drawing her into his well thought out labyrinth of terror. Once he caught his prize he lures her into a basement where he keeps her captive. Her life, comforts, food depends on him. James carefully summarizes the feeling and emotions of both Beth and Dominic and captures the essence of their relationship between abductor and abductee. As a reader their emotions became my emotions. All the love, hate, fear, anxiety, and sadness both protagonists felt became my own.One page I felt bad for Dominic then next I wanted Beth to find some way, anyway, to escape the confines of the basement and do Dominic in.

    I found many elements of the psychological thriller to be relevant and true to life. Most of us haven’t experienced Stockholm Syndrome, but we have read the papers and watched the news. In some cases we have friends or family that have experienced the repercussions of it in some manner, whether a friend, relation, or career in the psychological field. She seized the raw emotions of both characters giving this book such a realistic quality that I would believe she had been a victim herself.

    An excellent, chilling tale.
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  • Paulette p
    3.0 out of 5 stars not what I would call a psychological thriller
    Reviewed in the United States on 1 September 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This book started out fine, then slowly it fell in parts that made you wonder why you were still reading it. When Beth got out , her life went on , into more affairs just as before, because she was to stay overnight with Dominic , let's not forget. So at one point she still thinks about Dominic, why because she never did have sex with him ? OR she want to be kidnapped again ? Does anyone know ? So now her Mom is going by his house to see what happened, why? Let's call the police, can we ? Really!!!!!!!!!! You decide.
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