Review: One Kick by Chelsea Cain

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…

My thoughts

I am a huge fan of Chelsea Cain’s Archie Sheridan series but I also thought it was about time to start something new and was excited when I heard about this book. One Kick is the start of a new series and even though it doesn’t have a wicked serial killer as her first series, it’s just as good, only in another way, which is exactly what I wanted. I needed something completely new and it’s what I got.

What I liked most about this book is Kick, the main character. She might not be the kind of character you feel like you could be friends with, but she is pretty awesome and kicks ass, literally. What makes her really interesting is that she is a victim herself. Not only was it interesting to read about her experiences, how she deals with what happened to her, how it changed her and how her family deals with it but it also makes for an interesting story because she puts that experience to use.

I also liked that we have two main characters again, one female and one male, but with a completely different relationship than her characters from the other series. Sometimes I just love to read about two MCs who don’t get along well and are constantly fighting but still make a good team when necessary. It’s fun to read about their constant bickering and I must say that I was a bit surprised by their kind of relationship at the end of the book because I thought it was going to go down the way this kind always does. It was nice to see something different for a change.

Interesting might me the wrong word but I thought Chelsea Cain deals with a topic that I found absorbing. Kids getting abducted and abused might not be for everyone but I think Chelsea Cain portrays the topic in a good way. She is spare with details (as opposed to her previous books) which felt appropriate for this kind of topic. Making Kick a victim herself gives some “interesting” insight into the topic though and I was definitely rooting for Kick and Bishop to find the abductors. What made this whole story even more dramatic and exciting was Kick’s involvement and that there seemed to be a connection between the new case and hers.

The topic of child abduction aside, I liked the whole crime solving aspect a lot. Following leads, drawing conclusions and slowly getting behind the crime and the abductors was an interesting story to follow.

All this is followed by an excited ending that made me want to dive into the next book right away. Kick and Bishop make a great team and I can’t wait to read more about the two. (I hope he will actually be part of the next one too) One Kick is the start of a promising new series by Chelsea Cain and though it is a lot different to her other series, it is still really good.