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A review by dc7
The Chain by Adrian McKinty
5.0
"Your phone rings.
A stranger has kidnapped your child.
To free them you must abduct someone else’s.
Your child will be released when your victim’s parents kidnap another.
If any of these things don’t happen: your child will be killed. You are now part of The Chain."
This is a killer blurb if there's ever been one. THE CHAIN is an insanely fast-paced, gripping thriller that's hard to put down and easy to read in just a day. The story hooks you right from the start and never lets up. The plot is clever too.
Our main character is Rachel, divorced cancer-survivor and mother to a teenage daughter who has just been kidnapped. Though she is in a bad situation, she is a capable protagonist and I never got angry with her for doing stupid things. Her daughter Kylie is just as likable - she's a fierce and clever girl.
I loved the Boston/New England setting. While descriptions of the scenery thankfully never take over the novel, they are there, in the background, and provide a breath-taking atmosphere - just the backdrop this story needs.
The narration is a little unusual: the story is told by an omniscient narrator and there is quite a bit of head hopping, but interestingly, that never annoyed me here. The author uses present tense and punchy, short sentences and it works like a charm.
A very good thriller.
A stranger has kidnapped your child.
To free them you must abduct someone else’s.
Your child will be released when your victim’s parents kidnap another.
If any of these things don’t happen: your child will be killed. You are now part of The Chain."
This is a killer blurb if there's ever been one. THE CHAIN is an insanely fast-paced, gripping thriller that's hard to put down and easy to read in just a day. The story hooks you right from the start and never lets up. The plot is clever too.
Our main character is Rachel, divorced cancer-survivor and mother to a teenage daughter who has just been kidnapped. Though she is in a bad situation, she is a capable protagonist and I never got angry with her for doing stupid things. Her daughter Kylie is just as likable - she's a fierce and clever girl.
I loved the Boston/New England setting. While descriptions of the scenery thankfully never take over the novel, they are there, in the background, and provide a breath-taking atmosphere - just the backdrop this story needs.
The narration is a little unusual: the story is told by an omniscient narrator and there is quite a bit of head hopping, but interestingly, that never annoyed me here. The author uses present tense and punchy, short sentences and it works like a charm.
A very good thriller.