Bookseller Reviews
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A complex psychological thriller....
This book should come with a warning on the cover. When you start the first page, you take a deep breath and hold it in till the last sentence having been ... READ MORE
Insanely good!
This is honestly one of the most compelling novels I've ever read. It is gripping, powerful and emotional, and my heart was in my mouth the entire time I w... READ MORE
A literally breath-taking experience
I'm not sure that I can add to what many people have already said about this book, but I'll give it a go! This is a fast-paced, tense, heart-rending thrill... READ MORE
One of the best books I've read!
Absolutely phenomenal, I was crying as I finished reading the last page. It's been a while since a book has affected me so deeply, and it's going to stay w... READ MORE
Wow
A tense read that will have you holding your breath the whole way through.
Although it did take me a little while to get completely submerged in it, once ... READ MORE
OUTSTANDING!
Wow. Just wow. This book was utterly fantastic! This is a book that you cannot start unless you have no other plans, because once you start you will be com... READ MORE
Keeps You On A Knife Edge, Not Wanting To Read On, But Unable To Look Away!
By all accounts I would not have picked up this book, what happens in it is every parents nightmare. However, I didn't read the blurb as I trust Rosamund ... READ MORE
A powerful and wonderfully crafted book
This was such a powerful and compelling read. The action begins from line one and does not let up until the end - it was exhausting and harrowing and poign... READ MORE
Too early to claim this my book of 2020?! STUNNINGLY GOOD!
Simply stunning.
What I admire most about Lupton’s writing is her ability to defy genre. This is more than a thriller, more than a love story, more than ... READ MORE
I Was On A Knife Edge, Not Wanting To Read On, Unable To Look Away!
By all accounts I would not have picked up this book, what happens in it is every parents nightmare. However, I didn't read the blurb as I trust Rosamund ... READ MORE
Gripping, emotive, timely and powerful - add this to your reading list now
After loving Sister and Afterwards, I was incredibly excited to read this new offering from Rosamund Lupton, and it certainly did not disappoint. Three Hou... READ MORE
What a read!
Rosamund Lupton has surpassed herself with her fantastic new novel. Filled with tension and raw emotion you cannot help me drawn into this storyline.
A re... READ MORE
A Masterpiece
I don't think I've ever read a book that made my hands shake and my heart race the way this one did. I've read thousands of books but nothing like this. Bu... READ MORE
Love v Hate
Three Hours is a nail biting, high stakes thriller but I found it so much more than that. It really made me think about the challenges faced by people and ... READ MORE
My nerves were absolutely frayed!
I would highly recommend sitting down and reading this all in one sitting as I did. I was struck by the way in which Lupton was able to sustain such in-dep... READ MORE
Synopsis
Shortlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2021
Three Hours to save the people you love.
From the bestselling author of Sister comes an electrifying, pulse-racing new novel that takes us deep into the heart of what it means to be human
Three hours is 180 minutes or 10,800 seconds.
It is a morning's lessons, a dress rehearsal of Macbeth, a snowy trek through the woods.
It is an eternity waiting for news. Or a countdown to something terrible.
It is 180 minutes to discover who you will die for and what men will kill for.
In rural Somerset in the middle of a blizzard, the unthinkable happens: a school is under siege. From the wounded headmaster in the library, unable to help his trapped pupils and staff, to teenage Hannah in love for the first time, to the parents gathering desperate for news, to the 16 year old Syrian refugee trying to rescue his little brother, to the police psychologist who must identify the gunmen, to the students taking refuge in the school theatre, all experience the most intense hours of their lives, where evil and terror are met by courage, love and redemption.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
- ISBN: 9780241374511
- Number of pages: 320
- Dimensions: 198 x 130 x 21 mm
- Weight: 256g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allDevastingly, terrifyingly good - if you read nothing else this year, read this.
As a parent of teens I very nearly didn't read Three Hours - the subject being a school siege made me extremely uncomfortable when I read the blurb.
I'm ... READ MORE
A Masterpiece!
I’ve been a fan of Rosamund Lupton’s writing ever since reading Sister. It was the author's understated, subtle, elegant, yet effective writing style that ... READ MORE
Terrifying, compelling, just buy it!
Three Hours is a very compelling, dramatic book which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. The subject of a school under siege by armed gunmen is a ... READ MORE
Beaautifully written, thought provoking
It has been a long wait since Rosamund Lupton's last novel ... but worth the wait. Sadly. the tale is very topical and believable in our society today.
Ros... READ MORE
A Chilling compelling Read
Three Hours is the most exceptional read .It is compelling from the first chapter and I just didn't want to put it down .A school is under seize in the Wes... READ MORE
Amazing!
Wow what a book! I’ve been sitting on this review for weeks now because I really didn’t know where to begin!
I loved everything about this book! The writin... READ MORE
A fast moving book from the very first line - had me holding my breath
This certainly isn't a book you have to 'get into'. From page one the reader is thrown into the action. It opens with 'a moment of stillness', then a gun i... READ MORE
The prose wraps itself around your heart and squeezes hard.
It’s hard to do justice to this stunning novel which I urge you to read. Anyone who remembers the Dunblane shootings, not so far away from where I am now, ... READ MORE
Compelling!
I was sent a copy of Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton to read and review by NetGalley.
What a fabulous book! Totally compelling, thrilling and emotional, th... READ MORE
Thriller set in SOMERSET
Three Hours, the latest novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author Rosamund Lupton, looks set to scoop up all the awards – it’s pacy, powerful and terr... READ MORE
Incredible read
THREE HOURS TO SAVE THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE
Three hours is 180 minutes or 10,800 seconds.
It is a morning's lessons, a dress rehearsal of Macbeth, a snowy tr... READ MORE
A tense, emotional tale
This is an extraordinary novel and I feel like any review I write can’t possible capture the essence of the experience of reading it. Start to finish it to... READ MORE
Not my favourite
Thought this book had a good plot and was thought provoking.
But I found it irritating at times, especially when the phones were either running out of char... READ MORE
Too many character perspectives
Cliff Heights School is under siege; the headmaster has been shot and the students are barricaded into classrooms – but why is the school a target?
Althou... READ MORE
Pacy and thrilling
Story of a school shooting, set in rural Somerset, over a three hour timescale as events unfold.
Rosamund Lupton instils such pace into the story, that I ... READ MORE
Clear your diary, this book is addictive
Rosamund Lupton's Three Hours is a hard-hitting, too close to reality, story of terrorists holding a British school hostage after shooting the headmaster. ... READ MORE
Highly relevant and authentic
I have loved previous books by Rosamund Lupton and was so excited to get into this. I received an advanced copy a while ago but wanted to wait until near p... READ MORE
Wow
When I first saw the blurb for this book, I wanted to get my hands on it but I wasnt prepared for the feelings of anxiety I would experience as I read it.
... READ MORE
Incredible!
I was truly surprised at how much I loved this book as I wasn’t sure I would enjoy the subject matter but as I had read a previous novel by Lupton, I was c... READ MORE
A gripping page turner
I thoroughly enjoyed Three Hours. The setting and the events that unfolded were only too real. This book kept me gripped all the way through. It truly w... READ MORE
Utterly compelling
I have read and really enjoyed Rosamund Lipton’s previous three books, with their original plot lines and understanding of the human psyche, so was really ... READ MORE
Couldn’t put it down!
Bought this based on recommendation, and was not disappointed. I haven’t read anything by this author before but will be looking at previous books now. G... READ MORE
brilliant
Brilliant read . I was gripped from the onset . A very well written book combining elements of a thriller alongside a moving and brave story. It’s unlike a... READ MORE
Gripping novel, couldn't put it down!
I really enjoyed this book, it was such a thrill. I think it's a great depiction of the events and found the book to read very well.
Every Parents Worst Nightmare - beautiful written
I was sent this book in return for an honest review.
Wow. As a mother this book was my worst nightmare (well one of them because let’s face it most of us... READ MORE
Three Hours
Three Hours was a book that affected me deeply. It deals with an armed siege at a school and is told by various points of view. The pupils, their teachers,... READ MORE
Recommended!
This book had some great reviews, and rightly so. Really enjoyed it and read it in a few days.
One of the best thrillers of the year
I normally find that this genre of book never quite lives up to what I expected .However this book is a brilliant thriller with unexpected twists in the pl... READ MORE
Tense, vivid and brilliant!
This book. THIS. BOOK. This book kept me up late (by my old lady standards) because I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I’d finished it and left me so... READ MORE
Truly gripping
I couldn’t put it down. A fantastic plot and execution of it
Really thrilling, satisfying page-turner
This is my first book by Rosamund Lupton, but it won't be my last. This was compelling from start to finish and actually made me cry in a couple of places.... READ MORE
3 Hours by Rosamund Lupton
This is one of the best books I have ever read. Beautifully written, full of suspense, characters you really care about. I howled at the end....so much emo... READ MORE
Heartbreaking hard hitting read
This book starts with a bullet at 9.16 am and then follows the next three hours. Sharing viewpoints from the teachers and pupils trapped in the school, the... READ MORE
Actually didn’t breathe through the finale
Literally breath taking, heart-in-the-mouth suspense. Some predictable bits and some curve balls. A real thrill of a book.
You know this is going to be a good read before you even start!
Having been a fan of Sister by Rosamund Lupton many years ago, it was always a certainty that I would read this book.
I had heard so many great reviews bef... READ MORE
Exceptionally Good. Best literary thriller I’ve read in ages.
I’ve not read any of this author’s previous novels (but will now) and bought it solely on the basis of a strong newspaper review.
It’s the best novel of i... READ MORE
Three Hours
In a small private school, in the middle of woods, a siege is taking place. The head master has been shot and children are hiding as best they can from the... READ MORE
Suspence from start to finish
Really enjoyed her other books but this is the best yet.
The twist in the story is totally unexpected.
What an incredible read
I agree with the other reviewer that you seem to take a deep breath at the beginning and can’t let it out right to the very end. I found the subject matter... READ MORE
Six Hours to read Three Hours
A great book that is so difficult to pause reading that it was finished within a day. Pace of story telling that does not sacrifice good character creation... READ MORE
Thriller/Suspense
This did sound amazing when reading the blurb, I thought I would love it.
However, I just thought it was an ok read.
I found it confusing to start with,... READ MORE
Page turning
The blurb of this sounded really great however I was unsure of this when I started reading, wrongly so as I soon discovered. The book literally starts in t... READ MORE
Good but ....
I feel very undecided about this book, and difficult to give it a star rating. The topic of white supremacists is very newsworthy at present and the messag... READ MORE
Recommended
Yet do I fear thy nature…
Phew! Thrilling, terrifying and the stuff of nightmares… but also deeply rooted in humanity, this is a narrative that hooks you ... READ MORE
Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
I have been umming and ahhring about writing my review. Why? Because Three Hours absolutely broke me. Never has a book had such a powerful effect on me. It... READ MORE
Blew me away! Fabulous read!
It has been a while since I’ve had a ‘blown away’ read but this was definitely one of those moments!
This book is a fantastically gripping, tense, harrow... READ MORE
Thought-provoking
In rural Somerset, England, masked gunmen hold a school hostage. Terrified pupils and their teachers barricade themselves into the rooms as the clock begin... READ MORE