The Captives

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A Recommended Summer Read from Vanity Fair * New York Post * BBC The riveting story of a woman convicted of a brutal crime, the prison psychologist who recognizes her as his high-school crush—and the charged reunion that sets off an astonishing chain of events with dangerous consequences for both. As an inmate psychologist at a state prison, Frank Lundquist is surprised when his high school crush, Miranda Greene, walks into his office. Still reeling from a scandal that cost him his Manhattan practice, he knows he should reassign her case. However, Miranda's allure and his curiosity about how a promising daughter of a congressman ended up incarcerated prove irresistible. While Frank recalls every word she ever spoke, Miranda shows no recognition of him. Inside the prison, she is haunted by a childhood tragedy and a legacy of questionable choices, struggling to regain control over her fate. Frank becomes a symbol of hope for her absolution—and possibly her escape. Propulsive and psychologically astute, this story is an intimate meditation on freedom, risk, and the complex dynamics of power, corruption, and redemption that reside within us all.