Ellie Levenson
January 2026
My thoughts
I was grateful for the author note. It helped put the story into perspective even though it gave us an ending that left us with more questions and wanting more.
This had me hooked from the start. I wanted to know more about the siege but this is not what this is about. It’s a story about Kate and a look back over her life. A mother having a moment of realisation and when you’re faced with the possible end of your mortality what do you do what goes through your mind. I struggled to understand at first why it was so much about Kate Vic Lenny and Annie and less about the siege.
What was happening in the hotel is a side story to what is happening in room 706.
Very cleverly written, you know what is occurring but you are seeing it through the eyes of Kate who has no idea where the gun men are or what rescue operation is in place within the building.
About
A married woman is trapped with her lover in a hotel under siege: If she knew it would end this way, would it ever have begun?
Kate’s children and her husband are her whole world. Since marrying young, she’s dedicated her life to making her little family grow. But in the last few years, she’s carved out something just for herself: hours stolen away with another man. After one midday tryst with her lover, Kate’s double life is thrown into chaos when she turns on the TV to find their hotel has been overtaken by an unnamed, dangerous group. As Kate’s life hangs in the balance, she is faced with “a gripping exploration of the murky grey areas of marriage, relationships, and womanhood”
