Kill Chain: An Evan Delaney Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Meg Gardiner (Author)

Book Description

Series: Evan Delaney Novel | Publication Date: June 5, 2012

When Evan Delaney finds her father?s car at the bottom of a ravine, the police suspect suicide?but there?s no body. Evan?s suspicions of something sinister are confirmed when she receives a call from her father?s kidnappers. The ransom isn?t money, but more of a puzzle?one that Evan has only 72 hours to piece together, as she follows a madman?s trail into the very heart of darkness.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'She is up there with Michael Connelly and Lee Child.' -- Stephen King 'The feisty Evan Delaney makes a welcome return in KILL CHAIN ... As ever, the plot is pacy and tight.' -- Sunday Express 'Page-turning terror' -- Belfast Telegraph 'Gardiner's prose is cool' -- Telegraph 'A rattling good read' -- News of the World 'The action is high octane from the first page ... Meg Gardiner is a class act at the top of her game. Once you pick it up, it's a very hard book to put down.' -- My Weekly 'Gardiner is brilliant at making the over-the-top seem utterly convincing. Her heroine, Evan Delaney, is a paragon for our times: tough, funny, clever, brave, tireless and compassionate ... The pace and inventiveness never flag, and the climax ... is both nailbiting and moving. But the brilliant writing is what puts this thriller way ahead of the competition ... Reading the fifth Evan Delaney book first is not a problem, but you'll probably want to go back and read the others. Intelligent escapism at its best.' -- Guardian 'I have a bone to pick with Kill Chain, and by extension, with its author, Meg Gardiner: it was over too damn fast! I couldn't stop reading it, and when it was done, I wanted more. The book starts at a dead run from page one and doesn't stop until you collapse across the finish line. All things in moderation, but that doesn't apply to Meg Gardiner. One of my new favorite authors.' -- Cody Mcfadyen --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Meg Gardiner previously practiced law and taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Originally from Southern California, she now lives with her family in London. The Dirty Secrets Club is her first novel published in the U.S. She will be promoting The Dirty Secrets Club on a national tour this summer.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Signet (June 5, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451225236
• ISBN-13: 978-0451225238
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #852,164 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Meg Gardiner writes thrillers set in California. The Evan Delaney novels, featuring a Santa Barbara freelance journalist, include 2009 Edgar Award winner China Lake. The Jo Beckett series features a San Francisco forensic psychiatrist. The Dirty Secrets Club won the RT Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Procedural Novel of 2008 and was chosen one of the year's Top Ten Mysteries and Thrillers by Amazon.com. Originally from Oklahoma, Gardiner practiced law in Los Angeles and taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She lives near London.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Evan Delaney deals with hookers, guns and money and it costs her big time, June 4, 2007

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kill Chain (Paperback)

Evan Delaney is called to an accident site on Highway 1, where her father's car has gone off the road. However, she quickly discovers that there is no body. The authorities think Phil was trying to fake a suicide because, well, the authorities are usually missing a brick or two: a car falling off a cliff into the Pacific Ocean, then you might expect not to find a body, but a car falling into a ravine? Then Evan gets a phone call and she is informed her father has been kidnapped. She has 72 hours to find something to exchange for his life and it will involve taking her far away from Southern California, fleeing from not only the feds but also some rather unusual assassins, and whatever this is about has something to do with Jax Rivera. Meanwhile, Jesse finally checks his answering machine and finds a desperate message from Phil, telling him to keep Evan out of this at all costs: if not, Phil's family will become part of the kill chain. Of course, it is way too late for Jesse to keep Evan clear of this mess and the chase is on.

Because this is basically a chase story, this one ends up having less of Gardiner's trademark humor because, frankly, there is not a lot of time for that kind of stuff this time around. I read most of "Kill Chain" thinking this was the least impressive of the Evan Delaney thrillers to date, in part because I really enjoyed the previous story, Crosscut, but also because by the time you get to the fifth novel the formula is really becoming obvious. With Evan Delaney it is always personal and she is starting to run out of people in her life (of course, the solution to that is to add more people to her life). I was wrestling with whether I would be rounding up or down on "Kill Chain," and then starting to think I was going to have to go with a straight 4 star rating. That was, until I got to the endgame. Gardiner has been getting more and more cinematic in terms of the stunts, but in these last two books she has been working on damaging Evan's psyche as well as her body. But as the opening lines of this novel warn us: "Don't ever pray for insight. You're liable to get it." The end of this book really represents one step forward, and two giant steps backwards for our heroine and I can only wonder where does Evan go from here?

Between the author's name and the title of the book appears the words: "Hookers, Guns and Money. Everybody Pays," and, yes, a certain Warren Zevon song was immediately lodged in my mind. I see you can get this paperback from Amazon, which is a vast improvement from when I first tried to track them down and had to get four of the give from Amazon.uk (I never thought to look north of the border). My paperback edition comes from across the pond with a faux sticker on the cover with Stephen King's quote delcaring "She is up there with Michael Connelly and Lee Child." King raving about Gardiner's books on his website and in "Entertainment Weekly" may well have increased her readership to the point that there are more of us who checked out China Lake and the rest of these books because of his recommendation than there are those who lucked out by being onboard from the very beginning. Now I feel bad because I have no idea who those writers are, but since I am now all caught up on Gardiner's novels and have yet to pick up any sort of hint to when the next book comes out (yes, I will upgrade to hardback, because I am not waiting for a paperback sometime in 2008), I might have to check out Connelly and Child. After all, they are up there with Meg Gardiner.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars FOR THOSE WHO LIKE THEIR AUDIOS DELIVERED WITH SHIVERS, February 16, 2009

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kill Chain: An Evan Delaney Novel (Evan Delaney Series) (Audio CD)

Tanya Eby Sirois is an experienced voice performer who can swiftly move from a calm, centered tone to crisis mode. One can almost feel the adrenalin pumping as we listen to a temple chase scene. Also a writer Sirois has a keen understanding of that craft, which may be why she seems to accurately identify and reflect with her voice what an author is attempting to convey.

Followers of Meg Gardner's Evan Delaney series will be pleased not only with Sirois's voice performance but also with what is an exciting, high-octane story.

Many know how intrepid Evan can be; she really pushes the pedal when her father appears to be missing. His car is found totaled at the bottom of a California ravine. The police tend to think he committed suicide. Evan doesn't believe it for a minute. Then, she learns that he has been kidnaped. Not an ordinary gabbing mind you, no ransom required only a puzzle to solve within 72 hours.

She's off through the U.S., Thailand and the U.K. attempting to discover evidence that will save her father. She's up against some formidable enemies, including a brothel owner, the madam's way over the top son, and some other scary characters.

For those who like their audios served with shivers give a listen to Kill Chain.

- Gail Cooke

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stephen King was right., May 13, 2007

By 

Emer Foley "Emer Foley" (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kill Chain (Paperback)

Gee this book was fun. I read it and I love female superhero types and this one is totally fun. Way better than most thrillers out there. Evan (our hero) is like a female James Bond or a Modesty Blaise type. If you're looking for some fun and a highly original thriller with a cliffhanger ending this is it. I love two of the villains named Bliss and Shiver. Meg had a great way of choosing names. I feel like this series could evolve into something very special and this book would make a great movie. I can't wait to read the next one in the series. Highly recommended. Fast blazing fun read. Would be perfect to take on summmer vacation.