Subscribe or feel free to browse our newsletter archives. She has survived the devastating trauma and treatment of breast cancer, and horror of horrors, it now appears to have returned. . Further details on how this Booklover Book Reviews site manages data can be found in our Privacy Policy. In desperation, Rachel and her retired military brother-in-law, Pete ONeill, eventually kidnap a random child to win her daughters release. Ten years later, Ellies remains and her backpack are found, though the police are unable to determine the reasons for her disappearance and death. [27] In the Morning I'll Be Gone was named as one of the 10 best crime novels of 2014 by the American Library Association. She must pay a ransom and kidnap another family's child, and then that family must do the same for her daughter to be released. Ten years after her teenage daughter went missing, a mother begins a new relationship only to discover she can't truly move on until she answers lingering questions about the past. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from, Motherhood meets the sci-fi surreal in Helen Phillips brilliant, Looking for a mind-bending summer read? Reasonable shipping cost. At times, the characters and the emotional core of the events are almost obscured by such quick maneuvering through the weighty plot. He grew up reading science fiction and crime novels by the likes of Ursula Le Guin, J G Ballard and Jim Thompson. EMAIL NEWSLETTER: We email our website newsletter containing latest book reviews, giveaways and author interviews to subscribers no more frequently than fortnightly. Max Brooks SUSPENSE | Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser, Buy One, Get One 50% Off Books for All Ages. In 2019 after giving up writing Adrian had a global hit with his standalone novel The Chain. Paddy Hirsch is an editor at NPR's Planet Money. "Attica Locke, author of the Edgar Award-winning Bluebird, Bluebird"Diabolically gripping. I first heard of the book when another author, Don Winslow, began to tout . Pairing an irresistible concept with a winner protagonist, The Chain promises to be your new addiction once you succumb to the first enticing page., "The Chain is a grade-A-first-rate-edge-of-your-seat thriller. We arewell, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006). She's disarmed by Floyds charm, but when she meets his young daughter, Poppy, Laurel is startled by her resemblance to Ellie. Janet Maslin, "Here's an Existential Thriller:Pass It On. Alongside these, McKinty wrote the three books in his Lighthouse Trilogy, a series of science fiction young adult novels set in New York City, his native Ireland, and the fictional planet Altair. 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. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesnt know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. One of the finest novels ever produced in the genre. 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 . Adrian McKinty The Chain Mass Market Paperback - December 28, 2021 by Adrian McKinty (Author) 8,705 ratings Editors' pick Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense See all formats and editions Kindle $9.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial Hardcover $34.00 10 Used from $23.50 15 New from $27.45 Paperback * My receiving a copy from the publisherfor review purposes did not impact the expression of my honest opinions. [8], He also began working as a writer and reviewer for a number of publications including The Guardian,[9] The Sydney Morning Herald,[10] The Washington Post,[11] The Independent,[12] The Australian,[13] The Irish Times[14] and Harpers. The caller is a mother herself, whose son has also been abducted, and if Rachel doesnt do exactly as shes told, both children will die. Its free and takes less than 10 seconds! "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 Inspired by the "exchange kidnappings" that take place in Mexico and the old-school chain letters of his childhood, crime novelist McKinty (Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly, 2017, etc.) Learn more and receive a FREE set of personalized book recommendations! As Rachel becomes more determined to bring the whole chain down, McKinty loses a bit of narrative credibility; more frustratingly, in the back half of the book, he slows down, adding fat to what initially reads like a tremendously lean novel. Choose from Same Day Delivery, Drive Up or Order Pickup. Rachel Klein drops her daughter, Kylie, at the bus stop and heads into her day. KIDNAPPER. I raced to the end of the book and then went back to see how Adrian McKinty pulled it all off. SURVIVOR. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. [72] Truly a nail-biter that will pull you in from start to finish. "I have this Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit!" Suggested age range - Adult Format - Paperback Product dimensions - 5.5" W x 8.2" H x 1.1" D Genre - Mystery and Thriller Publisher - Little, Brown and Company, Publication date - 09-22-2020 That darkness and corruption dwell behind the shiny, happy faade of middle-class life is a common enough theme in American storytelling. He studied law at the University of Warwick and politics and philosophy at the University of Oxford. "Dennis Lehane, New York Times bestselling author of Mystic River and Since We Fell"A masterpiece. "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. 3.5 w sumie cakiem dobry krymina z wtkiem sensacyjnym. You won't shake it for a long time. Please enter an email address so you can get access to our awesome newsletter. SCIENCE FICTION | I defy anyone to start this book and put it down without finishing it. Liam McIlvanney, writing in the Irish Times, singled out McKinty's lyrical prose style as the defining characteristic of the Duffy series. If they dont, the child will die. . The characters and their actions seemed stupid and to say I did not connect to the writing would be an understatement. Divorced teacher Rachel Klein, a cancer survivor, lives on Massachusettss Plum Island with her 13-year-old daughter, Kylie. The Book: The Chain by Adrain McKinty, 2019. He has Rachel teach existentialism and even tosses a copy of Sarah Bakewells superb 2016 book At the Existentialist Caf into the mix. One evening, driving in her car, Rachel O'Neill gets a. McKinty was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1968. 5.0. Laurel Macks life stopped in many ways the day her 15-year-old daughter, Ellie, left the house to study at the library and never returned. However, this storys execution fell short of my expectations. At once a commentary on social media, greed, revenge, love, and true evil, and written with an almost lyrical quality, this book will have readers searching for more McKinty titles to devour. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advicefor instance, try not to get wounded, for injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Beautifully written. "Booklist (starred review)"The Chain has all the hallmarks of a monster hit, including a terrifying premise that had me wondering: Is this actually happening somewhere right now? The Chain is an exceptionally good thriller. "Don Winslow, New York Times bestselling author of The Cartel and The Force"Rachel Knight's daughter has been abducted, and the only way Rachel can save her is to add another kidnapped child to the terrifying chain. AUSSIE AUTHOR CHALLENGE: We hosted this reading challenge from 2010-2022, amassing several hundreds of participant book reviews of titles by Australian writers. "Bestselling author Dervla McTiernan"My God! This is the eleventh book I have read (well, almost read) by Adrian McKinty. The woman tells Rachel that she has kidnapped Kylie, and the only way to get Kylie back is for Rachel to kidnap another child. This is up there with Marathon Man and The Silence of the Lambs. Do yourself a favor and skip this predictable yawner. Adrian McKinty has never written a book I have not loved, and this intense, dark psychological thriller is just brilliant with its killer and diabolical premise of the chain. It's something parents do every morning: Rachel Klein drops her daughter at the bus stop and heads into her day. Adrian McKinty just leapt to the top of my list of must-read suspense novelists. And he brings that experience and talent fully to bear upon the reader with. His father was a welder and boilermaker at the Harland and Wolff shipyard before becoming a merchant seaman. Can Rachel be the one person to finally break The Chain? "Lou Berney, author of November Road"Starting The Chain is like climbing aboard a runaway train. (Shed been in remission for a year.) It just doesn't get any better than this. Psychological notes are played deeply. "Tana French, New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Elm and The Trespasser"This nightmarish story is incredibly propulsive and original. It's Taken for mothers. Adrian McKinty's The Chain was one of last year's hottest thrillers. The Characters: Rachel, her daughter Kylie . In his 2019 novel The Chain, Adrian McKinty digs into the depths of just how far a parent will go to protect their child. In his Sean Duffy series of police procedurals, he writes with a dry humor that often tips into hilarity, but there's none of that here. He read law at the University of Warwick and politics and philosophy at the University of Oxford. Peter (on semi hiatus and trying to catch up), Sandy *TheworldcouldendwhileIwasreadingndIwouldnto, https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2018.html. Hooking readers into her moral doubts and trial by fire is done very deliberately. A mother is told to kidnap another parent's child if she wants to see her own kidnapped child ever again. The Chain: The Award-Winning Suspense Thriller of the Year Hardcover - 9 July 2019 by McKinty (Author), Adrian (Author) 8,287 ratings Editors' pick Hand selected reads See all formats and editions Kindle Edition 2.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook 0.00 Free with your Audible trial Hardcover Which could easily have happened with a premise like this. This was not a good book, and I feel like everyone is pretending it is just to piss me off. Youre teetering right along with them. Adrian is a reviewer and critic for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Irish Times and The Guardian. [23] However, in reviewing McKinty's Fifty Grand in The Guardian,[24] John O'Connor called him a "master craftsman of violence and redemption, up there with the likes of Dennis Lehane. But what they dont know is that they may have met their match. DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate (and affiliate with a range of other retailers) I earn from qualifying purchases. DON WINSLOW, Diabolical, unnerving, and gives a whole new meaning to the word relentless. What an elaborate conceptand nightmare! The Chain, Adrian McKintys unashamedly commercial new stand-alone thriller, features a chilling plot and seems written for the big screen. How? In Adrian McKinty's thriller The Chain, that's precisely what the victims are required to do. I cant believe what went through my mind while reading it. Brilliant. Try AbeBooks Description VICTIM. Genre: Fiction + Literature Genres. Her brain tells her to run, but she doesnt make the correct split-second decision, and she is taken at gunpoint. But what the masterminds behind The Chain know is that parents will do anything for their children. . That may be a little less sexy for some readers, but something about the scheme is as absurd as it is menacing. The pacing was excellent but I did prefer the first half over the second. . 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. Detailed seller ratings. His father was a boilermaker and ship's engineer and his mother a secretary. The novel begins at a bus stop, with the random abduction of a 13-year-old girl named Kylie, and develops in blisteringly short chapters that move virtually in real time. GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | "Val McDermid, internationally bestselling author of Broken Ground"Scary, plausible, gripping. Dark and unsettling, this novels end arrives abruptly even as readers are still moving at a breakneck speed. It was with high expectations that I embarked on Adrian McKintysThe Chain. The Chain is a straight-up, stone-faced thriller, a present-tense race to find out how Rachel will react to the unthinkable and then find a way to do the unthinkable herself. . Listen, I dont even care that the plot is crazy and ridiculous - I picked it up for specifically that reason. But then a phone call changes everything. Some scoffing is in order when the disguised, disembodied voice of The Chain recommends antiquated gimmicks like burner phones, the dark web and Bitcoin as the basics of this operation. 35 year old Rachel Klein is a divorced single mother, with 13 year old daughter, Kylie, living on Plum Island, Massachusetts. He lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two children. But a cell phone call from an unknown number changes everything . He has been shortlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger and the Grand Prix de Littrature Policire. VIEW MORE at usatoday.com. January 25, 2023; Tagged film, miscommunication trope, romance, romantic comedy, single parent. Offers may be subject to change without notice. For every child kidnapped, another must be taken. His books have won the Edgar Award, the Ned Kelly Award, the Anthony Award, the Barry Award and have been translated into over 20 languages. Rachel isn't alone. Pairing an irresistible concept with a winner protagonist, The Chain promises to be your new addiction once you succumb to the first enticing page. 5.0. A masterpiece of tension. latest thriller moves at a brisk pace even as she plays with narrative structure: The book is split into three sections, including a first one which alternates chapters between the time of Ellies disappearance and the present and a second section that begins as Laurel and Floyd meet. B. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Hes the real deal., "The Chain is a unique and unforgettable thriller. Adrian McKinty Adrian McKinty was born and grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during the Troubles of the 1970s and 1980s. The Chain by Adrian McKinty. But this abduction happens in the beachy community of Plum Island, Mass. McKinty has been an especially astute observer of class in fiction. But when little Kylie finds a wrench in the room where shes chained, the outcome is just surprising enough to heighten interest, not kill it. Hope you enjoy browsing my book reviews & following my reading adventures. Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | 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. In The Chain, McKinty hooks the motif up to a power supply, connects it to wi-fi and plunges it into the Dark Web, where The Chain slithers like a basilisk, feeding on our obsession with social media, and our blithe ignorance of online privacy and security. It's a ride I won't soon forget. The morning starts like any other. Adrian McKinty just leapt to the top of my list of must-read suspense novelists. "Mark Billingham, author of The Killing Habit"The Chain does for parenting what Gone Girl did for marriage; a breakneck narrative and a chilling concept make this a must-read thriller. "Gene Walz, Winnipeg Free Press"Adrian McKinty is one of the most striking and most memorable crime voices to emerge on the scene in years. Are we not men? Were three pages in. I have also since read McKintys second blockbuster action-thriller The Island. Find out more >>. 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. We learn Kylies kidnapping is just the latest in a horrifyingly effective ransom scheme, wherein parents are tasked with taking a child hostage in order for their own child to be released. ]. How Marvel went big with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. This is no ordinary kidnapping: the caller is a mother herself, whose son has been taken, and if Rachel doesn't do as she's told, the boy will die. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from Coffy to Jackie Brown. Two pages later, the two kidnappers are stopped by a New Hampshire state trooper and of course have to kill him, because The Chain has also been sold as a movie. It must stick to certain rules, including the one McKinty identifies as Chekhovian (and didnt have to, in this genre): Is there a gun? Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. I have never read an Adrian McKinty book before. You wont shake it for a long time. When a beautiful young British woman vanishes on the island of Corsica, a prime ministers career is, #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva delivers another stunning thriller in his latest action-packed tale of high stakes international intrigue featuring the inimitable Gabriel, Greg Iles continues the electrifying story begun in his smash New York Times bestseller Natchez Burning in this highly anticipated second installment of an epic trilogy of blood and race, family and, From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Penn Cage series comes a gripping World War II thriller that vaporizes almost every clich about the limits of the, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE 2014 EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL WINNER OF THE 2014 DILYS AWARD A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF 2013 From New York Times bestselling author William Kent. Publisher: Orion Publishing Co. ISBN: 9781409189602. Reviews & Interviews; Publisher: Mulholland Books Year: 2019 Synopsis: YOUR PHONE RINGS. You Save 11%. 2019-04-28For every child kidnapped, another must be taken. 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. How thoroughly can we be spied upon? . And so it goes: The Chain. The last third was kind of pointless, didn't care anymore. He is a winner of the Edgar Award, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, the Macavity Award, the Ned Kelly Award, the Barry Award, the Audie Award, the . Thrillers, at least in terms of premise, dont get much more psychologically rich than The Chain, the buzzy new novel from Adrian McKinty (the Sean Duffy series). Rachel is an ordinary woman, but over the coming days she will be pushed beyond ordinary limits to save her daughter. Rachel's 13-year-old daughter Kylie was waiting at the bus stop while she headed to a doctor's appointment. McKinty returned to writing after the book landed him a six-figure English-language book deal, and was optioned for a film adaptation by Paramount Pictures. Lisa Jewell Then the book grabbed hold and off. Expect the buzz to build quickly for this onethink The Woman in the Window for 2019. He would like you to realize that what youre reading is existentialism in action, with Rachel defining herself moment by moment with each choice she makes. I assumed it would be a sure thing as Im a HUGE fan of the authors other books. a high-concept thriller that draws creatively on familiar tropes . But McKinty waits until the last third of the book to reveal who created The Chain, and how they run it, day-to-day. Rachel is a part-time philosophy lecturer; divorced, recovering from cancer and struggling to make ends meet. In 1999, while his wife studied for a Fulbright in Israel, McKinty played loose head prop forward for the Jerusalem Lions Rugby Club. 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. Mr. McKinty, what have you done? Five hundred, five thousand, do I heard five billion, oh that redhead woman raised her hand, SOLD to five billion stars to this precious, mind hunting, terrifying, nerve bending, good night sleep killer book! It is no surprise to me that Don Winslows agent sent McKinty a $10,000 advance on hearing it, and that The Chain has been sold to 36 countries and scored McKinty a seven-figure movie deal with Paramount, all pre-release. The novel is at its best when its focus narrows, with punishing clarity, on the emotional intensity of its central predicament. CRIME & LEGAL THRILLER | Adrian McKinty's 'The Chain' is the thrilling page-turner of the summer July 8, 2019. One evening, driving in her car, Rachel O'Neill gets a phone call. What I do care about is terrible and unnecessarily pretentious writing, men who insist on writing women despite seemingly never having met a women in their lives, and enormous plot holes you could drive a burning trunk through. THE CHAIN by Adrian McKinty RELEASE DATE: July 9, 2019 For every child kidnapped, another must be taken. #audies #underdog #blackstoneaudio #mystery", "Rowling's Galbraith makes book shortlist", "Announcing the 2016 Ned Kelly Award Shortlists | Australian Crime Writers Association", "Mystery Fanfare: CWA Dagger Award Longlists", http://bouchercon2017.com/anthony-awards/, "Crime writers Jane Harper and Adrian McKinty win Ned Kelly Award for best novel", "Shotsmag Confidential: CWA Dagger Longlists", "The best books of 2017 - the Boston Globe", "2019 Thriller Awards International Thriller Writers", "Belfast author Adrian McKinty wins major crime fiction prize", "Shotsmag Confidential: CWA Dagger Awards 2020 Longlists Announced", "2022 Thriller Awards International Thriller Writers", "Ned Kelly Awards Australian Crime Writers Association", "New Adrian McKinty Sean Duffy Novel Out in Fall of 2021 Deadly Pleasures", "the psychopathology of everyday life - Adrian McKinty's blog", "Alter Hund, neue Tricks.