One Kick (Kick Lannigan Novel)

by Chelsea Cain

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...

• ISBN10: 1444824864
• ISBN13: 9781444824865
• Publish Date: 1 August 2015 (first published 14 August 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 31 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: F A Thorpe (Publishers)
• Imprint: Ulverscroft Ltd
• Edition: Large type / large print edition
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 376
• Language: English

Reviews

Holy crap. What a book.

Kick Lannigan is tough. I liked that. And not because she's perfectly unaffected because she's not - she's a total mess. But she's a mess that pushes on anyway. Kick is a survivor. This was an intense read. The emotions and the conflict Kick feels as she confronts her fractured memories, her family and the overwhelming guilt batter straight through you. I appreciated though that she was both broken and whole. Which sounds kind of weird but she was. I think the mental health issues were addressed very well. I will say though the blurb had me expecting something different. Something more logical. This wasn't and in a way it was a lot better. This wasn't a straight procedural where Kick is leading the cause and tackling every issue without fear. I liked that all of the characters were imperfect. There wasn't one character who was flat - they all had their own internal struggles and problems - and you could see that even if it wasn't explored with any depth - perhaps one of the best examples of the whole show not tell.

I wish there was more.

[Beth C.]

What happens to a child abductee when they are rescued years afterwards? How do they work through the trauma, and what happens to their families? Kick can tell you - she's been there. Abducted as a very young girl, forced to "make movies" that certain segments of the population would pay heavily for, she still faces the aftermath every day. And part of that aftermath is penance for one of the last things she did on her "father's" orders. When a series of child abductions strikes too close to home, will Kick be able to help? Or will her demons - alive AND dead - finally bring her to her knees?

I have read Chelsea Cain's books in the past, and while I think she's a fantastic author, her previous series was a bit too gruesome for me. While this one is certainly not made for the YA crowd, she's definitely dimmed down the gore. Don't get me wrong, there is violence in this book - the subject matter almost demands it. But it isn't gratuitous and over-the-top like it could potentially get, either.

This is a series I fully intend to follow. Kick certainly has her share of demons, and she's about as flawed as she can get and still be (somewhat) sane. But she's a survivor, and she's honest and gutsy, and she is human to the core. I admire her, I pity her, I feel for her...and a couple of times I even cried for her. It's difficult to ask for more than that from a character - or the book that features her.