The Chase by Candice Fox

Publisher's Synopsis

Are you listening, Warden?’
‘What do you want?’
‘I want you to let them out.’
‘Which inmates are we talking about?’
‘All of them.’

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 down the escapees.

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 Review of The Chase by Candice Fox

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.

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 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.