Two and a half stars rounded up.

Rachel’s daughter Kylie is kidnapped and in order to get her back, Rachel must pay the ransom and kidnap another child. This is how she becomes a part of “the chain.”

This book has an intriguing premise and had a TON of pre-publication buzz. It’s been on my to-read list for months, and I was so excited to read it that I downloaded it the day it became available. Unfortunately, for me, it just did not live up to expectations.

I found the writing style incredibly choppy. I know that style choice is purposeful, in an attempt to move the “thriller” type of story along quickly, but it kept me distant from the characters and made it hard to suspend disbelief because things were just moving along so fast with so little description/explanation. Also, while I could believe that a mother would comply with the demands of the chain in order to get her daughter back, I had a hard time believing that Rachel — in a matter of a few hours — would go from mild-mannered mom to foul-mouthed, pistol-whipping bad guy. Finally, I found the ending third of the novel to be weak.

All of that said, this is a quick read that would be perfect for vacation, but in my view it is not “the book of the summer.” Set your expectations accordingly, and you may enjoy this one more than I did.