Monday, July 15, 2019

The Chain - Adrian McKinty

There's been lots of publicity surrounding the release of Adrian McKinty's latest novel - The Chain. Did it live up to the hype? Oh yeah it did - thriller readers are going to want to pick up this one!

The premise is a frightening (and pretty dark) 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."

Takes the chain letter concept to a whole new level doesn't it?

McKinty has created a great lead character in Rachel. She's a divorced, single mother battling breast cancer. Why in the world have her and her daughter been targeted? I love books that place an everyday person in an extraordinary position. Can they beat the odds? Thwart the 'bad guys'? Pull off the impossible? Rachel is a force to be reckoned with.

Action is the word of the day in The Chain. The plot is driven forward by twists - most of them ones I could not have predicted. I love being caught unawares by a book. So, the game changes frequently and Rachel has to react and respond to the newest directive. Now, I must admit - some of those plot lines require a few grains of salt. And that's okay - this is pure escapist, entertainment reading.

I had a three day weekend lately - and I devoured The Chain on that extra day. It's addictive, propulsive reading that will consume the reader. The Chain is an action packed thriller film just waiting to be made. See for yourself - here's an excerpt of The Chain.

5 comments:

Kay said...

Yes, I'm planning on reading (or listening to) this one. Have been hearing some interesting things about it. The concept is quite dark indeed.

Luanne said...

I bet it would be a great listen - I'll have to see who the reader is. Enjoy Kay!

Icewineanne said...

Glad you enjoyed this one Luanne. It’s received excellent reviews from readers. I really like McGuinty’s Sean Duffy series but I’ll pass on this one. The plot just sounds too implausible for me..
Happy Reading :-)

Ethan said...

I pre-ordered this one on hype and Don Winslow's recommendations alone. Amazon lost my package, so I'm late to start it. It arrived this evening, so I'm sure I'll devour it in no time!

Luanne said...

Icewineanne - I have not read any of the Sean Duffy series at all - but hear they're quite good. The plot is far fetched but addictive.

Ethan - I hope it's arrived for you! I look forward to hearing what you think.