The Chain

VICTIM. SURVIVOR. ABDUCTOR. CRIMINAL. YOU WILL BECOME EACH ONE.

"This nightmarish story is incredibly propulsive and original. You won't shake it for a long time." STEPHEN KING "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 "A masterpiece. You have never read anything quite like THE CHAIN and you will never be able to forget it." DON WINSLOW * * * * *

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.

YOU ARE NOW PART OF THE CHAIN

* * * * *

"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's the real deal." DENNIS LEHANE "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 "A grade-A-first-rate-edge-of-your-seat thriller. I can't believe what went through my mind while reading it." ATTICA LOCKE

"Diabolically gripping. Nail-biting, smart, and convincing. Hang on tight, because once you start this book, you can't stop - you'll be caught in THE CHAIN." MEG GARDINER

"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

"YOU ARE NOT THE FIRST. AND YOU WILL CERTAINLY NOT BE THE LAST."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review An Amazon Best Book of July 2019: The Chain is one of those white-knuckle, stay-up-till-3 a.m. thrillers that keeps you reading feverishly because you just need to know how this one plays out. Part of the appeal lies in a fiendishly clever and original premise, a premise Adrian McKinty plots out flawlessly. Rachel is driving to an oncology appointment in the city when she gets a call from a panicked woman who says her child's been kidnapped and that the only way to get him back is to join The Chain by kidnapping another child. So the woman has just kidnapped Rachel's daughter, Kylie, from a bus stop. Now the only way to save Kylie and the caller's child is for Rachel to join The Chain by kidnapping another child, whose parents will also be forced to kidnap a child...and so The Chain goes. Oh, and each must also send $25,000 in Bitcoin before the child will be released. Divorced, poor, a cancer survivor, and a working mom, Rachel is no one's idea of a wealthy mark. But as with any parent, failure is not an option when your child's life hangs in the balance. Before the last page is turned, Rachel, assisted by her ex-brother-in-law (a Special Forces veteran who's hiding a secret), will cross lines she's never crossed before. Ultimately empathy is the other ingredient that lifts this terrifying thriller a cut above--seeing ordinary people just like us trying to rise to extraordinary circumstances. --Vannessa Cronin

Review An instant New York Times bestseller!

"McKinty hangs on to his wit and literacy even under duress...Beneath its surface of high-speed thrills, "The Chain" is clearly the work of the philosophical thinker McKinty has always been."-Janet Maslin, New York Times

"The pace quickens and the tension builds whenever the mother and daughter appear in a scene. 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."-Tina Jordan, The New York Times

"A deeply unsettling story about the limits of morality, raising questions about the nature of good and evil and the depths of parental love."-Joumana Khatib, New York Times

"This is more than nail-biting; think cuticle-shredding."-Bethanne Patrick, The Washington Post

"A chilling, diabolical page-turner you'll want to savor."-People Magazine, Book of the Week

"Thrillers... don't get much more psychologically rich than The Chain." -David Canfield, Entertainment Weekly

"Told in a spare, punchy style, this is a blazing, full-tilt thriller that entirely justifies the hype."-The Guardian

"The Chain is a straight-up, stone-faced thriller, a present-tense race...thunderous ride into the darkest, most fearful reaches of a parent's mind")-Paddy Hirsch, NPR

"The Chain turns out to be awfully hard to put down."-Connie Ogle, Newsday