The Chain by Adrian McKinty

I am thrilled to be closing off the tour for The Chain. Hang on, though - does that mean I'm breaking it? Gulp.....

I'd seen some rave reviews so was keen to dive in. Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me to take part, and to the publisher for my review copy, which I received via Netgalley.

The Blurb:

VICTIM.
SURVIVOR.
ABDUCTOR.
CRIMINAL.
YOU WILL BECOME EACH ONE.

* * * * *

YOUR PHONE RINGS.

A STRANGER HAS KIDNAPPED YOUR CHILD.

TO FREE THEM YOU MUST ABDUCT SOMEONE ELSE'S CHILD.

YOUR CHILD WILL BE RELEASED WHEN YOUR VICTIM'S PARENTS KIDNAP ANOTHER CHILD.

IF ANY OF THESE THINGS DON'T HAPPEN:
YOUR CHILD WILL BE KILLED.

YOU ARE NOW PART OF THE CHAIN

* * * * *

"YOU ARE NOT THE FIRST.
AND YOU WILL CERTAINLY NOT BE THE LAST."

The Chain was published by Orion on 9th July 2019 and you can buy it from Waterstones, Amazon UK, Amazon US and other good bookshops.


My Review:

I was really looking forward to reading this. There has been lots of hype about The Chain, but I tried to go into it with no expectations.

The premise is fantastic. Single mum Rachel's teenage daughter Kylie is snatched off the street. She receives a phone call telling her she needs to kidnap a child herself, and when that child's parents kidnap a further victim, then Kylie will be released. There is also a ransom to be paid by each family. If she deviates from her instructions, or tries to break the chain, Kylie will die.

I remember the whole thing around chain letters back in the day. Personally, I didn't worry about breaking the chain, but I know plenty did. But when it involves children? Woah, that's a whole different ball game.

I think this is probably a book you read differently, depending on whether you're a parent or not. I am a parent, and I think I would do pretty much anything for my kids. But in a scenario like this? Murder? This book certainly makes us question what we would actually be willing to do for those we love.

I really felt for Rachel, and the predicament she finds herself in. It's interesting how quickly she settles into what she needs to do - things that a day or two earlier she would have found horrific. Unsure that Kylie's dad Marty would help without going to the police, she calls on ex brother-in-law Pete for support.

She has to research her own potential targets, and whilst this is, of course, a work of fiction, I think there's a definite warning here about over sharing information on social media.

There are two distinct halves to this book. At the beginning, it mainly focuses on Rachel and her frenzied actions trying to get Kylie back. The pace is fast and punchy. The second half starts slower as we learn a bit more about the entity that is The Chain. But again, the pace speeds up as we head for the explosive finale.

There were tons of things I really liked about this book - original, interesting,  sinister, dark, fast paced, intriguing, full of jeopardy and thrills. But it left me with unanswered questions which I would love to have answered. But a great read, regardless.


The Author:

Adrian McKinty is a crime novelist from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

His books have won the Edgar Award, the Anthony Award, the Ned Kelly Award and the Barry Award. Adrian is also a two time Dagger nominee and shortlistee for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year.

He studied law at Warwick University and philosophy at Oxford University before emigrating to New York City in the mid 90s.