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Narrated by January LaVoy
Adrian McKintyUnabridged — 10 hours, 9 minutes
Narrated by January LaVoy
Adrian McKintyUnabridged — 10 hours, 9 minutes
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A mother is told to kidnap another parent's child if she wants to see her own kidnapped child ever again. And so it goes: The Chain. The terrifying premise alone is worth the read…and 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. Truly a nail-biter that will pull you in from start to finish.
In the end, what makes The Chain so frightening—and why it works so well as a thriller—is that all of Rachel's actions remain completely relatable, even as she whipsaws between terror and determination, morphing from victim to perpetrator.
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. 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 about…Beneath its surface of high-speed thrills, The Chain is clearly the work of the philosophical thinker McKinty has always been…He 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. Read it that way and it's a thriller on more levels than one.
★ 04/29/2019
An original premise, relentless pacing, and strong female characters lift this nail-biter from Edgar winner McKinty (the Sean Duffy series), which takes a no-holds-barred look at how far a parent will go to protect her child. Divorced teacher Rachel Klein, a cancer survivor, lives on Massachusetts’s Plum Island with her 13-year-old daughter, Kylie. She’s driving to Boston one day to see her doctor when she gets a call from an unidentified woman who sounds upset. The woman tells Rachel that she has kidnapped Kylie, and the only way to get Kylie back is for Rachel to kidnap another child. The woman, whose own child has been kidnapped, and Rachel are now links in a chain of abductions. If Rachel doesn’t follow the program, Kylie will die. In desperation, Rachel and her retired military brother-in-law, Pete O’Neill, eventually kidnap a random child to win her daughter’s release. 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. Readers won’t be able to put this thriller down. Agent: Shane Salerno, Story Factory. (July)
"Adrian McKinty is one of the most striking and most memorable crime voices to emerge on the scene in years. 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."—Tana French, New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Elm and The Trespasser
"This nightmarish story is incredibly propulsive and original. You won't shake it for a long time."—Stephen King
"You have never read anything quite like The Chain and you will never be able to forget it. Brilliant. Beautifully written. A masterpiece of tension. The Chain scared the hell out of me but I could not put it down! I raced to the end of the book and then went back to see how Adrian McKinty pulled it all off. The Chain belongs in the elite company of world-class thrillers like Gone Girl and The Silence of the Lambs. This is nothing short of JAWS for parents."—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. Pairing an irresistible concept with a winner protagonist, The Chain promises to be your new addiction once you succumb to the first enticing page."—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.' Adrian McKinty just leapt to the top of my list of must-read suspense novelists. He writes with confidence, heart, and style to spare. He's the real deal."—Dennis Lehane, New York Times bestselling author of Mystic River and Since We Fell
"A masterpiece. One of the finest novels ever produced in the genre. This is up there with Marathon Man and The Silence of the Lambs. I may not read a better thriller in my lifetime."—Steve Cavanagh, author of Thirteen
"The Chain is a grade-A-first-rate-edge-of-your-seat thriller. I can't believe what went through my mind while reading it—the things I might be willing to do to save my child."—Attica Locke, author of the Edgar Award-winning Bluebird, Bluebird
"Diabolically gripping. Adrian McKinty has written a novel that's nail-biting, smart, and convincing, with a plot-jolting twist that readers of Gone Girl will love. 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."—Meg Gardiner, author of Into the Black Nowhere
"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."—Lou Berney, author of November Road
"Starting The Chain is like climbing aboard a runaway train. You'll miss meals, sleep, and your stop on the bus - guaranteed."—Val McDermid, internationally bestselling author of Broken Ground
"Scary, plausible, gripping."—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. . . . It's called the Chain, and it's a Ponzi scheme from hell. . . . A pitch-perfect psychological thriller. . . . Expect the buzz to build quickly for this one—think The Woman in the Window for 2019."—Booklist (starred review)
"The Chain has all the hallmarks of a monster hit, including a terrifying premise that had me wondering: Is this actually happening somewhere right now? And I bet I won't be the only one. Terrific."—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."—James Swallow, author of Exile
"Just when you think every single plot has been done along comes something new. Great read. The very definition of a page-turner."—Linwood Barclay, #1 internationally bestselling author of Never Look Away
"There are many elements that recommend Adrian McKinty's The Chain: A devilishly clever plot, well-drawn characters that leap from the page, a writing style that verges on the electric and the imaginative way he is able to blend fear, panic and determination throughout each chapter. But the element that is most striking is the significant intelligence that goes into the story. Psychological notes are played deeply. Emotional chords are woven tightly to the plot. This adds immeasurably to the excitement, making it not merely a well-told page-turning thriller, but a truly sophisticated bit of novel-writing."—John Katzenbach, #1 internationally bestselling author of The Analyst
"Just when you think every single plot has been done along comes something new. Great read. The very definition of a page-turner."—Linwood Barclay, #1 internationally bestselling author of Never Look Away
The Chain is a rocket ship, tremendous in pace and filled with suspense. It's a ride I won't soon forget."—Daniel Woodrell, author of Winter's Bone
"I read this book in one long dark night of the soul. It's Taken for mothers. Except better, because it's so utterly believable. Rachel Klein is every mother. I asked myself again and again...would I do that? Would I? The answer was always, distressingly, yes. The Chain reaches and surpasses an almost painful level of page-turning intensity that so many thrillers strive for and never quite achieve. I defy anyone to start this book and put it down without finishing it. Just brilliant."—Bestselling author Dervla McTiernan
"My God! The suspense. The Chain is an exceptionally good thriller. I am blown away."—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)
10/01/2019
How far would someone go to get their child back after a kidnapping? That is the question that arises in McGinty's ("Sean Duffy" series) novel. Rachel McNeill receives a phone call from a woman who has kidnapped her teenaged daughter. In order to get her back, she must not only pay a ransom but, in turn, kidnap a child herself and continue "the chain," a racket in which the victim becomes the perpetrator. The premise is far-fetched but nevertheless is a well-executed one with a good deal of suspense as Rachel and her brother-in-law, a former marine, delve into the Dark Web in order to identify the culprits and break the chain. Narrator January LeVoy captures the main character's desperation and anguish as well as effectively portraying the supporting characters. VERDICT Suspense fans who are willing to suspend disbelief will enjoy.—Phillip Oliver, formerly with Univ. of North Alabama, Florence
January LaVoy’s performance of this thriller is as good as they get—focused, intense, smart, and skillful with the appropriate accents. Whether that will save the experience for you will depend on your tolerance for plotting that shades past thriller into gothic territory, so violent and improbable are the premise and execution. The setup: A psychopath mastermind has devised a serial extortion in which a child is kidnapped. To get him/her back, the family must first pay punitive ransom, then kidnap another child from somebody else. Like a murderous chain letter on meth. It’s hard for an actor to create distinct personalities where the author has provided none in the text, but LaVoy gins up the terror of these hapless victims-turned-criminals with impressive dedication. B.G. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
★ 2019-04-28
For every child kidnapped, another must be taken. Otherwise The Chain will be broken.
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. Her brain tells her to run, but she doesn't make the correct split-second decision, and she is taken at gunpoint. Her mother, Rachel, then receives a call that she is now part of The Chain. 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. No law enforcement, no politicians, no journalists. The Chain cannot be broken or the children—her child, her Kylie—will be executed. 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. She can't do this, she must do this, she is now a completely different person who has done this. 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.) takes what at first seems like a fantastical scenario and imbues it with all the terror, stress, trauma, and messiness of reality. 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.
An unmissable thriller.
| BN ID: | 2940170264261 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Hachette Audio |
| Publication date: | 07/09/2019 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
| Sales rank: | 337,112 |
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