This is my first book by this author and will not be my last.

Very well written and I really enjoyed the story.
Rachel's daughter has been abducted and the only way Rachel can get her back is to Kidnap another child to keep The Chain going it was a gripping read a bit creepy to think this is something can could really happen. It will keep you on the edge of your seat turning pages wondering how it all going end.

Thanks so much netgalley for letting me read this great book. I really enjoyed it and could not put down.
I remember from my school days being given letters and not to break the chain or something terrible will happen
Could never think that something like that could exist but reading this story makes you think that it could very easily happen. Rachel and Kylie get involved in the chain with terrible circumstances.
Cannot say much more or it will give the story away.
All I can say is you must read this book.
This will make a wonderful film or series.

This is one of those books where you think ' what would I do in that situation'. It might seem far fetched but for those of you old enough to remember chain letters, they put the fear into a lot of people as to what would happen if they broke the chain. You had to send 10 letters to ten people based on the one you had received. if you didn't something bad would happen. This book takes that one step further and each person has to kidnap and kill someone's loved one to get their own loved one back. A cracking premise that's for sure.

There was a film a few years ago with Charlize Theron where someone delivered a box with a button on to her home. She would win a million dollars if she pressed the button, but someone she didn't know would have to die. Would she press the button? Would you? I enjoy these thrillers which seem far fetched but which are a great deal of fun at the same time.

It's fast, fun and set in a lovely part of the USA which was nice to go to! Not sure I would walk around Plum Island in the same way again mind after this! Locations are backgrounds really as this could happen anywhere. Maybe the person next to you on the bus is in the chain.....

Hooks you in fast and doesn’t release its grip. The Chain hijacks your emotions, letting you imagine yourself in a scenario where your child has been kidnapped and there’s only way of getting them back- to inflict the pain you’re in on another parent by kidnapping their child. The story delivers an emotional payload and doesn’t pull its punches. There are moments where the real life research isn’t all that great (the anaphylaxis/ epipen incident wasn’t very true to life) but you’re caught up in the plot and it’s not all that relevant.
I liked the first half of the book far more than the second. It was clear where the back story was leading us to, so that particular twist wasn’t a surprise. The denouement was predictably violent and rather too weapon orientated for my liking. However, I loved the concept for this book and feel it will be a crowd pleaser.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, best book I have read for ages.The pace was good I liked the main characters, and it kept me interested and guessing.I much prefer reading a book to watching a film, but I do think this book would make a very exciting film, it would be fabulous.I loved the book and its a definite 5 stars from me.Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC.

A terrifying thriller where every attempt to extricate yourself just ends up getting you even further tangled up in the Chain. The rotating POVs really helped to ramp up the tension and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. Anyone buying this book should be prepared to dedicate some time to it as they won't want to put it down until they reach the chilling ending.


I received a proof copy of this and chose to review it honestly.

This was certainly a page turner with twists and turns. I found the idea very original, plus it was also very thought provoking.
I'd definitely recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyed this book, at first it seemed a bit clunky but as it progressed it became pacey and tight. A good thriller, I guessed the twist but that's not to say it's completely obvious! A good enjoyable read!

The Chain

Wow what a ride! Very different to anything else I’ve read. Kept me gripped so much I read it in 2 sittings. It didn’t let up from beginning to end. Fast paced, thrilling and very thought provoking. I highly recommend this book if you love a high octane edge of your seat thriller!

I really like and rate the Sean Duffy books but this is the best yet from this author.

This is a thoroughly plausible contemporary thriller with some well develop characters about whom we come to care. This is on one level and examination of how far would you go to protect you and yours but it is much deeper than that,

By the end of the narrative I was thinking about nature versus nurture and how the flaws exhibited by some of the cast of this novel were attributable to their upbringing. At the same time seemingly normal mature adults were able to step outside their daily moral and ethical frameworks when put in highly stressed situations, Perhaps we need to consider not just nature and nurture but also immediate response to stress and conflict.

If the author is right then we are all capable of violently extreme behaviour in extreme circumstances.

This is a terrific read. Perhaps the US setting suits Adrian McKinty even more than Belfast. If this came from an abandoned short story then perhaps we need to rummage through his desk for some more manuscripts.

An absolutely thrilling read, kept me turning the pages late into the night as I could not put it down. Not only is it a good read but also very thought-provoking, how far would you go to save your child? This is definitely going to be one of the top thrillers for 2019.

Oh this is good ...very very good !!
I must admit when I started the book I was worried with all the hype surrounding it that it wouldn’t live up to expectations but oh boy did it in fact far and beyond and I loved it from beginning to end. The story is intriguing fast paced at the beginning and the second half deals with a whole heap of emotions from the main characters who are all exceptionally well written and some really interesting technical / mathematical parts which I loved.
The whole idea of this story being like the chain letters of old but dealing with the kidnapping of children was different, addictive and the concept of not breaking the chain in this case frighteningly real.
This book is so brilliantly plotted so damn clever, entertaining and chock full of suspense I’m sure it’s going to be a big hit and it certainly was with me and I found myself often thinking what the hell would I do if I was in the same position as Rachel, just how far would I go !!
So this is a well recommended read and for me a five star book and my thanks to Adrian McKinty for an unputdownable page turner.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read in one sitting as couldn't bear to put it down. The Chain is the ultimate stuff of nightmares for parents. The plot is excellent and fast-paced right up until the thrilling denouement. The literary and philosophical references peppered throughout are an added bonus. I really enjoyed the author's afterword too and look forward to reading more of his work.

A lovely thriller to get your teeth stuck in.

I was excited to read this after the blurb and I enjoyed it a lot. The story was compelling and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Absolutely devoured this in 24 hours. Loved the premise, and the pace literally never let up. I'm fully expecting this to been one of the big books of 2019!

You are now part of The Chain

.....now there is a tag line. I started reviewing in January 2019 and I have to say this has been the most anticipated read of my short reviewer life.

I probably noticed or started seeing bits about this book pop up on Twitter, little snippets from the publisher Orion, and then proof reviews started popping up from the likes of Don Winslow and Val McDermid praising this to the skies.

So I began to follow the author and the publisher and it became apparent that anyone in the know realised pretty quickly after reading this that they had read something special.

Weeks of teasing continued from the Orion social media team until late April they dropped a teaser in to net galley, the first 5 short chapters.

And boom, Right there they had me. A little while later after more cat and mouse with the publisher I was lucky enough to be granted an ARC on Netgalley.

It felt like a big movie launch, which inevitably it will be in future.

The opening to this book is positively sizzling, and the action and pace does not let up.

Kylie O’Neill is waiting on the bus stop for school when she is snatched by man threatening her with a gun..

Rachel, Kylie’s Mum, receives a call, whilst on her way to an urgent Dr’s Appointment , The caller tells her - I’ve kidnapped your daughter , if you want to get her back you must follow the rules of the chain. Do not to contact the police, she must pay $25000 to a specified account in Bitcoin and find another target to replace her daughter, she must follow the chain...

A fraught, frantic series of events follow and this book holds you right up until the stunning finale.

The characters are fantastic and believable, Rachel is a great protagonist, she’s strong, she’s determined and will do anything it takes.

The author utilises social media and displays just what danger we really could find ourselves in while we tell everyone where we are and what we are doing with frightening regularity.

It really is a scary book, of course it takes a lot to believe this chain could happen but with how accessible social media now is, this book has made me sit up and think twice about how I use it. Not being a massive user in the way the characters are, but it still makes you shudder. Because it COULD happen.

Tense, gripping, exciting, emotional , frightening premise , it’s a book about how far the human psyche can be stretched, how far will you go to save your children. Someone you love? What extents will you go to? Where is the line?

It’s a superb book, almost feels dystopian in its ideas, all plaudits to Adrian Mckinty for coming up with this, and it was very interesting in his notes at the end how he actually came up with it.

This will put him firmly at the front of crime writing, and much deserved. One of THE books of 2019, I recommended that anyone reading this review, becomes part of The Chain....

5🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥