McKinty’s latest triumph ‘The Island,’ is the thriller we all were waiting for. Thriving off contemporary suburban fears, (much like Horror Writer Stephen King likes to), McKinty dares to answer our deep-anxiety-riddled question of …what if? What if everything went wrong? What if we were stranded? What if our phones didn’t work? What if someone died?....

IT WAS JUST SUPPOSED TO BE A FAMILY VACATION.

A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT CHANGED EVERYTHING.

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE CAPABLE OF UNTIL THEY COME FOR YOUR FAMILY.

Heather is only in her twenties, and has recently married an older man, Tom. His wife died a year ago, so it a bit soon for the union, according his neurotic teenage children Olivia and Owen. Tom decides it’s time for a family holiday, to bond and let his children come around to the idea of Heather. When an opportunity to present at a conference in Australia comes up, he takes the chance, deciding to take the entire family with him. But it doesn’t go to plan.

Toms’ teenage children do not treat Heather very kindly and spend a lot of the trip whining about various things. Including not seeing enough wild animals. That is until they meet Jacko and Matt…

“We’re from across the bay there – private island – and there’s koalas bloody everywhere. And wallabies, echidnas, wombats – it’s like Jurassic bloody Park, mate,’ Jacko said.

Their discussions about their private island and bold statement of ‘no visitors allowed,’ leads to discussions of money, with Tom fishing out his wallet… no one could have predicted what would happen next.

“She’s the monster. The bunyip. She’ll destroy us unless we destroy her.”

The novel has a momentum that I have never experienced, gripping you in a ridged vice that you cannot escape. As the story progresses from friendly family holiday to fiendish family horror story, you become more and more engrossed, unable to put the book down or leave the next page unturned.

As the story turns nasty, pangs of familiarity arise. Echoes from previous horrors leak into your mind, such as Australian horror movie ‘Wolf Creek,’ ghoulishly disturbing ‘I Spit on Your Grave,’ or the Rob Zombie 2003 American black comedy horror ‘House of 1000 Corpses,’ the never-ending battle of perennial torment, chase and attack of this novel feel just as familiar as they do terrifying.

“Fee Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of an American”

Ignoring the horror and terror, there is some lovely historical context mixed into the narrative, and cute mythological mentions – such as the creature bunyip – there is also talk of the aboriginal history of the island as well as various topographical history.

“The federal government had a prison just down the road here from the 1910s to the 1980s. They paid us rent and we sort of live off the remains of that cash. They tried to run it as a tourist attraction after it closed, but Ma put a stop to all that”

McKinty makes apt sneaky nods at other authors work, most notably of ‘Waiting for the Barbarians,’ by South African writer J.M. Coetzee. The joke in the title of Coetzee's novel being quite a morbid one, pointing out that the problematic name of ‘barbarian,’ is a constructed falsity built into colonial discourse. The joke in McKinty’s text suggesting that it isn’t race or culture that makes you barbaric, it is your behaviour.

“It was night, and the barbarians were coming”

This novel should have a warning brandished on the title page, stating that ‘your heart will pound for Heather, your blood will boil for Owen and Olivia, and you will gasp and gasp at Tom.’ A thoroughly enjoyable read that I have recommended to nearly all of my friends who are going on holiday. I am excited to read more of McKinty’s work and hope to see more thrillers written by him flying off the shelves.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher & Adrian for the ARC.

A fast paced thriller, difficult to tear yourself away from. Well written and expertly crafted.

‘Deliverance’ meets ‘Castaway’ with a sprinkle of ‘The Hills have eyes’.

Fast paced ‘switch your brain off’ novel.

This book managed to deliver some totally bananas scenarios whilst also dwelling over small movements and an almost halted pace, in other areas. I felt on unsure footing with it and although it remained, overall, a solid thriller some disconnect had formed between myself and the characters and unfurling events.

Wow. Another stunning page turner from the author of the equally stunning The Chain. A guaranteed page turner that you’ll devour in one sitting.

I should have read this book sooner. A good and interesting read. Well written. I am sure that the book will be successful and enjoyed by many.

A thriller with a difference. You would do anything to protect the family, right?
A famiky holiday in Australia goes horribly wrong when Tom, his new wife Heather and his two childrenset off to see typical Australian wildlife. Bored they accept an offer to go to Devil's Island but once on the ferry they start to have doudts. A tragic accident sets them on a journey of survival. Heather must get herself and the two children off the island but a game of cat and mouse between her and the local family mean that she has to use all her wits, can she get them off the Island?

Such a great book, the beginning had me completely hooked and freaked out.

I loved the character development experiencing the families fear and the ways the battles to be free.

The environment and atmosphere were written well, I had complete ‘The Hills have eyes’ vibes

I found this book to be very exciting.

it was very informative and extremely realistic.

great pacing throughout.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy of this book. I wanted to read this as soon as I heard it was written by Adrian McKinty. I loved The Chain, and since then have been a fan of this Author watching out for his next book. Then along came The Island.
My expectations were probably far to high based on his previous book, and I didn't like The Island as much as I liked The Chain, but I did give it 4 stars so its fair to say I enjoyed it a lot.

So, an American family on holiday in Australia with a new young Step-Mother does not sound appealing. But that is 100 times better than a trip to Dutch Island! This is the worst island you could go on holiday too. It was supposed to be a quick trip over to see koalas, then back again. But an accident happens and the family are not able to return quite as soon as they would like.

The ultimate game of cat and mouse, except the cats are angry, violent and live to their own laws. The mice are hungry, thirsty and alone with nothing.
The book is a thriller and I read with a pinch of salt, as I felt some parts were slightly unbelievable, but its a thriller and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I would have liked the end to be slightly more drawn out, as to me it felt quite quick.

I loved the character development as the family were scared, but got braver and more creative in their ways to stay safe. The environment and atmosphere was really well written, as I got a good image of the savage terrain that they were on.

Another brilliant thriller by Adrian McKinty. I will be keeping a close eye when his next book comes out.

I really don't know where to begin with this book.
I couldn't put it down once I'd started reading. I read it in one sitting.
This book is terrifying because it could very well happen. There isn't a psychopath or a supernatural evil, but a viable human threat and its captivating.

Adrian Mckinty’s previous novel The Chain was a supremely clever and original thriller and I couldn’t wait for his latest The Island. This book is a full throttle blockbuster rollercoaster of a book. Yes you have to suspend belief at times, but that is part of the fun of this book that has everything and the kitchen sink from action, drama, thrills, murder, survival and more. Deliverance meets the The River Wild this is one who will do anything to save her family.

Knock out summer blockbuster five out of five

This is a tense thriller which wouldn't encourage you to go looking for a day trip to this island. Heather and her new family don't realise the danger they are putting themselves in on an impulsive outing and she is shocked by the choices her husband makes when it comes to survival. We are kept on the edge of our seats wondering if she can save herself and her reluctant step-children.

I was actually quite disappointed by this book after having read 'The Chain' by the same author.
The Chain was brilliant, but The Island just felt unbelievable in places and too farfetched even for fiction.
There were still elements that I did enjoy however, and I like the authors writing style, just not the storyline.

I really couldn’t get on with this book. The writing was more for the ya audience and varied between over descriptions to glossing over key parts. I didn’t like the characters and therefore wasn’t engaged with the chase. Sorry there are better novels out there with a similar concept.

Who doesn’t love a seriously creepy, heart-pounding thriller to see you through the boiling hot days of summer? I certainly do! I know that Adrian McKinty is known for The Chain, which I haven’t read but I’m very intrigued by the premise of that book. His latest release The Island was genuinely unputdownable for me, so I thoroughly recommend it if you want something that will make you completely forget where you are and what the time is!

When Heather Baxter married Tom, a widowed doctor with two children, she knew that their marriage may well involve some travel. So she’s excited to learn that all four of them will be taking a trip to the Aussie outback where Tom is due to speak at a conference. A boat trip to the remote Dutch Island promises glimpses of koalas but almost as soon as they arrive, it becomes apparent that the island locals really don’t want them there. But after a tragic accident, it becomes apparent that the hunt is on and they won’t be leaving alive.

Like all good thrillers, there were a couple of mysteries running simultaneously and one of them could easily have been forgotten about. I was wary of Tom from the very beginning because the husband/father is always a prime suspect for having done something incredibly dark, even if it’s not related to the main action. There were a few times where Tom’s status as a widower was mentioned and towards the end, it becomes more apparent that the death of his first wife wasn’t exactly as it was reported. So, my suspicions were with him but as he was largely absent from the bulk of the plot, my attention was diverted and I couldn’t quite figure out how or even if he was involved with what was happening on the island.

One of the locals was also having a bit of a crisis of loyalty, simply due to the fact that he wasn’t a true islander. I found Matt a really interesting character who was thoroughly unpredictable and it seemed to be the only island resident with any kind of moral compass. This is a fast-paced thriller, so I understand why we didn’t get a lot of background on the O’Neill family but I think I would have loved it. I wanted to know how they came to be squatters of Dutch Island and why they were as depraved as they were.

There was a touch of Lord of the Flies to the story too and I think it delivered a similar message. The idea that humans are the real monsters and that in extreme situations, that monster comes out is a really powerful one and perhaps puts the O’Neills in a more sympathetic light. Remote islands turn ordinary humans into violent, immoral demons -who knew?

The Island is a very exciting, heart-in-mouth page-turner with a few twists along the way and plenty of drama at the climax. There is some really horrible imagery, so it’s certainly not for the faint-hearted. I found it very easy to put myself right in the terrible action, which is testament to McKinty’s talent but perhaps put pictures in my mind that I simply can’t shake. A must read for lovers of sticky, tight thrillers that won’t quit.

An American family- surgeon Tom, his wife second and young Heather and two children from his first marriage, are on an extended vacation in Australia. The usually family hostility where a young step mother is trying to impress her husband's children causes difficulties in their enjoyment of the holiday and gradually as the story progresses these chinks in the armour a the successful middle class family lead to sinsister and dangerous events. which lead them stranded on an island inhabited by laeless and violent people.. Dutch Island, with its shark infested waters, infrequent contact with mainland, harsh relentless heat and dust, is quite a vivid creation of the author's and an air of menace is soon developed.. In his desire to explore a remote and partly inaccessible area in order to experience authentic Australia and engage in the wildlife, arrogant Tom, by paying a huge sum of money to a stranger to ferry them to the island, exposes his own family and that of a Dutch couple who crossed the water with them to life threatening ordeals.

I am a long term fan of Adrian's books, particularly the Sean Duffy ones. I loved The Chain as well and expected something more like that than what The Island turned out to be. It is an amalgum of all the Austalian horror stories you may have encountered, complete with Deliverance style lawless characters. Although for nthe most part, the writing style was polished enough to keep me reading, ity was more in the hope that the plot would change into something more surprising than the damp squib that was eventually delivered. The main problem for me, I think, was that the charactyers were not convincing and not engaging. I lost interest in them and ceased to care.
However, I am sure that most readers will enjoy this horror story more than I did because there are elements of surprise and some suspenseful moments.

This is very much a ‘chase’ novel. A family are trapped on an island with the ‘Deliverance’ type family living there trying to capture and kill them,
I kept reading as I wanted to know what happened but to be honest it isn’t the type of book I would normally go for, if you enjoy the thrill of a chase this one is for you,

Firstly I need to say when I saw one of the characters was from Ballymena I automatically began reading in a Northern Irish accent(I'm from NI) and it was fun to learn that the author was also born in Belfast!

This story is not your typical island story, it's not beach vibes it's more a survival story with a lot of high stakes and constant moving. It tells the story of a recently married couple and his two children who are in Australia for a work trip, whilst there they decide to take one of the days to see some of the wild life and come across people who offer them a chance to take the ferry to a private island to see some animals, everything from there on out becomes a game of survival

Well, the fact I read this in about 3 days proves it’s a page turner. Highly unbelievable but it really doesn’t matter. In the face of adversity Heather, newish wife to a recently widowed man, turns from compliant spouse and loathed stepmother to a fierce protector with the ability to outwit an entire family of degenerates. But I still enjoyed it! The pace was faster than fast and I can thoroughly recommend if you want to escape reality for a while and embark on this gruesome but entertaining story of survival both mentally and physically.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Phew, I now need to take an unlikely leaf out of Heather and Tom’s books to meditate and slow down my heart beats!