User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
It’s just 7 days until Max’s third birthday, but his mum Maggie isn’t planning any special treats, in fact she has no contact whatsoever with the outside world. Maggie was abducted at the age of fifteen, and twelve years later she’s still living in a windowless basement with Max but all her thoughts are concentrated on overpowering her captor somehow, because she had two little boys before Max after becoming pregnant by her captor, and on their third birthday he took them away from her. This time however she’s determined to think of something - he can’t take Max, he’s all she has and she adores her little boy, but can she come up with an idea before it’s too late? The clock is ticking!
Maggie’s disappearance twelve years earlier almost destroyed her parents, and they’ve watched as her brother James’s life spirals increasingly out of control. They’ve all had to deal with it in their own way, they don’t even know that Maggie was abducted, as far as they know she just disappeared. James keeps his feelings bottled up and eventually turns to drink and drugs as a coping strategy which of course is no help at all.
I like the way the author gives every family member a voice to relate their feelings, to demonstrate how Maggie’s disappearance has impacted on all their lives.
It goes without saying that this is a very dark subject matter, and is in turns horrifying, sad, moving and has some heart stopping moments, and Maggie and Max will have you rooting for them from first page to last.
* Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
Rating: really liked it
What a book! Seven Days by Alex Lake was a book that I was so completely engrossed in from the very beginning. How could you not be - the story is fantastic. It is written so well that you just keep turning those pages. It is a fast paced and very emotional book. I challenge you not to like this book. I have read all of Alex Lake's books and enjoyed them . Definitely an author to look into if you have not already.
The subject matter of this book is not always the easiest to read. Maggie Cooper is kidnapped when she is 15. 12 years later she is still being held captive in a hidden basement by the man. Over those years she has given birth to 3 sons, 2 of whom have been taken away from her on their 3rd birthdays. Now her 3rd son Max is about to tur 3 and she knows she has to do something to protect him. She has 7 days to come up with a plan to save her son - and hopefully escape with him.
I loved that the book is told from multiple points of view. Not only do we hear from Maggie and Max, but also her parents and brother James. We see how Maggies disappearance has impacted their lives and changed them forever. We also hear from the police officer looking for her, and still 12 years has not give up hope.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased..
Rating: really liked it
Max is three in seven days time. Maggie Cooper has seven days before her captor takes him as he had her previous two little boys. She has been held in captive for twelve years and was 15 years old when she was taken. They are being held in some sort of cellar with no natural light or proper washing or toilet facilities. She has been used and abused by her captor who is probably now in his late 60’s. This is the shocking premise of this novel by Alex Lake and although it is by no means an easy read it is at no point graphic because it doesn’t need to be. It focuses on Maggie’s desire to survive and save her son and it shines a spotlight on the impact her capture has on her family. This well written story goes on a countdown to Max’s birthday and back and forth from the events of the capture and the intervening years.
The stand out aspect for me in this book is the characters. Maggie is quite simply amazing. Her will to survive, her resourcefulness, the care and deep love of her children is tangible. She creates imaginative and wonderful worlds to transport gorgeous Max to so they can transcend their terrible circumstances. Maggie’s family are wonderful too, especially her father Martin, who should be dad of the year or even the decade. Brother James is the one who most overtly seems to suffer from Maggie’s loss as he goes down a catastrophic path of self destruction. Her mother Sandra, is kind and caring so much so that her generous nature leads to Maggie’s captor inserting himself in their lives. I think that is one of the most twisted aspects of him as it’s as if he sticking the knife in twice. He also taunts DI Jane Wynne over the years in the form of letters. The family’s rising panic when they realise Maggie is missing is so well described as are the ups and downs of learning to live without her. The tension builds up really well towards the seventh day as Maggie uses all her wits and resolve to get her freedom. The ending is very emotional.
Overall, a well written book which deals with a difficult topic as sensitively as possible and kudos to the author for that.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK - Harper Fiction.
Rating: really liked it
After reading “After Anna” and “Killing Alex” I was really looking forward to starting this book. I kept thinking about it all day at work!!
Maggie was abducted at the age of fifteen by Mr Best and has spent twelve years in a basement, she gave birth to three sons but two were taken from her on their third birthday.
She has a son Max soon to be three, she is counting down the days until his birthday, as her abductor always takes her sons when they reach three. Seb and Leo were taken, never to be seen again. This time she is determined to overcome her abductor and to escape.
The story alternates between the present and the time after she was taken. We get to see how the family is affected especially her brother James, whose life spirals out of control.
This book had me gripped from the first paragraph. It is well written and it keeps you intrigued even though you know early on who the abductor is, although it doesn’t ruin the story. I found myself screaming at the book at the audacity at Mr Best at how he infiltrates himself into Maggie’s family.
A must read book. I felt every emotion possible reading this book and although it’s not real I will be thinking about this for a long time.
Looking forward to Alex Lakes next book.
Rating: really liked it
Wow, what a ride, this is the first novel from Alex Lake I have read, but it certainly won't be the last, very addictive yet very dark and bleak subject matter with some heartbreaking moments.
Maggie Cooper is a young 15 year old girl going to visit her older cousin whom she looks up to and wants a chat and a bit of advice girl to girl, but as a car suddenly pulls up along her route, she is suddenly drugged and taken against her will, she then wakes up alone trapped in a basement.
The story then skips between timeframes as a young Maggie and then 12 years later to the present day, in which Maggie has had 2 of her previous children taken away from her on their 3rd birthday and it's only 7 days before the same thing will happen to Max, her adorable and cheerful third child, Maggie is determined Max will not suffer the same fate as the others, though the odious kidnapper refuses to elaborate just what has happened.
Not only do we hear from Maggie we also get POV chapters from Maggies heartbroken family, who are obviously struggling to come to terms with their missing child, and we get to know Maggies mum (Sandra) and Dad (Martin) and younger brother James and the devastating impact this has.
When Sandra struggles with illness and James has issues with alcohol and even hard drug use, Martin feels at the end of his tether, and at times understandably wonders what has he done to deserve all this heartache.
As for the odious pathetic kidnapper, we get to see an insight into him from not only Maggie but others as well, such as the Detective in charge of the Maggie Cooper case, she knows something isnt right.
Often an infuriating read due to the arrogant POS who kidnapped poor Maggie and took away her children, a complete evil scumbag who genuinely believes he is doing what's best for Maggie, the arrogance is astounding, andnyou are really rooting for Maggie to finally make her escape and annihilate her captor, despite the infuriating and bleak nature of the story it was highly addictive, constantly praying for Maggie and her family, I finished this in a few days I would have done it in one sitting if I wasn't reading another novel and the ending itself packs a mighty punch, and the story stays with you a while after, highly recommended.
⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 Stars!.
Rating: really liked it
2 elements make this one of my favourite books of the year
The quick element of shock at the story and the wonderfully simplistic but engaging story telling style
We start by meeting Maggie who is held captive in a ‘cell’ by a ‘Mr Best’ we soon find out this has gone on for years and she has had 3 sons whilst there...2 have been taken by her captor on their 3rd birthdays and the 3rd son is due to be 3 in 7 days...hence the title, Maggie has 7 days to save him
The story bobs back and forth from present to past and past past but the effortless way the story is told means it is anything but confusing and at all times I knew which year and part of the story we were in/at
The story is emotive, brutal at times, dark and cold at others but at all times felt real, I believed it was all happening and was at various times angry, outraged, sad and wanting justice, the last part of the book really had me sat up on tenderhooks almost flicking the next kindle app page before I had finished the last
I detested ‘Mr Best’ everything about him was cruel, and the way he ingratiated himself with Maggie’s family was clever and sickening
Sub stories of a fight with cancer and drug addiction were well told and actually added to the story
There are uncomfortable scenes between Maggie and Mr Best that are there for the story and not simply put in for shock value, they are not over gratuitous and can be skipped over if needed and are a small part of the story
Really quite a brilliant book and I doubt even the casualest ( made up word ) of readers would take 7 days to read
Outstanding
10/10
5 Stars
Rating: really liked it
Twelve years ago, Maggie was abducted. She has been kept in a windowless room ever since. She was just fifteen years old when the man took her. Maggie has a son, Max, who will be three years old in just seven days time. She has seven days to save him. Because Maggie knows that when his third birthday comes, the man will come and take Max, just as he had taken Maggie's other two sons.
The story is told mostly from Maggie's perspective but every character has a voice. We hear how her mum, dad and brother have coped over the years. There's also the policewoman, DI Wynne who has investigated the case from the beginning. My heart was in my mouth half the time reading this gripping read. I actually dreaded the day coming when Max would be three. The timeline jumps back and forward over the years, giving us more detail of what Maggie had to endure. The chapters are short and punchy. This is an addictive roller coaster read that you won't want to put down till the end. I routed for Maggie all the way. I highly recommend this book.
I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and the author Alex Lake for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
Brilliant, bloody fucking brilliant
Rating: really liked it
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**4.5 stars**
Seven Days by Alex Lake. (2019).
In 7 days, Maggie's son Max turns 3. Maggie is dreading it. In her world, 3rd birthdays are when she loses her child. 12 years ago Maggie was abducted at age 15 and has been kept in a basement since. Before Max she has had 2 sons, both taken from her by her captor on their 3rd birthdays. She can't let it happen again but she has no idea how to stop it... the clock is ticking...
This one is intense the whole way through. First of all obviously it's a parent's worst nightmare that their child goes missing at all, let alone missing indefinitely. This book very cleverly demonstrated the long lasting damage of such an event on a family. Then of course we have poor Maggie who has not only been abducted and kept in a single room for 12 years so far, but everytime she has a child, her baby is taken from her when he turns 3. Absolutely horrific to imagine! I appreciated that the narrative was broken into Maggie, her parent's and her brother's perspectives, as well as alternating between the current timeline and various points in the past 12 years. It might sound confusing but the sections are clearly labeled so you don't get confused while reading. If you enjoy gripping suspense thrillers then definitely check this one out, I was honestly racing through the pages the closer to the end I got.
Rating: really liked it
So while walking to her cousin's house fifteen-year-old Maggie is kidnapped and kept locked in a basement.
Her kidnapper has no name just the man, he gets her pregnant allowing her to keep her child until there third birthday when he then removes them from her care.
Maggie's third son Leo is approaching his third birthday and she knows if she doesn't find a way to free them both history will again repeat.
So this recounts back from when Maggie is first abducted all the way up to the present day flipping back and forth between the two timeframes.
It was told from numerous Pov's so you really get a sense of where everyone is at.
This also showcased the aftermath and overall effect on maggies, immediate family, after she is taken and it was truly heartbreaking to realise just how near she was all this time.
All the small undetected clues that were screaming out but were undiscovered so sad.
I didn't enjoy this quite as much as my previous read by this author but it was still a solid offering.
slightly farfetched at times and I felt it did go on a bit too long and could have done with some condensing, Still, this was a suspenseful thriller that I did enjoy.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of Seven Days.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
Rating: really liked it
This is a very fast read.
Don’t t be fool by the number of pages, 419.
The chapters are very short and there are big blank gaps between the chapters (at least my edition is like that).
The book started very well and I was immediately hooked.
The first 20% was very engaging and promising.
Unfortunately from there on there was a switch. The storyline turned from interesting to too unrealistic and the writing was quite repetitive. I know this is a work of fiction but I do need a level of plausibility in order to fully enjoy the story.
But I do have to confess that I had a hard time putting this book down, so I guess the author did something right to hold my attention and curiosity to the end.
There are some good moments, yes, and I did feel the despair and the pain of the situation.
This is not the best book I read this year but it was quite entertaining.
Rating: really liked it
Wow this was an absolutely brilliant book. I didn’t read the synopsis prior to reading the book as I love all of Alex Lake’s books. This definitely did not disappoint. It was excellent from start to finish. I really liked Maggie especially with her strength and determination. I also liked all of Maggie’s family especially Martin. He came across really well and I really warmed to him. I absolutely despised the person who took Maggie and was glad he got his comeuppance. I felt so bad for Maggie with what happened with her two other sons. It was so heartbreaking. The book was so thrilling and had you hooked straight from the beginning. I liked the fact that it told you who took Maggie early on in the book and we see how that impacts on the family especially when the man befriends the family. This book was amazing and I can’t wait for the next Alex Lake book already.
Rating: really liked it
OMG - WOW! What. A. Ride. I literally could not put this book down and cursed every moment that I had to! I just have one thing to say before I go on...
...go out and buy this book NOW! Read it! You won't regret it!
Maggie has
SEVEN DAYS before her son Max's 3rd birthday. Seven days before he will be ripped from her arms, never to be seen again, just as her two other sons - Seb and Leo - before him were taken on their 3rd birthdays. Seven days to devise a plan to thwart the man's intentions. Seven days to save her son Max from an unknown fate.
Twelve years ago, the year is 2006, and 15 year old Maggie Cooper is a typical teenager. She has two loving parents, a young brother who annoys her, a circle of friends she confides in and a boyfriend she's thinking of breaking up with. She decides she will walk over to her cousin Anne's place on the other side of the village and talk things over with her. But before she does, her father confronts her with the extortionate phone bill to which she responds wouldn't be a problem if only they would allow her a mobile phone. "Not until you're 16!" her father tells her. But unlike typical teenagers, they agree to discuss things later and call out "I love yous" as she leaves. Her father offered to drive her to Anne's but after pondering Maggie decided to walk...that way she could sneak in a cigarette on the way.
When she doesn't return home for dinner that night, her parents aren't overly worried but think it strange that she didn't let them know a change in plans. They thought maybe it was her way of saying "it wouldn't happen if you got me a mobile!" But soon the hours turned into days and Maggie still hadn't returned. Friends had been called, her boyfriend, her cousin Anne who said she had never turned up, and the police were notified. No one thought this was a typical missing teenager case. Something had happened to Maggie. And yet she had disappeared without a trace.
And yet the reader is privy to Maggie's quandary throughout...even if her loved ones weren't.
On her way to Anne's, Maggie was abducted whilst performing an act of kindness to a stranger. She was sedated and awoke to find herself in a small basement with nothing but a mattress, two buckets, a bowl and a barrel. There are no windows so she cannot see the sun, the rain, the birds or the trees. She can hear nothing from outside. All she knows now is this basement...and the man who comes to her with breakfast and dinner...and sometimes later in the night, dressed in nothing but a blue robe. She soon learns what seeing him in that blue robe means.
As the days turn into weeks and the weeks into months then years, Maggie soon realises that this is her new reality. She will never see her family again - her mother, her father, her brother - or her friends. The man now keeps her prisoner - "for her protection" he says. Protection from what? She does not know; nor does she have any idea who he is, why he has taken her or where she even is.
Maggie was 15 when she was abducted and by the time she is 27 she has given birth to three sons - first Seb, then Leo and now Max. The man has kept her prisoner in this basement for twelve years. She has not seen the sun or felt the fresh air on her skin in all this time. Her sons have never known life beyond this little room...until their third birthdays, when they are taken from her, wretched from her arms and never seen again. But not Max. Maggie has vowed she will do anything she can to protect her son from whatever fate awaits him beyond that basement door. The man is not taking Max from her. She will die before he does.
In the wake of Maggie's disappearance, her family have become distraught by her sudden absence. Her parents, Martin and Sandra, are trying their best to keep what is left of their family together but James, their then 14 year old son, feels his sister's loss deeply. He grows up with severe trust issues and the only serious relationship he had ended after his obsessive behaviour, and constant need to know where his girlfriend was and who she was speaking to, tore them apart. But James was scared of losing another loved one just as Maggie had disappeared. He couldn't go through that again.
DI Wynne is the detective in charge of Maggie's disappearance. She has her suspicions but she is unable to act on them as the man she suspects knows more about her disappearance has had allegations made against him in the past that were never proven. Therefore, she cannot disclose this information in the course of her enquiries as that would be slanderous and she could lose her job. But determined to get to the bottom of Maggie's disappearance, she continues her investigation...keeping a close eye on her suspect as she goes.
Colin Best is cunning. He knows DI Wynne is watching him. He knows she suspects him. But she has no proof. And he enjoys toying with her every time he sees her.
As the world continues above her basement prison, Maggie has no idea if her parents are still alive or if her brother is married with kids. But she knows one thing for sure...that she has just seven days to save herself and her son. Before the man comes to take him from her too.
"The man", Maggie's captor, is a sinister and terrifying character. Straight from an episode of Criminal Minds, his delusions are the most frightening. He is so convinced that he truly believes that he had no choice - that imprisoning her and raping her for twelve years is saving her. And then his audacity in so many of his actions were incredibly infuriating that it made my blood boil! As was his toying arrogance that he would never be caught. He was malevolent and a fine example that evil can truly exist in masked form anywhere.
Told from multiple perspectives, the story unfolds in a very clever timeline beginning from 7th July 2006 - the day Maggie vanished - to the days following her disappearance. We are then taken to the days surrounding the anniversary every four years until we reach the present day, of which we are witness the the final seven days. Throughout the different stages of their lives following Maggie's disappearance, we see how it has affected her family and continues to do so. We also see Maggie at these different stages of her life in captivity, as she bears each son to having him ripped from her.
Although it is written in multiple POVs and timelines, it is very cleverly done and is not as confusing as it might sound. You are never confused with whose narrative it is or when it is taking place. It just flows seamlessly as each piece is cleverly woven together to create what essentially is the bigger picture. We know who has Maggie from early on and while that is never a secret, it cleverly gives you palpable tension with the suspense building as you wonder if it will indeed end well for those affected. It is like a Hitchcock film - that same tension, that same suspense, that same edge-of-your-seat thrill ride...even though you know who is behind it all, you are still scared witless for all those entangled within.
SEVEN DAYS is a psychological thriller of magnificent proportions. We are embroiled within everyone's lives as we see how they cope with their loss, the tragedy, their grief. Throughout every page we are entwined within a plot that twists and turns at every opportunity to leave us feeling breathless.
Will Maggie be able to save Max? Will she save herself? Will she ever see her family again? Will DI Wynne close the case? Are Seb and Leo OK and living happy lives? Will there be a happy end for all?
One of my favourite parts - along with just about everything else - is the short snappy chapters which keep the story moving along at a rapid pace and has you turning pages long into the night, devouring every word.
Highly addictive and heart-stopping,
SEVEN DAYS is a dark, disturbing, twisted tale of masterful suspense. It is easily one of my favourite books - one of the best I have EVER read - and I guarantee you won't want to let this one pass by.
I've read Alex Lake's first book
After Anna" but it pales in comparison to this and it would take something momentous to outdo and outshine
SEVEN DAYS. I doubt he could top this one it is THAT BRILLIANT!!
If I could give it more than FIVE STARS I would. It deserves a TEN STAR rating!!
I would like to thank
#AlexLake,
#NetGalley and
#HarperCollinsUK for an ARC of
#SevenDays in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
Rating: really liked it
A week too long.. decent execution, barring repetition, of a unbelievably far-fetched premise!Given that the premise of Seven Days revolves around an abducted teenager being imprisoned for twelve years and having given birth to three children in that time the book requires an immediate suspension of disbelief to engage with. However given this proviso Seven Days is a solidly executed and well-written story of one girls abduction, the painful years that follow for both her and her family, and the profound consequences on all of their lives.
The prologue drops the reader straight into Maggie’s plight in 2018 as she is faced with just seven days until her third child, Max, turns three and the man who has kept her prisoner for over a decade removes him from her care. Having experienced this with her two previous sons, neither of whom have ever been returned, she knows she cannot go through this torture again and resolves to do all she can to find a way to ensure Max survives and gets to experience life outside of their basement prison. The story then winds back to 2006, twelve years earlier, as fifteen-year-old Maggie Cooper leaves her family home in Stockton Heath with the intention of visiting her cousin. Failing to return home in the days that follow a major investigation is launched, headed up by tenacious DI Wynne and the story shows Maggie’s parents, Martin and Sandra and her fourteen-year-old brother, James, struggling to cope. Right from the start DI Wynne has her suspicions about the perpetrator and is frustrated only by her inability to finger him for something and investigate the man fully.
As the story moves through Maggie’s years in captivity it also portrays her families devastated reactions and the impact of her absence upon each of them, including her father’s immense feelings of guilt about not being able to protect his child. As the story progresses, the narrative continues to present not only Maggie’s point of view but also that of her parents, brother, and the investigating officer individually, allowing the reader to appreciate the affects on their futures, most fundamentally that of James. It was the points of view of Maggie’s family whose stories impressed me the most, with Maggie’s perspective heavy on repetition (probably rightly so given she has been held captive for years) and a little dull.
Whilst the novel undoubtedly has credibility issues as regards the plot likelihood my biggest disappointment was that the reader is never given any insight into the mind of Maggie’s captor who creepily insinuates himself into her families life whilst holding her prisoner. Even in the aftermath there is no attempt to address the question that underpins so much of this story and present his warped rationale.
Suspense is pretty much absent until the day that Max turns three where the chapters come thick and fast and a resolution appears in sight. Given there are 350 pages prior to the point, with some extensive repetition from Maggie’s point of view, the novel was not gripping throughout its entirety. Easily readable, entertaining and undemanding, the multiple points of view together with a timeline that moves back and forth over the duration of Maggie’s captivity combined to make Seven Days a surprisingly emotive story that left me satisfied.
Rating: really liked it
This book is amazing. It’s mentally terrifying and at times made me physically ill. This author knows how to weave a tale like no other author. The character seemed so real and I felt myself in the room with Maggie. I wanted so much so be able to save her. The description of the book gives you enough info so all I will say is you HAVE to read this book. Suspense at its best.
