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...
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.
