While Rachel scrambles to get the money together (even though it isn't about the money, she is told) and pick a child to steal, it becomes clear that she is being tracked and her every move is being monitored. GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | This authors Detective Sean Duffy (The Troubles) Series titles have routinely featured in my annual best books lists. Pre-publication book reviews and features keeping readers and industry Now the girl, Kylie, thinks about how worried her mother will be. Hang on tight, because once you start this book, you cant stop youll be caught in THE CHAIN. Adrian McKinty is an Irish novelist. The suspense. Detailed seller ratings. Reviews & Interviews; Publisher: Mulholland Books Year: 2019 Synopsis: YOUR PHONE RINGS. YOU WILL BECOME EACH ONE. You have never read anything quite like THE CHAIN and you will never be able to forget it. Adrian McKinty's most popular book is The Chain. For every child kidnapped, another must be taken. Read it that way and its a thriller on more levels than one. In 2019, the author made this comment about that novel: "It didnt sell very well, but it ended up getting the best reviews of my career. Is McKinty up to the task, though, for well over 300 pages? In the end, what makes The Chain so frighteningand why it works so well as a thrilleris that all of Rachel's actions remain completely relatable, even as she whipsaws between terror and determination, morphing from victim to perpetrator. The Chain is diabolical, unnerving, and gives a whole new meaning to the word 'relentless.'. Categories: And I bet I won't be the only one. Adrian McKinty. No law enforcement, no politicians, no journalists. He writes with confidence, heart, and style to spare. Baby Driver helmer Edgar Wright will direct, while Jane Goldman (Kingsman Anyone can read what you share. If your child was kidnapped, how far would you go to get her back? I read several of the negative reviews of THE CHAIN posted here by other fans of McKinty's previous work and have to thoroughly disagree with . Winners announced at the Audie Awards Gala in New York City on May 28th hosted by award winning author Jack Gantos", "2015 Shortlist | Australian Crime Writers Association", "Mystery Writers of America is proud to announce the Nominees for the 2016 Edgar Allan Poe Awards", "bloody delighted to be shortlisted for best mystery audiobook! Adrian McKinty just leapt to the top of my list of must-read suspense novelists. Darn it. Letters From The Light author Shel Calopa: Dystopia Now? How thoroughly can we be spied upon? . Fortunately, her daughter Kylie is made of stern stuff, and as Rachel moves from task to task at the behest of The Chain, she finds out what stuff she herself is made of, too. "Stephen King"You have never read anything quite like The Chain and you will never be able to forget it. Janet Maslin, "Here's an Existential Thriller:Pass It On. Readers wont be able to put this thriller down. Hes the real deal., A grade-A-first-rate-edge-of-your-seat thriller. She has a brother-in-law, a former Marine officer who at first glance looks as though he might possess the "particular set of skills" that will be required to come through this situation until his flaws come to light. Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. Agent: Shane Salerno, Story Factory. It's called the Chain, and it's a Ponzi scheme from hell. You have never read anything quite like The Chain and you will never be able to forget it. Choose from Same Day Delivery, Drive Up or Order Pickup. Sure, Rachel is a gutsy protagonist and of course I wanted her to prevail, but her self-deprecation continually broke my emotional engagement. The Chain is a straight-up, stone-faced thriller, a present-tense race.thunderous ride into the darkest, most fearful reaches of a parent's mind)-- Paddy Hirsch, NPR. Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up. Dannii Minogue looked very loved-up with her rarely seen boyfriend Adrian Newman at a women's national basketball league (WNBL) game in Melbourne.. [3][4], After graduating from Oxford in 1993, McKinty moved to New York and found work in a number of occupations: security guard, barman, bookstore clerk, rugby coach, door to door salesman and librarian for the Columbia University Library. KIDNAPPER. Welcome to the Quantum Realm. [5] In 2000, he relocated to Denver, Colorado to become a high school English teacher.[3]. The Chain by Adrian McKinty is worthy of the hype its getting. Otherwise The Chain will be broken. Buy "The Chain" on Barnes & Noble Rachel's 13-year-old daughter Kylie was waiting at the bus stop while she headed to a doctor's appointment. TO FREE THEM YOU MUST ABDUCT SOMEONE ELSE'S CHILD. [21] Steve Dougherty writing in The Wall Street Journal praised McKinty's use of irony and humour as a counterpoint to the violent world inhabited by McKinty's Sean Duffy character. It had better go off. Just brilliant. One evening, driving in her car, Rachel O'Neill gets a phone call. A masterpiece of tension. He read law at the University of Warwick and politics and philosophy at the University of Oxford. "Ian Rankin, internationally bestselling author of In a House of Lies"McKinty has written several gripping stand-alones, of which this one is the best yet; in fact, it may well be the biggest thriller of the summer. The psychopathy of The Chain perpetrators and the ease with which they toy with their victims, the self-inflicted nature of that torture is chilling. BOOK RATING:The Story 4 / 5 ; The Writing 3 / 5 Overall 3.5, OR listen to the audiobook FREE with Audibles Trial (check eligibility). While Rachel scrambles to get the money together (even though it isnt about the money, she is told) and pick a child to steal, it becomes clear that she is being tracked and her every move is being monitored. Mr. McKinty, what have you done? SURVIVOR. The Chain by Adrian McKinty. The woman, whose own child has been kidnapped, and Rachel are now links in a chain of abductions. isnt as silly or one-note as it initially sounds. BOOK RATING: The Story 4 / 5 ; The Writing 3 / 5 Overall 3.5 Get your copy of The Chain from: Bookshop US Amazon Book Depository Booktopia AU OR listen to the audiobook FREE with Audible's Trial (check eligibility) I have also since read McKinty's second blockbuster action-thriller The Island. His plots tempt you to read at top speed, but don't give in: this writing sharply observant, intelligent and shot through with black humor should be savored. Rachel is a part-time philosophy lecturer; divorced, recovering from cancer and struggling to make ends meet. The rules are simple: find the money, find your victim, and then commit a horrible act youd have thought yourself incapable of just 24 hours ago. What comes next is clunky and a little didactic, making the story bigger than it needs to be, but at least were in the hands of someone who knows how to finish things off with one last irresistible sprint into darkness. When Rachel (and her brother-in-law, Pete, a military veteran who helps her along the way) settles on a target, things inevitably go wrong, and McKinty stretches the bounds of belief in the plots progression. Number of pages: 416. Otherwise The Chain will be broken. "Adrian McKinty's The Chain is the rare thriller that's not only fiendishly clever but also powerfully empathetic, with both hair-raising twists and complex, fully-realized characters." New York Times bestselling author of Mystic River and Since We Fell - Dennis Lehane [6] He found his greatest success and critical acclaim with the Sean Duffy series, following the eponymous Royal Ulster Constabulary Sergeant during The Troubles, beginning with 2012's The Cold Cold Ground. The premise of this book is chilling. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from Coffy to Jackie Brown. The Chain is an exceptionally good thriller. "James Swallow, author of Exile"There are many elements that recommend Adrian McKinty's The Chain: A devilishly clever plot, well-drawn characters that leap from the page, a writing style that verges on the electric and the imaginative way he is able to blend fear, panic and determination throughout each chapter. Can Rachel be the one person to finally break The Chain? Adrian went to Oxford University on a full scholarship to study philosophy before emigrating to the United States to become a high school English teacher. When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. One of the finest novels ever produced in the genre. But this abduction happens in the beachy community of Plum Island, Mass. "Steve Cavanagh, author of Thirteen"The Chain is a grade-A-first-rate-edge-of-your-seat thriller. And how far into the darkness she is prepared to go. MEG GARDINER, THE CHAIN is the rare thriller thats not only fiendishly clever but also powerfully empathetic, with both hair-raising twists and complex, fully-realized characters., VIEW MORE at ravencrimereads.wordpress.com, VIEW MORE at thebeachreader.wordpress.com, VIEW MORE at thetattooedbookgeek.wordpress.com, VIEW MORE at lipsquidbookblog.wordpress.com, VIEW MORE at emmathelittlebookworm.wordpress.com, all web content Adrian McKinty and The Story Factory, 2023. all rights reserved, Pairing an irresistible concept with a winner protagonist, THE CHAIN promises to be your new addiction once you succumb to the first enticing page.. Reviewed By: Jessica Dates Read: April 1-10, 2021 Jessica's Rating: 5 stars. Its called the Chain, and its a Ponzi scheme from hell: if you dont keep the chain going by becoming a kidnapper, and if the next parents dont kidnap a child in turn, your child dies. Buy "The Chain" on iTunes More highly recommended action thrillers: Rachel isn't alone. Listen, I dont even care that the plot is crazy and ridiculous - I picked it up for specifically that reason. SUSPENSE | (2.5) Good idea, meh execution. "Tana French, New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Elm and The Trespasser"This nightmarish story is incredibly propulsive and original. Hang on tight, because once you start this book, you can't stop-like the characters in the story, you'll be caught in The Chain. Behind the scheme is a sociopathic monster collecting a ransom for each child in the Chain. It must stick to certain rules, including the one McKinty identifies as Chekhovian (and didnt have to, in this genre): Is there a gun? SUSPENSE | This nightmarish story is incredibly propulsive and original. [16] Upon hearing of his situation, fellow crime author Don Winslow passed some of his books to his agent, the screenwriter and producer Shane Salerno. McKinty's writing is paced to match. I really wanted to read this, swoon & write a glowing review. You won't shake it for a long time.