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. She also has very personal reasons for wanting to single handedly chase down and capture John Kradle....for her, it has become a vendetta.

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. 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. 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.

But for John Kradle, this is his one chance to prove his innocence, five years after the murder of his wife and child.

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. 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. We got our first family computer when I was twelve,’ she says in this interview. ‘It would have been around then that I started experimenting [with writing]. I’d always been an intense dreamer, not particularly because I was whimsical, but I became distracted and detached very easily. My home life was very chaotic and I was deeply anxious at school, so I made up little stories to escape into. I found writing brilliant for this, because I could really hone in on my fantasy world, leave the real world altogether for long periods of a time.’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. 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. Over the past few weeks, I have read 3 books that I am prepared to say are the best reads of 2021. Each are in different categories, each is memorable, remarkable, enjoyable, well written and coincidentally written by an Australian author. Each is an immersive read – you will not want to put these 3 books down; you will not want the stories to end. Candice Fox is a brilliant writer with fifteen books, including her co-authored work with James Patterson.

He just needs to stay one step ahead of the teams of law enforcement officers he knows will be chasing down the escapees.

2022 Winners

With all that being said, this is by no means a bad book as I quite enjoyed The Chase. Fox’s writing is competent and has the efficiency of someone who knows her craft (among the eleven books to her name are titles co-authored with James Patterson). The setting is well drawn, and the characters are engaging. Despite the fact that the various perspectives felt a bit redundant, I was also engaged by the mysteries and read on with the keenness of someone who really wants to know the answer. While it seems somewhat grisly to say that I love to read thrillers while I’m on holiday, this would be a perfect book to take away with me and read while lying in the sun (with a generous covering of SPF50, of course). Grace tried to remember the location of the panic button on her desk, the one that would send an alarm to her colleagues inside the building, and an automatic “assistance needed” call to the nearest law enforcement agencies. All she had to do was remember where that single button was. But her mind was spinning, reeling, and for a long moment it was a struggle just to breathe. 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. 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. 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.