Would I? [18], The stand-alone thriller was inspired by the chain letters of his youth and contemporary reports of hostage exchanges. Adrian McKinty | The Chain. Buy "The Chain" on IndieBound. Pre-publication book reviews and features keeping readers and industry No law enforcement, no politicians, no journalists. Categories: Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly: A Detective Sean Duffy Novel: 6 : McKinty, Adrian: Amazon.com.mx: Libros "Lou Berney, author of November Road"Starting The Chain is like climbing aboard a runaway train. This adds immeasurably to the excitement, making it not merely a well-told page-turning thriller, but a truly sophisticated bit of novel-writing. I assumed it would be a sure thing as Im a HUGE fan of the authors other books. A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. He read law at the University of Warwick and politics and philosophy at the University of Oxford. He grew up reading science fiction and crime novels by the likes of Ursula Le Guin, J G Ballard and Jim Thompson. In desperation, Rachel and her retired military brother-in-law, Pete ONeill, eventually kidnap a random child to win her daughters release. After Ellies funeral, Laurel begins a relationship with Floyd, a man she meets in a cafe. But the long arm of the crime novelist Don Winslow, the Cartel wizard who turned his own career into the kind McKinty now hopes to achieve, is also visible. The only thing is it is a high concept and for him to do it again it will require another fantastic idea like this one. Following Rachel as she wades through this inexplicable nightmare, or staying with Kylie as she pieces together exactly whats happening to her, works as well as it does because of how off-balance the author keeps them. One evening, driving in her car, Rachel O'Neill gets a phone call. "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. It turns out that kidnapping is only the beginning. To McKintys great credit, he can make readers wonder at any point whether the ground may fall beneath their feet and how much evil they might be pushed toward. Adrian McKinty has written a novel thats nail-biting, smart, and convincing, with a plot-jolting twist that readers of Gone Girl will love. In 2008 McKinty moved with his family to Melbourne, Australia, to become a full-time writer. 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. He set that all aside in this one. Get help and learn more about the design. I asked myself again and againwould I do that? A masterpiece of tension. I may not read a better thriller in my lifetime. Alas, its not to be. 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. THE CHAIN by Adrian McKinty RELEASE DATE: July 9, 2019 For every child kidnapped, another must be taken. "Tana French, New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Elm and The Trespasser"This nightmarish story is incredibly propulsive and original. https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/. FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | Rarely does second-to-second pacing feel justified; here, its essential. Hooking readers into her moral doubts and trial by fire is done very deliberately. Your child will be released when your victim's parents kidnap another child. The morning starts like any other. But a cell phone call from an unknown number changes everything: it's a woman on the line, informing her that she has Kylie bound and gagged in her back seat, and the only way Rachel will see her again is to follow her instructions exactly: pay a ransom, and find another child to abduct. Thats how girls vanish. Thats how Patterson books sound, too. $13.99 + $3.65 shipping. Her mother, Rachel, then receives a call that she is now part of The Chain. And as brilliant The Chain is a superb construct; it's a self-perpetuating, self-disciplining system that relies on fact that the vast majority of kidnappings are resolved quickly, bloodlessly and profitably. A STRANGER HAS KIDNAPPED YOUR CHILD. Otherwise The Chain will be broken. His Sean Duffy books remain one of my favourite all time series. And so it goes: The Chain. This book reviews site hosts advertising banners and links served by various third-party advertising networks who use cookies to record the performance of that advertising including impressions/ clicks/ actions taken by users of this website, including IP address/ geographic location/ referral page etc. Guys. Leah Garrett It must stick to certain rules, including the one McKinty identifies as. Who would create something as evil as The Chain? 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. This is nothing short of JAWS for parents. Beneath its surface of high-speed thrills. You won't shake it for a long time. You know youre having a bad day when you get a phone call telling you your daughter has been kidnapped, and, to get her back, you must not only pay $25,000 but also kidnap somebody else. Adrian McKinty is a Northern Irish writer of crime and mystery novels and young adult fiction, best known for his 2020 award-winning thriller, The Chain, and the Sean Duffy novels set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. His father was a boilermaker and ship's engineer and his mother a secretary. "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. And when I first started reading I thought I was correct. . The answer was always, distressingly, yes. That darkness and corruption dwell behind the shiny, happy faade of middle-class life is a common enough theme in American storytelling. Thirteen-year-old Kylie is waiting for the school bus on Plum Island, Massachusetts, when a man and a woman pull up wearing ski masks. The Chain By Adrian Mckinty Unabridged Version Audio Book. It's something parents do every morning: Rachel Klein drops her daughter at the bus stop and heads into her day. The latter part of the book tilts toward decryption and computer science, because as any thriller reader knows, saving her daughter wont be enough; Rachel will have to get to the bottom of whatever this crime ring is too. At that point, an angry Rachel and Pete, ignoring warnings to continue to remain silent and do nothing, go on the offensive to track down the people responsible for the kidnapping chain, culminating in a violent confrontation in a marshy area south of Plum Island. Adrian McKinty's 'The Chain' is the thrilling page-turner of the summer July 8, 2019. [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. TO FREE THEM YOU MUST ABDUCT SOMEONE ELSE'S CHILD. I first heard of the book when another author, Don Winslow, began to tout . "Dennis Lehane, New York Times bestselling author of Mystic River and Since We Fell"A masterpiece. 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. ", Adrian McKinty interviewed by Jeff Glor on CBS This Morning, "The Author behind, Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, "Author Adrian McKinty strikes it rich with The Chain reaction", "Class, Race and the Case for Genre Fiction in the Canon", "Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty is October's Irish Times Book Club pick", "Go into The Story Interview: Adrian McKinty". [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. 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. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Good for him: Those were the bad guys, after all. One evening, driving in her car, Rachel O'Neill gets a. Anyone can read what you share. 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. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Choose from Same Day Delivery, Drive Up or Order Pickup. Both of these sections primarily focus on Laurel. I raced to the end of the book and then went back to see how Adrian McKinty pulled it all off. Can Rachel be the one person to finally break The Chain? Adrian McKinty was born and grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland during the Troubles of the 1970s and 1980s. From Austin Butler and Cate Blanchett to a potential Best Supporting Actress toss-up, see who EW thinks will win at the 2023 Oscars. Adrian McKinty's novel "The Chain" makes readers wonder how much evil they might be pushed toward. Its only once in a great while when a high concept this good comes along for a book. Offers may be subject to change without notice. If I dont make it, dont let them cast some asshole to play me in the movie version of this Adrian McKinty, The Chainif(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'bookloverbookreviews_com-leader-1','ezslot_4',683,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-bookloverbookreviews_com-leader-1-0'); The Chain is an unashamedly commercial novel that I think will be better suited to the big screen, and I really hope it makes it there Not because I think this particular novel is more deserving than others, but so that McKinty then has the means and international platform to return to producing the top-quality fiction long-time fans know and love. VICTIM. The Chain : Adrian McKinty : 9781409189589 Share The Chain : The Award-Winning Suspense Thriller of the Year 3.8 (89,187 ratings by Goodreads) Hardback English By (author) Adrian McKinty List price: US$15.67 Currently unavailable Add to wishlist AbeBooks may have this title (opens in new window). 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.) "John Katzenbach, #1 internationally bestselling author of The Analyst"Just when you think every single plot has been done along comes something new. Hang on tight, because once you start this book, you cant stop youll be caught in THE CHAIN. SUSPENSE, by The Characters: Rachel, her daughter Kylie . Were glad you found a book that interests you! 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. Rachel is an ordinary woman, but over the coming days she will be pushed beyond ordinary limits to save her daughter. Truly a nail-biter that will pull you in from start to finish. The Detective Up Late was published in Germany with the new title Cold Water in 2019, and Hang On St Christopher the following year under the title Alter Hund, neue Tricks (Old Dog, New Tricks) [73]. 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. Where McKinty succeeds, in a book that feels heavily worked over to ensure no tangents detract from main events, is in making sure the premise isnt the main event. Now the girl, Kylie, thinks about how worried her mother will be. Rachel is a part-time philosophy lecturer; divorced, recovering from cancer and struggling to make ends meet. In the meantime, I urge readers to check out this highly talented authors far superiorback catalogue. This is up there with Marathon Man and The Silence of the Lambs. It's something parents do every morning: Rachel Klein drops her daughter at the bus stop and heads into her day. Average for the last 12 months. Im Jo, an Aussie book reviewer. 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 4.9. Stanley Milgrams postwar experiments in social cruelty, determining what kind of electric shocks subjects would administer to other people if they thought it was normal, arent directly cited here, but they are essentially what The Chain is about. Here's the premise: a child is kidnapped, and the parents are only able to get him or her back if they kidnap somebody else's child, pay a generous ransom in bitcoin, and convince the parents of the child they kidnapped to do the same in turn. 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. Over and over as you read, you'll find yourself asking, Would I do this? AUSSIE AUTHOR CHALLENGE: We hosted this reading challenge from 2010-2022, amassing several hundreds of participant book reviews of titles by Australian writers. . But a cell phone call from an unknown number changes everything: it's a woman on the line, informing her that she has Kylie bound and gagged in her back seat, and the only way Rachel will see her . Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. 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 diabolical, unnerving, and gives a whole new meaning to the word 'relentless.'. Book bloggers, perhaps your next great read or author interview is waiting for you on this list? CRIMINAL. But these are just tiny bumps, loose pebbles on the rails of an otherwise thunderous ride into the darkest, most fearful reaches of a parent's mind. Because the chain always uppercased as The Chain, as if it had magic powers isnt as silly or one-note as it initially sounds. Just brilliant. But McKinty waits until the last third of the book to reveal who created The Chain, and how they run it, day-to-day. You get a call from a stranger saying that they have kidnapped your child, they say you have to kidnap someone elses child for your child to stay alive, WOULD YOU DO IT!! WELCOME BOOKLOVERS! Lisa Jewell 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. The Chain . And where it moves at the speed of a T3 connection: Its victims want to get their children back as quickly as possible, so they race through their tasks, funneling huge amounts of money to The Chain's creators. A powerhouse of a novel for the Irish-turned-American author, McKintys pulse-pounding thrill ride is definitely all its cracked up to be. The kind that threatened you with plagues and curses if you didnt strictly follow their instructions? This inherent breakneck quality lends The Chain structural confidence. GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | To McKinty's great credit, he can make readers wonder at any point whether the ground may fall beneath their feet and how much evil they might be pushed toward. Adrian McKinty is a Northern Irish writer of crime and mystery novels and young adult fiction, best known for his 2020 award-winning thriller, The Chain,[1] and the Sean Duffy novels set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. This is pure high adrenaline storytelling and thats okay. What an elaborate conceptand nightmare! McKinty's writing is paced to match. Shipping speed. Great read. . At the peak of the action, discordant notes pop out: A revolver with a safety catch; a Massachusetts colloquialism that doesn't ring quite true. This information may be used to tailor the advertising provided to website viewers. In a late-night phone call, Salerno persuaded McKinty to write what would become The Chain. "[25], His novel The Dead Yard was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the 12 Best Novels of 2006. [22] Some reviewers have criticised the explicit use of violence in his novels. Listen, I dont even care that the plot is crazy and ridiculous - I picked it up for specifically that reason. Read it that way and its a thriller on more levels than one. The Chain reaches and surpasses an almost painful level of page-turning intensity that so many thrillers strive for and never quite achieve. by Buy "The Chain" on Barnes & Noble Adrian McKinty. Brilliant. On the way she received a call from an unknown number. SUSPENSE | Human beings are creatures whose lives are governed by deep instincts. Something much better than expected. Adrian is a reviewer and critic for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Irish Times and The Guardian. You Save 11%. Subscribe or feel free to browse our newsletter archives. [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. 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. His father was a welder and boilermaker at the Harland and Wolff shipyard before becoming a merchant seaman. 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. But a cell phone call from an unknown number changes everything . Mr. McKinty, what have you done? [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. January 25, 2023; Tagged film, miscommunication trope, romance, romantic comedy, single parent. Baby Driver helmer Edgar Wright will direct, while Jane Goldman (Kingsman Trouble signing in? Adrian McKinty steps on the gas early in this pulse-pounding, nerve-shredding, high-octane tale and he doesn't let up. The happy couple were very smiley as they cosied . If any of these things don't happen, your child will be killed. The Chain belongs in the elite company of world-class thrillers like Gone Girl and The Silence of the Lambs. SUSPENSE | When the first bullet hit my chest, I thought of my daughter Dr. Marc Seidman has been shot twice, his wife has been murdered, and his six-month-old daughter has been kidnapped. And how far into the darkness she is prepared to go. 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. In Adrian McKinty's thriller The Chain, that's precisely what the victims are required to do. The Chain - by Adrian McKinty (Paperback) $11.99When purchased online In Stock Add to cart About this item Specifications Dimensions (Overall): 8.2 Inches (H) x 5.4 Inch (W) x 1 Inch (D) Weight: .75 Pounds Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up Number of Pages: 368 Format: Paperback Genre: Fiction + Literature Genres Sub-Genre: Thrillers 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. [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's Taken for mothers. DON WINSLOW, Diabolical, unnerving, and gives a whole new meaning to the word relentless. Are we not men? You have never read anything quite like THE CHAIN and you will never be able to forget it. When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. I have been very busy and unable to read a lot lately, but I have been wanting to read this one for a while, so I decided to give it a try. 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. They are like mice, these people, mice in the hay fields, and shes the peregrine swooping over them, seeing every little thing they do. 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. Liam McIlvanney, writing in the Irish Times, singled out McKinty's lyrical prose style as the defining characteristic of the Duffy series. Then the book grabbed hold and off. Brilliant. When The Chain chooses her, it's as though she has opened the door of her car in a supermarket parking lot and found herself stepping into hell. I have loved the Michael Forsythe trilogy, the Sean Duffy series, and to a lesser but still definite degree Falling Glass. That, or lose their own children forever. What would you do to save your kids? ", "A masterpiece. Number of pages: 416. 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. Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up. YOU WILL BECOME EACH ONE. She cant do this, she must do this, she is now a completely different person who has done this. His debut crime novel Dead I Well May Be was shortlisted for the 2004 Dagger Award and was optioned by Universal Pictures. [15], McKinty quit writing in 2017 after being evicted from his rented house, citing a lack of income from his novels, and instead took work as an Uber driver and a bartender. Rachel, the mother, is the protagonist, and shes on her way from Plum Island, Mass., where the book is set, down to Boston to see her oncologist about a possible health crisis. Try. Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. BOOK RATING:The Story 4 / 5 ; The Writing 3 / 5 Overall 3.5, OR listen to the audiobook FREE with Audibles Trial (check eligibility). Thirteen-year-old Kylie is waiting for the school bus on Plum Island, Massachusetts, when a man and a woman pull up wearing ski masks. For every child kidnapped, another must be taken. 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. a high-concept thriller that draws creatively on familiar tropes . I cant believe what went through my mind while reading it. 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. Genre:Thriller, Action, Mystery, Crime-Detective. The MCUs tiniest heroes are kicking off its biggest phase yet, setting up the next several years of storytelling. The premise of this book is chilling. [18], Patrick Anderson of the Washington Post has praised McKinty as a leading light of the "new wave" of Irish crime novelists along with Ken Bruen, Declan Hughes and John Connolly.
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