From the New York Times bestselling author of The Chain comes a pulse-pounding thriller about a family that must face their darkest fears--and deepest secrets--when they go on the run for their lives. INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER · A NEW YORK TIMES "BEST THRILLER OF 2022""Unrelenting suspense." —Stephen King“Extraordinary.” —T. J. Newman, New York Times bestselling author of Falling"You'll never go on vacation the same way again." —Don Winslow, New York Times bestselling author of City On FireIT 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.After moving from a small country town to Seattle, Heather Baxter marries Tom, a widowed doctor with a young son and teenage daughter. A working vacation overseas seems like the perfect way to bring the new family together, but once they’re deep in the Australian outback, the jet-lagged and exhausted kids are so over their new mom.When they discover remote Dutch Island, off-limits to outside visitors, the family talks their way onto the ferry, taking a chance on an adventure far from the reach of iPhones and Instagram.But as soon as they set foot on the island, which is run by a tightly knit clan of locals, everything feels wrong. Then a shocking accident propels the Baxters from an unsettling situation into an absolute nightmare.When Heather and the kids are separated from Tom, they are forced to escape alone, seconds ahead of their pursuers.Now it’s up to Heather to save herself and the kids, even though they don’t trust her, the harsh bushland is filled with danger, and the locals want her dead.Heather has been underestimated her entire life, but she knows that only she can bring her family home again and become the mother the children desperately need, even if it means doing the unthinkable to keep them all alive.SOON TO BE A HULU ORIGINAL SERIES“Gripping and unpredictable. No one does high-stakes tension like McKinty . . . Prepare to be hooked.” —Sarah Pearse“A haunting masterpiece.” —Steve Cavanagh“McKinty has written another irresistible and pulse-pounding thriller about the surprising places evil hides and just how far we’ll go for those we love.” —Karin Slaughter

When a mother is targeted by a dangerous group of masterminds, she must commit a crime to save her kidnapped daughter—or risk losing her forever—in this "propulsive and original" award-winning thriller (Stephen King).It's something parents do every morning: Rachel Klein drops her daughter at the bus stop and heads into her day. But a cell phone call from an unknown number changes everything: it's a woman on the line, informing her that she has Kylie bound and gagged in her back seat, and the only way Rachel will see her again is to follow her instructions exactly: pay a ransom, and find another child to abduct. This is no ordinary kidnapping: the caller is a mother herself, whose son has been taken, and if Rachel doesn't do as she's told, the boy will die."You are not the first. And you will certainly not be the last."Rachel is now part of The Chain, an unending and ingenious scheme that turns victims into criminals—and is making someone else very rich in the process. The rules are simple, the moral challenges impossible; find the money fast, find your victim, and then commit a horrible act you'd have thought yourself incapable of just twenty-four hours ago.But what the masterminds behind The Chain know is that parents will do anything for their children. It turns out that kidnapping is only the beginning."McKinty is one of the most striking and most memorable crime voices to emerge on the scene in years. His plots tempt you to read at top speed, but don't give in: this writing—sharply observant, intelligent and shot through with black humor—should be savored."—Tana French"A masterpiece. You have never read anything quite like The Chain and you will never be able to forget it." —Don Winslow"Diabolical, unnerving, and gives a whole new meaning to the word "relentless". Adrian McKinty just leapt to the top of my list of must-read suspense novelists. He's the real deal."—Dennis Lehane"Pairing an irresistible concept with a winner protagonist, The Chain promises to be your new addiction once you succumb to the first enticing page."—Alafair Burke"A grade-A-first-rate-edge-of-your-seat thriller. I can't believe what went through my mind while reading it." —Attica Locke

An electrifying noir thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Chain, in which a young Irish ex-cop travels half a world away to investigate the murder of a beautiful girl he once loved, and whose peculiar sexual banter he will later have urgent reason to recall—if he is to survive.Hard on the heels of Dead I Well May Be—which Booklist named "one of the top ten crime fiction debuts of the year," and which established Adrian McKinty as the perfect new find for fans of Dennis Lehane and Michael Connelly—McKinty's tightly paced Hidden River displays his unerring gift for crafting powerhouse literary thrillers.Alexander Lawson is a former detective for Northern Ireland's police force and a rising star at cracking difficult cases. After he is assigned to the force's dangerous, corruption-ridden drug squad, he becomes addicted to heroin—under unusual circumstances. Forced to resign in disgrace, Alex is twenty-four and still entrapped by the needle when he learns that his high school love, beautiful Victoria Patawasti, has been murdered in drought-scorched Denver, Colorado.Victoria's family begs Alex to investigate the case, and he seizes the opportunity to fly to America for a chance at redemption.Soon the bodies begin to pile up, and Alex is forced to go on the run after the only credible lead to Victoria's murderer is accidentally killed. Wanted by both the Colorado cops and the British police, who believe he has information about a corruption scandal, and with the murderer closing in all the time, Alex will have to fight just to stay alive, never mind solving the terrifying case.Critics have called Adrian McKinty's work "explosive," "violent yet virtuous," and "always enthralling." Hidden River is a riveting novel of characters, including a sadistic English cop who puts out cigarettes on other people's eyebrows, a billionaire's son with political aspirations, and a sexy Ethiopian girl living illegally in a squat. All manner of sinners converge on Denver's notoriously seedy Colfax Avenue against the breathtaking backdrop of the Rocky Mountains.Gritty, with spot-on dialogue and black humor, Hidden River is a dynamic thriller from a storyteller who writes "in prose that is a kind of poetry" (The Washington Post), and confirms his reputation as a dazzling literary voice in crime fiction.

McKinty, Adrian

The first in a new epic sci-fi series, perfect for fans of Orson Scott Card’s Ender books or Philip Pullman’s His Dark MaterialsIntroducing the first young adult novel from crime fiction writer Adrian McKinty, whose adult books have been called “unputdownable” (Washington Post), “exceptional” (San Francisco Chronicle), and “profoundly satisfying” (Booklist).When Jamie’s mother inherits a small island, and moves her little family from Harlem to Ireland, her troubled son sees a chance to start over, far away from the bullies and the pitying stares. Cancer has left Jamie without an arm or the will to speak. But Muck Island offers more than solitude and sea views. Jamie learns that he is heir to an ancient title, Laird of Muck, Guardian of the Passage, and certain otherworldly responsibilities. With the help of a mysterious object he discovers in the island’s old lighthouse, Jamie sets out on a dangerous mission that will change the course of his life, and possibly the universe, forever.Tautly paced and brilliantly imagined, this novel will thrill sci-fi fans eager for new heroes and new worlds to explore.