This is the first book in the 'Lucy Kendall' private detective series.
Lucy Kendall was a caseworker for Child Protection Services in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for ten years before she gave up the job, infuriated by all the child abuse she observed, and the failure to jail the perps.
Lucy is now a private detective - and secret avenger - who tracks down and kills men who sexually abuse kids, usually by throwing cyanide on them.
To Lucy, this is akin to 'taking out the trash' and doesn't prick her conscience at all.
Lucy's obsession with child abuse stems, in part, from past events. Lucy's big sister Lily committed suicide at fifteen, after years of sexual abuse by her mother's boyfriend. Afterwards, when the abuser tried to touch Lucy, she took a baseball bat to his head and put him in the hospital.
Later, when Lucy was a newby social worker, she got a case involving an 11-year-old boy named Justin Beckett.
Justin was clearly troubled, but wouldn't speak to her, and Lucy didn't get him removed from the home. Two weeks later Justin molested and killed a 10-year-old girl, which resulted in his incarceration in a youth psychiatric facility. Lucy blames herself for the tragedy, and still feels guilty about it.
It's now ten years down the road, and Justin has been released from the mental institution with NO REQUIREMENT to register as a child molester. All this enrages Lucy, who vows to keep an eye on the young man.
Meanwhile, a paramedic named Chris Hale approaches Lucy in a restaurant.
Chris says he's been following Lucy and knows about her 'hobby.' Moreover, the paramedic says he's ALSO a sociopath and murderer, that he admires Lucy's work, and that he'd like to talk shop. Lucy's offended about being called a sociopath - and doubts Chris's bona fides. (This theme - of who is and isn't a sociopath - is threaded thru the whole book, and gets old fast.)
Lucy and Chris form an uneasy alliance when a nine-year-old girl named Kailey Richardson disappears.
Lucy thinks Justin abducted the little girl, and doesn't trust the police to find her because the lead detective is Justin's half-brother Todd Beckett, who doesn't think his sibling is guilty.
(In real life, wouldn't Todd be taken off the investigation?) In any case, Lucy decides SHE has to find Kailey, and proceeds to develop and follow leads, question people, and so on.....sometimes assisted by Chris.
Lucy keeps Detective Todd Beckett appraised of her activities and discoveries, so you can't call her one of those P.I's who foolishly blows off the cops - but the whole plot is VERY UNREALISTIC (IMO).
As events unfold, all manner of secrets come to light and Lucy continues to go about her 'garbage disposal' business. This illegal activity is aided by Lucy's two helpers: a computer hacker named Kelly - whose abuse as a child made her agoraphobic;
and a chemist called Conner - who provides cyanide.
Some other characters are lowlifes who have a bad history with children, but none of it is too graphic, in case that's a concern.
There are hints of romance in the book, since Chris and Lucy seem to be on the same wavelength. Something more might develop in future books.....if Lucy stays out of prison. Ha ha ha
Though I found the book mildly entertaining, there are too many plot points that stretch credulity, and I won't be reading future books in the series. I should point out, though, that many readers enjoyed this book and wrote glowing reviews. So if the premise sounds interesting, you might want to give it a shot.
Rating: 2.5 stars
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