Review: 'The Captive' by Kit Burgoyne

One of my favorite horror novels is Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby, so it was only natural that I would gravitate toward The Captive, which was published in 2025 by Hell’s Hundred, an imprint of Soho Press. The blurb claiming it's "Rosemary's Baby for our conspiratorial 21st century" piqued my interest even more. It’s penned by Kit Burgoyne, a pseudonym for the horror author Ned Beauman, whose work I wasn’t familiar with before diving into this novel.

The premise is certainly intriguing. Luke and his underground anti-capitalist revolutionary group have plotted their most ambitious operation yet: kidnapping twenty-three-year-old Adeline Woolsaw, the heiress to a vast and shadowy conglomerate that appears to have tentacles in everything from military installations to mental hospitals, commuter trains, call centers, and prisons.

However, their plans take an unexpected turn when they snatch Adeline from her world of privilege. To their shock, she’s on the verge of giving birth, and to complicate matters, she might not mind the abduction; after all, it might just be her chance to flee from her tyrannical parents. Her family has struck a deal with an ancient malevolence of almost limitless power, and they will stop at nothing to retrieve the newborn. Their aim? To usher in a hellish new reign on Earth with their grandchild enthroned as the puppet ruler.

Unfortunately, I found The Captive to be overrated, a letdown in many ways. I concede that I held high expectations, perhaps too high, considering I’ve had an ARC for far too long before finally reading it. I owe the author and publisher an apology for that. Still, it's hard to overlook the reality that my favorite aspect of the book might just be its cover: a simple yet haunting design featuring a creepy hand dangling a pacifier, capturing the unsettling tone better than the text did.

I liked the setup around the kidnapping plot, but the major twist was so clearly laid out in the blurb that it dulled the impact. I would have preferred to discover, through the narrative, that Adeline's pregnancy was bioengineered by her parents. What a revelation that could have been! Instead, the humor sprinkled throughout felt jarring, almost clashing with the story's intended gravity.

As for the characters, they came off as rather bland, which is never a good sign in a horror novel. If I can’t connect, engage, or elicit any strong feelings about the characters, whether love or hate, then I’m bound to have a tedious reading experience, and that’s precisely what happened here to some degree.

The prose itself felt average; it struggled to evoke vivid imagery and lacked the depth that could’ve elevated the storytelling. Dialogue was mostly believable, but even then, some exchanges drifted into the realm of the cringeworthy, too many moments that made me wince instead of shiver.

In the end, I found The Captive to be a mediocre addition to the horror genre. Meanwhile, it has somehow garnered praise from mainstream critics; perhaps a reflection of their unfamiliarity with true horror. Despite Ned Beauman’s accolades for past work, this particular outing didn’t showcase anything special to me. It’s not the worst book I’ve encountered, and there may be readers out there who find enjoyment in it, but for me, it left much to be desired. ╌★★✰✰✰

Please consider supporting future reviews on this blog by purchasing The Captive in hardcover ^[*], paperback ^[*], or a Kindle eBook ^[*].

〜B.J. Burgess

Disclosure: I received a free review copy from the publisher. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. [*]