Let me just start with this: if I worked in a prison and someone was holding my family hostage? I’d open every last cell door too. Good luck, world. My loyalty doesn’t extend past my own people, and Candice Fox clearly gets that.
The Chase kicks off with one of the most intense prison breaks I’ve ever read, and the story doesn’t slow down from there. With over 500 inmates running wild through the Nevada desert, the chaos could’ve been overwhelming, but Fox manages to keep it sharp, twisty, and surprisingly character-driven. I even found myself rooting for one of the escaped prisoners. Really.
That prisoner is John Kradle. Wrongfully convicted of killing his own family, understandably bitter, and stuck with a terrifying serial killer as his breakout buddy. He’s not exactly Mr. Personality, but once I saw his situation unfold, I was 100% in his corner. The guy just wanted to clear his name without dying horribly in the process. Reasonable.
Now let’s talk about Trinity and Celine. I didn’t like either of them at first. Trinity felt like a wannabe playground bully who happened to get a badge. Who punches someone in the gut just to assert dominance? Are we twelve? She never won me over. Celine, on the other hand, started off cold and rigid, treating the inmates like they were less than human. But her backstory (surviving the massacre of her family by her grandfather) gave her layers. By the end, I could see her thawing, even recognizing the possibility that not all of her inmates were actually guilty.
Fox’s writing style worked well for me: fast-paced, gritty, and unafraid to let her characters be deeply flawed. These people felt real. Not likable, necessarily, but real, and I appreciate an author who doesn’t feel the need to soften every edge.
I thought The Chase was tense, twisty, and unexpectedly thoughtful. I’d absolutely read another book by Candice Fox. Just… maybe not one where Trinity gets a spin-off.
