All of these devices serve to build palpable tension, but the structure also contributes to how deeply disturbing the story becomes. 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. In 2019, the author made this comment about that novel: "It didnt sell very well, but it ended up getting the best reviews of my career. Adrian McKinty | The Chain. Adrian McKinty, author of such tremendous books like the Michael Forsythe trilogy (start with #1, Dead I Well May Be), has crafted a . Hang on tight, because once you start this book, you cant stoplike the characters in the story, youll be caught in The Chain., Rachel Knights daughter has been abducted, and the only way Rachel can save her is to add another kidnapped child to the terrifying chain. 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. Rachel is a part-time philosophy lecturer; divorced, recovering from cancer and struggling to make ends meet. I really wanted to read this, swoon & write a glowing review. For every child kidnapped, another must be taken. Except better, because it's so utterly believable. Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller (2019). SUSPENSE, by A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people. Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Number of pages: 416. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. DON WINSLOW, Diabolical, unnerving, and gives a whole new meaning to the word relentless. Choose from Same Day Delivery, Drive Up or Order Pickup. 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. * My receiving a copy from the publisherfor review purposes did not impact the expression of my honest opinions. The parent added to the Chain in McKintys telling is Rachel, an academically minded single mother whose breast cancer is resurfacing. Sure, Rachel is a gutsy protagonist and of course I wanted her to prevail, but her self-deprecation continually broke my emotional engagement. Adrian McKinty steps on the gas early in this pulse-pounding, nerve-shredding, high-octane tale and he doesn't let up. [2] 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 Anthony Award and the International Thriller Writers Award. Find out more >>. Adrian McKinty just leapt to the top of my list of must-read suspense novelists. Something much better than expected. Alas, its not to be. A masterpiece of tension. Her mother, Rachel, then receives a call that she is now part of The Chain. Youre teetering right along with them. Your child is kidnapped and to get them back you must kidnap someone else's child and tell his/her parents that they need to kidnap a child to get their own back and so the Chain keeps going. He states that The Detective Up Late is in fact finished and Book 8 (Hang On St Christopher) is pretty much done, and that early versions of these two novels have already appeared in German language editions. I got shortlisted for an Edgar, won a couple of awards, and so then that set me on that path for the next six years of reluctantly, kind of being dragged into writing about Northern Ireland in the 1980s". She drifted away from her other two children, Hanna and Jake, and eventually she and her husband, Paul, divorced. He now lives in New York City with his wife and two children. Falling Glass - Adrian Mckinty - Unabridged CD Audiobook. . IF ANY OF THESE THINGS DONT HAPPEN: The novel is at its best when its focus narrows, with punishing clarity, on the emotional intensity of its central predicament. Which could easily have happened with a premise like this. 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. ]. Seriously after reading this book I feel like Ive missed out and will need to catch up on his other boos ASAP!! There are breakneck thrillers and then there's The Chain. [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. [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. When Rachel (and her brother-in-law, Pete, a military veteran who helps her along the way) settles on a target, things inevitably go wrong, and McKinty stretches the bounds of belief in the plots progression. 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. What comes next is clunky and a little didactic, making the story bigger than it needs to be, but at least were in the hands of someone who knows how to finish things off with one last irresistible sprint into darkness. Read it that way and it's a thriller on more levels than one. [7], The third Duffy book, In the Morning I'll Be Gone, won the 2014 Ned Kelly Award for Best Novel. 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. [16] Upon hearing of his situation, fellow crime author Don Winslow passed some of his books to his agent, the screenwriter and producer Shane Salerno. As the novel progresses, Laurel becomes increasingly determined to learn what happened to Ellie, especially after discovering an odd connection between Poppys mother and her daughter even as her relationship with Floyd is becoming more serious. That, or lose their own children forever. 2023 Oscars predictions: See who will win at the 95th Academy Awards. 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. 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. Otherwise The Chain will be broken. Hope you enjoy browsing my book reviews & following my reading adventures. Readers wont be able to put this thriller down. And how far into the darkness she is prepared to go. She cant do this, she must do this, she is now a completely different person who has done this. His plots tempt you to read at top speed, but dont give in: this writing sharply observant, intelligent and shot through with black humor should be savored. takes what at first seems like a fantastical scenario and imbues it with all the terror, stress, trauma, and messiness of reality. The MCUs tiniest heroes are kicking off its biggest phase yet, setting up the next several years of storytelling. He read law at the University of Warwick and politics and philosophy at the University of Oxford. Her brain tells her to run, but she doesnt make the correct split-second decision, and she is taken at gunpoint. 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. Darn it. 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. What an elaborate conceptand nightmare! Do yourself a favor and skip this predictable yawner. 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. Ten years later, Ellies remains and her backpack are found, though the police are unable to determine the reasons for her disappearance and death. 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. 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. AUSSIE AUTHOR CHALLENGE: We hosted this reading challenge from 2010-2022, amassing several hundreds of participant book reviews of titles by Australian writers. 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. influencers in the know since 1933. by Las mejores ofertas para The Chain Lib/E de McKinty, Adrian estn en eBay Compara precios y caractersticas de productos nuevos y usados Muchos artculos con envo gratis! He moved to the United States in the early 1990s, living first in Harlem, New York and from 2001 on, in Denver, Colorado, where he taught high school English and began writing fiction. The Chain cannot be broken or the childrenher child, her Kyliewill be executed. a high-concept thriller that draws creatively on familiar tropes . $13.99 + $3.65 shipping. Weight: 288 g. Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 30 mm. ", "A masterpiece. And because McKinty hangs on to his wit and literacy even under duress. Beautifully written. And because McKinty hangs on to his wit and literacy even under duress 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. Pairing an irresistible concept with a winner protagonist, The Chain promises to be your new addiction once you succumb to the first enticing page. I defy anyone to start this book and put it down without finishing it. Leah Garrett It must stick to certain rules, including the one McKinty identifies as. . 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. That darkness and corruption dwell behind the shiny, happy faade of middle-class life is a common enough theme in American storytelling. His Sean Duffy books remain one of my favourite all time series. 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. 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 But would we root for him if he kidnapped another person's an innocent person's child? Adrian McKinty was born and grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during the Troubles of the 1970s and 1980s. They are like mice, these people, mice in the hay fields, and shes the peregrine swooping over them, seeing every little thing they do. "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. Offers may be subject to change without notice. If any of these things don't happen, your child will be killed. [22] Some reviewers have criticised the explicit use of violence in his novels. 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. THRILLER | Adrian McKinty just leapt to the top of my list of must-read suspense novelists. SUSPENSE | Flashbacks inevitably slow a narrative down, and The Chain is all about momentum. 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. 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. Accurate description. He writes with confidence, heart, and style to spare. You wont shake it for a long time. The morning starts like any other. Best known for his outstanding Sean Duffy series, set during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, McKinty has also written several gripping stand-alones, of which this one is the best yet; in fact, it may well be the biggest thriller of the summer . 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 . [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. Come on. It was also a book I swore I'd never read, because it sounded too scary. Jewells (I Found You, 2017, etc.) Number of Pages: 384. 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 lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two children. I can't believe what went through my mind while reading itthe things I might be willing to do to save my child. You won't shake it for a long time. To get her daughter back alive, Rachel must not only pay a ransom, but also do the unthinkable: Take someone else's child, and assume the role of kidnapper herself. She has survived the devastating trauma and treatment of breast cancer, and horror of horrors, it now appears to have returned. "David Lagercrantz, author of The Girl in the Spider's Web and The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye (Continuing Stieg Larsson's Millennium Series). Since the clients do most of the work themselves, one criminal says, what it turns out to be is the goddamn Uber of kidnapping., To Save Her Abducted Daughter, This Heroine Has to Kidnap a New Victim, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/books/review-chain-adrian-mckinty.html. 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. Any parents reading this book will be tempted to find a version of the surveillance gizmo that McKinty writes about, and stick it immediately in their kids footwear. The suspense here is intense, as one would expect, given the premise, but the true brilliance in this unrelenting novel comes from the way McKinty makes Rachel confront her own capacity for evil and deal with its reverberations, not only on herself and the child she kidnaps, but also on her own child, Kylie. 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 . It's something parents do every morning: Rachel Klein drops her daughter at the bus stop and heads into her day. Trouble signing in? His plots tempt you to read at top speed, but don't give in: this writing -- sharply observant, intelligent and shot through with black humor -- should be savored., Adrian McKintys The Chain is the rare thriller thats not only fiendishly clever but also powerfully empathetic, with both hair-raising twists and complex, fully-realized characters., The Chain is diabolical, unnerving, and gives a whole new meaning to the word relentless. Adrian McKinty just leapt to the top of my list of must-read suspense novelists. Publisher: Mulholland Books/Little, Brown, Categories: 2019-04-28For every child kidnapped, another must be taken. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser, Buy One, Get One 50% Off Books for All Ages. "Attica Locke, author of the Edgar Award-winning Bluebird, Bluebird"Diabolically gripping. Over and over as you read, you'll find yourself asking, Would I do this? 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. (2.5) Good idea, meh execution. 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. That darkness and corruption dwell behind the shiny, happy faade of middle-class life is a common enough theme in American storytelling. "Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Better Sister and The Wife"The Chain is diabolical, unnerving, and gives a whole new meaning to the word 'relentless.' McKinty has the last laugh at the makeshift work that drove him around the bend, when a character talks about how efficient The Chain was designed to be. #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. says the actress. His father was a boilermaker and ship's engineer and his mother a secretary. Paddy Hirsch is an editor at NPR's Planet Money. Hang on tight, because once you start this book, you can't stop-like the characters in the story, you'll be caught in The Chain. Were glad you found a book that interests you! Adrian McKinty's The Chain is the rare thriller that's not only fiendishly clever but also powerfully empathetic, . (Shed been in remission for a year.) 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. Try. It's something parents do every morning: Rachel Klein drops her daughter at the bus stop and heads into her day. You have never read anything quite like The Chain and you will never be able to forget it. Reasonable shipping cost. 58 distinct works Similar authors. WELCOME BOOKLOVERS! Who would create something as evil as The Chain? That, or lose their own children forever. books have won the Edgar Award, the Ned Kelly Award (3 times), The Anthony Award, Barry Award, Macavity . In Adrian McKinty's thriller The Chain, that's precisely what the victims are required to do. It must stick to certain rules, including the one McKinty identifies as Chekhovian (and didnt have to, in this genre): Is there a gun? Its a fast read with plenty of excitement and emotion. [ This book was one of our most anticipated titles of July. Hes the real deal., A grade-A-first-rate-edge-of-your-seat thriller. 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). Adrian McKinty's most popular book is The Chain. On the way she received a call from an unknown number. It's a ride I won't soon forget. 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. "I have this Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit!" The terrifying premise alone is worth the readand once you are fully involved with the story, you're led through a maze that leaves you wondering if the protagonists will ever make their way out. 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. [19] The Chain was published in 37 countries. The Chain has a simple-sounding premise: What if a kidnapping ring used the tactics of a chain letter? This was not a good book, and I feel like everyone is pretending it is just to piss me off. McKintys admiration for Winslow is apparent in the psychopathic behavior he injects into some of The Chains power players, in the long reach of Mexican drug cartels, in the presence of a highly sympathetic major character whos gotten hooked on hard drugs, and in the basic decency of the books central family. SCIENCE FICTION | How? 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. This is up there with Marathon Man and The Silence of the Lambs. [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 very definition of a page-turner. Your child will be released when your victim's parents kidnap another child. Hooking readers into her moral doubts and trial by fire is done very deliberately. Buy "The Chain" on iTunes And when I first started reading I thought I was correct. And he brings that experience and talent fully to bear upon the reader with. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. McKinty drops in character details like hes filling out a rsum about how her marriage went south, what the past year has done to her relationship with Kylie but merely because, well, theres no time for anything more: Her daughter is in danger, and she has to get her back. In the movie Taken, Liam Neeson's retired CIA officer chases one man to his death, tortures another and kills a half dozen more. Her brain tells her to run, but she doesn't make the correct split-second decision, and she is taken at gunpoint. by Entertaining and definitely a page turner but probably not a book you want to analyze to death as it does have some problems along the way. A masterpiece of tension. SURVIVOR. The pacing was excellent but I did prefer the first half over the second. Shipping speed. "Stephen King"You have never read anything quite like The Chain and you will never be able to forget it. "Dennis Lehane, New York Times bestselling author of Mystic River and Since We Fell"A masterpiece. It's something parents do every morning: Rachel Klein drops her daughter at the bus stop and heads into her day. The woman tells Rachel that she has kidnapped Kylie, and the only way to get Kylie back is for Rachel to kidnap another child. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you. Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System, and theres always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. I raced to the end of the book and then went back to see how Adrian McKinty pulled it all off. Book bloggers, perhaps your next great read or author interview is waiting for you on this list? 5.0. "[25], His novel The Dead Yard was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the 12 Best Novels of 2006.