5 Mysteries for Women Who Read Like Fiends

What do the Boy Scouts and the female detective Kit "Kick" Lannigan have in common? Their motto: Be prepared. When only 6 years old, Kick was kidnapped—not to be rescued until age 11. Though she never goes into details about her ordeal, as an adult she has pursued survival and self-defense skills with a diligence and single-mindedness of a Navy SEAL. She's an excellent markswoman and lock picker who knows how to escape from handcuffs, extricate herself from a locked car truck, and, if need be, "take out someone's eye using her finger as a fishhook." When two nearby children go missing, Kick is asked to help investigate by a mysterious man named John Bishop. The two manage to save each other's lives more than once, all the while trading witticisms straight out of a 1940s movie. In One Kick, Cain has created a wholly original heroine: gritty and determined to ensure her own survival, perfectly willing to put her elbow through someone's trachea, but loving with her adopted brother and elderly dog. Happily, readers will see plenty more of her; One Kick serves to launch a new series.