Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn

Complicit

by Stephanie Kuehn

Jamie's mother was murdered when he was six, about seven years later his sister Cate was incarcerated for burning down a neighbor's barn, and now Jamie, fifteen, learns that Cate has been released and is coming back for him, blaming him for all the bad things that led to her arrest.

Fifteen-year-old Jamie awaits his sister's release from prison, when he will finally learn the truth about their past and their mother's murder. The plot contains profanity.

Reviewed by Angie on

2 of 5 stars

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I knew the twist before even starting Complicit. No, I wasn't spoiled on it. Just, what else could it have been based on the description? That didn't stop me from reading it, obviously, because I wanted to know how things got to this starting point. Jamie's older sister has just been released from jail after setting fire to a barn, killing a bunch of horses, and severely injuring another girl. Now, she's on her way back to town for Jamie. He knows something is up and wants answers, but he also doesn't want to see Cate, but he has to because reasons. It's all very repetitive with so much back-and-forth and rehashing the same events.

I just wanted to know the truth! I mean, I knew the truth, but not the why and how. Well, Complicit doesn't really give that to us at all. By the time Jamie learns the truth, it's all over. I understood some of how Jamie and Cate got to where they are now, but I was still left with plenty of questions. The story feels incomplete, but not in a way that keeps you wondering. More of in a way that the author was purposely trying to just be vague and edgy. However, it doesn't work because it doesn't make sense. Particularly that last page. There's no way Jamie would have discarded this object, even if he couldn't remember how he got it or why he had it. He'd been looking for something like it for the entire book, so he should have be curious rather than dismissive. It was just a big miss.

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Reading updates

  • 5 February, 2022: Started reading
  • 5 February, 2022: Finished reading
  • 22 July, 2022: Reviewed