One Kick by Chelsea Cain | Book Review #2

RATING

4.5/5 stars. Loved this one! 

CONTENT WARNINGS

Rape, pedophilia, kidnapping, murder/attempted murder, violence

SUMMARY

Kick Lannigan, 21, is a survivor. Abducted at age six in broad daylight, the police, the public, perhaps even her family assumed the worst had occurred. And then Kathleen Lannigan was found, alive, six years later. In the early months following her freedom, as Kick struggled with PTSD, her parents put her through a litany of therapies, but nothing helped until the detective who rescued her suggested Kick learn to fight. Before she was thirteen, Kick learned marksmanship, martial arts, boxing, archery, and knife throwing. She excelled at every one, vowing she would never be victimized again. But when two children in the Portland area go missing in the same month, Kick goes into a tailspin. Then an enigmatic man Bishop approaches her with a proposition: he is convinced Kick's experiences and expertise can be used to help rescue the abductees. Little does Kick know the case will lead directly into her terrifying past.

REVIEW

This is definitely one of my favorite books. I really enjoyed Kick - her fighting styles and strength, along with her way through life. I do enjoy how characters can stay hidden, even with the books being from their point of view, and it was good to see some new styles throughout the book. I enjoyed reading Kick's different relationships - the way she treats her brother, James, and her detective partner, Bishop.

There was also a darkness as the book progressed - the ways it revealed that anxiety-ridden James's scars didn't come from a suicide attempt, but from his abductor with bondage fetishes, and how Kick's abductor manipulated her into making videos that still surfaced years later, and deleting information critical to the ring of abductors.

I definitely recommend this if you like crime mysteries along with a normal book about a normal person's life.