Omg this is a story that leads one thing to another. A dream trip gone wrong. What to do to save a family. A heart wrenching scary twisty tale of suspense and survival.

And Alexander thought he was having a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day?!



In the digital advance readers copy, the working title is "The Chase" which sums up the majority of this survival thriller with "Deliverance"-like vibes and "Lost"-like Aboriginal mythology. Fans of both should love this story.

It begins with a cliffhanger scene on THE ISLAND before going back to events leading up to that moment (at the 63% mark).

We readers are introduced to an American family visiting Down Under: an older surgeon newly married to his young second wife (which sounds like Australian Sally Hepworth's most recent novel), his 14-year-old daughter on Lexapro and 12-year-old, walled-off son on Ritalin.

"It's Australia. Like Disney World but better. Everything magic. The animals. The people. The landscape. The accents. A complete escape."

Or so they think, before paying a private ferry operator to shuttle them and a German Dutch couple they meet to an isolated island off the Victoria coast where they're involved in a deadly accident* that treads (npi) into "The Husband's Secret" (also Australian) territory.

The travelers make to get off of THE ISLAND, but are captured by a matriarchal clan of settlers seeking retribution and to get rich or die tryin'.

Then, it becomes "Yanks" versus "Krauts" versus "Mad Max psycho-killers."

The conflict among them isn't *Lost* on readers familiar with the Black War (the Black Line figuring into the story). Same for the Dreaming, conjured by *The Younger Wife*. She becomes a mama bear hellbent on protecting "her" cubs from the bunyip.

"There were no monsters on Dutch Island, but the beast was man, had always been man."

The twist all but appears in boldface type before it occurs, and the turn is apparent from the start, but this tale that's meant for sheer entertainment (although, the curious reader might fall down the rabbit hole googling) essentially boils down to finding one's grit.

⛴🚲🏎🦟🐨🪱🍑⛰🪞🛢🔫🌝

tl;dr: The author of the standalone "The Chain" delivers another kidnapping nerve-shredder. "The Island" to "The Chain" is like "Hairpin Bridge" to "No Exit": an amped-up, high-octane thrill with a badass heroine.

🎶 One can create a playlist from the recording artists mentioned in the story: Mazzy Star (Into Dust) • Sex Pistols • The Damned • The Clash • The Beatles (Hey Jude; The White Album; Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) • The Rolling Stones • The Who • The Kinks • Joy Division (Day of the Lords) • Nicki Minaj (Pink Friday) • Greta Van Fleet • Tame Impala • Lana Del Ray • The Pixies (Gouge Away)

Perhaps that'll be the soundtrack for the upcoming screen adaptation.

---
*There are times that the reader has to remember that truth is stranger than fiction (or be told it: "This very situation had happened to Thomas Edison in Germany").

TW: attempted rape; snake stoned to death (and eaten); four hound dogs shot to death

May the finished copy not have (1) Matt taking off his hat twice (there's no mention in between of his having put it back on) and (2) a duplicate Chapter 49.

Thank you to Little, Brown and NetGalley for the DARC

Tom (father), Heather (step-mom), Olivia (14) and Owen (12) embark on a trip to Australia together. The kids have been having a tough time since their mother died a year ago, and now they have a new step-mom trying to fill her shoes
Not all hero’s wear capes
And not all protectors are blood related

One of the best books I've ever read. As much as I liked The Chain, I liked this ten times more. I cannot wait for future books from this author.

Great story, great characters, great book.

Highly recommend.

Heart racing, palms sweating....am I in love or just scared?

Talk about a wild ride, this book really took me for it. I read 28 pages one day and the rest the following day. I went in blind and I feel like that's the best way to do this read. The tension and suspense was brutal at times!

A family vacation to Australia isn't all it's cracked up to be for the Baxter family. What should be a healing trip to close wounds ends up ripping them open more until they need each other.

That's it. I can't say anymore. Just trust me, if you like horror/thriller then you should pick this one up!

Thank you to @novelsuspects, @littlebrown, Adrian McKinty for the review copy!

Read this book in less than a day. Very fast paced, will hold your attention from the start. Plot got a little hard to follow towards the end. Really enjoyed the glimpses into other minor character’s pasts.

Crazy, Horrifyingly Good Thrill Ride!

Tom, his new wife, Heather and Tom's two children have traveled to Australia for Tom's medical conference and hope to see much of the exotic wildlife that only Australia has. The family has the the opportunity (for a price) to see the koalas, kangaroos, exotic birds and other animals on a private secluded island so they say "Why Not". The kids are ecstatic although Heather has her reservations but they take the old ferry over anyway. This will now become the biggest mistake of their lives because unknown to the family once they step foot on that island there will be No Going Back!

This book was crazy good! A reminder combination of the movies " Wolf Creek", "Deliverance" and some other raw and unforgiving films where the horror of certain types of humans was just relentless. The pacing of the story was excellent as it starts out calmly and cutesy but it just builds and builds and never stops. The characters were all well-developed especially Heather who had an unusual background growing up so she was naive in many ways of the world yet she had unseen talents she never knew that they would make her a force to be reckoned with. The island itself was unimaginable with the type of people who lived there. Just for the record they were not inbred cannibals! This story was a " One Way Ticket To Hell.". I thought the tension, danger, the adrenalin rush from the thrill ride was unbelievably terrifying and Fun! Were there some cheesy moments at times? Yes! So what! Doesn't every horror movie have cheesy lines? Yes,Always! The excitement and originality of the story was fantastic. Every time there was a breather then there would be another twist and more danger over and over. There were many mixed reviews for this book and I just. think certain readers didn't understand or appreciate the psychology behind this story and that's okay since everyone is entitled to their own opinions but I thought this book was a great combination of a horror and an adventure thrill ride rolled into one.

Be prepared for extreme violence bloody gore, animal harm, profanity etc. This book is not for kids! This was my first book by "Adrian McKinty" but I can't wait to read more if his books.

I want to thank the publisher "Little Brown and Company" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this terrifying book and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I highly recommend this book to any reader who enjoys a captivating thriller and given a rating of 4 1/2 HORRIFYING AND SATISFYING 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!

I was excited to get this ARC because I loved The Chain and this one did not disappoint! Fast paced, thriller that will leave you holding your breath. Highly recommend!

This book is edge of your seat tense! Wow! I'm going on vacation in a month and I'll be thinking of this book the entire time. This is GOOD. I rarely give a thriller five stars, but this one gets it.

3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4.

This book would make a good movie. I enjoyed this book but I found some of it didn’t make a ton of sense. One major issue I had was the dynamic between the children and Heather. It just didn’t make sense that Heather was only 24. That detail wasn’t mentioned until a bit into the book and it really threw me off. She treated the “children” who were only 10 years younger than her like they were infants and I thought it was really odd. I don’t want to spoil the book so I won’t say much else.

I enjoyed the survival aspect of the story.

If you like books with a chase, then you will like this one!

Are you longing for something new and exciting? Are you searching for a book to make your heart race and your palms sweat? Are you yearning for a story that will hijack your life and not let it go until long after you’ve read the last page?

Look no more, you’ve found it.

In McKinty’s newest novel, Heather travels with her new husband and his two children to Australia for a working holiday. The kids are bummed that they haven’t seen any koalas, so the family makes a deal with some locals to visit their private island in hopes of capturing a true Outback experience. Unfortunately, things go horribly wrong on the island, and soon, Heather and her crew are fighting for their lives.

Guys, this book is the real dadgum deal. From the first page, it’s off to the races. Tension oozes from each paragraph until you don’t think you handle anymore. You’ll need breaks. You’ll need to pace. You’ll need to hide your eyes with your hands and read between trembling fingers.

Whether it’s conflict with others, with nature, or with oneself, McKinty proves that he is the crowned master of this literary device. The danger facing these characters is palpable, and the stakes have never been higher.

McKinty has penned a tale that moves at the speed of lightning. You’re finished before you even know you’ve started. You’ll be glued to these pages and to your seat until you’ve seen this through with the characters that you’ll come to care about.

I’m in awe of this one. Grab it now, and enjoy it for yourself.

Wow! Wow! Wow! I am still on the edge of my seat even though I finished the book days ago. I knew this would be good after reading and loving The Chain. I was right! The suspense was perfect. A rollercoaster of emotions throughout this entire book. I really loved how McKinty humanized the step mother and made her the endearing and compassionate one. The setting for this one was perfect and made for a terrifying survival tale. Loved it so much!

Wow! What a roller coaster of a ride.Nonstop action and at the edge of your seat kind of book. I haven’t read any of the author's other books but am now looking forward to reading more.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book and an honest opinion.

No one ever expects their family trip to go awry, but when the Baxters talked their way onto a ferry to visit the remote Dutch Island off the coast of Australia, it didn’t take long for things to turn south.

Heather, Tom, and his two children, quickly found themselves in trouble when one of the island’s inhabitants was killed in a tragic accident. After this incident, the locals decided to take matters into their own hands rather than notify the authorities. During this time, Tom was separated from his family, and Heather and the kids were forced to escape on their own. But with no way off of the island and the locals wanting them dead, Heather is left with the responsibility of keeping the children alive at all costs.

Throughout this story, the characters were faced with several obstacles and at times had to do unimaginable things in order to survive. I was really impressed by Heather’s ability to take charge and throw herself into the midst of danger to protect these children that she was just beginning to build a relationship with. Mother or not, she took on the responsibility without batting an eyelash and ultimately gained the trust of the children along the way.

Highly recommending this suspenseful thriller!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4661996943

Wow what an amazing, heart pounding thriller written but the same mastermind that wrote another one of my favorites The Chain. While on vacation in Australia, Tom, Heather, Olivia, and Owen decide to take a detour trip to a small island in hopes of seeing of the local wildlife. When they get to the Island a tragic mistake results in the ultimate game of cat and mouse. This book reads like an action packed movie and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. This one supposed to be made into a Hulu series and I can’t wait.
Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy. #netgalley #theisland

Thank you to Netgalley, Little Brown, and Company, and the author for an ARC of this book.

This was an anxiety-producing roller-coaster of a ride.

The book started out strong and grabbed me right away. The early scenes especially filled me with dread: as one bad decision after another is made, I almost had to stop reading to quell my anxiety for these fictional folks. As the synopsis tells us (so no spoilers on this point), a blended family (dad, 2 surly kids, and new young wife) decide to follow two shifty locals to a private island to see some Australian wildlife on what has otherwise been a bust of a trip. An older Dutch couple overhear and decide to tag along, too. Not long after getting to the island, things go wrong. And keep going wrong.

There were some things that prevented this from being a 5-star review for me. First, the pace seems to slow down after the first half. That's not a bad thing, necessarily, but as a reader I want my suspense so build, not decline as I read. Second, the protagonist--the young wife--seemed to turn a bit into the FFT trope: she's really young and really fit and really capable and, I'm assuming, really hot. I get the older guy marrying a younger woman thing but she was a bit over the top with the sudden onset of her guerrilla skillset. She often acted like someone twice her age so overall I had trouble connecting with her as the narrative continued. And finally, I have a few questions at the end (like how were the survivors able to get off scot-free? Did they not tell the truth about what happened with the island woman at the beginning?).

My overall review is positive, though. It's a barn-burner of a novel and one that will stay with me for a long time, I think. I read McKinty's The Chain last year and liked it. But this book seems like it will have significantly more staying-power in my ever dwindling short-term memory.

This book has everything you would want in an action/adventure story: Survival, a weird incestuous cult family, traps, lies, family drama, running, hiding, more running, torture, heart wrenching deaths, victorious murders, explosions, poison, astronomy? Astronomy! A lot happens in this fast paced story as we follow Heather, a young woman who just married a man named Tom who has two teenage kids, Olivia and Owen, on a family vacation in Australia. A harmless trip to a creepy family owned island to spot some koalas ends in a bloodbath. I kept reading for the twists and turns as well as the McKinty’s vivid descriptions of heart pounding moments and scenes of violence.

As an action story, I think readers will really enjoy it - However, I wish there was more background provided about Heather and the O’Neils. How did this family get to the island? <spoiler> Are they actually some weird incest cult, or just a close knit bunch? </spoiler> How does Heather know all of these survival skills? <spoiler> Was the island where she grew up also some kind of cult situation? </spoiler> It also felt as Heather’s heritage was used as a plot point and not a thoughtful character trait…not sure how I feel about that but I don’t feel good. Because of these large gaps, I can’t give this more than a 3 but definitely a fun, quick, beach read this summer!

Thank you to NetGalley, Adrian McKinty, and Little, Brown, and Company for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honesty review!

This book is hard to review. Because i didn’t dislike it but i had some issues.

What i did like was the suspense. It was a page turner for sure. It kept me guessing and wanting to know how it ended. I really loved the main character and the two kids. I really rooted for them and i was hoping against all odds they pulled through this horrific situation.

But struggled with the inner monologue. It was long winded and when it would switch between characters, sometimes it was repetitive. But also it was just too much of their thoughts. I didn’t want to read every thought that came to their head.

Like at points it would be half thoughts too. And it’s disjointed and annoyed me. I would still read more by this author because they can create a suspenseful world that keeps me turning pages.

What did I just read?!

After absolutely devouring the Chain last year I knew I was bound to be in for another thrill ride when I started this book. This being said, I still don't think I was quite prepared for what this book was going to put me through. It was a heart racing, sitting on the edge of my seat, covering my eyes & shaking my head fight for survival. What was supposed to be a fun family vacation turned into a kill or be killed situation that I couldn't take my eyes off of. I had to know what was going to happen to this family. Where they going to make it off of the island alive?!

This is my second book by Adrian McKinty and I think it is safe to say that I will continue reading any thrillers he continues to put out. They have proven to be highly entertaining and full of suspense. As long as he keeps putting me (as the reader) in uncomfortable situations then I guess I will continue to read them.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital copy of this book.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heather has just married Tom, a widower with two teenagers. The kids aren’t too fond of their new mom, so when the opportunity arises to travel to Australia, it seems like the perfect way to bring the family together. On a mission to see kangaroos and koalas, they meet Matt and Jacko, members of a bizarre family clan that lives on Dutch Island, a no-tourists-allowed location. Matt and Jacko offer to let the family sightsee on the island in exchange for $$$, but their adventure to see animals quickly turns into an absolute nightmare.

The Island is your typical “wrong turn” horror story, and will probably make a watchable show on Hulu (it’s been picked up). I liked the unique setting, and Heather is a pretty badass main character-- you’ll find yourself rooting for her! Some of it is hard to read (in a gross way) and some of it is unbelievable, but it’s what you’d expect from this type of story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.