What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Chain
Adrian McKinty · Book · 2019
If you loved The Chain, start with Chained (Jennifer Lynch, 2012) — a film on the same thread. Below: 3 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Chain across media.
What hooked you in The Chain was the suffocating moral compromise forced upon ordinary people by relentless, high-stakes external threats.
Films on the same thread
Chained
Jennifer Lynch · Film · 2012
Shares a thread with The Chain: Crime Thriller.
Like the impossible choices in The Chain, this film forces you to watch a victim navigate a horrific moral landscape where survival requires becoming part of the cycle.
The Black Phone
Scott Derrickson · Film · 2022
Explores: Child Abduction, Psychic Abilities, Resilience.
If the claustrophobic dread of The Chain resonated with you, this story captures that same intense desperation of a child trapped in a situation governed by a sadistic captor.
On the Line
Romuald Boulanger · Film · 2022
Shares a thread with The Chain: Psychological Thriller.
Much like the protagonist in The Chain, the lead character here is thrust into a terrifying game where his family's safety is held hostage by a cruel, anonymous manipulator.
Series on the same thread
Adolescence
Stephen Graham · Series · 2025
Shares a thread with The Chain: Psychological Thriller.
This series echoes the domestic anxiety of The Chain by exploring how a single traumatic event unravels the lives of families and exposes the secrets hidden beneath the surface.
All Her Fault
Megan Gallagher · Series · 2025
Shares 2 threads with The Chain: Psychological Thriller, Domestic Thriller.
Fans of The Chain will recognize the immediate, heart-stopping terror of a missing child and the frantic, disorienting search for answers that defines this gripping domestic thriller.
The Missing
Harry Williams · Series · 2014
Shares a thread with The Chain: Psychological Thriller.
Just as The Chain examines the profound impact of abduction, this series delves into the long-term emotional fallout and obsession that follows a family after a child disappears.
The Capture
Ben Chanan · Series · 2019
Explores: Miscarriage of Justice, Government Surveillance, Deepfake Technology.
If you enjoyed the high-stakes suspense of The Chain, you will appreciate how this thriller places an ordinary person in a desperate battle against a system framing them.
Podcasts on the same thread
Unravelling Amy
Podcast
Explores: fraud, deception, identity theft.
While non-fiction, the manipulative nature of the subject matches the chilling psychological games played in The Chain, proving that real-life predators are often the most terrifying of all.
Crime Junkie
Audiochuck · Podcast · 2026
Explores: justice seeking, obsession, societal impact.
If the investigative intensity of The Chain kept you turning pages, this podcast offers a similar deep dive into the disturbing details and societal impacts of true crime cases.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Chain a standalone novel?
The Chain is a standalone thriller published in 2019 by Adrian McKinty. The plot centers on a parent forced to kidnap another child to save their own, and there are no official sequels or series entries that continue this specific narrative.
What is the premise of The Chain?
The Chain follows a parent who receives a call from a stranger claiming their child has been kidnapped. To secure their child's release, the parent must abduct another child, thereby perpetuating a cycle where victims are forced to become perpetrators to prevent the murder of their own children.
Who wrote the book The Chain?
The Chain was written by Adrian McKinty and released in 2019. The story focuses on the high-stakes moral dilemma faced by parents who are coerced into kidnapping others to ensure the safety of their own children after receiving a panicked phone call from a stranger.
How does the kidnapping plot work in The Chain?
In The Chain, the kidnapping mechanism relies on a stranger calling a parent to report that their child has been taken. The parent is then instructed to abduct a different child to prevent the kidnappers from harming their own, creating a forced chain of criminal acts.