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The Chase
The Chase is a modern The Fugitive with characters only #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author Candice Fox can write.
“Are you listening, Warden?”
“What do you want?”
“I want you to let them out.”
“Which inmates are we talking about?”
“All of them.”
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.
John Kradle, convicted of murdering his wife and son, is one of the escapees. Now, desperate to discover what really happened that night, Kradle must avoid capture and work quickly to prove his innocence as law enforcement closes in on the fugitives.
Death Row Supervisor, and now fugitive-hunter, Celine Osbourne has focused all of her energy on catching Kradle and bringing him back to Death Row. She has very personal reasons for hating him – and she knows exactly where he’s heading...
“Are you listening, Warden?”
“What do you want?”
“I want you to let them out.”
“Which inmates are we talking about?”
“All of them.”
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.
John Kradle, convicted of murdering his wife and son, is one of the escapees. Now, desperate to discover what really happened that night, Kradle must avoid capture and work quickly to prove his innocence as law enforcement closes in on the fugitives.
Death Row Supervisor, and now fugitive-hunter, Celine Osbourne has focused all of her energy on catching Kradle and bringing him back to Death Row. She has very personal reasons for hating him – and she knows exactly where he’s heading...
327 pages, Hardcover
First published March 30, 2021
330 people are currently reading
5797 people want to read
About the author
Candice Fox
28 books2,090 followersCandice Fox is the middle child of a large, eccentric family from Sydney's western suburbs composed of half-, adopted and pseudo siblings. The daughter of a parole officer and an enthusiastic foster-carer, Candice spent her childhood listening around corners to tales of violence, madness and evil as her father relayed his work stories to her mother and older brothers.
As a cynical and trouble-making teenager, her crime and gothic fiction writing was an escape from the calamity of her home life. She was constantly in trouble for reading Anne Rice in church and scaring her friends with tales from Australia's wealth of true crime writers.
Bankstown born and bred, she failed to conform to military life in a brief stint as an officer in the Royal Australian Navy at age eighteen. At twenty, she turned her hand to academia, and taught high school through two undergraduate and two postgraduate degrees. Candice lectures in writing at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney, while undertaking a PhD in literary censorship and terrorism.
Hades is her first novel, and she is currently working on its sequel.
As a cynical and trouble-making teenager, her crime and gothic fiction writing was an escape from the calamity of her home life. She was constantly in trouble for reading Anne Rice in church and scaring her friends with tales from Australia's wealth of true crime writers.
Bankstown born and bred, she failed to conform to military life in a brief stint as an officer in the Royal Australian Navy at age eighteen. At twenty, she turned her hand to academia, and taught high school through two undergraduate and two postgraduate degrees. Candice lectures in writing at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney, while undertaking a PhD in literary censorship and terrorism.
Hades is her first novel, and she is currently working on its sequel.
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March 7, 2022
The Chase by Candice Fox
David de Vries (Narrator), Lisa Negron (Narrator)
After enjoying Fox's Crimson Lake series, I wanted to try another of her books. Fox has a wonderful way of writing animals into her books and I love that about her four books that I've heard. But The Chase wasn't a good fit for me for several reasons.
When 600 of the world’s most violent criminals are released from Pronghorn Correctional Facility, due to a hostage situation, no one is safe. For personal reasons, Death Row Supervisor Celine Osbourne is determined to catch family annihilator, John Kradle, putting his crime of murdering three family members above the crimes of convicts that murdered many more people. This puts her at odds with US Marshal Trinity Parker, who is in charge of the round up of these criminals and who has a much more clear headed plan of action. Sadly, both women are presented as if they are cat fighting young teens, childishly sniping at each other until Trinity punches Celine in the gut to show her who's boss.
My favorite character was John Kradle, who is determined to prove his innocence by ferreting out who really did kill his family. His already impossible task is made even harder when one of the escaped serial killers latches onto him and won't go away. Now John has to keep others from being killed by this leech while trying to avoid capture and being killed himself. I wish the book could have focused more on Kradle and less on all the other characters that are thrown into the mix because I think that would have made a tighter and more interesting story.
The audiobook has two narrators and that decision just made the book even harder to follow. With way too many characters, we also have to deal with the characters having two different people narrating their lines. The female narrator handled things from Celine and Trinity's POV and the male narrator handled things from the viewpoint of the convicts. Once these people start interacting with each other, the characters literally have two voices. For instance, Kradle sounds like a rough voiced old guy for most of the book until the female narrator has to voice him and then he sounds like a soft voiced young guy. The audiobook would have worked much better, for me, with one narrator.
Publication: March 8th 2022
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.
David de Vries (Narrator), Lisa Negron (Narrator)
After enjoying Fox's Crimson Lake series, I wanted to try another of her books. Fox has a wonderful way of writing animals into her books and I love that about her four books that I've heard. But The Chase wasn't a good fit for me for several reasons.
When 600 of the world’s most violent criminals are released from Pronghorn Correctional Facility, due to a hostage situation, no one is safe. For personal reasons, Death Row Supervisor Celine Osbourne is determined to catch family annihilator, John Kradle, putting his crime of murdering three family members above the crimes of convicts that murdered many more people. This puts her at odds with US Marshal Trinity Parker, who is in charge of the round up of these criminals and who has a much more clear headed plan of action. Sadly, both women are presented as if they are cat fighting young teens, childishly sniping at each other until Trinity punches Celine in the gut to show her who's boss.
My favorite character was John Kradle, who is determined to prove his innocence by ferreting out who really did kill his family. His already impossible task is made even harder when one of the escaped serial killers latches onto him and won't go away. Now John has to keep others from being killed by this leech while trying to avoid capture and being killed himself. I wish the book could have focused more on Kradle and less on all the other characters that are thrown into the mix because I think that would have made a tighter and more interesting story.
The audiobook has two narrators and that decision just made the book even harder to follow. With way too many characters, we also have to deal with the characters having two different people narrating their lines. The female narrator handled things from Celine and Trinity's POV and the male narrator handled things from the viewpoint of the convicts. Once these people start interacting with each other, the characters literally have two voices. For instance, Kradle sounds like a rough voiced old guy for most of the book until the female narrator has to voice him and then he sounds like a soft voiced young guy. The audiobook would have worked much better, for me, with one narrator.
Publication: March 8th 2022
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.
March 8, 2022
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.)
3.5 stars
My thanks to the author and Macmillan Audio for the gifted review copy. The Chase is now available.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
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.)
3.5 stars
My thanks to the author and Macmillan Audio for the gifted review copy. The Chase is now available.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
August 23, 2023
Writing: solid | Plot: OTT fun | Ending: two thumbs up
SYNOPSIS
600 prisoners, including death row inmates, are released in a hostage situation. As a mac daddy manhunt begins, death row supervisor makes it her mission to bring back the man she considers the most evil: John Kradle, family annihilator.
MY OPINION
I've read some reviews saying the plot was too implausible or ridiculous and respectfully, what were you expecting? The synopsis straight-up says SIX HUNDRED inmates are released. You cannot read this and expect it to depict the absolute clusterfuck and mass panic this would cause if it actually happened IRL. Right away, you know this is gonna be REDONK. Take your disbelief, bundle it up nice and tight, and drop kick that sucker into another dimension. It has no place here.
This is my seventh book by Candice Fox, and while it's certainly not her strongest, it's still enjoyable. Without a doubt, she's one of my highest rated authors. Out of the seven I've read I've tossed out three 5-stars, three 4-stars, and only one 3 star. Not only is she a WRITER, but she knows how to weave a captivating and entertaining story. If I'm going to yeet my disbelief, make it worth it by whipping up a unique premise. I'm not going to yeet my disbelief for a regular degular domestic thriller where *gasp* the husband was cheating!
In my travels (reading reviews) I've learned that some people don't like more than two POVs max. If that's you, stay far away. There's several POVs in this tale, and no, not all of them are necessary. In fact, if you axed Axe (heheheheh) from the lineup, it would make no difference to the outcome of the story. However, I enjoyed these lil snippets of different character, as I found them all entertaining. It's not often you can make me chuckle about a 70+ yr old serial killer on the lose doing what he does best (hint: it starts with a k and is NOT knitting).
Like I said, this book will only work if you're willing to lean into the ridiculousness. There's a lot of 'well ain't that convenient' moments or scenes that seem ripped from the silver screen, but it fits the vibe of the novel. I wouldn't recommend this to everyone, but if you're hankering for an action movie-esque, fun, unique book with a cast of colourful characters, give this one a whirl. If you want something a little more toned down but still interesting, opt for her Crimson Lake trilogy (blanket banger alert was issued!!!!). FYI if you've read Fire with Fire, I'd be very surprised if you didn't enjoy this one.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: fun and funny, interesting characters, unique premise, fast-paced
Cons: extreme yeetage of disbelief required — yes some parts aren't flushed out
____________________________
For some sick reason, do you want to hear more of my nonsense? Check out my podcast: Novels & Nonsense streaming everywhere.
SYNOPSIS
600 prisoners, including death row inmates, are released in a hostage situation. As a mac daddy manhunt begins, death row supervisor makes it her mission to bring back the man she considers the most evil: John Kradle, family annihilator.
MY OPINION
I've read some reviews saying the plot was too implausible or ridiculous and respectfully, what were you expecting? The synopsis straight-up says SIX HUNDRED inmates are released. You cannot read this and expect it to depict the absolute clusterfuck and mass panic this would cause if it actually happened IRL. Right away, you know this is gonna be REDONK. Take your disbelief, bundle it up nice and tight, and drop kick that sucker into another dimension. It has no place here.
This is my seventh book by Candice Fox, and while it's certainly not her strongest, it's still enjoyable. Without a doubt, she's one of my highest rated authors. Out of the seven I've read I've tossed out three 5-stars, three 4-stars, and only one 3 star. Not only is she a WRITER, but she knows how to weave a captivating and entertaining story. If I'm going to yeet my disbelief, make it worth it by whipping up a unique premise. I'm not going to yeet my disbelief for a regular degular domestic thriller where *gasp* the husband was cheating!
In my travels (reading reviews) I've learned that some people don't like more than two POVs max. If that's you, stay far away. There's several POVs in this tale, and no, not all of them are necessary. In fact, if you axed Axe (heheheheh) from the lineup, it would make no difference to the outcome of the story. However, I enjoyed these lil snippets of different character, as I found them all entertaining. It's not often you can make me chuckle about a 70+ yr old serial killer on the lose doing what he does best (hint: it starts with a k and is NOT knitting).
Like I said, this book will only work if you're willing to lean into the ridiculousness. There's a lot of 'well ain't that convenient' moments or scenes that seem ripped from the silver screen, but it fits the vibe of the novel. I wouldn't recommend this to everyone, but if you're hankering for an action movie-esque, fun, unique book with a cast of colourful characters, give this one a whirl. If you want something a little more toned down but still interesting, opt for her Crimson Lake trilogy (blanket banger alert was issued!!!!). FYI if you've read Fire with Fire, I'd be very surprised if you didn't enjoy this one.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: fun and funny, interesting characters, unique premise, fast-paced
Cons: extreme yeetage of disbelief required — yes some parts aren't flushed out
____________________________
For some sick reason, do you want to hear more of my nonsense? Check out my podcast: Novels & Nonsense streaming everywhere.
May 3, 2021
4.5 stars! Candice Fox is high on my favourite list for her compelling mysteries and action thrillers. She specializes in quirky, memorable characters, strong but troubled female leads, unexpected twists and brilliant storytelling.
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.
A bus carrying families of prison workers and inmates to an annual sports event at the prison is disabled, and its driver is shot. Panic ensues amongst the men, women and children on the bus. Word is sent to the prison that all occupants of the bus will be killed unless all 653 of the prisoners are set free.
Pronghorn Prison, set in the Nevada desert, holds the most dangerous of prisoners, some of them on death row. We get to know some of the most horrific inmates. There is a Nazi sympathizer who committed a mass shooting and plans to start a race war. A serial killer who strangled his victims and started his murders while a young boy and an inept domestic terrorist. We follow their stories, along with that of a conman, an aged pedophile, and John Kradle, imprisoned for killing his wife, son, and sister-in-law. The prisoners are let out of each section and head out into the desert, branching out and heading in different directions.
Get ready for an electrifying, fast-paced, character-driven chase through the Nevada desert. Intent on capturing them before they can commit more of their horrendous crimes are members of law enforcement, prison staff, and the public seeking rewards for bringing in an escapee. Death Row supervisor Celine Osborne inserts herself into the chase for the fugitives. She is on a mission to have John Kradle named publicly as one of the most sought-after offenders. She has personal reasons for hating him and tried to make his five years on death row as miserable and uncomfortable as possible. She believes she knows his destination and hopes to return him to death row. The public will not feel safe until these hardened criminals, and dangerous psychopaths are back behind bars.
I enjoyed this multi-layered, thrilling saga.
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.
A bus carrying families of prison workers and inmates to an annual sports event at the prison is disabled, and its driver is shot. Panic ensues amongst the men, women and children on the bus. Word is sent to the prison that all occupants of the bus will be killed unless all 653 of the prisoners are set free.
Pronghorn Prison, set in the Nevada desert, holds the most dangerous of prisoners, some of them on death row. We get to know some of the most horrific inmates. There is a Nazi sympathizer who committed a mass shooting and plans to start a race war. A serial killer who strangled his victims and started his murders while a young boy and an inept domestic terrorist. We follow their stories, along with that of a conman, an aged pedophile, and John Kradle, imprisoned for killing his wife, son, and sister-in-law. The prisoners are let out of each section and head out into the desert, branching out and heading in different directions.
Get ready for an electrifying, fast-paced, character-driven chase through the Nevada desert. Intent on capturing them before they can commit more of their horrendous crimes are members of law enforcement, prison staff, and the public seeking rewards for bringing in an escapee. Death Row supervisor Celine Osborne inserts herself into the chase for the fugitives. She is on a mission to have John Kradle named publicly as one of the most sought-after offenders. She has personal reasons for hating him and tried to make his five years on death row as miserable and uncomfortable as possible. She believes she knows his destination and hopes to return him to death row. The public will not feel safe until these hardened criminals, and dangerous psychopaths are back behind bars.
I enjoyed this multi-layered, thrilling saga.
May 3, 2021
Reading Candice Fox's latest thriller was so much fun. She is so good at writing gritty, fast paced thrillers infused with humour and filled with quirky and memorable characters.
Pronghorn Correctional Facility in the Nevada desert is the site of a mass outbreak by over six hundred prisoners. Many of them are minimum or medium security offenders who will be rounded up quickly as they head for Los Vegas, but it is the worst offenders on death row that need to be recaptured before they re-offend. Serial murderers, rapists, a pedophile, a would be terrorist and a neo-Nazi responsible for a mass shooting are all on the loose including the man Death Row Supervisor Celine Osbourne thinks is the worst of the worst, John Kradle, a man who killed and burned his family. US Marshal Trinity Parker thinks Celine is more than a little obsessed with John Kradle and has her sights set on recapturing Schmitz, the neo-Nazi terrorist.
Following the fate of the Death Row inmates as they call go about their escapes in different ways was hugely enjoyable. Some just want to enjoy freedom, one just wants to slip away quietly, and others have plans to pick up where they left off, or in John Kradle's case prove his innocence. Fox is so good at writing all these characters as individuals, as well as the two women chasing them. Trinity and Celine are both determined, strong but flawed women and the interaction between them is hilariously prickly. I also loved the interactions between Celine and John Kradle, who has made a point of being a thorn in her side over the last five years that he has been on Death Row.
Highly recommended if you're looking for a hugely entertaining, past paced and thrilling read with an injection of great humour.
Pronghorn Correctional Facility in the Nevada desert is the site of a mass outbreak by over six hundred prisoners. Many of them are minimum or medium security offenders who will be rounded up quickly as they head for Los Vegas, but it is the worst offenders on death row that need to be recaptured before they re-offend. Serial murderers, rapists, a pedophile, a would be terrorist and a neo-Nazi responsible for a mass shooting are all on the loose including the man Death Row Supervisor Celine Osbourne thinks is the worst of the worst, John Kradle, a man who killed and burned his family. US Marshal Trinity Parker thinks Celine is more than a little obsessed with John Kradle and has her sights set on recapturing Schmitz, the neo-Nazi terrorist.
Following the fate of the Death Row inmates as they call go about their escapes in different ways was hugely enjoyable. Some just want to enjoy freedom, one just wants to slip away quietly, and others have plans to pick up where they left off, or in John Kradle's case prove his innocence. Fox is so good at writing all these characters as individuals, as well as the two women chasing them. Trinity and Celine are both determined, strong but flawed women and the interaction between them is hilariously prickly. I also loved the interactions between Celine and John Kradle, who has made a point of being a thorn in her side over the last five years that he has been on Death Row.
Highly recommended if you're looking for a hugely entertaining, past paced and thrilling read with an injection of great humour.
January 13, 2022
The Chase starts with a heart in your throat scenario. A bus containing the families of prison guards is being “held hostage” if the prison doesn’t release all 653 of its inmates. Before the warden has the ability to make a decision, the officers start opening up the gates. And thus, a whole slew of violent men, including a group of death row inmates, are released.
One of those men is John Kradle, erroneously convicted of the deaths of his wife and child. He sees this as an opportunity to prove his innocence.
The story flows fast, never really pausing for a breath. It came across like an action movie, and I could see this being translated for the screen. This will not appeal to those that like their stories to go in a straight line. There are a multitude of characters and the plot will detour into these side stories, mostly about other escaped convicts.
It took a long time to explain why Celine had such an obsession with Kradle to the exclusion of worrying about some other, much badder guys. A part of me thinks it might have worked better to move this up in the timeline. I, at least, spent a lot of time obsessing about why she was obsessing over him.
I liked that Fox isn’t afraid to make her female characters unlikeable. Trinity is definitely high on the jerk spectrum. And sparks tend to fly whenever Celine is forced to interact with her. And John isn’t the typical action hero you would expect from an action movie (think Con Air or The Fugitive). He’s more nuanced. Although, it says a lot that a stray dog attaches himself to Kradle.
Overall, this is good fun entertainment. There are several gruesome scenes, so be aware going in. I loved the ending and how everything got tied up. Lots of karma.
David De Vries and Lisa Negron are the two narrators. I struggled with Negron’s accents, which bordered on cliches.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook.
One of those men is John Kradle, erroneously convicted of the deaths of his wife and child. He sees this as an opportunity to prove his innocence.
The story flows fast, never really pausing for a breath. It came across like an action movie, and I could see this being translated for the screen. This will not appeal to those that like their stories to go in a straight line. There are a multitude of characters and the plot will detour into these side stories, mostly about other escaped convicts.
It took a long time to explain why Celine had such an obsession with Kradle to the exclusion of worrying about some other, much badder guys. A part of me thinks it might have worked better to move this up in the timeline. I, at least, spent a lot of time obsessing about why she was obsessing over him.
I liked that Fox isn’t afraid to make her female characters unlikeable. Trinity is definitely high on the jerk spectrum. And sparks tend to fly whenever Celine is forced to interact with her. And John isn’t the typical action hero you would expect from an action movie (think Con Air or The Fugitive). He’s more nuanced. Although, it says a lot that a stray dog attaches himself to Kradle.
Overall, this is good fun entertainment. There are several gruesome scenes, so be aware going in. I loved the ending and how everything got tied up. Lots of karma.
David De Vries and Lisa Negron are the two narrators. I struggled with Negron’s accents, which bordered on cliches.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook.
February 5, 2022
The book description does not mess around when it claims to be a modern 'The Fugitive', I found myself thinking that often while I listened to this audiobook.
The biggest manhunt began after 600 of America's most violent criminals pour out of the Pronghorn Correctional Facility into the Nevada dessert. But one of the escapees, John Kradle, views this as a chance to show that he is innocent and takes the opportunity the prison break has given him to find the man who killed his wife and son.
Celine Osbourne, Death Row Supervisor is on the hunt - for Kradle. She knows where he is going, and she is going to be there to nab him. She has her own personal issues for wanting to bring him in! US Marshal Trinity Parker is also on the hunt to bring in as many escapees that she can. She is not too happy that Celine Osbourne is also out there hunting. One could say these two women were on a collision course for a cat fight.
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.
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 such as 'The Fugitive' or shows like 'Prison Break' this book may be right up your alley.
**Does narrator, Lisa Negron sound like Kathy Bates at times or is it just me?
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
The biggest manhunt began after 600 of America's most violent criminals pour out of the Pronghorn Correctional Facility into the Nevada dessert. But one of the escapees, John Kradle, views this as a chance to show that he is innocent and takes the opportunity the prison break has given him to find the man who killed his wife and son.
Celine Osbourne, Death Row Supervisor is on the hunt - for Kradle. She knows where he is going, and she is going to be there to nab him. She has her own personal issues for wanting to bring him in! US Marshal Trinity Parker is also on the hunt to bring in as many escapees that she can. She is not too happy that Celine Osbourne is also out there hunting. One could say these two women were on a collision course for a cat fight.
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.
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 such as 'The Fugitive' or shows like 'Prison Break' this book may be right up your alley.
**Does narrator, Lisa Negron sound like Kathy Bates at times or is it just me?
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
July 15, 2021
4.5 Stars rounded up to 5
CW:
Well I am finally writing this review after spending 3 days outside in the freezing cold watching netball!
I had an absolute blast reading this fast paced and fun book! It was a dramatic, high-stakes prison break story with the worst of the worst terrorising the poor unsuspecting public. I had to laugh a few times because there were some totally ridiculous situations in there, however I loved the book all the more for them. The female main characters were fantabulous (go away red line, it's a word!). They had a gutsy take-no-prisoner approach to their jobs...🤣. Sorry not sorry for the lame jokes. My excuse is that I've only just started thawing out. I really really want this to be a movie with a big production budget. It was a tense thriller, a good murder mystery à la Richard Kimble, there were some exceptionally interesting prisoners on the run à la Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom and Garland Greene. Just so utterly entertaining! It's an adult action crime story but it would be suitable for NZ Y13 students who are expected to read at this level, and Y12 with some content warnings! Loved this over-the-top crazy adventure!
CW:
Well I am finally writing this review after spending 3 days outside in the freezing cold watching netball!
I had an absolute blast reading this fast paced and fun book! It was a dramatic, high-stakes prison break story with the worst of the worst terrorising the poor unsuspecting public. I had to laugh a few times because there were some totally ridiculous situations in there, however I loved the book all the more for them. The female main characters were fantabulous (go away red line, it's a word!). They had a gutsy take-no-prisoner approach to their jobs...🤣. Sorry not sorry for the lame jokes. My excuse is that I've only just started thawing out. I really really want this to be a movie with a big production budget. It was a tense thriller, a good murder mystery à la Richard Kimble, there were some exceptionally interesting prisoners on the run à la Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom and Garland Greene. Just so utterly entertaining! It's an adult action crime story but it would be suitable for NZ Y13 students who are expected to read at this level, and Y12 with some content warnings! Loved this over-the-top crazy adventure!
October 19, 2021
“Just shut up.”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.
“No, you shut up,” Kradle said.
“No, you!”
The first serious problem is that there aren’t any likeable characters in The Chase. I think this type of story only works if you’re rooting for the convict to prove his innocence, but it’s pretty hard to root for John Kradle. His personality is just grating, and he doesn’t even claim to be innocent until about halfway through the book. At the same time, his pursuer, Celine Osbourne, is even worse. Her hatred of Kradle is simply irrational for the first half of the book. When you finally learn her tragic backstory (which should have been introduced at the very beginning to better explain her character up front), her hatred is still irrational and unprofessional, but a tiny bit understandable, I guess. Finally, there’s the US Marshall, Trinity Parker, who is comically aggressive and disrespectful in her treatment of Celine. The dialogue between these three characters is just cringey (see above). And outside of one inmate named Keeps, the remaining characters in the novel are pretty one-dimensional.
The second serious problem with The Chase is the plot. The prison break itself is solid. But it’s laughable that the guards, especially the Death Row Supervisor Celine, would be allowed to participate in the search for the escapees when there had to be inside help with the breakout. Then there’s Raymond “the Axe” Ackerman, a 77-year-old inmate who escapes along with the others and seems at first to be a bit of comic relief until you realize that—offscreen, sadly—he keeps killing everyone he meets. Mostly though, the problem is that the book splits its focus between at least three different stories. This could have been a good novel about a wrongly convicted man who uses a prison break to finally have his revenge on the ‘real killer,’ but you eventually learn there was so little to the original investigation that it boggles the mind that Kradle ever could have been convicted in the first place. This could have been a good novel about a prison guard finally coming to grips with the tragedy in her past, and reckoning with the realization that she cannot trust her own judgment about the people in her life. Or this could have been a good Black Sunday-style novel about a terrorist orchestrating a prison break so he can commit an even bigger atrocity. But in trying to tell all three of those stories and more, The Chase doesn’t do any of them well.
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.
Ultimately, The Chase was a very disappointing read.
April 28, 2021
⭐️5 Stars⭐️
Holy moly, The Chase is a supercharged rollercoaster ride, fast paced and action packed crime thriller.
I was beyond excited to receive an advanced copy of The Chase by the Queen of crime writing, Australian author Candice Fox and was hooked from the opening chapter.
The Chase begins with a mass breakout of six hundred and fifty three dangerous criminals from Pronghorn Correctional Facility in the Nevada Desert including those on Death Row, the most violent of all, evil murderers, rapists, terrorists and serial killers.
Death Row supervisor Captain Celine Osbourne is determined to make it her mission to capture in particular fugitive John Kradle who massacred his family. Celine hates Kradle and has her own personal reasons for singling him out which centre around tortured memories from her childhood.
Meanwhile John Kradle is more concerned with finding out the truth about who murdered his family and enacting vengeance. He has planned this for years on the off chance that there’s a break out.
As the story follows the hugest manhunt the country has even seen, we follow the assorted exploits of a number of the fugitives in their escape for freedom.
I absolutely loved the character portrayals, the compelling storyline and the quirky banter between Celine and Kradle. As usual I just love Fox’s unique brand of wry humour and the quirkiness with her characters as usual sparkles through.
Candice never disappoints, a tremendously entertaining read, highly recommended!
Publication Date: 30th March 2021
I with to thank Better Reading and Penguin Books Australia for an advanced copy of the book
Holy moly, The Chase is a supercharged rollercoaster ride, fast paced and action packed crime thriller.
I was beyond excited to receive an advanced copy of The Chase by the Queen of crime writing, Australian author Candice Fox and was hooked from the opening chapter.
The Chase begins with a mass breakout of six hundred and fifty three dangerous criminals from Pronghorn Correctional Facility in the Nevada Desert including those on Death Row, the most violent of all, evil murderers, rapists, terrorists and serial killers.
Death Row supervisor Captain Celine Osbourne is determined to make it her mission to capture in particular fugitive John Kradle who massacred his family. Celine hates Kradle and has her own personal reasons for singling him out which centre around tortured memories from her childhood.
Meanwhile John Kradle is more concerned with finding out the truth about who murdered his family and enacting vengeance. He has planned this for years on the off chance that there’s a break out.
As the story follows the hugest manhunt the country has even seen, we follow the assorted exploits of a number of the fugitives in their escape for freedom.
I absolutely loved the character portrayals, the compelling storyline and the quirky banter between Celine and Kradle. As usual I just love Fox’s unique brand of wry humour and the quirkiness with her characters as usual sparkles through.
Candice never disappoints, a tremendously entertaining read, highly recommended!
Publication Date: 30th March 2021
I with to thank Better Reading and Penguin Books Australia for an advanced copy of the book
August 18, 2023
More than 600 inmates from the Pronghorn Correctional Facility are released into the Nevada Desert after a bus carrying families of prison workers and inmates to an annual sports event at the prison is disabled and its driver shot. John Kradle, convicted of murdering his wife and son, is one of the escapees and he's intent on proving his innocence before he's caught and returned to prison. Celine Osbourne, Death Row Supervisor, focuses all of her energy on catching Kradle and bringing him back to Death Row.
Candice Fox, author of the Crimson Lake series which I loved, can really write a compelling story. A variety of characters and a good storyline kept me engrossed every time I picked the book up. I have to confess that it took me a long time to read the book so it wasn't like I HAD to know what happened but I really enjoyed it and recommend it to others. 3.5 stars rounded up!
Thanks to the London Public Library for the loan of this book.
Candice Fox, author of the Crimson Lake series which I loved, can really write a compelling story. A variety of characters and a good storyline kept me engrossed every time I picked the book up. I have to confess that it took me a long time to read the book so it wasn't like I HAD to know what happened but I really enjoyed it and recommend it to others. 3.5 stars rounded up!
Thanks to the London Public Library for the loan of this book.
March 31, 2021
The Chase was one of my most anticipated reads for 2021. It is no secret that Candice Fox is one of my favourite Australian crime writers and I was desperate for this book. As soon as it arrived I dove in - thank you so much Penguin Books Australia.
This book is brilliant! It is a fast paced, action packed thrill ride from start to finish. I could very easily see this as a Netflix series. The premise of 600+ hardened criminals, including those on death row, being released into the world in one hit - come on - what crime lover isn't not going to want to know more! It is exciting and addictive as well as in true Candice Fox form, filled with humour and emotions.
The biggest manhunt in US history is on to catch the over 600 inmates that are released from Pronghorn Correctional Facility in the Nevada desert. Death row supervisor Celine is determined to get John Kradle back into custody. It is personal for her and she will stop at literally nothing to find him. John Kradle on the other hand is hell-bent on using this time to prove that he did not kill him wife and son 5 years ago. It is a cat and mouse chase across the country and it will keep you guessing - is he really innocent? Any why does Celine hate him so much?
As you would expect with a storyline like this, there is so much happening. Violent criminals have a taste of freedom, they will do whatever they want. Running amuck and causing chaos across the country. The race is on to get them all back, before they are all back to the crimes they they are locked up for.
This is a stand alone crime thriller that you don't want to miss. There is a reason why Candice is one of Australia's top authors - so grab The Chase and see for yourself. I look forward to hearing her talk about it at an author even I am attending with my dad in May.
This book is brilliant! It is a fast paced, action packed thrill ride from start to finish. I could very easily see this as a Netflix series. The premise of 600+ hardened criminals, including those on death row, being released into the world in one hit - come on - what crime lover isn't not going to want to know more! It is exciting and addictive as well as in true Candice Fox form, filled with humour and emotions.
The biggest manhunt in US history is on to catch the over 600 inmates that are released from Pronghorn Correctional Facility in the Nevada desert. Death row supervisor Celine is determined to get John Kradle back into custody. It is personal for her and she will stop at literally nothing to find him. John Kradle on the other hand is hell-bent on using this time to prove that he did not kill him wife and son 5 years ago. It is a cat and mouse chase across the country and it will keep you guessing - is he really innocent? Any why does Celine hate him so much?
As you would expect with a storyline like this, there is so much happening. Violent criminals have a taste of freedom, they will do whatever they want. Running amuck and causing chaos across the country. The race is on to get them all back, before they are all back to the crimes they they are locked up for.
This is a stand alone crime thriller that you don't want to miss. There is a reason why Candice is one of Australia's top authors - so grab The Chase and see for yourself. I look forward to hearing her talk about it at an author even I am attending with my dad in May.
March 11, 2022
4★
“Burke’s recruiter hadn’t provided anything more than a gentle nudge into the online world of neo-Nazi groups and their plans for a race war, and Burke fell in love. He liked all the serial killer angles and the calls for disruption, chaos. Black-and-white photographs of a short, angry, determined Charles Manson, his beautiful, waif-like followers, his legions of admirers.”
It’s more of a hunt than a chase, with ‘prey’ running off in different directions. Someone has opened the gates of the Pronghorn Correctional Facility in Nevada, letting loose all 600+ inmates, including those in maximum security on Death row. Captain Celine Osbourne has been in charge of them.
“She slowed as she neared Burke David Schmitz’s cell. The neo-Nazi terrorist, an unrepentant mass shooter, had the highest number of confirmed victims of all the men on Celine’s row. There was a kind of thickness in the air around him. A coldness. The feeling touched the cells on either side of his, which for now were empty. She peered sideways as she walked by and saw him sitting on his cot, straight-backed, looking at nothing, as he often did. The young blond man gave Celine the sense that he could see her even beyond the reach of his line of sight as she passed by.”
When Celine crosses paths with a minimum security inmate after everyone's gone, the story takes a turn. Her boss, Warden Grace Slanter, and US Marshal Trinity Parker are major parts of the action as well. It isn’t girls against the boys, although when I write it this way, it seems like it.
The story follows several inmates, but I could have done without a couple. The most interesting is John Kradle, whom Celine has known for years and hates because his crime mirrors so much of what happened to her in her childhood (not a spoiler). She is determined to track him down, which gives the story a very personal edge.
There are certainly some terrifying scenarios, and there’s no guarantee who will make it out alive. The worst part for me is the part I’ve quoted about the neo-Nazi terrorist who represents a growing threat everywhere. Neo-Nazis are only one part of the anti-government, anti-establishment groups attracting disenchanted people around the world.
Nobody loves you? We’ll be your new best friends. It’s no longer just religious extremists promoting a glorious afterlife for suicide bombers. These people promote themselves as some kind of rebel army, and your enemies are their enemies. Of course this is done subtly, quietly, moving from mainstream social media to smaller chat rooms and later ‘off-grid’ where you and I don’t see them at work.
That’s what makes it scary when someone like Burke is set loose. Who are his people? What are they planning?
How would Celine have any idea where to even look? Sometimes it takes one to know one, so to speak.
Personally, I prefer Fox's Aussie stories (but I'm biased). Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing for the copy for review.
“Burke’s recruiter hadn’t provided anything more than a gentle nudge into the online world of neo-Nazi groups and their plans for a race war, and Burke fell in love. He liked all the serial killer angles and the calls for disruption, chaos. Black-and-white photographs of a short, angry, determined Charles Manson, his beautiful, waif-like followers, his legions of admirers.”
It’s more of a hunt than a chase, with ‘prey’ running off in different directions. Someone has opened the gates of the Pronghorn Correctional Facility in Nevada, letting loose all 600+ inmates, including those in maximum security on Death row. Captain Celine Osbourne has been in charge of them.
“She slowed as she neared Burke David Schmitz’s cell. The neo-Nazi terrorist, an unrepentant mass shooter, had the highest number of confirmed victims of all the men on Celine’s row. There was a kind of thickness in the air around him. A coldness. The feeling touched the cells on either side of his, which for now were empty. She peered sideways as she walked by and saw him sitting on his cot, straight-backed, looking at nothing, as he often did. The young blond man gave Celine the sense that he could see her even beyond the reach of his line of sight as she passed by.”
When Celine crosses paths with a minimum security inmate after everyone's gone, the story takes a turn. Her boss, Warden Grace Slanter, and US Marshal Trinity Parker are major parts of the action as well. It isn’t girls against the boys, although when I write it this way, it seems like it.
The story follows several inmates, but I could have done without a couple. The most interesting is John Kradle, whom Celine has known for years and hates because his crime mirrors so much of what happened to her in her childhood (not a spoiler). She is determined to track him down, which gives the story a very personal edge.
There are certainly some terrifying scenarios, and there’s no guarantee who will make it out alive. The worst part for me is the part I’ve quoted about the neo-Nazi terrorist who represents a growing threat everywhere. Neo-Nazis are only one part of the anti-government, anti-establishment groups attracting disenchanted people around the world.
Nobody loves you? We’ll be your new best friends. It’s no longer just religious extremists promoting a glorious afterlife for suicide bombers. These people promote themselves as some kind of rebel army, and your enemies are their enemies. Of course this is done subtly, quietly, moving from mainstream social media to smaller chat rooms and later ‘off-grid’ where you and I don’t see them at work.
That’s what makes it scary when someone like Burke is set loose. Who are his people? What are they planning?
How would Celine have any idea where to even look? Sometimes it takes one to know one, so to speak.
Personally, I prefer Fox's Aussie stories (but I'm biased). Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing for the copy for review.
July 23, 2024
I just love books that fly quickly, pulling me in and holding me riveted for the entire ride. A ride which is easy to hold onto, it’s tense, action packed, thrilling and palpable. Starting with a menacing phone call to the warden, an unexpected request, empty the ENTIRE prison, or some insidious behaviour will go down.
The warden ends up falling away in this story, segueing into Celine, the ballsy supervisor of the death row inmates, the charges see seems to know how to handle remarkably well. An interesting group of people, the dregs of this place, and the author clearly writes menace and evil well, and the way in which these men behave and their lifestyle on death row. I recall reading somewhere Candice Fox entered prison to talk to death row inmates as part of her research a few years back.
The author knows her craft, amply skilled at the lunacy of certain individuals in a cat and mouse chase to bring this group of crazies back INTO prison.
Celine has an intense past, which is interwoven into the chase of Kradle, a death row inmate she has placed as top priority. Nothing will stop her from finding him. This man condemned to death row for burning his wife, her sister and his son to death. He is on a mission to find the truth. Everything comes together perfectly.
This is all so full of action, it is edgy and is chocka block full of humour as well. I was on the lookout for a lighter read as always, and this was a winning pick. Embracing the characters of Kradle and Celine, these two compelled in me to NEED to continually pick this up and WANT more of them. If my lifestyle allowed, this would be one of those books to hold in my hand and consume in a day, rest of life and world be damned. Also I need to question my reading choices, why has it been so long between drinks?
I listened to this via the BorrowBox app and my public library. Recommended five star reading, now I am on the hunt for more sinister content from the queen of full pelt story telling.
The warden ends up falling away in this story, segueing into Celine, the ballsy supervisor of the death row inmates, the charges see seems to know how to handle remarkably well. An interesting group of people, the dregs of this place, and the author clearly writes menace and evil well, and the way in which these men behave and their lifestyle on death row. I recall reading somewhere Candice Fox entered prison to talk to death row inmates as part of her research a few years back.
The author knows her craft, amply skilled at the lunacy of certain individuals in a cat and mouse chase to bring this group of crazies back INTO prison.
Celine has an intense past, which is interwoven into the chase of Kradle, a death row inmate she has placed as top priority. Nothing will stop her from finding him. This man condemned to death row for burning his wife, her sister and his son to death. He is on a mission to find the truth. Everything comes together perfectly.
This is all so full of action, it is edgy and is chocka block full of humour as well. I was on the lookout for a lighter read as always, and this was a winning pick. Embracing the characters of Kradle and Celine, these two compelled in me to NEED to continually pick this up and WANT more of them. If my lifestyle allowed, this would be one of those books to hold in my hand and consume in a day, rest of life and world be damned. Also I need to question my reading choices, why has it been so long between drinks?
I listened to this via the BorrowBox app and my public library. Recommended five star reading, now I am on the hunt for more sinister content from the queen of full pelt story telling.
April 8, 2023
* PLEASE NOTE: This review was originally posted on NetGalley on October 10,2021. Somehow I accidentally deleted it from Goodreads when organizing my shelves and have retyped the original from NetGalley below. *
Candice Fox's The Chase is a high velocity, character driven action thriller which kept me on the edge-of-my-seat from the first word through the very last.
When more than 600 of the universe's most horrendous convicts are let out of Pronghorn's Correction facility (located in the Nevada desert). Death Row Supervisor Claire Osbourne not only feels responsible for allowing the escape to happen, she has her radar set squarely on catching one inmate in-particular. His name is John Kradle, and Claire will go to any length to secure his capture - above all the others - because catching him is very personal....
What makes this novel extraordinarily exciting for me is how unusual it is to be rooting for both the cat (Claire Osbourne) and the mouse (John Kradle), as they are both (in their individual ways) protagonists.
The conclusion is highly satisfying and leaves much for the listener to ponder about our flawed justice system, and is perfect for some lively discussions at book clubs, etcetera.
Narrators Lisa Negrón and David de Vries are a fantastic vocal team for the intense action. They vividly bring Ms. Fox's storyline to life in my imagination, and easily kept my attention hyper-focused for the duration. These two make a mighty narrative duo and I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone looking for a super-charged listen.
With much appreciation to NetGalley, Candice Fox, and Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook download in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. #NetGalley, #CandiceFox, #MacmillanAudio, #TheChase
Candice Fox's The Chase is a high velocity, character driven action thriller which kept me on the edge-of-my-seat from the first word through the very last.
When more than 600 of the universe's most horrendous convicts are let out of Pronghorn's Correction facility (located in the Nevada desert). Death Row Supervisor Claire Osbourne not only feels responsible for allowing the escape to happen, she has her radar set squarely on catching one inmate in-particular. His name is John Kradle, and Claire will go to any length to secure his capture - above all the others - because catching him is very personal....
What makes this novel extraordinarily exciting for me is how unusual it is to be rooting for both the cat (Claire Osbourne) and the mouse (John Kradle), as they are both (in their individual ways) protagonists.
The conclusion is highly satisfying and leaves much for the listener to ponder about our flawed justice system, and is perfect for some lively discussions at book clubs, etcetera.
Narrators Lisa Negrón and David de Vries are a fantastic vocal team for the intense action. They vividly bring Ms. Fox's storyline to life in my imagination, and easily kept my attention hyper-focused for the duration. These two make a mighty narrative duo and I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone looking for a super-charged listen.
With much appreciation to NetGalley, Candice Fox, and Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook download in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. #NetGalley, #CandiceFox, #MacmillanAudio, #TheChase
November 4, 2024
I enjoyed Fox’s Crimson Lake series, so was looking forward to this stand-alone offering. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but this was a disappointment. Fox opens the novel with a mass breakout from the Pronghorn Correctional Facility in Nevada. Hundreds of convicts flood the surrounding desert, triggering a massive manhunt to round up these escapees as quickly as possible. U.S. Marshal Trinity Parker is focused on Burke David Schmitz, a particularly dangerous man; and death row supervisor Celine Osbourne is obsessed with recapturing John Kradle, convicted of killing his wife, her sister, and his child.
Fox fragments these two plot-lines with digressions of what is happening with other prisoners, as well as backstories for Celine Osbourne and John Kradle. None of the characters are particularly likeable and the overall narrative arc became a bit of a mess.
Fox fragments these two plot-lines with digressions of what is happening with other prisoners, as well as backstories for Celine Osbourne and John Kradle. None of the characters are particularly likeable and the overall narrative arc became a bit of a mess.
February 11, 2022
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Candice Fox, and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Usually a fan of Candice Fox and her novels, I eagerly accepted the latest book in audio form. Fox has a great ability to pull the reader into the middle of the story with strong writing and alluring characters. After a coordinated prison break in the middle of the Nevada desert, panic ensues and a plan is activated. The story follows not only the attempt to corral these men back into custody, but also an inmate’s journey to show his innocence before he is put to death. Fox draws the story out and adds her own spin to keep the readers hooked throughout.
During the annual baseball game between inmates and guards, something goes horribly wrong and six hundred of the world’s most violent criminals are soon on the streets. It’s mass panic across the Nevada desert, as any one of these men could use their freedom to create another bloodbath. It’s mayhem and the public’s ready to face a rude awakening.
Celine Osbourne, a dedicated Death Row supervisor and fugitive-hunter, is tasked with leading the manhunt. She has her own issues buried in the past, but won’t use this as an excuse, as she tries to locate the worst of the worst in hopes of ensuring her superiors do not fire her at the first opportunity. Still, there is a sense of defeat as time passes without any concrete solutions. She’s also forced to examine how all this happened and whether one of her staff might be the key to the prison break.
One of those inmates is John Kradle, found guilty of murdering his wife and child. Kradle is now espousing that he was innocent and simply folded to make things easier at the time. He’s ready to prove his innocence and tries piecing together facts that could change his outcome. Every step of the way is fraught with risks that could see him executed sooner than expected, should he be caught.
As Osbourne and Kradle play a crazy game of chicken, it’s only time before one of the makes a mistake that could impact things greatly. The hunt is on and no one is quite sure how it will end. Fox delivers an intriguing story, full of flashback moments, to keep the reader hooked until the very end.
Having read a number of Candice Fox’s novels, I feel somewhat connected about what she usually offers and the expectations tied to that. While she is great with crime novels and the search for criminals, I found a disconnect with this piece, at least from the caliber I have come to expect. The story was decent, with some intriguing plot twists and flashback moments. However, I failed to fully connect with it on a number of levels. It might have been the narration or slow pace of the story’s development, but there was a gap that left me feeling less than enthused by the final product.
The dual protagonists in this piece, Celine Osbourne and John Kradle, worked well in their own ways. With a story that flips from character development to layered backstory, Fox uses both these techniques to create a relationship with the reader. There are some intriguing points throughout, though I am unsure how effective it was for me, as I could not get past the slow pace of the story’s development. I tried to get enthused with the Osbourne/Kradle game of cat and mouse, but sometimes felt it was for the dogs, if you pardon the pun.
I have come to expect great things when Candice Fox’ name appears on a book cover, having seen just how impactful her writing can be and what her collaborative efforts can do in a series. However, I was left feeling a little underwhelmed here. I’m not sure if it was the writing, the narration, or even that things took much longer than needed, but there was something I could not entirely enjoy. Interesting plot twists did not save the novel for me, nor did an array of characters whose lives mesh together to add depth to the story. Every author deserves a mulligan, though it may also be me who missed the mark with this piece. I’ll see what others feel and hope that I am in the minority.
Kudos, Madam Fox, for a valiant attempt. I cannot wait to see you return to the gritty police procedurals for which you have come to be known.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Usually a fan of Candice Fox and her novels, I eagerly accepted the latest book in audio form. Fox has a great ability to pull the reader into the middle of the story with strong writing and alluring characters. After a coordinated prison break in the middle of the Nevada desert, panic ensues and a plan is activated. The story follows not only the attempt to corral these men back into custody, but also an inmate’s journey to show his innocence before he is put to death. Fox draws the story out and adds her own spin to keep the readers hooked throughout.
During the annual baseball game between inmates and guards, something goes horribly wrong and six hundred of the world’s most violent criminals are soon on the streets. It’s mass panic across the Nevada desert, as any one of these men could use their freedom to create another bloodbath. It’s mayhem and the public’s ready to face a rude awakening.
Celine Osbourne, a dedicated Death Row supervisor and fugitive-hunter, is tasked with leading the manhunt. She has her own issues buried in the past, but won’t use this as an excuse, as she tries to locate the worst of the worst in hopes of ensuring her superiors do not fire her at the first opportunity. Still, there is a sense of defeat as time passes without any concrete solutions. She’s also forced to examine how all this happened and whether one of her staff might be the key to the prison break.
One of those inmates is John Kradle, found guilty of murdering his wife and child. Kradle is now espousing that he was innocent and simply folded to make things easier at the time. He’s ready to prove his innocence and tries piecing together facts that could change his outcome. Every step of the way is fraught with risks that could see him executed sooner than expected, should he be caught.
As Osbourne and Kradle play a crazy game of chicken, it’s only time before one of the makes a mistake that could impact things greatly. The hunt is on and no one is quite sure how it will end. Fox delivers an intriguing story, full of flashback moments, to keep the reader hooked until the very end.
Having read a number of Candice Fox’s novels, I feel somewhat connected about what she usually offers and the expectations tied to that. While she is great with crime novels and the search for criminals, I found a disconnect with this piece, at least from the caliber I have come to expect. The story was decent, with some intriguing plot twists and flashback moments. However, I failed to fully connect with it on a number of levels. It might have been the narration or slow pace of the story’s development, but there was a gap that left me feeling less than enthused by the final product.
The dual protagonists in this piece, Celine Osbourne and John Kradle, worked well in their own ways. With a story that flips from character development to layered backstory, Fox uses both these techniques to create a relationship with the reader. There are some intriguing points throughout, though I am unsure how effective it was for me, as I could not get past the slow pace of the story’s development. I tried to get enthused with the Osbourne/Kradle game of cat and mouse, but sometimes felt it was for the dogs, if you pardon the pun.
I have come to expect great things when Candice Fox’ name appears on a book cover, having seen just how impactful her writing can be and what her collaborative efforts can do in a series. However, I was left feeling a little underwhelmed here. I’m not sure if it was the writing, the narration, or even that things took much longer than needed, but there was something I could not entirely enjoy. Interesting plot twists did not save the novel for me, nor did an array of characters whose lives mesh together to add depth to the story. Every author deserves a mulligan, though it may also be me who missed the mark with this piece. I’ll see what others feel and hope that I am in the minority.
Kudos, Madam Fox, for a valiant attempt. I cannot wait to see you return to the gritty police procedurals for which you have come to be known.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
January 15, 2021
Just about every book of Candice's I read, I think "This is her best yet" - and again I think it after tearing through this one.
Candice writes such brilliant and quirky characters, and this tale is full of characters that are great reads.
A brilliant premise that hooked me from the start. A mass release of prisoners from a Nevada prison, including those on death row. We follow a number of the prisoners and a number of those trying to recapture them. So many strands we follow in this story and all of them so entertaining in this thrilling ride.
Candice writes such brilliant and quirky characters, and this tale is full of characters that are great reads.
A brilliant premise that hooked me from the start. A mass release of prisoners from a Nevada prison, including those on death row. We follow a number of the prisoners and a number of those trying to recapture them. So many strands we follow in this story and all of them so entertaining in this thrilling ride.
April 26, 2021
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
4.5 stars
‘Man, this is some extraordinary business, ‘Keeps said. He shook his head. ‘All those guys running around at the same time? I’m kind of glad I’m still in here where it’s safe.’
‘The world is upside down today,’ Celine said.
‘Inside out.’
‘Yeah, inside out.’
The Chase is a book spurned from author Candice Fox’s first-hand experiences and fascination for the prison system. From growing up reading true crime, to absorbing her father’s experiences as a prison warden, to Fox’s recent visits to a maximum-security prison interviewing a prisoner on death row, The Chase is an inspired new title from the talented crime author. Dramatic, ocular, piercing and enslaving, The Chase plunges the reader deep into this action piece from the opening sentence.
The Chase follows the fallout of a terrible act, the release of six hundred prisoners from a maximum-security correctional facility. Fleeing across the expansive Nevada Desert, the inmates try their hardest to avoid recapture in this deadly quest to save the general public from these dangerous criminals. One of the escaped inmates is a man named John Kradle, a criminal known for killing his wife, her sister and child. Kradle is determined to prove that he is innocent of this terrible crime. Kradle is on a mission following the breakout, but he must avoid detection from the law enforcement team sent to ensnare all the escaped prisoners. One such figure who is determined to cage John Kradle again is Celine Osborne, the supervisor of Kradle’s ward. Celine has a private connection to Kradle and this is her central motivation for locking him up again.
Candice Fox is a household name both internationally and in Australia. Fox is known for her popular crime fiction novels, along with her collaboration with James Patterson. I am a big fan of Candice Fox and I have to say she returns with a explosive bang with this latest crime action-based configuration. The Chase was a truly excellent read, that kept me glued to my reading chair for almost a full day!
I love the television shows Prison Break and Criminal Minds. I feel like The Chase is a mish mash of both these two great shows in the form of a novelisation. The Chase reads extremely well as a fiction novel, but I could easily see it adapted into a screenplay. The Chase has some great visual and cinematic qualities that I would love to see beamed in theatres across the globe. The initial scenario of releasing six hundred deadly maximum-security prisoners back into the world was such a gripping and original concept. It was scary too! I could see this as a completely plausible situation playing out in the US. Fox taps into some of the issues that are placing a great strain on prison system in America. These problems include, tight budgets, release systems and innocents placed on death row. I enjoyed these insightful sequences on the flawed and pressure filled incarceration system in the US.
There are so many players that fill The Chase that I did find it a tad overwhelming in the early stages of this book to keep up with each personality, their background and relevance to the unfolding story. I did think a cast list could have helped, but this may have been too expansive. After some time I developed a good handle on the main players of the story. Fox has a knack for creating great tough as nails female leads and we have a fantastic primary character in Celine, the death row supervisor. I appreciated dipping in and out of Celine’s world. Fox takes her time to unfurl Celine’s past and her connection to Kradle, the central target of the manhunt to track down all six hundred escaped inmates. We have some other very important players in The Chase, including Keeps, an intriguing con man who signs up to find some of his past fellow inmates. But the character who stole the show for me was John Kradle, the escaped inmate who is hell bent on proving his innocence while at large. John initially made me nervous and I was horrified by his crime. But as the novel progressed, flashbacks illuminate the truth to John’s tragic past. Eventually I turned a sympathetic eye to John Kradle and I rooted for him. I also looked forward to any interactions between Celine and Kradle, this was a true highlight of the novel.
We have some other colourful escapees that grace the pages of The Chase. We also follow a number of different escape routes and we gain an insight into the past lives of these prisoners. I liked how Fox managed to weave in these separate little stories to the overall set piece. It was clever, engrossing and nail-biting.
The close of the book was what I was waiting for and it offered a solid curtain call. There is a possibility that Fox could continue this story further in the future, I do hope so. The Chase is yet another high calibre novel from a skilled writer in the crime genre. I’m already lining up for my next Candice Fox fix.
*I wish to thank Penguin Books Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The Chase is book #33 of the 2021 Australian Women Writers Challenge
4.5 stars
‘Man, this is some extraordinary business, ‘Keeps said. He shook his head. ‘All those guys running around at the same time? I’m kind of glad I’m still in here where it’s safe.’
‘The world is upside down today,’ Celine said.
‘Inside out.’
‘Yeah, inside out.’
The Chase is a book spurned from author Candice Fox’s first-hand experiences and fascination for the prison system. From growing up reading true crime, to absorbing her father’s experiences as a prison warden, to Fox’s recent visits to a maximum-security prison interviewing a prisoner on death row, The Chase is an inspired new title from the talented crime author. Dramatic, ocular, piercing and enslaving, The Chase plunges the reader deep into this action piece from the opening sentence.
The Chase follows the fallout of a terrible act, the release of six hundred prisoners from a maximum-security correctional facility. Fleeing across the expansive Nevada Desert, the inmates try their hardest to avoid recapture in this deadly quest to save the general public from these dangerous criminals. One of the escaped inmates is a man named John Kradle, a criminal known for killing his wife, her sister and child. Kradle is determined to prove that he is innocent of this terrible crime. Kradle is on a mission following the breakout, but he must avoid detection from the law enforcement team sent to ensnare all the escaped prisoners. One such figure who is determined to cage John Kradle again is Celine Osborne, the supervisor of Kradle’s ward. Celine has a private connection to Kradle and this is her central motivation for locking him up again.
Candice Fox is a household name both internationally and in Australia. Fox is known for her popular crime fiction novels, along with her collaboration with James Patterson. I am a big fan of Candice Fox and I have to say she returns with a explosive bang with this latest crime action-based configuration. The Chase was a truly excellent read, that kept me glued to my reading chair for almost a full day!
I love the television shows Prison Break and Criminal Minds. I feel like The Chase is a mish mash of both these two great shows in the form of a novelisation. The Chase reads extremely well as a fiction novel, but I could easily see it adapted into a screenplay. The Chase has some great visual and cinematic qualities that I would love to see beamed in theatres across the globe. The initial scenario of releasing six hundred deadly maximum-security prisoners back into the world was such a gripping and original concept. It was scary too! I could see this as a completely plausible situation playing out in the US. Fox taps into some of the issues that are placing a great strain on prison system in America. These problems include, tight budgets, release systems and innocents placed on death row. I enjoyed these insightful sequences on the flawed and pressure filled incarceration system in the US.
There are so many players that fill The Chase that I did find it a tad overwhelming in the early stages of this book to keep up with each personality, their background and relevance to the unfolding story. I did think a cast list could have helped, but this may have been too expansive. After some time I developed a good handle on the main players of the story. Fox has a knack for creating great tough as nails female leads and we have a fantastic primary character in Celine, the death row supervisor. I appreciated dipping in and out of Celine’s world. Fox takes her time to unfurl Celine’s past and her connection to Kradle, the central target of the manhunt to track down all six hundred escaped inmates. We have some other very important players in The Chase, including Keeps, an intriguing con man who signs up to find some of his past fellow inmates. But the character who stole the show for me was John Kradle, the escaped inmate who is hell bent on proving his innocence while at large. John initially made me nervous and I was horrified by his crime. But as the novel progressed, flashbacks illuminate the truth to John’s tragic past. Eventually I turned a sympathetic eye to John Kradle and I rooted for him. I also looked forward to any interactions between Celine and Kradle, this was a true highlight of the novel.
We have some other colourful escapees that grace the pages of The Chase. We also follow a number of different escape routes and we gain an insight into the past lives of these prisoners. I liked how Fox managed to weave in these separate little stories to the overall set piece. It was clever, engrossing and nail-biting.
The close of the book was what I was waiting for and it offered a solid curtain call. There is a possibility that Fox could continue this story further in the future, I do hope so. The Chase is yet another high calibre novel from a skilled writer in the crime genre. I’m already lining up for my next Candice Fox fix.
*I wish to thank Penguin Books Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The Chase is book #33 of the 2021 Australian Women Writers Challenge
February 12, 2022
I really enjoyed this story of a death row inmate who is let out of a maximum security prison along with all the other inmates during another prisoner's prison break.
John Kradle was convicted of killing his wife and son along with his wife's sister. When he is given the opportunity to escape from prison, he decides to find out who really killed his family.
Celine Osbourne was the Death Row Supervisor who was in charge of Kradle's prison unit when he escaped. Although there are hundreds of inmates on the loose, Celine has decided that Kradle is the most dangerous and singles him out as the man she most wants back behind bars.
I thought this was an interesting story that starts with some fabulous action. The story keeps a decent pace throughout with some situations that seem more likely than others. However, the storyline gets watered down a little with scenes of other inmates that have no relevance to the main story. There is a third narrative involved that is not mentioned in the blurb - that of the inmate who initiated the prison break. This narrative is useful for explaining how the prisoners all got released, giving John chance to find the true killer and clear his name. The other side stories had less purpose, mainly just showing how other inmates got into trouble and were caught or killed.
There are quite a few female characters in this book in high positions within the law enforcement field. The warden, the supervisor on Death Row, and the US Marshal in charge of finding all the prisoners are all female, as well as some of the other guards at the prison. I was surprised by all the female representation in the field and though I generally love to see more women involved and in more senior positions, this almost felt like too much. It was so unlikely that so many people in charge of this facility and the cleanup would be female. In addition, the characters were generally not very likable. As you learn Celine's backstory and get to know her soft spots she grows on you, but initially I just couldn't stand her and Trinity Parker, the US Marshal, was pretty intolerable too.
Overall, the story made up for the minor issues that I had with it and I enjoyed it. I was curious to see who the killer would be and wanted to know how they would be found. I did find myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading, which is always a good sign. This was my firs book by Candice Fox, but I will look for more of her work in the future.
I listened to the audiobook, which had dual narration by David de Vries and Lisa Negron. I did not love this format. I struggled initially with one of the male voices not fitting the character that I had in my head. The story portrayed him one way, but the voice represented him differently and I had to keep reminding myself that the voice just didn't fit the character. Once this character was no longer in the story I was able to settle in and enjoy the narration more, but it bothered me enough that I would recommend getting a paper copy if you have that option.
3.5★
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
John Kradle was convicted of killing his wife and son along with his wife's sister. When he is given the opportunity to escape from prison, he decides to find out who really killed his family.
Celine Osbourne was the Death Row Supervisor who was in charge of Kradle's prison unit when he escaped. Although there are hundreds of inmates on the loose, Celine has decided that Kradle is the most dangerous and singles him out as the man she most wants back behind bars.
I thought this was an interesting story that starts with some fabulous action. The story keeps a decent pace throughout with some situations that seem more likely than others. However, the storyline gets watered down a little with scenes of other inmates that have no relevance to the main story. There is a third narrative involved that is not mentioned in the blurb - that of the inmate who initiated the prison break. This narrative is useful for explaining how the prisoners all got released, giving John chance to find the true killer and clear his name. The other side stories had less purpose, mainly just showing how other inmates got into trouble and were caught or killed.
There are quite a few female characters in this book in high positions within the law enforcement field. The warden, the supervisor on Death Row, and the US Marshal in charge of finding all the prisoners are all female, as well as some of the other guards at the prison. I was surprised by all the female representation in the field and though I generally love to see more women involved and in more senior positions, this almost felt like too much. It was so unlikely that so many people in charge of this facility and the cleanup would be female. In addition, the characters were generally not very likable. As you learn Celine's backstory and get to know her soft spots she grows on you, but initially I just couldn't stand her and Trinity Parker, the US Marshal, was pretty intolerable too.
Overall, the story made up for the minor issues that I had with it and I enjoyed it. I was curious to see who the killer would be and wanted to know how they would be found. I did find myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading, which is always a good sign. This was my firs book by Candice Fox, but I will look for more of her work in the future.
I listened to the audiobook, which had dual narration by David de Vries and Lisa Negron. I did not love this format. I struggled initially with one of the male voices not fitting the character that I had in my head. The story portrayed him one way, but the voice represented him differently and I had to keep reminding myself that the voice just didn't fit the character. Once this character was no longer in the story I was able to settle in and enjoy the narration more, but it bothered me enough that I would recommend getting a paper copy if you have that option.
3.5★
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
October 27, 2024
This thick thriller was a fun and quick read. I picked it up on a whim and wasn’t sure what to expect. I will say that it is more than a little cheesy, but it was still fun. I liked the main characters and was rooting for them. The ending was also fitting. The warden of a prison gets the kind of call no one wants, it’s a demand to release all of the prisoners or a bus load of the guards’ families will die. The guards aren’t willing to stand by and risk their families so the prisons do get out and this story follows several of them from death row. Celine, the supervisor in death row, didn’t release the inmates but she is determined to get them all back, especially John because he’s a family annihilator which she is particularly bothered by. But John has an unusual mission, he is determined to figure out who killed his son, wife, and sister in law and framed him. This was a fun read and I would definitely read more by this author in the future.
May 10, 2023
My first book by the talented Candice Fox was the introduction of Hades (Archer & Bennett #1) back in 2014, and then I could not wait for #2 and #3—Eden and Fall: Thriller.
Once you read her books, you know she has a unique style of delving deep into the darkness of humanity. I adore her dark humor and how she balances it all to make her characters test their limits. But there is always some goodness in her character's brokenness and tragedy.
PRISON BREAK! Her latest, THE CHASE is yet another explosive wild ride. A chilling, propulsive suspense thriller that will keep you turning the pages. What an opening! The mood set for high adrenaline and action.
650 of the world's most violent human beings pour out from Pronghorn Correctional Facility, a maximum-security correctional facility, into the Nevada Desert, the most extensive manhunt in US history begins.
It was a day for families and sports. The families of those imprisoned are held on a bus unless the prisoners are let loose.
John Kradle sees this as a chance to prove his innocence. He was sent to prison for the murder of his wife and child twenty-six years earlier. His story is the most intriguing.
Next, the death row supervisor, Celine Osbourne, has a fixation on John Kradle due to her traumatic past. With this many hazardous criminals set loose to do ultimate damage, she is focused on this man.
The prison break includes serial murderers, pedophiles, rapists, terrorists, and a neo-Nazis. US Marshall Trinity Parker thinks Osbourne could be a little obsessed with Kradle.
With alternating chapters, side storylines provide the background of many prisoners. However, as a reader, you are interested in the whodunit.
It was also interesting to see how the prisoners reacted to the outside world. Some just wanted to enjoy their short-lived freedom, others slipped out, and some had a driving purpose. Without money or transportation, their choices are limited.
Fox taps into some critical issues we experience today in our prison system: budgets, overcrowded, understaffed, and innocent prisoners behind bars and on death row.
The author's character development is highly creative, showcasing the different personalities. My favorite part of the story was seeing how this wrapped up with Kradle and Osborne. Also, the two women (Trinty and Celine) are strong-willed and tenacious. It was also fun to hear the dialogue and banter between these two. LOL.
There is more than one driving force, but the Osbourne/Kradle is the most intriguing. Highly entertaining! I was glued to the audiobook and did not want to put it down.
Candice Fox is a brilliant writer with fifteen books, including her co-authored work with James Patterson.
A special thank you to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC audiobook narrated by David de Vries and Lisa Negron for a highly entertaining performance.
Review Blog Posted @ www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Pub Date: 08 March 2022
Once you read her books, you know she has a unique style of delving deep into the darkness of humanity. I adore her dark humor and how she balances it all to make her characters test their limits. But there is always some goodness in her character's brokenness and tragedy.
PRISON BREAK! Her latest, THE CHASE is yet another explosive wild ride. A chilling, propulsive suspense thriller that will keep you turning the pages. What an opening! The mood set for high adrenaline and action.
650 of the world's most violent human beings pour out from Pronghorn Correctional Facility, a maximum-security correctional facility, into the Nevada Desert, the most extensive manhunt in US history begins.
It was a day for families and sports. The families of those imprisoned are held on a bus unless the prisoners are let loose.
John Kradle sees this as a chance to prove his innocence. He was sent to prison for the murder of his wife and child twenty-six years earlier. His story is the most intriguing.
Next, the death row supervisor, Celine Osbourne, has a fixation on John Kradle due to her traumatic past. With this many hazardous criminals set loose to do ultimate damage, she is focused on this man.
The prison break includes serial murderers, pedophiles, rapists, terrorists, and a neo-Nazis. US Marshall Trinity Parker thinks Osbourne could be a little obsessed with Kradle.
With alternating chapters, side storylines provide the background of many prisoners. However, as a reader, you are interested in the whodunit.
It was also interesting to see how the prisoners reacted to the outside world. Some just wanted to enjoy their short-lived freedom, others slipped out, and some had a driving purpose. Without money or transportation, their choices are limited.
Fox taps into some critical issues we experience today in our prison system: budgets, overcrowded, understaffed, and innocent prisoners behind bars and on death row.
The author's character development is highly creative, showcasing the different personalities. My favorite part of the story was seeing how this wrapped up with Kradle and Osborne. Also, the two women (Trinty and Celine) are strong-willed and tenacious. It was also fun to hear the dialogue and banter between these two. LOL.
There is more than one driving force, but the Osbourne/Kradle is the most intriguing. Highly entertaining! I was glued to the audiobook and did not want to put it down.
Candice Fox is a brilliant writer with fifteen books, including her co-authored work with James Patterson.
A special thank you to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC audiobook narrated by David de Vries and Lisa Negron for a highly entertaining performance.
Review Blog Posted @ www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Pub Date: 08 March 2022
April 24, 2022
“The Chase” starts with an event that citizens who live near the Pronghorn Correctional Facility constantly fear – a prison break, and this one is worse than they could ever imagine. Inmates in every cellblock rush toward the front gates; it is a mass evacuation, a sea of denim flooding out into the unsuspecting and unfathomably big world where even the air tastes different. The chase is on.
The hunters:
• Warden Grace Slanter: warden. She struggles to maintain order, determined to bring the prisoners back, to save face, and to save her job. She needs to find out which inmates knew about the plan, who organized it, and the identity of the inside connection.
• US Marshal Service major case director, Trinity Parker Trinity: She knew she might be witnessing the greatest failure of privatized incarceration in history.
• Death row supervisor, Captain Celine Osbourne: She knows who is truly dangerous, who is the biggest threat of all. She knows where to look, and she gets some help from an unexpected source.
The hunted, the convicts, the escapees:
• Abdul Hamsi: He is an ISIS terrorist who walked into the Las Vegas Flamingo and deposited a bag of explosives right at the edge of the blackjack area. He will have a good lawyer and will claim responsibility for everything whether he did it or not.
• John Kradle: He slaughtered his family, killed the people he loved most.
• Homer Carrington: He is “The North Nevada Strangler,” a serial killer with confirmed kills in several states.
• Burke David Schmitz: A white nationalist neo-Nazi terrorist, he is responsible for fifteen deaths and eighteen injuries.
• Anthony Reiter: He crushed a woman’s skull against a concrete step after a few too many cheap tequilas.
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.
I received a review copy of “The Chase” from Candice Fox, Forge Books and Macmillan Publishing. “The Chase” is now available in print, e-book, and as an audiobook from independent bookstores, online booksellers, retail stores, public libraries and everywhere books are sold.
The hunters:
• Warden Grace Slanter: warden. She struggles to maintain order, determined to bring the prisoners back, to save face, and to save her job. She needs to find out which inmates knew about the plan, who organized it, and the identity of the inside connection.
• US Marshal Service major case director, Trinity Parker Trinity: She knew she might be witnessing the greatest failure of privatized incarceration in history.
• Death row supervisor, Captain Celine Osbourne: She knows who is truly dangerous, who is the biggest threat of all. She knows where to look, and she gets some help from an unexpected source.
The hunted, the convicts, the escapees:
• Abdul Hamsi: He is an ISIS terrorist who walked into the Las Vegas Flamingo and deposited a bag of explosives right at the edge of the blackjack area. He will have a good lawyer and will claim responsibility for everything whether he did it or not.
• John Kradle: He slaughtered his family, killed the people he loved most.
• Homer Carrington: He is “The North Nevada Strangler,” a serial killer with confirmed kills in several states.
• Burke David Schmitz: A white nationalist neo-Nazi terrorist, he is responsible for fifteen deaths and eighteen injuries.
• Anthony Reiter: He crushed a woman’s skull against a concrete step after a few too many cheap tequilas.
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.
I received a review copy of “The Chase” from Candice Fox, Forge Books and Macmillan Publishing. “The Chase” is now available in print, e-book, and as an audiobook from independent bookstores, online booksellers, retail stores, public libraries and everywhere books are sold.
November 17, 2024
A good read, great plot idea. I just wasn't engaged as much as I usually am in Fox's books. I think there may have been a few too many characters which had me losing track of some of the more key story lines at times. Not my favourite by her but also not disappointed I read it.
November 16, 2021
Full of action. Deep characters with intriguing back-stories. What's not to love?
The main story is the escape of an entire prison population in the desert of Nevada, but that is just the backdrop for the story of one of the most notorious inmates, John Kradle, who takes this opportunity to try to prove his innocence. Juxtaposed to this is the story of Celine Osbourne, the Death Row Supervisor, who is now hunting Kradle down. She has her own demons and personal reasons for wanting Kradle back behind bars.
A manhunt for 600 dangerous criminals promises non-stop action and really delivers, but what I was not expecting is that this is a very character-driven novel. Even in the midst of all that action, or maybe especially in the midst of it, I really needed people to root for. I needed to care about their plight and I did.
This is the first book I've read by Candice Fox, but I'm definitely going back and reading some more of hers. Unconditional 5 stars!
The main story is the escape of an entire prison population in the desert of Nevada, but that is just the backdrop for the story of one of the most notorious inmates, John Kradle, who takes this opportunity to try to prove his innocence. Juxtaposed to this is the story of Celine Osbourne, the Death Row Supervisor, who is now hunting Kradle down. She has her own demons and personal reasons for wanting Kradle back behind bars.
A manhunt for 600 dangerous criminals promises non-stop action and really delivers, but what I was not expecting is that this is a very character-driven novel. Even in the midst of all that action, or maybe especially in the midst of it, I really needed people to root for. I needed to care about their plight and I did.
This is the first book I've read by Candice Fox, but I'm definitely going back and reading some more of hers. Unconditional 5 stars!
April 20, 2021
Daringly audacious, gritty and fast paced, and at times very amusing....with many seriously laugh out loud moments.
Candice Fox proves yet again that when it comes to writing good crime fiction, she is at the top of her field, and rightly so...this is a real page turner!
Only a really good seasoned writer could take on a story revolving around the escape and pursuit, from a prison breakout, of some of the worst kind of prisoners ever to be incarcerated....
....Only a really credible and seasoned writer could go that step further to write about the entire population of prison inmates escaping from custody in the biggest, most daring breakout ever.
600 prisoners to be precise, including some of the world’s most violent criminals currently residing on death row, have escaped en-masse into the Nevada Desert and have started heading in every direction.
It is the largest, most daring prison breakout ever planned and executed, and the reasons behind it are even more frightening to contemplate.
One of those death row prisoners, John Kradle, has his own personal reasons for wanting to stay on the run for as long as it takes....to prove his innocence.
Celine Osbourne is the Supervisor of death row and has always taken her role very seriously.
Now, she is taking it very personally as she watches her charges escape one by one whilst her colleagues seemingly turn a blind eye, disregarding her orders.
Apparently they have more compelling reasons for doing so.
She also has very personal reasons for wanting to single handedly chase down and capture John Kradle....for her, it has become a vendetta.
With so many and varied types of violent criminals on the loose you can expect a few tantalising subplots to liven up the already fast pace of this mega breakout story, you won’t be disappointed.
Seriously gripping and compelling, and at the same time seriously funny in all the right places! I had quite a few laugh out loud moments as well as a few...”how on earth is this going to end?!”...moments.
This is the kind of well considered and convincing story telling that I look forward to from Candice Fox, and I find myself always slowing my reading just to make it last.
Highly recommended for lovers of a good crime suspense thriller.
5⭐️’s
Candice Fox proves yet again that when it comes to writing good crime fiction, she is at the top of her field, and rightly so...this is a real page turner!
Only a really good seasoned writer could take on a story revolving around the escape and pursuit, from a prison breakout, of some of the worst kind of prisoners ever to be incarcerated....
....Only a really credible and seasoned writer could go that step further to write about the entire population of prison inmates escaping from custody in the biggest, most daring breakout ever.
600 prisoners to be precise, including some of the world’s most violent criminals currently residing on death row, have escaped en-masse into the Nevada Desert and have started heading in every direction.
It is the largest, most daring prison breakout ever planned and executed, and the reasons behind it are even more frightening to contemplate.
One of those death row prisoners, John Kradle, has his own personal reasons for wanting to stay on the run for as long as it takes....to prove his innocence.
Celine Osbourne is the Supervisor of death row and has always taken her role very seriously.
Now, she is taking it very personally as she watches her charges escape one by one whilst her colleagues seemingly turn a blind eye, disregarding her orders.
Apparently they have more compelling reasons for doing so.
She also has very personal reasons for wanting to single handedly chase down and capture John Kradle....for her, it has become a vendetta.
With so many and varied types of violent criminals on the loose you can expect a few tantalising subplots to liven up the already fast pace of this mega breakout story, you won’t be disappointed.
Seriously gripping and compelling, and at the same time seriously funny in all the right places! I had quite a few laugh out loud moments as well as a few...”how on earth is this going to end?!”...moments.
This is the kind of well considered and convincing story telling that I look forward to from Candice Fox, and I find myself always slowing my reading just to make it last.
Highly recommended for lovers of a good crime suspense thriller.
5⭐️’s
June 10, 2021
The Chase by Candice Fox
Synopsis /
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
My Thoughts /
This is my first time reading Aussie Author, Candice Fox.
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.
Can we just start with that first sentence - 600 of the world’s most violent human beings…..I want to say, ‘escape’, but I don’t feel that’s really appropriate in deference to the inmates of Pronghorn. I think it’s more prudent to say ‘strolled’. No, no, I think something quicker….so let’s say ‘skedaddle’. They skedaddled out of Pronghorn Correctional.
It’s the day of the annual pre-Christmas softball game between the inmates versus correctional officers, from the Pronghorn Correctional Facility. An event designed to appease the prison staff stuck minding vicious criminals during the holiday season while their families gathered at home. A bus, travelling with twelve women, eight men and fourteen children on board (all families of the guards inside the prison) is nearing the correctional facility, when it’s ambushed by a sniper. Prison warden, Grace Slanter receives a phone call:-
’Pay attention. There’s a bus stopped in the desert half a mile from the prison walls. The bus driver is dead. Are you listening, Grace?’
‘I’m listening. What do you want?’ she said.
‘I want you to let them out’.
‘Which inmates are we talking about?’ Grace asked.
‘All of them’, the voice said.
Hmmmm, so what’s the disadvantage to beginning your book with 600+ people escaping prison I ask myself? Well, I answer myself, where to from there? The plot is ridiculous, but, if you can suspend (your) disbelief, it's a really enjoyable book. Fox is able to masterfully transform the story from a plot-driven novel to more of a character-driven novel. There’s a plane heist, (more than) several shoot-outs, a plethora of serial murderers, rapists, a paedophile, a would-be terrorist, and a neo-Nazi responsible for a mass shooting! And they are all running around in a murderous frenzy, causing havoc and chaos everywhere! The storyline is busy and the character portrayals are many but you won’t have any problem keeping up with the huge cast as they are each as memorable as the other. The story unfurls at a fast pace and offers plenty of action.
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.
Osbourne teams up with minimum security inmate Walter Keeper in her quest to hunt down Kradle. Keeps (People call me ForKeeps, or just Keeps for short) was scheduled for permanent release the day after the breakout happened, so was sitting in his cell watching it all go down. In his words ’I’m scheduled for release tomorrow, so I wasn’t going nowhere today.
The dialogue in The Chase is sharp, with plenty of dry one-liners, snappy comebacks and characteristically quirky humorous conversations between characters. With themes like guilt v. innocence, bad v. good, and crime and punishment make this a very compelling read.
‘The next time?....Keeps, most inmates don’t make plans for the next time they’ll be in prison while they’re packing their things to leave’.
‘I’m not most inmates’, he said. ‘I’m what you call a “forward-thinking man”.’
Synopsis /
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
My Thoughts /
This is my first time reading Aussie Author, Candice Fox.
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.
Can we just start with that first sentence - 600 of the world’s most violent human beings…..I want to say, ‘escape’, but I don’t feel that’s really appropriate in deference to the inmates of Pronghorn. I think it’s more prudent to say ‘strolled’. No, no, I think something quicker….so let’s say ‘skedaddle’. They skedaddled out of Pronghorn Correctional.
It’s the day of the annual pre-Christmas softball game between the inmates versus correctional officers, from the Pronghorn Correctional Facility. An event designed to appease the prison staff stuck minding vicious criminals during the holiday season while their families gathered at home. A bus, travelling with twelve women, eight men and fourteen children on board (all families of the guards inside the prison) is nearing the correctional facility, when it’s ambushed by a sniper. Prison warden, Grace Slanter receives a phone call:-
’Pay attention. There’s a bus stopped in the desert half a mile from the prison walls. The bus driver is dead. Are you listening, Grace?’
‘I’m listening. What do you want?’ she said.
‘I want you to let them out’.
‘Which inmates are we talking about?’ Grace asked.
‘All of them’, the voice said.
Hmmmm, so what’s the disadvantage to beginning your book with 600+ people escaping prison I ask myself? Well, I answer myself, where to from there? The plot is ridiculous, but, if you can suspend (your) disbelief, it's a really enjoyable book. Fox is able to masterfully transform the story from a plot-driven novel to more of a character-driven novel. There’s a plane heist, (more than) several shoot-outs, a plethora of serial murderers, rapists, a paedophile, a would-be terrorist, and a neo-Nazi responsible for a mass shooting! And they are all running around in a murderous frenzy, causing havoc and chaos everywhere! The storyline is busy and the character portrayals are many but you won’t have any problem keeping up with the huge cast as they are each as memorable as the other. The story unfurls at a fast pace and offers plenty of action.
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.
Osbourne teams up with minimum security inmate Walter Keeper in her quest to hunt down Kradle. Keeps (People call me ForKeeps, or just Keeps for short) was scheduled for permanent release the day after the breakout happened, so was sitting in his cell watching it all go down. In his words ’I’m scheduled for release tomorrow, so I wasn’t going nowhere today.
The dialogue in The Chase is sharp, with plenty of dry one-liners, snappy comebacks and characteristically quirky humorous conversations between characters. With themes like guilt v. innocence, bad v. good, and crime and punishment make this a very compelling read.
‘The next time?....Keeps, most inmates don’t make plans for the next time they’ll be in prison while they’re packing their things to leave’.
‘I’m not most inmates’, he said. ‘I’m what you call a “forward-thinking man”.’
May 28, 2021
The Chase is actually three books, cunningly disguised as one.
The first book is about a mysterious group who mastermind a mass-breakout from Pronghorn Correctional Facility in the middle of the Nevada desert. As 600 violent criminals stream towards Las Vegas, US Marshal Trinity Parker is summoned to kick some ass and take some names—and to make sure she gets all the credit.
The second book is about John Kradle—an inmate from Pronghorn's death row—who decides that this is his chance to prove his innocence. But a determined prison guard, Celine Osbourne, is hellbent on putting him back in his box.
The third book (my personal favourite) is a collection of short stories. A woman vanishes on the day of her son's birth, and reappears 14 fears later. A blackjack dealer, recovering from trauma, is confronted at work by her escaped convict ex-husband. A sleazy Elvis impersonator who does weddings comes face-to-face with an unsatisfied customer—also an escaped prisoner. And an old man roams the unfamiliar landscape, not trying especially hard to avoid capture, but nevertheless having an extraordinary run of good luck. (In contrast to the bloody violence that fills the rest of the book, the old man's crimes are all happen off-camera. I know from experience that some readers hate inferring things* but I thought this part was ingenious.)
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.
The strange, sad, harsh world of Vegas is captured with humour and style, with plenty of fun details to keep the reader from skimming. (At one point, in the background, a group of people carry their huge new TV out of a Walmart and push it across a four-lane highway in a shopping cart—at midnight.) There's also an admirable lack of self-consciousness in the way the book addresses race, gender and other thorny topics. In some novels, you can feel the author tiptoeing around the landmines. Fox strides confidently between them.
If there's a disadvantage to writing a book that begins with 600 people escaping from prison, it's that the action can't really build from there. Not that The Chase doesn't try—there's a plane heist, several shoot outs and other action scenes to come. But towards the end it clamps a lid on the pyrotechnics and becomes more character-driven. That's probably a sensible move, and it makes for an emotionally satisfying conclusion, with one minor drawback. A plot-driven ending might have included an epic clash between Parker, Kradle, Osbourne, the terrorist, the old man, the person who killed Kradle's family, and the various other drivers of the action. The three books could have merged into one. The more character-based ending, while more realistic, doesn't have much connective tissue. The stories remain largely separate.
I should acknowledge the two narrators of the audiobook, Lisa Negrón and David de Vries, who each do a variety of entertaining voices. Kradle and Osbourne in particular are a lot of fun to listen to, though for the scenes with not much dialogue, I preferred reading the print version. Fox's descriptions are expressive enough on their own.
In conclusion, if you loved the first season of Prison Break, but thought the second series was kind of a let-down (OK, so they're out—now what?) then The Chase is absolutely the book for you.
If you either didn't see or didn't care for Prison Break, then you're still in for a hell of a ride.
*Yes, reviewer who complained that Blake "doesn't eat anybody" in Hideout, this is directed at you.
~
Jack Heath is the author of Kill Your Brother.
The first book is about a mysterious group who mastermind a mass-breakout from Pronghorn Correctional Facility in the middle of the Nevada desert. As 600 violent criminals stream towards Las Vegas, US Marshal Trinity Parker is summoned to kick some ass and take some names—and to make sure she gets all the credit.
The second book is about John Kradle—an inmate from Pronghorn's death row—who decides that this is his chance to prove his innocence. But a determined prison guard, Celine Osbourne, is hellbent on putting him back in his box.
The third book (my personal favourite) is a collection of short stories. A woman vanishes on the day of her son's birth, and reappears 14 fears later. A blackjack dealer, recovering from trauma, is confronted at work by her escaped convict ex-husband. A sleazy Elvis impersonator who does weddings comes face-to-face with an unsatisfied customer—also an escaped prisoner. And an old man roams the unfamiliar landscape, not trying especially hard to avoid capture, but nevertheless having an extraordinary run of good luck. (In contrast to the bloody violence that fills the rest of the book, the old man's crimes are all happen off-camera. I know from experience that some readers hate inferring things* but I thought this part was ingenious.)
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.
The strange, sad, harsh world of Vegas is captured with humour and style, with plenty of fun details to keep the reader from skimming. (At one point, in the background, a group of people carry their huge new TV out of a Walmart and push it across a four-lane highway in a shopping cart—at midnight.) There's also an admirable lack of self-consciousness in the way the book addresses race, gender and other thorny topics. In some novels, you can feel the author tiptoeing around the landmines. Fox strides confidently between them.
If there's a disadvantage to writing a book that begins with 600 people escaping from prison, it's that the action can't really build from there. Not that The Chase doesn't try—there's a plane heist, several shoot outs and other action scenes to come. But towards the end it clamps a lid on the pyrotechnics and becomes more character-driven. That's probably a sensible move, and it makes for an emotionally satisfying conclusion, with one minor drawback. A plot-driven ending might have included an epic clash between Parker, Kradle, Osbourne, the terrorist, the old man, the person who killed Kradle's family, and the various other drivers of the action. The three books could have merged into one. The more character-based ending, while more realistic, doesn't have much connective tissue. The stories remain largely separate.
I should acknowledge the two narrators of the audiobook, Lisa Negrón and David de Vries, who each do a variety of entertaining voices. Kradle and Osbourne in particular are a lot of fun to listen to, though for the scenes with not much dialogue, I preferred reading the print version. Fox's descriptions are expressive enough on their own.
In conclusion, if you loved the first season of Prison Break, but thought the second series was kind of a let-down (OK, so they're out—now what?) then The Chase is absolutely the book for you.
If you either didn't see or didn't care for Prison Break, then you're still in for a hell of a ride.
*Yes, reviewer who complained that Blake "doesn't eat anybody" in Hideout, this is directed at you.
~
Jack Heath is the author of Kill Your Brother.
September 21, 2022
The Chase is a wild manhunt through the desolate Nevada desert and into Las Vegas. This is an action thriller that provides numerous high points along with a poignant story of attempted redemption.
When the doors to Pronghorn Correctional Facility were thrown open more than 600 prisoners, including those on Death Row poured out into the Nevada Desert.
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 unexpected release gives Death Row inmate John Krandle the opportunity to prove his innocence by tracking down the real killers of his family. His task is made immeasurably more difficult because one of the most dangerous serial killers imaginable has glommed on to his tail and will not be shaken. His progress proves to be the main focus of the story...and it's particularly well told.
Also high-tailing it to Sin City, among all the small-time crooks and deadbeats were some of the more high-profile prisoners. These are the ones Trinity will be focusing her attention on and includes a wannabe terrorist as well as a neo-Nazi who somehow co-ordinated his prison break from within his Death Row prison cell.
Captain Celine Osbourne is the Death Row Supervisor and insinuates herself into the recovery operation, very much against Trinity’s better judgement. The two butt heads on a regular basis, particularly over the priority placed on which prisoners should be tracked down first. Celine’s strongly held opinion is that Krandle should be towards the top of the list.
Although this is primarily a hunt and recapture story, through Krandle there is a cold case investigation (of sorts) taking place. Krandle must prove himself innocent but to do that he’s got to unearth the true killer. Of course, when you’re on the run from the law plus dodgin wrong ‘uns at every turn, conducting any type of murder investigation will be a challenge.
The action is consistently strong throughout. As you can imagine with more than 600 criminals on the run in the vicinity of Las Vegas, a lot of shenanigans take place. At regular intervals we are treated to a vignette of a bunch of ex-cons, who have reverted to type, running amok in the area. They’re also in the process of being apprehended too. And not all of them come easy.
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.
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.
The Chase won the 2022 Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction making it the 3rd Neddie for Candice Fox.
When the doors to Pronghorn Correctional Facility were thrown open more than 600 prisoners, including those on Death Row poured out into the Nevada Desert.
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 unexpected release gives Death Row inmate John Krandle the opportunity to prove his innocence by tracking down the real killers of his family. His task is made immeasurably more difficult because one of the most dangerous serial killers imaginable has glommed on to his tail and will not be shaken. His progress proves to be the main focus of the story...and it's particularly well told.
Also high-tailing it to Sin City, among all the small-time crooks and deadbeats were some of the more high-profile prisoners. These are the ones Trinity will be focusing her attention on and includes a wannabe terrorist as well as a neo-Nazi who somehow co-ordinated his prison break from within his Death Row prison cell.
Captain Celine Osbourne is the Death Row Supervisor and insinuates herself into the recovery operation, very much against Trinity’s better judgement. The two butt heads on a regular basis, particularly over the priority placed on which prisoners should be tracked down first. Celine’s strongly held opinion is that Krandle should be towards the top of the list.
Although this is primarily a hunt and recapture story, through Krandle there is a cold case investigation (of sorts) taking place. Krandle must prove himself innocent but to do that he’s got to unearth the true killer. Of course, when you’re on the run from the law plus dodgin wrong ‘uns at every turn, conducting any type of murder investigation will be a challenge.
The action is consistently strong throughout. As you can imagine with more than 600 criminals on the run in the vicinity of Las Vegas, a lot of shenanigans take place. At regular intervals we are treated to a vignette of a bunch of ex-cons, who have reverted to type, running amok in the area. They’re also in the process of being apprehended too. And not all of them come easy.
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.
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.
The Chase won the 2022 Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction making it the 3rd Neddie for Candice Fox.
July 15, 2023
2 Stars for The Chase (audiobook) by Candice Fox read by David de Vries and Lisa Negron.
The story was just too implausible for me. And we were following too many characters with confusing narration.
The story was just too implausible for me. And we were following too many characters with confusing narration.
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