The Island by Adrian McKinty

 

When Tom, an orthopedic surgeon, goes to a conference in Australia, he decides to make it a family vacation.  His wife had died a year or so ago and he had recently remarried to Heather.  There are two children, Olivia and Owen.  The children aren't thrilled about Heather and this should be a trip to bring the family together.

While there, the family hears about an island only a mile and a half offshore which is private and has an amazing variety of animals.  Since the children want to see native animals, Tom decides the cost to go is worth it, especially when they meet a German couple who agree to split the cost.  The six of them head off to the island on a ferry and then they split up, each heading out in their own cars.  But something goes terribly wrong.  Tom commits an act that puts the family at odds with the strange cultlike family that owns the island.  This group are the only inhabitants of the island and they live a life dictated by Ma, the matriarch.  The group has its own rules and Tom and Heather are now on the other side of the law.

It's clear that the family wants revenge and soon Heather and the children are being hunted along with the German couple.  As they fight capture, burning temperatures, lack of water and dangerous animals, Heather and the children come together to survive until they can be rescued.  The family has decided that only death will do for Heather, Tom, the children and the other couple and they hunt them relentlessly.  But Heather had grown up in the remote wilderness herself with parents both from the military and she knows a thing or two about survival.  Who will win?

This was one of the most heartstopping books I've read.  I'm pretty tough but I had to put it down a time or two when the suspense got to be more than I could take.  Heather has survival skills few would know about and she manages to keep herself and the children going while bonding with them more than any of them ever expected.  Adrian McKinty is an Irish author who also lived for a while in Australia so the environment rings true.  He is known for his Sean Duffy series about a Protestant detective working in Northern Ireland and his standalone hit, The Chain.  He has won numerous awards in the mystery genre and this book is recommended for mystery and thriller readers.