One Kick

One of my favourite authors is Chelsea Cain , I have loved her books ever since I first opened the first in the Gretchen and Archie series. Her mystery series have kept me entertained , so when I saw she had released a new book - One Kick. Despite all the author antics lately on Facebook , I knew I had to read it. One Kick reminded me of the theme of The Face on the Milk Carton or the latest MTV show Finding Carter. We discover that Beth is in fact Kathleen Lannigan and she was kidnapped when she was six by a group of sexual offenders. Now five years later she has been rescued and trying to learn how to be a survivor. Now at twenty-one she has spent her life being a survivor and trying to help other children that have been kidnapped. When two new cases arrive , it sets Kick into a whirlwind of emotions especially since the cases are connected to her abductors or the guy she called "Dad" who is now sitting in prison dying. One Kick was a good book that is aimed more at a Young Adult to New Adult audience and fans of her Gretchen and Archie series should enjoy the introduction to new character - Kick Lannigan. I am looking forward to seeing which direction that Chelsea Cain takes this series.

Kick Lannigan is one kick-ass heroine! Think an American Lisbeth Salander. Abducted at 6y old and used to make child pornography movies which still circulate on the internet, she was eventually rescued in a police raid six years later. Now at 21, she still suffers from the effects of her time in captivity. Her parents put her into all sorts of therapy but the only thing that worked for her was learning self defence, martial arts and how to shoot a gun with deadly accuracy. Now she lives alone with her old childhood dog, near her best friend James, another person damaged as a child.

Into Kick's life explodes Bishop, a man with a mission, ex-cop now working for a very wealthy private company. Also a man with a horrific event in his childhood. Two children have recently disappeared, known to be abducted and Bishop wants Kick to help him find them. To do this Kick must revisit her past and the man who abducted her.

A gripping rollercoaster of a novel, it deals front on with issues of child sexual abuse, pornography and the effect on victims. The relationship between Bishop and the independent Kick is fasciniating to watch as they each try to protect or outdo the other. This is the first book in a new series from Chelsea Cain and I look forward to the next, hopefully starring her new hero and heroine Bishop and Kick.