It takes a damn good book to hook me from the start, but Switch gripped me and didn’t let me go. What an adrenaline rush! I read it while walking from room to room, while cooking, and I even read it while on the toilet. Unfortunately, I was so engrossed that I sat on the loo, not realising the toilet lid was DOWN. Needless to say, I had a spillage to clean up.

Switch is one of those books where the hook is immediate—a rare, precious find. I felt like I watched a movie—love it when you forget you’re reading—and that I was there. I’m amazed when authors create a world where you belong in that book, where the characters are your buddies, and you root for them as though they were real.

Sam and Zack are real-to-life characters that you wish the best for and follow them on their journey in the hope they’ll find their wives and children safe and well. Their path is strewn with many obstacles created by the kidnapper, who calls them from time to time to issue instructions. And let me tell you, the instructions are chilling and made me ask myself: Would I do what he’s asked of them? In normal circumstances, no, but when the alternative is the kidnapper doing something to my loved ones, yes. Hell yes, I’d do what he asked and more, however despicable I’d find it when not in the characters’ situation.

Switch shows how love and devotion pushes you to your limits and makes you act out of character in order to ensure your family’s safety. A chilling look, not only into the kidnapper’s mind, but also into humans in general. Everyday men who would never commit a crime. In a way, it’s scary to think that ordinary people are forced to do things they don’t want to when presented with a ghastly alternative if they refuse. A fascinating book that zips along so fast you’ll be amazed at where the time went. I read until around 4.a.m., unable to put it down. My daughter read it in six hours straight.

With a couple of plot twists as the book progresses, and one at the end that I didn’t see coming (bravo!), I can’t recommend Switch enough. If you’re a thriller fan, buy this book and ignore everything else on your TBR pile.