The Chase

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There's a huge cast of characters, but author Candice Fox makes them all instantly memorable. (We first meet John Kradle using a toaster as a soldering iron in his cell, making a wooden sign that says "Please wipe your feet.") They range from reluctantly good to terrifyingly evil, and every part of the spectrum in between is well-represented. With a plot as outrageous as this one, it's important that the people trapped in it feel utterly real. While Kradle's mission couldn't be more clichéd ("I want to take revenge on the man who killed my family!") he brings such raw pathos to his role that it's impossible not to feel for the guy, and to admire his cunning as he outwits the US Marshals. Death Row supervisor Captain Celine Osbourne is determined to make it her mission to capture one particular death-row inmate, John Kradle, or, Inmate Number 1707. But there’s a hiccup. Even though Kradle has been convicted of murdering his wife, son and sister-in-law, he maintains he’s innocent. He implores Osbourne to take a long hard look at his case. So, if Kradle didn’t kill his family – who did? With this unexpected turn of events and his chance at [freedom], Kradle seizes the opportunity to return home to Mesquite to find his family’s killer before Osbourne and the authorities can close in on him. The holder of two undergraduate and two postgraduate degrees, Candice has co-authored the Harriet Blue series with international bestselling crime author James Patterson. CW: brutal murders, references to heinous crimes committed by criminals such as rape, terrorism, murder of family among others.

The Chase is an intense, exhilarating novel. I could see it being adapted as a gripping action series and character study by Netflix or another streaming TV channel. Be wary of your first impressions of any of the characters, as your initial judgements may change. Charged with the task of rounding up this mass of human refuse is Trinity Parker, a US Marshall. She is well versed in cleaning up these types of messes and offers a sharp tongue ahead of a rapier wit. Right from the off you get the sense that she is going to be a character who’ll steal every scene.The Chase is consistently entertaining with an even mix of desperation, determination and logical reasoning scattered between the escapees and the pursuing US Marshalls. There is also a healthy dose of humour sprinkled within to keep it entertaining. With that, the largest manhunt in United States history is on. In response to a hostage situation, more than 600 inmates from the Pronghorn Correctional Facility, including everyone on Death Row, are released into the Nevada Desert. Criminals considered the worst of the worst, monsters with dark, violent pasts, are getting farther away by the second. No, you!”Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an ARC of The Chase in exchange for an honest review. A prison break. An innocent man given the chance to use the escape to finally prove that he did not commit the crime for which he was imprisoned, if he can avoid being recaptured. It’s the plot of the movie The Fugitive, so this absolutely could have been the set up for a great story. Unfortunately, this book has a lot of problems. It’s a strange comment to make, but there’s something oddly soothing about a thriller. Even the most gruesome, gory ones have a resolution at their end. I think it’s why we enjoy reading them; we know that no matter how horrific the crime or how puzzling the mystery, we will get some kind of answer.

Homer Carrington: He is “The North Nevada Strangler,” a serial killer with confirmed kills in several states. Her debut novel, Hades, won the Ned Kelly Award for best debut in 2014 from the Australian Crime Writers Association, while Eden, her second book, clinched the Ned Kelly Award for best crime novel in 2015. As such, Candiceis one of only two authors to have won these awards on the trot. WINNER OF THE NED KELLY AWARD FOR BEST CRIME FICTION 2022. The new novel by New York Times #1 bestselling author Candice Fox is an electrifying cat-and-mouse thriller set in the Nevada desert. Finally, a word about the audiobook narration. There are two performers, one female and one male. I think that setup works if each performer is reading from a single character’s perspective, so that you begin to identify the voice with the character. Here it’s just the woman reading if the section is from a female character’s perspective, and the man reading if the section is from a male character’s perspective. But there are multiple male and female characters focused on throughout the novel, and both narrators have to do voices for characters of the other gender too, until the constantly changing narrator became a bit distracting. And I actively disliked the harsh, Southern accent used for John Kradle. It genuinely left me wondering if I would have drawn the same negative impression of his character if I didn’t hear the voice. Some let no one stand in their way to “freedom,” and there is one who lets nothing stand in his mission to prove his innocence. The narrative follows them all, the things they do, starting with the escape and continuing as they fan out across Nevada and into the unsuspecting world. Readers get to know them well -- the hunters and the hunted; the friend and the foe; the good, the bad, and those who cross between categories changing identities like a chameleon. All are running for their lives.At first, I struggled a little with this book. It did take some time for me to get fully invested in it. There is a lot going on in the beginning with the escapes and the organizing of the manhunt. But I did get there. John Kradle was my favorite character and I rooted for him, fingers crossed that he would not get caught or come to any harm. Plus, I wanted to know who the killer was and would the shady detective work ever be called out. A real strength of The Chase comes in the form of the relationship between Celine and Krandle. First and foremost, they’re jailer and captor and there’s definitely some antagonism involved. But you get the sense there’s more between them than it initially seems. It starts as a kind of grudging respect but develops as we go. Celine has a past that hid a particularly violent event in which she somehow survived. Not only was this the motivation for her move into a career as a correctional officer but it also created a violent hatred towards murderers who took the lives of their own family. Hence her real mixed feelings about Krandle. Daringly audacious, gritty and fast paced, and at times very amusing....with many seriously laugh out loud moments. After my initial struggle with this book, The Chase turned out to be a fun, gripping, fast paced and entertaining book. If you enjoy movies s My thanks to the author and Macmillan Audio for the gifted review copy. The Chase is now available.