The Chain

The Chain (2019) is a thriller novel by Adrian McKinty. The protagonist, Rachel Klein, receives a phone call explaining that her 13-year-old daughter, Kylie O’Neill, has been kidnapped. This is not a regular, straightforward kidnapping; rather, the woman who kidnapped Kylie did so in order to free her own son from a “chain” of kidnappings. Each new person in The Chain must pay a ransom, then kidnap another person to replace their own loved one, in the hopes that the new “link” will keep The Chain going to avoid any deaths of hostages. Like others in The Chain, Rachel navigates an unfamiliar crime spree in an attempt to save her daughter. The Chain is reportedly being adapted into a film.

This guide is based on the paperback edition published by Mulholland Books in 2020.

Content Warning: The Chain and this guide include references to animal abuse, child abuse, drug abuse, kidnapping, violence, murder, and death by suicide.

Plot Summary

In Part 1 of The Chain, 13-year-old Kylie O’Neill is waiting for the school bus when a strange man in a mask puts a gun to her head, blindfolds her, and forces her into a car that a woman is driving. She’s been kidnapped, and her safety depends on her cooperation and her mother, Rachel Klein (previously Rachel O’Neill). A police officer pulls the kidnappers over, and the driver shoots him.

On her way to her oncologist’s office regarding her breast cancer, which has been in remission, Rachel receives phone calls informing her that she is now part of The Chain. Kylie’s been kidnapped by a woman whose own son was kidnapped; she kidnapped Kylie as a condition for her own child’s safe return. Now, Rachel must pay a ransom of $25,000 and kidnap a replacement victim to get Kylie back. If she goes to law enforcement or makes a mistake, Kylie will die. Furthermore, the person Rachel kidnaps needs to have someone who is willing to pay a ransom for them and kidnap another replacement.

Rachel is a philosopher and knows it’s ethically wrong to follow The Chain’s demands, but as a mother, she sees no option but to do whatever it takes to save Kylie. She has little money, but she convinces a bank manager she knows to give her a high-interest loan and quickly pays the ransom. The kidnapping requirement proves harder, partially because Rachel’s house is in a populated area. She scouts a house that’s been left alone for winter and breaks into it. The Chain forbids Rachel from seeking help from her ex-husband and Kylie’s father, Marty, because they suspect he’d go to the police. However, they do allow Pete, Marty’s brother and Kylie’s uncle, to get involved. Pete’s an ex-Marine but doesn’t care about laws and will prioritize Kylie’s life over morality; he uses heroin but doesn’t tell Rachel.

The woman running The Chain doesn’t like Rachel’s tone, so she demands an extra $25,000 and mandates that Rachel kidnap someone by that night. Rachel and Pete put the ransom on credit cards, then decide to kidnap a child named Toby Dunleavy who walks home alone from archery practice. However, Toby’s absent, so they take his eight-year-old sister Amelia instead, and put her in the basement of the house that’s been abandoned for winter. Amelia partially believes the kidnapping is a game. Rachel leaves to feed her cat, and Pete gives the girl nuts, forgetting she has a dangerous allergy. Rachel returns and the police show up because neighbors saw Pete inside. However, Rachel flirts with the police until they leave. Finally, an EpiPen ordered by Pete comes in the mail and Amelia recovers, but is no longer happy with her kidnappers.

Soon, Amelia’s parents pay the ransom and kidnap another child, so Kylie gets to come home. Rachel and Pete are relieved, but Kylie is horrified that her mother kidnapped someone. Meanwhile, the newest “link” in The Chain is causing trouble, and those in charge task Rachel with confirming there’s no police involvement. Soon, she’s allowed to release Amelia. Rachel begins a romantic relationship with Pete and discovers his drug use, so he enters a methadone program to recover.

In Part 2, Rachel begins chemotherapy again and reflects on the lingering threat of The Chain. Those in charge continue to call upon her to do crimes, so she decides to risk her life to end it all. Meanwhile, Marty’s old girlfriend disappears, and he gets a new one (later revealed to be Ginger). The creators of The Chain are twins (Ginger and Olly) who, as toddlers, lived on a commune with their mother and other “hippie” adults, until their father (Tom) and grandfather (Red/Daniel) killed their mother and kidnapped them—who then moved in with Tom and later, their new stepmother, Cheryl, and half-brother, Anthony. Tom works for the FBI, has anger problems, and proves abusive. Neighborhood children bully Ginger and Olly, and the family frequently moves. The twins kill animals to torment other children.

Rachel and Pete team up with another survivor of The Chain, Erik Lonnrott, who is a mathematician who developed an app to track phone calls, even those made from burner phones in Faraday cages. The Chain leaders change their accounts often enough that Erik no longer has their information, but Rachel does. If she gets the leaders on the phone, the trio can locate the closest cell phone tower.

Later, Ginger and Olly kill Anthony, torment Cheryl until she dies by suicide, and finally kill their father. They’re later sent to live with their grandfather, Daniel, whom they seem to respect. They both attend college but have many student loans to pay off. Ginger joins the FBI like Tom, and Olly becomes a software engineer, but keeps working for companies that fold. Ginger comes up with an idea to make fast money to pay off their student loans (The Chain), and the twins plan it together. After making enough money, they keep going with their plan, even though Olly protests.

The Chain kills Erik, but Rachel and Pete continue to make use of his app. They send Kylie to Marty’s for the weekend, so they can get The Chain leaders on the phone and track their cell phone tower. Marty takes Kylie and her friend Stuart to his new girlfriend, Ginger’s, grandfather’s house. Rachel and Pete find the cell phone tower and only see one house nearby. They go to it and Ginger comes out, along with other armed people.

After some gun fights, Rachel and an injured Pete eliminate everyone and save Kylie, Stuart, and Marty. Then, they call the authorities, who bring them to safety. Even though Rachel and Pete committed crimes, they likely won’t be punished because they ended The Chain. The couple and Kylie slowly work through their trauma together.