THE CHAIN

By Adrian M^cKinty

⭐⭐⭐⭐ ¼ (Goodreads: 3.78)

GENRE: Psychological Thriller

PART OF A SERIES? No

WORTH READING? Yes

SUMMARY:

This high-concept thriller poses a nightmare scenario: your child is kidnapped, but the only way to get them back safely is to become a kidnapper yourself. Rachel Klein, a divorced mother, gets pulled into an elaborate criminal scheme where victims become perpetrators in an unbreakable cycle.

The chain-letter format for kidnapping relies on a parent’s instinct to save their own child, by passing the horror forward. Breaking the pattern means deadly consequences.

The novel ultimately asks the uncomfortable question: how far can parents be pushed beyond their moral boundaries?

Opening lines: “She’s sitting at the bus stop, checking the Likes on her Instagram feed, and doesn’t even notice the man with a gun until he’s almost next to her.”

When I picked up The Chain at the Lifeline Book Fair, I’d never heard of Adrian M^cKinty. But I read the back cover and thought what an interesting premise it was.

The Chain gets off to a sizzling start and maintains a high level of suspense and tension throughout… you can really feel how stressed and distressed the main characters are, particularly Rachel and Kylie.

Two of the main characters in this story are fighting their own (often private) health battles, on top of being dragged into this kidnapping ring. I like that… it makes their lives seem more real.

That realism is especially striking when it comes to illness. Considering how many people in this world are affected by cancer — and often chemo, too — I thought that Adrian M^cKinty made an insightful comment with… “Chemo is a little death that you invite in in order to keep the big death waiting outside on the porch.”

I always feel like I’m betraying ‘the good guys’ when I read the chapters from the perspective of — or about — the enemy. But I do appreciate the value these chapters bring to a novel, despite it making my skin crawl. I also think it takes a special skill for an author to be able to see both sides and change author voice so effectively.

For any parent reading this, what would YOU do in their place?

Dennis Lehane — whom I consider an amazing author — said that The Chain is: “Diabolical, unnerving and gives a whole new meaning to the word ‘relentless.’” To be honest, him saying that would’ve been enough to make me pick The Chain up even if I hadn’t read the blurb.

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