The Siege

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This day is also the end of the trial for Nicholas Farmer, a self proclaimed leader of the banned right-wing group Home Front. Sutherland shows us the complexity of a hostage scenario and the weight that rests on the shoulders of the police in such situations. I certainly didn’t at the beginning but as things unfolded I wanted him to survive, I was truly hoping he would survive, knowing that a lot of the time the hostage taker is killed. In his memoir, Blue, we also see how much the day to day toll of policing had on his own mental health, the impacts of seeing so much violence leaving an indelible mark.

The Siege – John Sutherland - policecommander

Setting up base nearby, Alex has only phone contact with Lee and as he tries to talk Lee round, the lives of the hostages inside the church hall hang in the balance. At times he finds it difficult to do this knowing one false move could cost a life of even nine lives or ten if you count the hostage taker. We see this as Grace tries to reach Lee using the words of Martin Luther King, expressing that if she was to meet Lee’s hatred for her with more hate then they would get nowhere.

Having been radicalised online into believing that all immigrants were bad and had to be removed by whatever means necessary, he had targeted the church hall due to their group that helped refugees. This may be his debut novel, but he already has two non-fiction books to his name, Blue: A Memoir and Crossing the Line are both fascinating books about policing. A father of two boys, he feels he is failing as a husband and as a father and he is troubled over his last negotiating mission which ended badly, through no fault of his, or anyone’s. I read that the author worked as a policeman and hostage negotiator and this book seemed very factual.

The Siege by John Sutherland | Goodreads

It is easy to fall into a default mode of hate rather than taking time to understand people and situations.

Having Lee be an antagonist with a very familiar and stereotypical background undermines what Sutherland is trying to do and it prevents the book from elevating to the powerful story that it might have been. I loved how the author's police experience and background really helped to create this believable storyline. Each of the characters is introduced, and their individual stories are expanded on throughout the book.

The Siege by John Sutherland | Goodreads The Siege by John Sutherland | Goodreads

Targeting a church hall in Herne Hill, south London – which openly welcomes refugees – Lee enters the hall under the pretext of taking part in a prayer meeting. Sutherland immerses you into a nightmare where life or death hangs on his main character’s every word.Not too far away live Grace Wheatley and her teenage son Isaiah, she had been born in the United Kingdom but her parents had come over as part of the Windrush campaign. Following Nicholas Farmer's arrest, Lee James Connor finds a church hall with 'Refugees Welcome' above the door - the perfect place to carry out his plan. Each one of them have ghosts that are ever present during the events that take place and that form some of the decisions they make. It is the story of a hostage situation and it focuses in on three characters: the policeman, Superintendent Alex Lewis who is the Chief Negotiator, Grace Wheatley, a woman who is being held hostage and Lee James Connor, the hostage taker. Sutherland depicts some very tense moments and the short nature of the chapters means the book is hard to put down, especially once the hostage situation begins.