The Second Captive by Maggie James
Stockholm syndrome: the psychological tendency of a hostage to bond with his or her captor.
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…
And discovers Dominic Perdue is not a man who lets go easily. Meanwhile, despite being reunited with her family, she spirals into self-destructive behaviour. Release from her prison isn’t enough, it seems. Can Beth also break free from the clutches of Stockholm syndrome?
A study of emotional dependency, The Second Captive examines how love can assume strange guises.
Author’s Bio
Maggie James is a British author who lives in Bristol. She writes psychological suspense novels.
Before turning her hand to writing, Maggie worked mainly as an accountant, with a diversion into practicing 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, practicing yoga or travelling, Maggie can be found seeking new four-legged friends to pet; animals are a lifelong love!
My Review
5 stars
Beth Sutton is infatuated with an older man, Dominic Perdue. But after a couple dates he kidnaps her and locks her in his basement. He is going to break her and train her to be the perfect woman and if that doesn’t work he has no problem killing her since he has killed before. Beth tries to fight at first but comes around to understanding that she has to rely on Dominic for everything from food and clothing to bathroom breaks. And the longer she is with him she actually feels bad for him and starts loving him.
Then, two years later, Beth has the opportunity to escape. But it is heartbreaking to listen to her argue with herself about leaving or staying. She then returns home to her family but doesn’t want to talk about where she was and what happened to her. But Beth is having a hard time wrapping her head around freedom, she wants someone who will tell her what to do and finds herself getting into trouble.
Stockholm syndrome is described on Wikipedia as a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feels toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending and identifying with the captors. This is a heartbreaking story of Stockholm syndrome. Beth finds herself broken and dependent on Dominic. He has become her whole world and it is hard to read about her finally getting free from him physically yet still being locked in that mental prison he created.
Besides the heartbreaking discussions she has with herself I felt for her mother. She understands that Beth’s behaviors are from the two years that she has been gone but she keeps fighting for her daughter. It was almost more painful to read those parts than what Dominic did to her in the first place.
This is an amazing and touching story. Although I admit I am not a fan of the ending, I have a little too much revenge in my body for how the book ended. This is a great story and one that I recommend everyone read.
I received The Second Captive from Bloodhound Books for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.
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