Complicit by Amy Rivers
Publisher: Compathy Press
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

A tangled web of deception and duplicity where predators are shielded by respectability and no one is safe

Kate Medina had been working as a forensic psychologist and loving every minute until a violent attack left her shaken to the core. Retreating to her hometown where it’s safe, she accepts a job where the prospect of violence is slim to none. As a high school psychologist, Kate tends to the emotional needs of the students. It’s not the career she envisioned for herself.

Five years later, a student disappears, leaving the school in crisis and Kate at the helm of another traumatic event. Roman Aguilar, the lead detective, reaches out to Kate for assistance. Kate’s position at the school and her training make her an ideal ally, but her complicated relationship with Roman puts them at odds.

When the girl’s body is found, changing the focus of the investigation to homicide, Kate finds herself in the middle of a situation she never anticipated. What started as her desire to help puts Kate directly in the crosshairs of an enemy who remains largely in shadows. As her past and present collide, Kate is dragged into the middle of a dangerous game where only one thing is clear-no one can be trusted.

Definitely a thriller, definitely a mystery. I suppose the title suggests suspense and there is plenty of that too. The theme or plot of this story is based on a societal problem we have today. One I grew up with too. That horrid thing called “judgement”. Secret-keeping because of what someone might think. We all had one situation or another growing up in small towns.

I enjoyed the characters Amy Rivers created here. They became very real by her description and her dialog. I’m not a fan of romance, but what I do like exists in this story. That little bit of interest between two characters. The push and pull of “will they be together?” is just the touch the book needed. In Complicit, the author does a good job of making us want to know a lot more things than will it work out. She kept me on the edge of my seat most of the time.

The subject here is quite deep, but the book reads very quickly or…maybe that was because I couldn’t seem to put it down. 🙂