Conspiracy theories can be very intriguing; secret revenge schemes, evil organizations, underground crime rings. In theory, these things would never be a part of our normal lives. Wake up, go to school/work, come home to your families, and repeat. In The Chain, that narrative is changed, and shows how everyday people, maybe even your friends and family, would react to their lives becoming a part of a conspiracy theory you would only hear about on the news. 

The Chain, written by Irish-American author Adrian McKinty, is a psychological thriller that takes place in modern New York State. The story follows Rachel, a divorced mother struggling with cancer, and her journey of trying to get her daughter Kylie back after she is kidnapped. What once seemed like a not-so-innocent abduction is soon revealed to be a heinous kidnapping organization, where in order for the parents to get their child back, they must kidnap someone else’s child. Rachel, with the help of her ex-brother-in-law Pete, must now become kidnappers themselves, if they wish to bring Kylie home. 

In my opinion, in order for a book to be enjoyable, it needs to grip me right from the start. Because this book is relatively short, I was hesitant to see how the author would get readers intrigued and excited at the start of the book. I was happily surprised when within the first 10 pages of reading, Kylie is already kidnapped, because it made me wonder what was going to come next in the entirety of the book. Some books make the mistake of starting off with a bang, and then the rest of the book is tedious, but The Chain only got more nail biting. 

One of the major themes in this book is how far someone who is desperate will go to get what they want. Rachel was the perfect example of someone so desperate to get her daughter back, they would do anything in their power, and it made me question what people I know would have done. If I was kidnapped, would my parents kidnap someone elses kid to get me back? I continuously questioned Rachel’s sanity, but realized that until you are in her shoes, you don’t know what you would do to get your child back. 

The ending of the book had a plot twist that I truly was not expecting. It was not something that seemed completely impossible, but it was far fetched enough to really make my head spin. Without spoiling the ending, I will say that Adrian McKinty does not include characters or plot holes just to fill space, and after finishing the book, almost every question I had was answered. 

One small critique I have about The Chain is the perspective that the author chose. The book is written in third person limited omniscient for the first half of the book, and then transitions into third person omniscient towards the end. I feel that if Mckinty began the book using a first person perspective of Kylie, it would have made the book more suspenseful, because we would just think someone was kidnapped, and then when it is revealed that this was part of a mass kidnapping chain, it would have been an even bigger shock. 

If you are looking for a quick book to read on a plane ride, or are just a slow reader like myself, The Chain by Adrian McKinty is a perfect book for you. It was not a difficult read, but was complex enough that it really made me think. It had a very strong, intriguing start, a major theme that made my stomach turn, an astonishing plot twist that I never would have seen coming, and a phone call that any parent would shudder to hear after reading this book: 

“You are now a part of The Chain.”