The Island

I read this pretty much in a single stretch. At first I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep going- bad things were happening and I knew it would get worse. But somehow the tone sort of shifted and, while things were still dire, I had to get to the end. And I’m glad I did.

I normally don't leave a review unless I really enjoy the book. It was hard to put down, and action packed! I really appreciated the grammar and spelling to be spot-on. I detest a book when it isn't. Thank you to the author for writing the book.

Fast paced with a cool and engaging story. Some parts seem a little implausible but what is fiction for. I’ll be reading more from this author

Buckle-up Buttercup!Tom and new bride Heather decide to take his two children along to Australia where he's attending a conference. The children resent their new mom and treat her accordingly. While seeing the sights the children whine that they want to see Koalas and are offered a chance to go to a private island to see them. The only way on or off the island is by ferry though and the island's single family runs it. Another couple overhears the offer and asks if they could go as well. They'll only have a short time to spend on the island before the ferry leaves again so they'll have to make it quick. While racing back to the docks something tragic happens that causes the story to go into overdrive. This fun vacation turns into a 'locked room' thriller that grabs you early and doesn't let go until the satisfying end. Think Deliverance meets Die Hard. (Dating myself?)I really enjoyed this wild ride of a novel. My feelings for Tom and Heather was a kind of love/hate relationship and they changed as the story progressed. The O'Neill klan, led by 'Ma' were straight out of hell. The island itself was a formidable presence. The tension and suspense are palpable and this all made for a winner of a book, one that I highly recommend to thriller lovers everywhere.

I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. I also loved and cared about the characters in this book.

The Chain is one of my favorite books, so I was really excited to read this one. While I think it’s hard for anything to live up to Th Chain, this is an excellent read! It’s fast paced and keeps your interest until the very end.

I wanted to like this more than I did. The premise seemed unique. And the descriptions of the island brought me there. But I could not get past some of the corny, campy, ridiculous dialogue. An example of this dialogue is at a point when a 14 year old girl is being held at gunpoint, and the protagonist is trying to negotiate for her life. A question is asked, and the answer is like a definition from Wikipedia. Who talks like this during high stress moments? I rolled my eyes so much I thought they would stay that way. Here it is:“I keep hearing that word. What does it mean?”“A monster from Aboriginal mythology. Hundreds of years ago, the bunyips were represented as a kind of emu, but gradually, as Europeans and their totems entered the Dreaming, the devil, the bunyip, came to be seen as white men on horses.”“Yes. I understand. The monster is us.”

Keeps you guessing and even teaches you a little about survival. I think i'll read more from this author. Good book

So good that I couldn't put it down until I reached the end. It was different from my normal reading material and my heart was in my mouth the whole time.

I thought from the blurbs that some innocent Americans visiting Australia, stumble onto an island where some feral inhabitants threaten their lives, and the young American second wife and stepmother of two kids, demonstrates mad skills, as she takes on the entire rogue clan. But not 50 pages in, it turns out very differently. The Americans are the perpetrators of a cruel crime and it’s hard to feel anything but revulsion. The rest of the book is a bit boring, I read every other chapter (my version of “fast-forwarding”), so I kind of skipped how Heather acquired her skills, yes her father was a sniper, yes her mother was of native American blood, yes they lived in a cultish group in her childhood but the narrative was disjointed and didn’t add up. The Ma Barker look-alike ruling the island was unconvincing, and she cheats native Australians out of their land, so you hate her more since you are “woke”. Could have been a hundred pages shorter.

I've read most of Mckinty's books playing in Northern Ireland. And i loved them. The chain was nowhere near as good, but the island is simply trash. Stylistically and regarding the plot, which is absurd, to put it mildly.

The second standalone thriller, The Island by Adrian McKinty is an unputdownable read. An American family is down under in Australia for a holiday and to attend a medical conference. Whilst in Melbourne, they bribe a ferryman to take them to a privately owned, Dutch Island, to see koalas and kangaroos. An unexpected accident makes things difficult and a split-second decision unleashes ever-increasing danger. A gripping thriller that continually reveals surprises and tests the family bonds, with increasing difficulty in the surmounting struggle for survival. This is no doubt Adrian McKinty’s best standalone novel with five stars scintillating read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

Written over a weekend is my guess