I love the main and supporting characters, their personalities, struggles. This book brings forth sensitive issues to light without sensationalizing them. It is very well written and aptly titled. I am very excited for the next book in this series!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Compathy Press LLC for this free ARC. This review is made of my own accord, with no monetary compensation, whatsoever from the names mentioned above and/or the rightful owners of this ARC.

This was an interesting read. However, it was one I did not enjoy. The characters were whiny and unlikeable. The plot had too many holes. In addition, the ending was totally flat. I am giving this book a generous three-star rating.

Complicit – Amy Rivers

Kate Medina is a forensic psychologist, who’s returned home to small town Alamogordo, New Mexico after a jailhouse assault shook her to her core. Now, sharing her childhood home with her father, she is a counselor to teens at the local high school, where her biggest worry is how to get them to open up - and how to re-connect w/ Roman Aguilar, her best friend whom she left behind over 15 years ago. Now a detective with the local police department, Roman has maintained his distance, both physical and emotional, from Kate.

Kate’s latest concern is a student named Mandy, who has undergone a dramatic transformation in the few sessions she’s had with her, from a dramatic, angry teen to a mere shell of herself, slumped in a chair and not speaking. With the recent disappearance of local teen Gabby Greene affecting all of the high school students in different ways, Kate suspects some type of trauma may have been responsible for the drastic change she has seen.

When Kate returns to work the next day, she finds Roman in her office waiting for her, to tell her that Gabby’s body had been found that morning, with evidence of a brutal rape and torture; the scene similar to one that Roman & Kate had come across themselves many years ago. While Kate has nothing to add to the investigation, she had Roman form an uneasy alliance as they try to learn more about Gabby’s murder.

Mandy finally shares a horrific story with Kate, which leaves Kate & Roman questioning everything they’ve ever known about the town and its people. As they work together to unravel the evil that has permeated the town for decades, those responsible will do anything to see them fail…

Wow! This book was fantastic!! It’s also the first book of a new series, which makes it that much better for me, because I was hooked right from the start! There is so much to this story, and so many things I left out so that I wouldn’t give the book away, but this book kept me in suspense right from the get-go, and I could not put it down! The characters were flawed, but likeable – even more so as you began to understand their motivations – and I cannot wait for the next installment to this sordid but thrilling story!!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from #Netgalley & Compathy Press in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit Netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Kate Medina is working as a high school psychologist when a female student disappears. It soon emerges that all is not what it seems in the town of Alamogordo. When another teenage girl reveals a shocking secret to Kate, she is determined to get to the bottom of what is happening even if it means confronting her own trauma, her unfinished business with the lead detective and ultimately putting her life in danger.

There’s a lot to like about this book. I enjoyed the author’s writing style with the short snappy chapters that immediately draw you into the action. As a reader you go through a rollercoaster of emotions as Kate investigates what is happening to the teenage girls in the town, Be warned; there are plenty of triggers in the book.
It’s a tense and unnerving read that makes you want to keep reading on to see what Kate will discover next.
My favourite part of the book is the way Kate’s relationship progresses with her sister, her old friend Roman and even her own mental health. I thought Kate’s plans for the future were brilliant and a great symbol of all she and her sister have overcome.

I found the ending a little disappointing, I wasn’t aware it was a series until the the author’s note at the end. Even so, some aspects of the ending felt very rushed and written superficially. Considering it is a series, there is no tension or cliffhanger than immediately makes you reach for the second book. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book until the ending and I am keen to see what happens to the characters so I am likely to read the following books.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Compathy press for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Compathy Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Kate Medina was a forensic psychologist working in a prison until she experienced a traumatic event. Shortly after, her mother passed away, which prompted Kate to move back to Alamogordo, New Mexico in order to take care of her father. Kate takes a position as a school psychologist in the local high school and seems to enjoy working with adolescents until one of the students goes missing. The circumstances are very similar to a case from when Kate was in high school and she can sense there is something bigger and darker at play. Kate partners with Roman Aguilar, a senior detective and childhood friend, in order to investigate what is happening to the girls in Alamogordo.

I found this book to be fast-paced, which I appreciated; however, it seemed to be building towards something and then didn’t quite get there. I felt like there was no real resolution by the end of the book and there were a lot of unanswered questions (which I assume will be addressed in the other books in the series). I think the author did a great job of addressing difficult topics and bringing to light some of the unfortunate realities of sex trafficking.

Trigger warnings: sex trafficking, rape, physical assault

I felt kinda meh about this one. Not really connected with the story, even though I did read the whole thing. I would read further books by the author. This one to me is bland.

2/5 Stars

I read this book in two days. It was that good. Kate, a 30-something forensic psychologist, has gone home to New Mexico to live with her father after a devastating experience occurred in the prison where she worked. Now a school psychologist, Kate is troubled by the awful things that are happening to teenaged girls in the community, as well as the strange response by the girls and even by the townspeople in general.

Roman, her old love, now works for the police department. They meet again because of the puzzling and tragic situation involving the girls.

It becomes clear that many people know more than they are saying-- and that they are afraid to say any more.

I really enjoyed this book. My only complaint is with the ending. At least two major plotlines are left unresolved, in my opinion. I understand that this book will become a series, and I imagine I'll learn the answers to my remaining questions. I just feel as if I had been dumped off a cliff! Not a very satisfying ending to an otherwise wonderful book.

This is a trite and boring book ostensibly about sex trafficking. Sadly, there are too many red herrings and subplots, coupled with only average writing, to make it interesting.

I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley.

Forensic psychologist Kate Medina quit her job with the correctional department, fleeing from the job and life she loved after a brutal attack. Settling back in her hometown, Kate finds a job as the psychologist in the high school she and her sister attended. Helping teens has helped her, but the past is never far from her mind.

When one of the girls she is counseling disappears, Kate is determined to help the students deal with the trauma of the event as well as helping the police with the investigation. But digging into the life of the missing girl unwittingly puts her in danger. The lead detective on the case, coincidentally her ex-boyfriend, Roman Aguilar, contacts Kate to see if her counselling sessions hold any clues about the missing student. Kate is compelled to help, but her unresolved feelings for Roman keep getting the way.

As the investigation unfolds, it is evident that the missing student is just the tip of the iceberg. There is a sinister group behind the missing girl’s disappearance that involves sex trafficking, kidnapping and murder. Will Kate and Roman find those responsible before one or both of them die? And, as if she didn’t have enough on her plate, her father is diagnosed with a terminal illness. This results in a visit from her long absent sister, who grudgingly appears at the family home when she hears he is sick.

Complicit is a fast-paced thriller and full of twists and turns that exposes the underbelly of human trafficking that is happening in the United States today. I literally could not put it down. The realistic characters and realization that these events could be pulled from today’s headlines is chilling. I loved the plot and characters, each of them fully developed and their transition thorough the pages was realistic and believable.

I highly recommend Complicit. Ms. Rivers, in addition to being an outstanding author, is the Director for the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) and has worked with law inforcement on cases much like this work of fiction. By bringing the issue of human trafficking to light, she is helping others speak up and hopefully get the help they need. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy from publicist Maryglenn McCombs and Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2021 Laura Hartman


Riveting Thriller

This book was perfectly titled! It was a very quick read, that hooked me from the start.

Kate returned to her hometown after a bad experience in her job. She then lost her mum, and spent the next 5 years coasting through her life as a high school guidance counsellor. Her dad had also recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness. As if she didn’t have enough to deal with, a student at her school went missing and another one suffered a significant trauma. She knew that she needed to wake up and get involved. Kate, who was once a forensic psychologist, must use all her rusty investigative skills to help save the girls. However, she can't do it alone and must repair her relationship with her sister Tilly and estranged childhood friend Roman in order to do so.

I really enjoyed this book, and like how it doesn't shy away from the hard parts that happen when you're writing a story about trauma and recovery. Kate, Tilly and Roman are all dealing (or not dealing) with their problems at the beginning of the story. As they continue on and get closer to understanding and solving the horrible mystery that is plaguing their town they must dig in and work on themselves too in order to help the girls.
I read this book entirely too fast...I could not put it down. Very well written on some very sensitive topics. Great read and I can’t wait for #2.

Thank you to Netgalley and Compathy Press for an e ARC of Compliciit in return for an honest review.

I did not fully appreciate what the contents of this book would include and DNF fairly quickly when I realised the subject matter and decided the book was not for me

The book deals with abuse of adolescents in a small town by a group of adults in high places. I appreciate the storyline and the initial part of the narrative, but as it progresses there is nothing much happening, all the characters keep sparring and there is no resolution. The love triangle is forced and unnecessary. What is the point of a safe house when the root cause is not dealt with? The book lost me halfway through for such a heavy story. Sorry

Maybe I have read too many thrillers, mysteries. This was a big no for me. I think the biggest problem was characters. Especially main character Kate. She was so annoying. Everything riled her up. Everything. It made me question if she truly can be a psychologist. All the other characters were boring, one dimensional.
Writing and plot at the beginning was ok, altough nothing original, but this could be only my problem. But then everything went down the hill really fast. Nothing happened. I think the main focus was on their relationship, not investigantion. And as I didn't like characters I didn't care what happens to them.
And it was very predictable. There were some parts when I already knew what's going on, but I have to read how main characters try to figure it out.
If someone doesn't bother main characters and is new to this genre it could be ok read. This was the first part of the story. I could see how second part could be a little better.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Compathy Press, the first novel to feature school psychologist Kate Medina set in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Kate worked for years as a forensic psychologist but a bad experience sent her home to Alamogordo to care for recently widowed father. Deciding to stay she takes a job as a school psychologist and mostly enjoys it until a pupil goes missing. Detective Roman Aguilar asks for help and that becomes more urgent when a body is found. Unfortunately someone in town doesn’t want Kate on the case.

I liked the idea of Complicit, a strong, educated woman offering informed insights into a difficult crime, a hint of romance, the past casting its shadow on the present and a mystery about a dangerous perpetrator. Well, that was my takeaway from the blurb and the reality is somewhat different. The novel is told entirely from Kate’s point of view and for me that’s a bad thing, because I really don’t like her. She’s emotional, volatile and not very logical. Now, I have no doubt that this is a very good portrayal of a woman who has trauma in her past and even more trauma in her present, but it’s not very interesting in crime fiction and I got to the stage that I couldn’t care less. This might have changed if the novel had come to a successful conclusion, but, again, too much reality intrudes and the ending is very inconclusive with nothing resolved. I assume that there will be a series of novels on the same subject if this is an example, picking off the bad guys one at a time. I don’t feel that I have the enthusiasm to follow through.

Complicit is not a bad novel as it is very good at describing emotions and the reality of child grooming and paedophilia, even the sense of rich white entitlement gets the treatment, but the execution is flat, slightly muddled and not conclusive enough to make it a satisfying read.

What a fantastic rollercoaster of a read that was and the perfect way to begin a series! There's some sensitive topics covered in this book but its well written. I really enjoyed the build up of suspense although the ending was quite rushed, hopefully this will be filled out a bit more in the second book as I hope we still explore the characters and the girls of that town more closely. I can't wait for book number 2!

Thanks to NetGalley for advanced copy.

Enjoyed this one. I felt like there was something missing though, something I needed to love it. Well thought out plot and easy to read.

This book started out strong. I was really interested in the plot, even though some things were kinda predictable from the beginning. But over time it lost its spark. To be a thriller, this book has almost no suspense in it. I started losing interest in the second half. The timeline in this book felt off. There were so many subplots that the main investigation began to feel like a subplot itself. All the characters did was fight. It felt very repetitive. The ending was anticlimactic, and there was no true resolution. It felt like the book just stopped. I guess this is because it’s part of a series? I figured there would be some cliffhanger to build anticipation for the next book but there wasn’t. There were things I liked about this book. While there were lulls in the story, it was realistic in the sense that investigations don’t get solved in a couple days like tv shows and some books lead you to believe. This book seemed to span over a bit of time (though it wasn’t very clear). This book has quite a few emotional scenes in it, and they were written in a way that I really felt them. I was interested in how this book was going to end. It was a book I didn’t want to put down, though this was partly because I hoped it would become more like the beginning again. But I was disappointed by it. Not a bad book but not great either.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this book was dark! I enjoyed the story and the characters, and I plan to read other books in this series, especially since the ending didn't resolve the main problem in the story. However, readers should be aware that this book deals with sex trafficking and sexual abuse of high school aged girls. That is not clear from the description, and it could be difficult reading for some.

Overall, however, solid story and well-developed characters.

3.5 this book was ok for me, it was unfinished, not sure if it is part of a series. Nothing wrong with it but also felt like it was too one dimensional for the topic at hand.

There is a story here, but it's written in a boring tone, and the plot is just a speculation in nonsense and stupidity.