4 Stars
Publisher: Vernacular Press
Date of publication: February 27th, 2017
Genre: Drama
Number of pages: 334
Where you can find Complicity: Amazon
Book synopsis (from Goodreads):
When Natalie finds proof that her now ex-boyfriend’s father might be alive, she also discovers that knowing him at all has placed her in tremendous danger. Pete helped a teenage girl forced into prostitution by an outlaw biker gang to escape. If Natalie can’t produce Pete, she may be forced to fill the empty bed in their criminal organization.
Pete was hitchhiking across the country after the death of his wife when his disappearance and presumed murder precipitated the breakup between Natalie and Bobby. She hoped the new information might salvage their relationship, or at least help Bobby get one of his parents back.
Instead, it almost gets her killed.
Natalie enlists Pete’s girlfriend Betty-Anne to help retrace his steps while being pursued from California to Massachusetts and back again by members of a motorcycle club, produce Pete or else. But how do they keep finding her? And why is Natalie the only one being threatened and assaulted? Why not Betty-Anne too?
Natalie’s skepticism and a keen sense for survival are all that stands between her and a fate worse than death.
Trigger Warning: drug use, attempted rape
My Review:
I very rarely have had a book strike a never with me as Complicity did. This book stayed with me for a long time after reading it. The author did not gloss over anything in this book. And stress anything. That is what made Complicity such a good read for me. I also liked that this showed exactly what outlaw MC’s are like.
The main plot of Complicity is rather simple. Natalie is determined to find out what happened to her boyfriend’s father, Pete. Pete had disappeared while hitchhiking across the country. The more Natalie searched, the more she realized that Pete has gotten himself into some deep trouble. The closer she gets to finding out about happened to Pete, the more danger she is in. Will Natalie find out what happened to Pete? Will she come out of this journey alive?
While I liked Natalie, I did think she made some dumb decisions. Starting with Bart, they went downhill. I did admire her determination to find Pete. She wanted to do it so Bobby, Pete’s son, could have some closure. There is no way that I would have kept on looking if someone came up to me and threatened me. Nope, I would have been on the next flight home. But, I did admire her determination. She let nothing get in her way to find out what happened to Pete. Even if it did almost kill her.
Pete was a good guy but man, did he get himself in some trouble. He liberated Morrison from the motorcycle club run brothel/strip club. He didn’t understand the trouble he was getting himself into at first. I did like that the author kept the details about Pete’s journey very sparse. He kept Pete’s disappearance a mystery and that is what drew me to the story.
I will send out a warning that there is a ton of violence in this book. So, if you don’t like violence, this wouldn’t be a book for you. I have said in other reviews, the violence is almost needed in this book. It drives home how bad this motorcycle club is. It also drives home what they could and would do to get their “goods”, aka Morrison, back.
I also liked that the author touched upon sex trafficking in this book. It is a very real thing that is happening in this country. Unfortunately, most people seem unaware of it and tend to ignore it. As is the drug epidemic. As the sister of an addict, I sympathized with both Morrison and Natalie. Morrison because I know how hard it is for addicts to overcome their addiction. I sympathized with Natalie because addicts cannot be trusted when they are looking for a fix.
The end of the book was fast-paced. There was so much going on that my head was spinning at times. The storylines were ended in a way that satisfied me as a reader.
Complicity is a fast-paced suspense-filled book. The plot was engaging and will keep your attention on the book. The characters were diverse. This is a book that I would read again.
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes but with a warning about the violence
Age range: Adult
Why: Violence, language, sex.
I would like to thank L. Dalton White and Vernacular Press for allowing me to read and review Complicity.
All opinions stated in this review of Complicity are mine
**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**
