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The Captive
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Expected 30 Sep 25A darkly comedic, cinematic horror about a revolutionary group who kidnap an heiress, only to discover she's pregnant with the antichrist, and she's about to give birth.
From Ned Beauman, the Man Booker Prize longlisted author of The Teleportation Accident and Clarke Award winning author of Venomous Lumpsucker. Perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix and Joe Hill.
Underground revolutionary group, The Nail, and their newest member, Luke have kidnapped 23-year-old heiress Adeline Woolsaw, whose wealthy parents run the Woolsaw Group, a vast outsourcing company. They run everything from prisons and hospitals to military bases – quietly suffocating the country with the help of powerful friends in government.
The Nail's to use the kidnapping to draw attention to the Woolsaw Group and their terrible practices. But with Adeline bundled into their van, The Nail discover two things. The first is that she's just about to give birth. And the second is that this isn't a normal baby. In fact, it has devastating supernatural powers. Because the father of this baby wasn't a man, it was… something else. Something that her parents make human sacrifices to on an altar in the basement of their Highgate mansion. And all this time the Woolsaw Group has been preparing the ground for the Woolsaws' real an infernal new kingdom that will rise with Adeline's son sitting on its throne.
From Ned Beauman, the Man Booker Prize longlisted author of The Teleportation Accident and Clarke Award winning author of Venomous Lumpsucker. Perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix and Joe Hill.
Underground revolutionary group, The Nail, and their newest member, Luke have kidnapped 23-year-old heiress Adeline Woolsaw, whose wealthy parents run the Woolsaw Group, a vast outsourcing company. They run everything from prisons and hospitals to military bases – quietly suffocating the country with the help of powerful friends in government.
The Nail's to use the kidnapping to draw attention to the Woolsaw Group and their terrible practices. But with Adeline bundled into their van, The Nail discover two things. The first is that she's just about to give birth. And the second is that this isn't a normal baby. In fact, it has devastating supernatural powers. Because the father of this baby wasn't a man, it was… something else. Something that her parents make human sacrifices to on an altar in the basement of their Highgate mansion. And all this time the Woolsaw Group has been preparing the ground for the Woolsaws' real an infernal new kingdom that will rise with Adeline's son sitting on its throne.
384 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 30, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 1, 2025
ARC for review. To be published September 30, 2025.
2.5 stars
Billed as a ROSEMARY’S BABY for today’s world, (look, ROSEMARY’S BABY is a classic. ROSEMARY’S BABY is ROSEMARY’S BABY for today’s world, no updates needed. Even her outfits still look great.) a group of anti-capitalists kidnap a pregnant heiress, (they don’t know she’s pregnant) twenty-three year old Adeline Woolsaw, in order to expose the Woodsaw Group, who own pretty much everything.
However, when they take her she’s about to go into labor. Oh, and she’s really not that upset about being kidnapped. And this doesn’t seem to be an ordinary child (“He has his father’s eyes.” (“Rosemary’s Baby” joke.)). Fun and hijinks ensue.
Apparently Kit Burgoyne is a pen name for Ned Beaumont who has been “Booker-listed,” and I assume that means he’s actually been up for the award, versus just being eligible for the award, which I think just means your book was published in English and maybe you are from the UK, which means, imagine the dreck that is “Booker-listed.” Anyway, this was pretty standard caper mixed with horror, but nothing new here. Not a bad book, but not a great one, either, and got a little schlocky at the end.
2.5 stars
Billed as a ROSEMARY’S BABY for today’s world, (look, ROSEMARY’S BABY is a classic. ROSEMARY’S BABY is ROSEMARY’S BABY for today’s world, no updates needed. Even her outfits still look great.) a group of anti-capitalists kidnap a pregnant heiress, (they don’t know she’s pregnant) twenty-three year old Adeline Woolsaw, in order to expose the Woodsaw Group, who own pretty much everything.
However, when they take her she’s about to go into labor. Oh, and she’s really not that upset about being kidnapped. And this doesn’t seem to be an ordinary child (“He has his father’s eyes.” (“Rosemary’s Baby” joke.)). Fun and hijinks ensue.
Apparently Kit Burgoyne is a pen name for Ned Beaumont who has been “Booker-listed,” and I assume that means he’s actually been up for the award, versus just being eligible for the award, which I think just means your book was published in English and maybe you are from the UK, which means, imagine the dreck that is “Booker-listed.” Anyway, this was pretty standard caper mixed with horror, but nothing new here. Not a bad book, but not a great one, either, and got a little schlocky at the end.
August 23, 2025
‘Ned Beauman writes a horror novel under a pseudonym’ wasn’t on my bingo card for 2025. And I don’t think I would have recognised this as Beauman’s work, had I not already known. His instinct for social satire is intact, but the style is kinetic, action-heavy, and the language much more stripped back. Case in point: the first chapter immediately plunges us into what seems like the middle of a scene; a trio of activists are about to kidnap the heiress to a shady, highly profitable contracting company.
The Nail is supposedly a notorious, widely feared anticapitalist group. In reality, it’s mostly just veteran protestor Cam and a young couple, Luke and Rosa, trying their best to organise stunts on a shoestring budget. Miraculously, their plan to kidnap Adeline Woolsaw comes off, but they’re almost immediately in trouble: she is (unexpectedly) heavily pregnant, and they keep getting waylaid by freak events, like a hailstorm so severe it takes out a battalion of police.
I liked this a lot: the unusually thoughtful action scenes, the interplay between the activists and Adeline, the brisk pace. The idea isn’t original, but it feels like Beauman’s having a lot of fun with it. He manages to keep both Luke and Adeline surprisingly likeable despite both of them having to do quite a lot of unlikeable things.
As Beauman was at one point, infamously, snobby about the readers who enjoy his books, it’s particularly interesting to see him take the genre route. I wonder if the creation of a pen name for this project means there’s more to come in this vein. If so, I’ll be interested.
I received an advance review copy of The Captive from the publisher through Edelweiss.
The Nail is supposedly a notorious, widely feared anticapitalist group. In reality, it’s mostly just veteran protestor Cam and a young couple, Luke and Rosa, trying their best to organise stunts on a shoestring budget. Miraculously, their plan to kidnap Adeline Woolsaw comes off, but they’re almost immediately in trouble: she is (unexpectedly) heavily pregnant, and they keep getting waylaid by freak events, like a hailstorm so severe it takes out a battalion of police.
I liked this a lot: the unusually thoughtful action scenes, the interplay between the activists and Adeline, the brisk pace. The idea isn’t original, but it feels like Beauman’s having a lot of fun with it. He manages to keep both Luke and Adeline surprisingly likeable despite both of them having to do quite a lot of unlikeable things.
As Beauman was at one point, infamously, snobby about the readers who enjoy his books, it’s particularly interesting to see him take the genre route. I wonder if the creation of a pen name for this project means there’s more to come in this vein. If so, I’ll be interested.
I received an advance review copy of The Captive from the publisher through Edelweiss.
July 13, 2025
My heat wave read - more coherent thoughts when it cools tf down but for now: this book was a total blast.
Read
May 3, 2025Capitalism breeds monsters. Quick and fun read for what it is, though admittedly a bit less fun compared to other Ned Beauman's novels. But then again, little is funny about the monster that capitalism is.
Read
April 20, 2025This book was a trip but it was SO fun lol
June 4, 2025
I picked this book up hoping for a horror story. Instead it’s a very action heavy story about a militant group trying to take down The Woolsaw Group, one of those evil companies with their hands in everything and rich as Croesus. There’s a lot of talking, a lot of planning, a lot of talking about the Woolsaw Group, but not much actually happens for the first third of the book. There’s a moment with rain, a moment with caterpillars, but those are tiny blips in the midst of all the talking — or rather, all the book telling me that people are talking.
For example, when Adelaide decides to trust Nail, the resistance group, and to join them, Rosa — one of her kidnappers — expresses doubt. After all, what if Adeline changes her mind? Rather than answer the question, the author avoids it altogether, saying that Adeline explains her decision, tells them what her parents did, and even Rosa is convinced at the end. Great for Rosa, but as a reader, I’m not convinced. I would have liked to have seen how she won over her kidnappers, but nope. I just have to take the author’s word that it happened … just not in the book.
This is more a book talking about the evils of giant corporations than a thriller, and more a thriller than a horror. Honestly, I didn’t enjoy it and was quite bored throughout. I kept waiting for something to happen, and when it did, it was over almost before it began with none of the supposed horrific moments — a demon child using his demon powers, the demon child’s birth, the death of the evil grandmother, the visits from the great evil one — actually having more than a sentence or two on page. It felt almost as if the horror elements weren’t the focus of the book.
But the talking and the telling sure were.
That said, the writing is good, the pace is a bit uneven with a lot of time spent on talking and so little spent on anything else. And the idea of a demon infant being mostly an infant, able to use their powers instinctively rather than deliberately is clever. Just not utilized well enough for me. I’m sorry, but this is a solid pass. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the arc.
For example, when Adelaide decides to trust Nail, the resistance group, and to join them, Rosa — one of her kidnappers — expresses doubt. After all, what if Adeline changes her mind? Rather than answer the question, the author avoids it altogether, saying that Adeline explains her decision, tells them what her parents did, and even Rosa is convinced at the end. Great for Rosa, but as a reader, I’m not convinced. I would have liked to have seen how she won over her kidnappers, but nope. I just have to take the author’s word that it happened … just not in the book.
This is more a book talking about the evils of giant corporations than a thriller, and more a thriller than a horror. Honestly, I didn’t enjoy it and was quite bored throughout. I kept waiting for something to happen, and when it did, it was over almost before it began with none of the supposed horrific moments — a demon child using his demon powers, the demon child’s birth, the death of the evil grandmother, the visits from the great evil one — actually having more than a sentence or two on page. It felt almost as if the horror elements weren’t the focus of the book.
But the talking and the telling sure were.
That said, the writing is good, the pace is a bit uneven with a lot of time spent on talking and so little spent on anything else. And the idea of a demon infant being mostly an infant, able to use their powers instinctively rather than deliberately is clever. Just not utilized well enough for me. I’m sorry, but this is a solid pass. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the arc.
May 30, 2025
3 out of 5 stars
The Captive is a comedic horror-thriller that hooked me early on and kept me curious with its wild premise and moments of sharp social commentary. There were definitely parts that kept me turning the pages, especially with how it tackled the idea of capitalism as the real monster.
That said, there were a few moments—mostly tied to certain characters—that gave me the ick, and overall, it didn’t always feel like the full-blown horror story I was expecting. The writing also felt a bit uneven in places, and I found myself wishing some sections were more developed.
Still, I’d recommend this one to readers who enjoy genre-bending stories with a satirical edge. If you're into books that mix dark humor, weird vibes, and social critique, this one might be worth the read.
**Thank you Netgalley and the publish for an advance copy for an honest review of the book**
The Captive is a comedic horror-thriller that hooked me early on and kept me curious with its wild premise and moments of sharp social commentary. There were definitely parts that kept me turning the pages, especially with how it tackled the idea of capitalism as the real monster.
That said, there were a few moments—mostly tied to certain characters—that gave me the ick, and overall, it didn’t always feel like the full-blown horror story I was expecting. The writing also felt a bit uneven in places, and I found myself wishing some sections were more developed.
Still, I’d recommend this one to readers who enjoy genre-bending stories with a satirical edge. If you're into books that mix dark humor, weird vibes, and social critique, this one might be worth the read.
**Thank you Netgalley and the publish for an advance copy for an honest review of the book**
August 16, 2025
I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.
This was a gripping, compelling novel that was hard to put down. I raced through this.
This novel is so fast paced. We see the pregnant daughter of a wealthy, powerful family abducted by kidnappers. However she’s been desperate to escape the family. When she gives birth in custody, the kidnappers see strange things happening and the dark and supernatural connections of the family start to come to the fore.
I would happily recommend this book, it was surprising. There were a few things I suspected that came to pass, but often I couldn’t predict what characters would do next. This book is violent, suspenseful and written with intensity. I really enjoyed this. The supernatural parts were really interesting whilst being juxtaposed with corporate greed and the evils of man.
This was a gripping, compelling novel that was hard to put down. I raced through this.
This novel is so fast paced. We see the pregnant daughter of a wealthy, powerful family abducted by kidnappers. However she’s been desperate to escape the family. When she gives birth in custody, the kidnappers see strange things happening and the dark and supernatural connections of the family start to come to the fore.
I would happily recommend this book, it was surprising. There were a few things I suspected that came to pass, but often I couldn’t predict what characters would do next. This book is violent, suspenseful and written with intensity. I really enjoyed this. The supernatural parts were really interesting whilst being juxtaposed with corporate greed and the evils of man.
August 28, 2025
Kit Burgoyne is Ned Beauman writing under a pseudonym, although no one seems to be making any secret of this, so I’m not 100% sure what the point is. The (excellent) NB books are at least genre adjacent, so a move into outright horror isn’t a complete swerve. This is schlockier than those, to be fair, but that’s also a big part of the enjoyment. And it is very enjoyable, and fast moving enough that at no point do you stop and go “hang on…”, which is some achievement in a book that mixes revolutionary anti-capitalism with The Omen. It’s a hugely fun romp (as long as your definition of “fun romp” includes devil worship, mass death, and human sacrifice, which I’m afraid mine does), with a healthy political / satirical edge (guys, what if capitalism actually was the devil?). Makes me wish Dennis Wheatley had turned out to be a pen-name of George Orwell’s.
April 22, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Soho Press | Hell's Hundred for granting me the wish to read this book.
Pub date: 30 September 2025
This was more of an action thriller than a horror and I was very bored most of the time. This book is just not for me and I should have known that from the moment we had no birth scene, it’s just a blasphemy to skip the birth of the Antichrist. It’s not a bad book, I just didn’t enjoy the writing style, it was very basic and the ending is disappointing and predictable. There is the usual stereotypical “satanic” insemination, off screen/of course/, the memory loss trope and the stupid understanding that the heir can only be a male. You can give it a try if you love more of an action plot, some average character development and very little horror in between.
Pub date: 30 September 2025
This was more of an action thriller than a horror and I was very bored most of the time. This book is just not for me and I should have known that from the moment we had no birth scene, it’s just a blasphemy to skip the birth of the Antichrist. It’s not a bad book, I just didn’t enjoy the writing style, it was very basic and the ending is disappointing and predictable. There is the usual stereotypical “satanic” insemination, off screen/of course/, the memory loss trope and the stupid understanding that the heir can only be a male. You can give it a try if you love more of an action plot, some average character development and very little horror in between.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2025
This books was fantastic, fun, and I absolutely loved it. One of the best books I’ve read in a while. I gobbled this up in a couple days, the pacing was perfect and I didn’t want to put it down. Anti-capitalist sentiment plus spooky stuff is like my perfect combo. I can’t wait to read more by this author! I’m definitely going to look at his comedy work, but I certainly hope he writes more horror. I would even read more in this same universe. I read a lot of new releases because my father in law is a librarian, so I truly can’t express how refreshing this was after finding so many newly published books to boring, rote, and predictable
September 3, 2025
4.5
I have absolutely no idea how to categorise this book. It’s part horror and part terrifying insight into the 1%, although I’d like to think that although the 1% is evil - they’re not actually worshipping a devil.
This was one hell of a ride, albeit beyond ridiculous and gloriously gory at times, and I really enjoyed it.
I’m not going to try and analyse it, I’m not sure some plot points will hold up. But I am going to be recommending it as it was a blast.
I have absolutely no idea how to categorise this book. It’s part horror and part terrifying insight into the 1%, although I’d like to think that although the 1% is evil - they’re not actually worshipping a devil.
This was one hell of a ride, albeit beyond ridiculous and gloriously gory at times, and I really enjoyed it.
I’m not going to try and analyse it, I’m not sure some plot points will hold up. But I am going to be recommending it as it was a blast.
July 24, 2025
Rosemary's Baby meets the Patty Hearst kidnapping in the style of Kurt Vonnegut mixing it up with Stephen King! A madcap horror-satire from Ned Beauman (Venomous Lumpsucker, The Teleportation Accident) under a pen name. Creepy, hilarious, and smart as hell. 8/10
August 14, 2025
review later when im not engulfed in the miasma of covid 🙄 I still have covid but am dying less.
I have to say, this was not as much horror as I thought it was going to be; there was some but it felt like a cruel tease! (of course, that is a personal preference) There were also some lines that came from one of the characters that made me feel icky.
BUT! The plot, to me, was reminiscent of the whole thing with Brian Thompson and UnitedHealthCare. The Captive extrapolates upon the real-life monsters out there gatekeeping healthcare like it's some sort of privilege. It can be a mindfuck to see how monsters from film and books can so easily overlap with the human monsters existing among us.
This was chaos, not unlike a joyride. And who isn't a sucker for a little devil bébé?
I have to say, this was not as much horror as I thought it was going to be; there was some but it felt like a cruel tease! (of course, that is a personal preference) There were also some lines that came from one of the characters that made me feel icky.
BUT! The plot, to me, was reminiscent of the whole thing with Brian Thompson and UnitedHealthCare. The Captive extrapolates upon the real-life monsters out there gatekeeping healthcare like it's some sort of privilege. It can be a mindfuck to see how monsters from film and books can so easily overlap with the human monsters existing among us.
This was chaos, not unlike a joyride. And who isn't a sucker for a little devil bébé?
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews