However, despite numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger, an Edgar Award and two Ned Kellys, McKinty was finding it difficult to make a living from his writing. He was winning awards and getting great reviews but not earning an income.

In his blog, in 2017, he told his followers he was giving up writing because of financial difficulties and returning to teaching. An American agent contacted him and his advice was to write a novel set in America. The result is The Chain and the end of his financial worries, as Paramount has already bought the film rights in a seven figure deal.

At the beginning of The Chain, Rachel O'Neill believes her life has changed for the better. Her divorce is behind her. She is writing her philosophy lectures for a new job starting in February. Her post-chemo hair has grown back and her strength has returned. Then a phone call changes everything.

A distorted voice tells her she must remember two things. "Number one: you are not the first and you will certainly not be the last. Number two: remember it's not about the money - it's about The Chain . . . The coming days will be very difficult but The Chain will get you through".

To her horror, in another phone call, a woman tells Rachel that she has kidnapped Rachel's 13-year-old daughter Kylie and that Rachel must not only pay a ransom but kidnap another child to ensure Kylie is released. She is told, " You have to remain calm . . . you have to do it exactly the way I've done it . . . if you break the rules or call the police, you will be blamed and I will be blamed. Your daughter will be killed and my son will be killed". Rachel is in The Chain. There seems no way out, no way to avoid finding a child victim and putting another parent through the same torture. The Chain knows that parents will do anything for their children including violating their deepest beliefs and principles.

It's easy to understand why The Chain has received so much attention and acclaim in America. Rachel is a remarkable character, full of inner strength and determination to save her child. The Chain is ruthless and seemingly unstoppable. The novel is packed with angst and action including a vivid gun and explosives dominated denouement. However, for this reviewer, McKinty's finest writing is still to be found in his Sean Duffy series.