I have to say, “Captured” surprised me. I’m not sure why. Neil Cross has a proven track record with Spooks and Luther – both television hits with the BBC.

Captured is an imaginative, enjoyable and unpredictable novel, one which leads you one way and then another and just when you think you have it all figured out Cross changes the rules. The characters are gritty and believable, Cross pushing the human boundaries to their limits.

You see how one man’s desire to put things right take over his being, forcing him to make life shattering decisions that affect not only his remaining life but those around him.

Kenny has just weeks to live. Refusing to take the drastic medical help that would prolong his life by a few weeks, he leaves the surgery and makes a decisive decision. He sits down, takes a piece of paper and writes down four names. We discover that he wants to clear his conscience one last time, a sort of closure if you like, before he dies.

Included on the list is his ex-wife Mary, a young lad called Thomas Kintry, a shopkeeper and his best friend from his childhood Callie Barton. We are introduced to numerous characters that are enveloped in his desire for finality – an ex-cop, a downbeat private investigator and Mary’s immediate family.

Time is running out and Kenny has choices to make. Callie Burton had a powerful hold over the young Kenny, she was the only friend he had in junior school, and she was the one that made life bearable. Truth be known, they both supported each other although Kenny was oblivious to this and when she failed to return to school after a break his world changed.

Years later he sets about finding Callie to thank her for his friendship and support only to find she has gone missing. Her husband, Jonathan Reese, is clueless. Despite a police investigation, she remains a missing person and it’s left to Kenny to track her down – no matter the cost.

Unable and unwilling to amble his way through his final days Kenny’s final journey begins. And what a journey it is, “Captured” will most definitely pull at the heart strings. Kenny is an endearing character but to be honest the book is so much more than that. It’s a tail of humanity and choices, whether they are the right ones who know.

“Captured” is a fast paced thriller; the dialogue is crisp and natural, the plotlines imaginative and evolving. Unsurprisingly, Cross delves deeply into his experiences as a screenwriter (Spooks & Luther); a high percentage of the book is delivered in dialogue form.

I read the book in one sitting; such was the pull of Captured. It will thrill, tease and entertain. Recommended.

Published by Simon & Schuster “Captured” is available to buy from Waterstones & Amazon.