But McKinty waits until the last third of the book to reveal who created The Chain, and how they run it, day-to-day. GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION | It was with high expectations that I embarked on Adrian McKintysThe Chain. March 2011 by Bantam Books Torrie's Rating: The Plot (Goodreads): [] Read More. The Chain By Adrian Mckinty Unabridged Version Audio Book. 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. Otherwise The Chain will be broken. She has survived the devastating trauma and treatment of breast cancer, and horror of horrors, it now appears to have returned. He read law at the University of Warwick and politics and philosophy at the University of Oxford. Reasonable shipping cost. Kirkus Reviews (starred review) " The Chain is that rare thriller which ends up being highly personal. 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. (July). Average for the last 12 months. And he brings that experience and talent fully to bear upon the reader with. Would I? BOOK RATING:The Story 4 / 5 ; The Writing 3 / 5 Overall 3.5, OR listen to the audiobook FREE with Audibles Trial (check eligibility). 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. Paddy Hirsch is an editor at NPR's Planet Money. He writes with confidence, heart, and style to spare. He grew up reading science fiction and crime novels by the likes of Ursula Le Guin, J G Ballard and Jim Thompson. Letters From The Light author Shel Calopa: Dystopia Now? Liam McIlvanney, writing in the Irish Times, singled out McKinty's lyrical prose style as the defining characteristic of the Duffy series. His Sean Duffy books remain one of my favourite all time series. I started this website in 2009 and quickly realised I enjoy writing and blogging about books almost as much as reading them. That, or lose their own children forever. Adrian McKinty just leapt to the top of my list of must-read suspense novelists. You'll miss meals, sleep, and your stop on the bus - guaranteed. A masterpiece of tension. . You Save 11%. And so it goes: 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. The MCUs tiniest heroes are kicking off its biggest phase yet, setting up the next several years of storytelling. Once he sets up the idea that each set of parents with a kidnapped child must kidnap some other, random young victim or know that The Whatever will kill their kid, find them where they live, inflict unspeakable misery and never go away, his book becomes much more reasonable. a high-concept thriller that draws creatively on familiar tropes . Reviews & Interviews; Publisher: Mulholland Books Year: 2019 Synopsis: YOUR PHONE RINGS. And McKinty finds a lot to work with in the suspenseful possibility of its undoing. Daniel Silva delivers another spectacular thriller starring Gabriel Allon, The English Girl. 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 Adrian McKinty's thriller The Chain, that's precisely what the victims are required to do. Rarely does second-to-second pacing feel justified; here, its essential. 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. Who would create something as evil as The Chain? Terrific. Divorced teacher Rachel Klein, a cancer survivor, lives on Massachusettss Plum Island with her 13-year-old daughter, Kylie. I have also since read McKintys second blockbuster action-thriller The Island. "Linwood Barclay, #1 internationally bestselling author of Never Look AwayThe Chain is a rocket ship, tremendous in pace and filled with suspense. The rules are simple: find the money, find your victim, and then commit a horrible act youd have thought yourself incapable of just 24 hours ago. https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/. SCIENCE FICTION | Jewells (I Found You, 2017, etc.) Im Jo, an Aussie book reviewer. SUSPENSE | His father was a boilermaker and ship's engineer and his mother a secretary. The Chain, Adrian McKintys unashamedly commercial new stand-alone thriller, features a chilling plot and seems written for the big screen. Leah Garrett It must stick to certain rules, including the one McKinty identifies as. He has Rachel teach existentialism and even tosses a copy of Sarah Bakewells superb 2016 book At the Existentialist Caf into the mix. Is McKinty up to the task, though, for well over 300 pages? Buy "The Chain" on Amazon A pitch-perfect psychological thriller. Weight: 288 g. Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 30 mm. The fourth of five children, he grew up in the Victoria area of Carrickfergus, County Antrim. Rachel isn't alone. If any of these things don't happen, your child will be killed. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser, Buy One, Get One 50% Off Books for All Ages. Hes the real deal., A grade-A-first-rate-edge-of-your-seat thriller. 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. 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. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. A mother is told to kidnap another parent's child if she wants to see her own kidnapped child ever again. You can now read McKintys origin story everywhere, so lets move on to the question of whether his new embrace of James Pattersons sentence structure works for him. He writes with confidence, heart, and style to spare. It was also a book I swore I'd never read, because it sounded too scary. 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 . It turns out that kidnapping is only the beginning. "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. influencers in the know since 1933. by YOUR CHILD WILL BE KILLED. 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. Disclosure: If you click a link in this post and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Working within a vividly chilly New England locale, McKinty conjures a fatalistic sense of mystery and confusion. Baby Driver helmer Edgar Wright will direct, while Jane Goldman (Kingsman In Adrian McKinty's thriller The Chain, that's precisely what the victims are required to do. 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 answer was always, distressingly, yes. Stanley Milgram's postwar experiments in social cruelty, determining what kind of electric shocks subjects would administer to other people if they thought it was normal, aren't directly cited here, but they are essentially what The Chain is aboutBeneath its surface of high-speed thrills, The Chain is clearly the work of the philosophical thinker McKinty has always beenHe would like you to realize that what you're reading is existentialism in action, with Rachel defining herself moment by moment with each choice she makes. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. The kind that threatened you with plagues and curses if you didnt strictly follow their instructions? The woman, whose own child has been kidnapped, and Rachel are now links in a chain of abductions. No law enforcement, no politicians, no journalists. Max Brooks. Her mother, Rachel, then receives a call that she is now part of The Chain. January 25, 2023; Tagged film, miscommunication trope, romance, romantic comedy, single parent. But this abduction happens in the beachy community of Plum Island, Mass. 2.0 stars I hate to spend a lot of time reviewing this book because I was thoroughly unimpressed. This authors Detective Sean Duffy (The Troubles) Series titles have routinely featured in my annual best books lists. "Ian Rankin, internationally bestselling author of In a House of Lies"McKinty has 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. Publisher: Orion Publishing Co. ISBN: 9781409189602. [20] He often uses the classic noir tropes of revenge and betrayal to explore his characters' existential quest for meaning in a bleak but lyrically intense universe. When he gets the, Master of international intrigue Daniel Silva follows up his acclaimed #1, An ambitious stand-alone thriller that is both an absorbing crime story and an in-depth exploration of grief, betrayal and corruption Iless latest calls to mind the late, great. Buy "The Chain" on IndieBound. FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | Alas, its not to be. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead mans heart and lungs. Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene. The pacing was excellent but I did prefer the first half over the second. That darkness and corruption dwell behind the shiny, happy faade of middle-class life is a common enough theme in American storytelling. "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. 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. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. 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. TO FREE THEM YOU MUST ABDUCT SOMEONE ELSES CHILD. . Behind the scheme is a sociopathic monster collecting a ransom for each child in the Chain. 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. Adrian McKinty's novel "The Chain" makes readers wonder how much evil they might be pushed toward. 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 . Adrian McKinty has written a novel thats nail-biting, smart, and convincing, with a plot-jolting twist that readers of Gone Girl will love. Adrian McKinty steps on the gas early in this pulse-pounding, nerve-shredding, high-octane tale and he doesn't let up. 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. Read reviews and buy The Island - by Adrian McKinty at Target. We arewell, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006). [18], The stand-alone thriller was inspired by the chain letters of his youth and contemporary reports of hostage exchanges. "Val McDermid, internationally bestselling author of Broken Ground"Scary, plausible, gripping. GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | 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". Seriously after reading this book I feel like Ive missed out and will need to catch up on his other boos ASAP!! Beneath its surface of high-speed thrills, The Chain is clearly the work of the philosophical thinker McKinty has always been. #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. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. From Austin Butler and Cate Blanchett to a potential Best Supporting Actress toss-up, see who EW thinks will win at the 2023 Oscars. Reviewed By: Jessica Dates Read: April 1-10, 2021 Jessica's Rating: 5 stars. . [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. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Buy "The Chain" on Barnes & Noble books have won the Edgar Award, the Ned Kelly Award (3 times), The Anthony Award, Barry Award, Macavity . However, this storys execution fell short of my expectations. Choose from Same Day Delivery, Drive Up or Order Pickup. Rachel Klein is every mother. 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. 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. Are we not men? Rachel's 13-year-old daughter Kylie was waiting at the bus stop while she headed to a doctor's appointment. The Chain . And the seemingly inescapable web of guilt and lies, is highly plausible and thus compelling. "I have this Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit!" No law enforcement, no politicians, no journalists. It's called the Chain, and it's a Ponzi scheme from hell. [5] In 2000, he relocated to Denver, Colorado to become a high school English teacher.[3]. 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. The Chain Adrian McKinty 3.80 89,970 ratings12,229 reviews Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller (2019) It's something parents do every morning: Rachel Klein drops her daughter at the bus stop and heads into her day. Adrian McKinty | The Chain. Now the girl, Kylie, thinks about how worried her mother will be. Adrian McKinty was born and grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during the Troubles of the 1970s and 1980s. 4.8. 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. It's an infuriating choice, to torture the reader this way, but it's the smart one. You have never read anything quite like The Chain and you will never be able to forget it. But would we root for him if he kidnapped another person's an innocent person's child? Something much better than expected. A perfect example of a summer beach read. So by the second page of The Chain, the man with the gun has forced the girl with the Instagram into a car where his accomplice is waiting. You won't shake it for a long time. Its free and takes less than 10 seconds! [72] Expect the buzz to build quickly for this onethink The Woman in the Window for 2019. In a late-night phone call, Salerno persuaded McKinty to write what would become The Chain. 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. [29], Two more Sean Duffy novels to be published by Blackstone Publishing[70][71], On a blog post dated July 15, 2021 on his oficcial site, McKinty explains that the 7th Sean Duffy novel (The Detective Up Late) may be out in late 2022. How? Detailed seller ratings. Great read. Accurate description. Buy "The Chain" on iTunes "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. Adrian McKinty's The Chain is the rare thriller that's not only fiendishly clever but also powerfully empathetic, . GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | 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. [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. 3.5 w sumie cakiem dobry krymina z wtkiem sensacyjnym. On a Thursday morning, 7:55am, a teenage girl, Kylie, is sitting at the bus stop checking the likes on her Instagram feed, when a man wearing a black ski . "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 It's something parents do every morning: Rachel Klein drops her daughter at the bus stop and heads into her day. 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? Number of Pages: 384. There are breakneck thrillers and then there's The Chain. The novel is at its best when its focus narrows, with punishing clarity, on the emotional intensity of its central predicament. 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. This is pure high adrenaline storytelling and thats okay. 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. 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. Adrian McKinty's 'The Chain' is the thrilling page-turner of the summer July 8, 2019. YOU WILL BECOME EACH ONE. EXCLUSIVE: In a seven-figure deal, Universal Pictures has optioned The Chain, the 2019 bestselling novel by Adrian McKinty. The Chain has a simple-sounding premise: What if a kidnapping ring used the tactics of a chain letter? He now lives in New York City with his wife and two children. TANA FRENCH, A masterpiece. How thoroughly can we be spied upon? 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. If they dont, the child will die.