When you live in a small town, you sometimes think you know everything that happens. There are no secrets. Everyone knows your business. And in some cases, this is true. Small towns are usually close knit. People have known each other for years. Families have been friends (or enemies) for generations. But there are always secrets.
Having worked at a sexual assault service program in a small town, I know all too well how little we know about what goes on behind closed doors. It’s shocking. It’s sickening. But for those of use who have walked in that arena, we know that silence hides violence. Fear, intimidation, and shame keep victims from reporting. The criminal justice system isn’t always helpful or fair. There are a lot of really good people fighting an uphill battle, and one problem we face is the public perception that it can’t happen here or he/she would never do that.
In Complicit, Kate Medina returns to her hometown in southern New Mexico shaken. Despite her training as a forensic psychologist and her years working in the prison system, she got complacent. And she got hurt. Grieving the loss of her mother, she moves in with her father and does not go back to work, seeking the safety of her childhood home. What she soon realizes is that bad things can happen anywhere, and the horrifying truth she uncovers—the sex trafficking ring she helps to unmask—hits closer to home than she ever could have imagined.
In essence, Complicit is a cautionary tale about keeping our eyes open to the things happening around us. The book is fiction, but there is an element of truth in every incident and interaction that takes place. I hope that readers will both enjoy reading it and also gain perspective on this type of crime.
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About the Author:
Amy Rivers writes novels, short stories and personal essays. She is the Director of Northern Colorado Writers. Her novel All The Broken People was recently selected as the Colorado Author Project winner in the adult fiction category. She’s been published in We Got This: Solo Mom Stories of Grit, Heart, and Humor, Flash! A Celebration of Short Fiction, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Nurses, and Splice Today, as well as Novelty Bride Magazine and ESME.com. She was raised in New Mexico and now lives in Colorado with her husband and children. She holds degrees in psychology and political science, two topics she loves to write about.
Connect with Amy on the web:
Website: www.amyrivers.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amyrivers.writer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WritingRivers
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.rivers38/
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Genre: psychological thriller/suspense
Author: Amy Rivers
Website: www.amyrivers.com
Publisher: Compathy Press
Purchase link: www.compathypress.com
About the Book:
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.
The Story Behind the Book 
Reblogged this on As The Pages Turn.