The Chain by Adrian McKinty - 3 stars

[Ellen]

A distorted voice on the phone tells you that your child has been kidnapped. You now must pay a moderate ransom and kidnap someone else's child. When the next family receives the same instructions and successfully abducts another child, only then will yours be released. You have become part of "The Chain". Rachel Klein has become a link in this sinister scheme when her daughter Kylie is taken from a school bus stop. Rachel's nightmare begins; not only is she frightened for Kylie but she must convince herself to start another family down this dark tunnel of madness. With the help of her ex-brother-in-law Pete, Rachel follows all of the rules but she becomes aware that even if and when she gets Kylie back, she will never be off the chain. Somehow she needs to find a way to break it.

This was quite a suspenseful story with a heroine you really root for, a brave but flawed hero, and a monstrous plot that extorts money and preys upon a parent's most vulnerable area: children. I truly felt for Rachel when she was forced to do unthinkable things to other parents. However, I was not sold by the ending of the book. Some elements were just too convenient and unbelievable.