REVIEW:

It was with visions of a 1990s-era Nicolas Cage in a soiled tank top and glorious mullet that I started Candice Fox’s latest thriller, The Chase. Her story of the country’s most violent criminals escaping a maximum security prison in Nevada gave me such nostalgic “Con Air” vibes that it was hard to resist.

The Chase starts with a bang as elaborately-planned chaos results in 600 inmates fleeing their cells to run for freedom. But as the prisoners scatter, so does the story. Through the chase to hunt them all down, readers follow a warden, a death-row supervisor, a con man, a skin head, a serial killer, a falsely-accused murderer, and several other nefarious types.

Had the plot and character list been a little tighter, I would have enjoyed it more. Still, The Chase is a book that begs to be bought in an airport bookstore and binged in one flight. It’s a bit of a mindless read that’ll take your mind off your own worries, and sometimes that’s all that’s required.

This is my first Candice Fox novel, and I listened to it on audio. There are two narrators - one male and one female - and I’m not sure dual narration was necessary in this case. Because there are so many characters being followed, having just two voices was more of a distraction than anything. That’s a small quibble though, so if audiobooks are your preferred format and you’re in the mood for an adrenaline thriller, see if you can chase this one down.

(Oh, and if The Chase ever gets made into a movie, I sure hope the producers have Nicolas Cage's number on speed dial.)

My thanks to the author and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy to review via NetGalley. The expected US publication date is March 8, 2022.

PUBLISHER SYNOPSIS:

"Are you listening, Warden?"
"What do you want?"
"I want you to let them out."
"Which inmates are we talking about?"
"All of them."

When more than 600 of the world’s most violent human beings pour out from Pronghorn Correctional Facility into the Nevada Desert, the biggest manhunt in US history begins.

But for John Kradle, this is his one chance to prove his innocence, five years after the murder of his wife and child. He just needs to stay one step ahead of the teams of law enforcement officers he knows will be chasing the escapees down.

Death Row Supervisor turned fugitive-hunter Celine Osbourne is single-minded in her mission to catch Kradle. She has very personal reasons for hating him – and she knows exactly where he’s heading....