Gone

Starred review from June 9, 2014
Bestseller Cain (Let Me Go) introduces a truly compelling new heroine, Kit “Kick” Lannigan, in this stellar first in a new thriller series. Kick made national headlines when she was kidnapped at age six and again when the FBI rescued her five years later. But being in captivity, even with a relatively benevolent kidnapper, took its emotional toll, and the now 21-year-old Kick, who lives in Portland, Ore., is obsessed with child abductions. In particular, the disappearance of Adam Rice and Mia Turner piques her interest—and triggers her guilt for the role she once played in ensuring the anonymity of a vast ring of child pornographers. When the mysterious John Bishop, a former arms dealer turned private security man, asks her to help find Adam and Mia, Kick knows she can’t say no. Kick has little to go on, except her ability to see the situation through the eyes of the children. Readers will want to see a lot more of the feisty Kick. Agent: Joy Harris, Joy Harris Literary Agency.

It won't take listeners long to get hooked on narrator Heather Lind's interpretation of Kick Lannigan. Kick, now 21 years old, was kidnapped as a child and rescued from a child pornography ring five years later. Lind expertly weaves Kick's obsession with weapons and physical fitness as well as the continual flashbacks that are part of Kick's present-day life. Lind's control over the characters in Kick's circle--her publicity-seeking mother; her pretend brother, James; and even Mel, the kidnapper--is impeccable. John Bishop, Kick's new, mysterious friend, coerces her into helping him search for two recently kidnapped children. As Lind rips through their adventures, this audiobook crackles with the duo's fierceness to succeed. It all adds up to an engrossing beginning to this series and a daring performance by Lind. E.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine