At the center of The Island, by Adrian McKinty, is a strong female protagonist, Heather Baxter. It is a story about her imperiled family that she must summon the courage to save.

As the story opens, Heather Baxter has snagged a "trophy husband," according to her friend, Carolyn. Tom, her forty-four-year-old new husband, is a successful orthopedic surgeon -- one of "Seattle's Best Doctors" -- who has been invited to speak at a conference in Australia, so they decide to combine his business trip with a much-needed family vacation. Tom's two children, twelve-year-old Owen, and Oliva, who is fourteen, are reeling from a whirlwind of life changes. Their mother, Judith, suffered from multiple sclerosis, and died when she lost her balance and fell down the stairs in their home. Since then, Owen has been withdrawn, while Olivia has acted out. Tom is anxious for the children to accept Heather who, at only twenty-four, met Tom when she was a massage therapist and he became her client. Despite her lack of parenting experience, he has already relegated to her nearly full responsibility for caring for Owen and Olivia. Exhausted, Heather is determined to win the children over and make the marriage work because she genuinely loves Tom, "despite all his little quirks and weirdnesses," and because he is becoming less condescending in an effort to "be a better man."

Still, his sense of entitlement is on full display when he is unable to rent the vehicle of his choice after he reluctantly agrees to take a drive into the Australian countryside. The children are bored and complain when they fail to spot any koalas or kangaroos in the wild. As the day heats up to 106 degrees and the road narrows to a single lane, they happen upon a food stand. Two men arrive and hear the children griping, so offer to show them the koala caged in the back of their car. Matt and Jacko explain that they live on a private island just across the bay populated by koala, wallabies echidnas, and wombats. "It's like Jurassic bloody Park, mate." Dutch Island is owned by their Ma, who doesn't like visitors. But Tom figures that money might persuade the brothers to let his family take a drive around the island. They strike a deal, but the brothers insist that the visit be short and the Baxters must return on the ferry after taking a few photos. They explain that on the island they "make our own electricity. Grow our own food. No phones. No taxes No law enforcement." From 1910 to the 1980's, the island housed a prison with the correctional agency paying rent to the family. The inmates are all gone, but a few of the old buildings remain. Now the only inhabitants are the twenty-seven or so members of the O'Neill family. Those details should be enough to dissuade the Baxters. Instead, along with the tourists from Holland, Hans and Petra, they also met at the food stand, they embark. As the ferry chugs closer to the shore of the island, Heather grows increasingly wary, but it is too late to turn back so the family sets out to sightsee, not realizing how much they will soon regret making the trip.

McKinty next asks readers to ponder what they would do if they were involved in an accident that brought about a stranger's death. Once they arrive on the island, Tom is determined to get what he paid for. When they encounter an old man who questions what they are doing on the island and warns them to leave immediately, Tom accelerates the rental Porsche just as a woman riding a bicycle appears from a side road. Heather desperately wishes that Tom had agreed to rent the Porsche equipped with radar and an accident-avoidance system. But he didn't. The car strikes the woman, killing her, and Tom is dazed momentarily before he flies into a rage that Heather has only observed on a couple of prior occasions. There is, of course, no cell service on the island. so no way to summon the authorities. All of Heather's instincts tell her that they must hide the woman's mangled body and bicycle in the grass, race to the ferry, and escape the island as quickly as possible. They can call the authorities from the mainland, explaining that they think they hit an animal. But the Porsche sustained noticeable damage and the O'Neill family discovers the body before the ferry leaves the island. The Baxters are informed that the woman, who was plainly oblivious to the danger when she rode her bicycle in front of the Porsche, was deaf. They are marched at gunpoint to a farmhouse where they meet Ma, and Tom attempts to negotiate his family's freedom.

And that's when McKinty's story begins careening at an unrelenting pace. The Baxters quickly find that they are among a family, led by the diabolical Ma, that lives on a remote island because they refuse to subscribe to the rules that govern the lives of other people. The only laws enforced on the island are the ones laid down by Ma, and she believes in "an eye for an eye," so Tom's privilege is of no use to him. No promises of insurance proceeds or cash payouts will dissuade Ma from extracting what she craves: revenge. And thus begins a harrowing series of graphically-described skirmishes, as it falls to Heather to find a way off the island with Olivia and Owen in tow.

Heather grew up on tiny Goose Island in Puget Sound where she was homeschooled, but never graduated from high school. Her parents both served in the U.S. Army and moved to the island, a communal artists' colony founded in the 1970's that attracted veterans suffering, like her father, who served as a sniper, from PTSD. She left for Seattle with a need to see more of the world, and tried her hand at a number of jobs, was homeless for a bit, and eventually, with the help of a friend, became a massage therapist. She was drawn to Tom because he was an older professional man who offered stability and safety. But she never wanted to be a stepmother. In fact, she had never really contemplated motherhood at all. Now two bad decisions make her the only person capable of getting Owen and Olivia off the island alive.

As the story proceeds, McKinty reveals more details not just about how Heather learned about nature and survival growing up on the island, but also about her relationship with Tom and his past, all at perfectly-timed junctures. Tom's true nature is disclosed as Heather begins to realize her own strength and power. In quiet moments, she acknowledges, as she surveys the past few years of her life, that she has been willing to settle for less than she deserves. And resolves never to do that again . . . if she survives. As she finds ingenious ways to evade being captured by the deranged O'Neill clan, she and the children also draw closer, learning to trust each other. Their lives depend on that trust. And those tender moments provide brief respites from McKinty's spellbinding and unwaveringly tense saga, and permit readers to invest in Heather, Owen, and Olivia, each of whom is a compelling and sympathetic character for whose welfare readers will find themselves cheering.

Armed with only a penknife an Aboriginal man she encountered on the mainland gifted her, Heather devises increasingly innovative and deceptive ways to hide from the O'Neills as they tenaciously search for her and the children with dogs and jeeps. She hopes that someone from the mainland might arrive to help and knows that is highly unlikely, so it is up to her to find a way to safety. But can she doe so before time runs out?

McKinty's narrative is gritty, violent, and not for squeamish readers. The sadistic O'Neills use any means available to them, including knives, guns, and even pathfinder ants, to track their prey and punish the ones they capture. McKinty maintains the dramatic tension and suspense throughout the book, keeping readers guessing until the very end who will prevail in an epic battle of wits and strength, as well as how they will manage to claim victory. The Island is an inventive, absorbing, and very entertaining, if exhausting, tale.

Wow! This one blasted me out of my seat. It is one of the most suspenseful, unrelentingly terrifying reads I’ve experienced in some time. I found myself between gasping and holding my breath as the characters and action raced from page to page. I thought Adrian McKinty’s The Chain from last year was such an originally unexpected tale, and it is, but now I have to say The Island surpasses that. One would think that McKinty had a box labeled, “Bizarre Hair-Raisers,” but you might be surprised that the idea for The Island is rooted in the author’s own experience, or as he puts it, “a sort of Deliverance moment” on a remote Australian island. However, there is a tragic twist of the Baxter family outing, a "Sliding Doors" moment of what Adrian McKinty’s might have been.

It has been one year since twenty-four year old Heather Baxter left the small Northwestern community where she grew up to marry Tom, a widowed forty-something orthopedic surgeon from Seattle. They, along with his two children, have come to Australia for a vacation. Well, Tom is there for a medical convention as the keynote speaker and his family is there for fun, or so Heather hopes. But, it’s hard to impress and keep a teenager and an twelve-year-old interested for long, especially since they are far from Heather’s biggest fans. The first part of the trip isn’t too bad, with visits to Sydney and Uluru, but now they are in Melbourne, site of the medical convention, and checked into a house at the beach. The kids are bored and in full moping mode. And, truth be told, Heather was hoping for the hotel, where room service and restaurants were handy.

While taking a drive outside of the city, down the Mornington Peninsula to see if they can spot any native Australian wildlife, Tom gets fed up with the kids complaining about the failure to see anything. So, when they stop at a roadside stand for lunch and two men, Matt and Jacko, from a private island suggest they take their ferry over to the island if they want to see koalas and lots of other wildlife, it does sound appealing. Olivia and Owen are finally excited and are adamant that their father must take them to Dutch Island. Tom gives in and agrees to go. Another couple, Hans and Petra, hears their conversation with the two men and want to join the excursion. So, after negotiating a rather steep price for the trip, both cars load up onto the ferry in high hopes of some unspoiled Australian habitat and the animals dwelling there.

Matt cautions the visitors not to go far, not to go anywhere close to the farm in the middle of the island, and to be back in an hour to catch the ferry back across the bay As the families drove off in opposite directions to explore, I had the same urge as I do watching one of those scenes in a horror movie where the person decides to go down the stairs to the dark, scary basement to check out creepy noises. I wanted to shout, “Don’t go there! Turn around and go back to safety.” The feeling I got in the pit of my stomach was the dread of an ominous outcome. It turns out that feeling was well justified. There’s a good reason this island is not open to visitors, and you might be hearing strains of dueling banjos as you learn why.

Disappointment is again the fare of the day when there are no animals to see as the family drives around the island. Realizing that it’s time to get back to the ferry, Tom turns around and speeds up the Porsche SUV so they won’t be late, and that’s when the accident happens that will lead them into a living nightmare of survival of the fittest and most clever. As the afternoon fades, the O’Neill clan is out to hunt the Baxters down, and the disadvantages the Seattle family face are many. No phone reception, no water, no knowledge of the island, and no one knows where they are. And, when Heather and the children must separate from Tom, it’s nightmare upon nightmare for Heather, trying to keep the three of them alive while Olivia and Owen don’t trust her. There is one advantage Heather and the kids have, and that is the place where Heather grew up was an isolated island, so she does have some survival skills. Heather proves herself quite impressive in taking charge. However, the odds are not good, with the family clan consisting of about twenty headed by the very scary Ma (take Kathy Bates from Misery and multiply 20 times), and it is their island they live on every day, in a house with water and food and weapons. Oh, and vehicles. The O’Neills have those and the Baxters no longer do.

The chase is on, and a savage chase it is. My description of the story ends here, as readers need to discover the rest of this story as it terrifyingly unfolds for themselves. However, the brilliantly developed characters deserve a mention. Adrian McKinty strips the soul bare in all the characters. It is absolutely all left on the ground. As in The Chain, who you are when it is all on the line is who you are. Of course, survival on an island inhabited by barbaric, murderous, crazy people would tend to reveal what those trying to survive are made of. Secrets and masks are the first casualties of the hunt. Heather has never seemed to be anything particularly special or had loads of ambition, although through her memories we see glimpses of dreams. She isn’t the person who would be voted “most likely to survive a manhunt on an isolated island,” and, yet, she rises to the occasion with clear, logical thinking and surprising physical grit. Whether she can hold on and protect the kids is always in danger, so readers might be afraid to like her too much, but she is the most likeable. Tom, her doctor husband, is a little less admirable, but he too will be worn down to what matters most to him. The kids probably make the biggest transition, as their spoiled and bitter natures must change if they are to survive. They are not the best of companions to have in a contest of survival. We know nothing about Hans and Petra going in, but we learn much about their relationship and their strengths as the story plays out. The bad bunch, the family clan members, are detestable, but, damn, McKinty does make them uniquely so. The reader will keep hoping that one of them isn’t as bad as the rest, and, well, you’ll just have to see if that hope is granted fulfillment or dashed into the rocks. The overall point here is that Adrian McKinty is kick-ass at character development.

The Island is the quintessential thriller with more suspense and shock and intensity than you can imagine right now. Don’t be surprised if you feel the heat of the Australian summer sun beating on your neck, find yourself thirsting uncontrollably for a drink of water, or suddenly hear your stomach growl in anticipation of a meal. Adrian McKinty’s writing will immerse the reader into a sensory experience of empathy, with the fear being a palatable taste in the mouth. This story is a gauntlet of terror, and the readers can only hope there is an end and survival at that end. I am looking forward to the Hulu streaming program of The Island, and as usual, I’m so glad I read the book first. This story deserves the experience of readers’ imaginations before it is imagined for them.

This was a quick read. Interesting and tense in a couple spots. It isn’t my favorite book of the year but was a good read for Adrian MCKinty fans. I am looking forward to the next one. It is a 3.5 star rating rounded up.

I’ve not read anything by Adrian McKinty before so I was caught off guard by the gore and horror of this book, but thoroughly enjoyed it as it’s a proper thriller. Definitely left my heart racing hoping they get to safety and loved how the ending played out.

Holy cow this was intense! I was on the edge of my seat for most of this book, trying to figure out how this could possibly end well. It starts off with a bang and really doesn’t let up, and I liked that it was a fairly quick read as I don’t think I could handle much more stress! I liked the pacing in this one, it was steady throughout and did not drag one bit. A perfect situation of a dream vacation gone wrong with just the right amount of depth to the story, this is one heck of a thriller and McKinty delivered from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the digital copy to review.

The Island was the second book that I have read by Adrian McKinty, and like The Chain as my first, this new thriller did not disappoint!! The plot of a family stuck on an island with a bunch of crazy people, had me intrigued from the very beginning. Even though I felt that some things were discussed in more detail than was needed (hence why I rated it as 4 stars instead of 5), I found myself wanting to keep reading to learn what would happen next!! This was a great, fun read!! Much thanks to Net Galley for the ARC!!

Fast paced, quickly read, The Island by Adrian McKinty is a whopper of a tale similar to the American film Deliverance, which sends chills through me. This story, which is like an Aussie version of that movie (sort of) is terrifying. While it sometimes jumps the shark a bit, it could happen. There are rednecks weirdos everywhere! In this version, there is the bad family overseen by the frightening MA and her weird brood. You can see them, because Mr. McKInty makes them so visual .....tall, large, muscled, dirty, overalls, jeans that haven't been washed...you know the look. And there's the foreign "good" family, a boy, a girl, the Father, and the bad ass Mom, the protagonist of the book. There's a massive red ant hill that eats human bodies...yuck, it still freaks me out thinking about that, and a small 2 by 3 mile Island that, of course, one can't get off of because you have to take the ferry that is run by one of the bad family and it's tied up to the wrong side of the shark infested water. I mean! Anyway, I LOVED the book, read it in two days, and I look forward to reading more of Mr. Kckinty's books. Stephen King would like it! Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Publishing for the arc.

Already picked up by Hulu you just know this is going to be great I will be recommending this to my followers who are obsessed with thrillers.

After reading “The Chain” by Adrian McKinty and LOVING it, I knew I’d want to check out “The Island” right away! I will warn you that the first 30% of this book drags a bit but once you get to the action.. oh man! The rest of this book had me on the edge of my seat. There are some gruesome parts and gives full on deliverance vibes but set in the Australian outback. I definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a gritty thriller with plenty of heart pounding moments!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tom has a conference in Australia. He is a Doctor and he decides to take the whole family along for a family vacation. His ex wife died awhile ago and his kids don't want anything to do with their new Mom, Heather.
When Tom, Heather and their two kids, Olivia and Owen get to Australia they meet Matt and Jacko. Jacko tells them that they are from across the bay and that there is a private island and that there are lots of koalas there along with wallabies, echidna's, wombats and that it is like a Jurassic Park. Matt tells them that no visitors are allowed. Olivia and Owen beg to see it. Tom asks them if there is a ferry and that they are willing to pay to see it. Matt shakes his head and says that there is a ferry but his Ma does not like visitors. Jacko then asks Tom how much he is willing to pay. They talk about the price and Tom says he won't pay more than $600.00. Jacko says $900.00, you will be missing out, its a very special place. Unique. Animals everywhere! We make our own electricity, grow our own food, no phones, no taxes, and no law enforcement. We even have penguin too. Olivia begs again! Petra and Hans overhear them talk about it, and Hans says if they can come too they will be able to pay the difference. Then Jacko says that they have a deal. So they all take the ferry to the Island and they aren't there too long when something horrorific happens and it turns out to be a nighmare.

This was a very intense read! It is so strange. This was a fast paced action packed read. The action starts out straight from the beginning and does not let go until the end. I could not put it down. It is one crazy insane thriller. It's all about survival. It made my heart pound and when I finished it, I had to catch my breath. This book is horrific and a nightmare. I loved it.
This is my first book by this author and I now can't wait to read the author's book, The Chain.

I want to thank Novel Suspects, Hachette Books, Netgalley, Little Brown and Company for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. (less)

4 stars! Thank you Netgalley for the arc. This book was so action packed and fast paced. If you like totally outrageous action movies than this is the book for you. After I suspended disbelief (in a major way) this was such a fun and wild ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of "The Island" by Adrian McKinty. What was apparently first titled "The Chase," "The Island" revolves around a blended family on an idyllic Australian vacation when horror and tragedy strikes. Although I raced through the book easily, I thought the writing was somewhat lazy. The author did not give enough backstory or description to some of the events or character's emotions. It felt rushed and mostly implausible. I am thankful for the opportunity to review but I was just not a fan.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Island by Adrian McKinty.

This is what my husband and I listened to on the road, and let me tell you, WE WERE NOT BORED.

A normal blended family from Seattle are accompanying Tom, dad and new husband along to Australia for a conference. But shortly before leaving, the children insist on seeing more of the brush, especially wildlife. After being approached by a few locals who offer them a ferry to a remote island, the parents jump on it to appease their children.

But this is no ordinary island. It's indigenous land with a brutal history and very little connection to the country. After driving around seeing the sights, the couple is ready to take their family back to the safety of the mainland. But a tragic accident on the way back to the ferry means that this little family may be staying on the island for a terrifyingly indefinite amount of time.

The first half drags a bit, after a while we were ready to move on the good stuff. But the good stuff is great! I loved Heather, the step mom and all over badass who pulls out all of her wilderness training to...well, you'll have to read it to find out. This is gritty, make no mistake. It's bloody and wild, but if you need a full scorched earth adventure in the dangerous Outback wilderness, grab this immediately!

After The Chain I had really high hopes for this book and it didn’t disappoint me! I loved every twist and turn that this held and it kept me up reading until I finished! Definitely recommend!

Terrifying! Horrifying! Action-packed! An American family of four go to a private island to see some koalas. However, an accident turns this family outing into a nightmare where they are being hunted by the locals. Full of violence and gore, this is not typically the type of book I usually read. However, I found that I could not put it down.

I recommend this to readers who love thrillers, survival stories, and an action-packed storyline. It is truly a page-turner!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this author's first book, The Chain, and had high hopes for this one and it did not disappoint! This story was unique, exhilarating, and kept me on the edge of my seat! I highly recommend this one to everyone if you are looking for an entertaining thriller!

Thank you to Netgalley, Adrian Mckinney, and the publisher for this advanced copy in an exchange for a honest review!

I love a good thriller so when I read this description and some reviews I knew I had to read it. too! This book takes place on an island in Australia, where a family is trapped and needs to use their smarts/whits to survive against the wild crazed island inhabitants. This inhabitants are violent and intend to kill them. Is it a top 10 for me no, but was it engrossing and a fun read - YES! It will keep you turning the pages

Thank you Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC

THIS BOOK SHOOK ME and it made my adventurous spirit say hear me roar with bloody delight!

Action packed and full of suspense that had me ravenously turning pages to find what turmoil this family would be put through next.

A mix of Gilligan’s island and Riker’s island this is the last Island you would ever want to be trapped.

My mama bear came out!

Had high hopes for this one as i loved the chain and it did not disappoint

Finally a gripping thriller that i loved. Without a doubt definitely edge of your seat, page turner intense battle of survival. A kill or be killed situation.

Wow! This book grabs you and doesn't let go. This book has it all...action, thrills and horror. Be prepared for a roller coaster ride that will leave your mouth open whispering "omg."