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

From Adrian McKinty’s The Chain.

While waiting for the bus, thirteen-year-old Kylie is kidnapped by a masked man and woman. Kylie’s Mother, Rachel, unaware that her daughter has been taken, is carrying on with her normal routine and sending the duo’s traditional morning texts. However, Rachel’s world is shattered when she gets a call from an unknown number that tells her a list of strange rules. Next, Rachel receives another call from Kylie’s kidnapper, who says that both women are part of The Chain, and that Rachel needs to follow the rules exactly to keep both Kylie and the kidnapper’s kidnapped son alive. The woman informs Rachel that in order to complete her part of The Chain, she will have to pay $25,000 and kidnap someone else’s child. Crazed at the thought of loosing her daughter, Rachel quickly begins to gather the money for the first requirement and the materials and information required for the second part. Meanwhile, chained in the basement of her kidnapper’s home, Kylie refuses to give up and begins working on a way to escape. Not allowed to get help from her ex-husband or his girlfriend, Rachel reaches out to her brother-in-law, Pete, for help, but the veteran’s hidden drug addiction complicates his efforts to focus as Rachel researches a child to kidnap. When the mysterious organizer pushes forward the time limit, Rachel and Pete have to rush to take their target. The tormented, desperate Rachel follows all the rules while completing the terrible challenges, but when an issue arises farther down The Chain, she finds herself face-to-face with more evil than she ever imagined.

McKinty brilliantly creates chapters that are short, but captivating and fast-paced. As the point of view switches between kidnapped daughter, frantic mother, and unknown organizer, the reader is quickly pulled into the story. Terrifying because it is so possible, The Chain is a gripping must-read for thriller fans.