It Takes One by Kate Kessler

They say there are no secrets in a small town...

Criminal psychologist Audrey Harte is returning home after seven years. She'll have to face the whispers and the rumors that have haunted her family since she left. Because when Audrey was thirteen, she and her best friend Maggie killed Maggie's abusive father.

Her first night back in town ends in a fight with a drunken Maggie, with her old crush Jake to witness it all. Audrey can't believe it can get worse.

Then Maggie turns up dead.

Now, Audrey has to find out who the murderer is - before everyone decides that she is to blame. And before the murderer can set their sights on her.

It Takes One is the first in a brand new thriller series where a criminal psychologist uses her own dark past to help law enforcement catch dangerous killers. @goodreads

MY REVIEW:

5 STARS 

MILD SPOILERS

Audrey Harte is a criminal psychologist that is on a show about kid killers. She has a wonderful life going and THEN she goes back home after seven years for her moms birthday. Audrey did see her mom when she invited her out of town for a visit along with Audrey's brother David. Audrey is not on good terms with her sister Jessica and she's tentative with her father.

You see, when Audrey was a teen she and her best friend Maggie killed Maggie's father.............. the end. Just kidding. No, Maggie's father was an abuser and a jerk and with no one listening to the girls, they killed him. He was a sick rapist that deserved it. Just no, I'm not going there with what he did to his daughter and maybe his son. And for some reason Audrey's sister Jessica was mad that she did this and put them all in the lime light so to speak. Really?

To make it all worse, the town people don't like Audrey and they certainly don't care too much for Maggie. I mean come on people! This man was in the process of molesting his child again???? Anyone? Stupid town people.

First thing in town Audrey has to deal with her dad passed out drunk at the bar, getting in a small altercation with Maggie and dealing with the town folk. I can see why she never came home. Seeing how her best friend back then owns most of the town and the bar (Jake) he was there to calm some things down. Audrey isn't friends with Maggie due to something Maggie did years ago to break Audrey's heart, hence the altercation.

But, the next day finds Maggie murdered on the beach that Jake owns and the cabins he rents out. Everyone in the town thinks Audrey did it. Of course right? I was actually surprised at who the killer was, I was totally thinking it might go a different way, but it was all good. Ya'll want to know who did it? Too bad, read the book!

This is a pretty big book and I was really surprised that I didn't get bored. I don't usually like really long mystery books but this one was good. There are all kinds of things going on in this small town that keep you guessing and the people in it.

Jake and Audrey become close and I think they ended on a good note. Audrey gets things settled in her family. I really loved Audrey because she has an attitude about not being pushed around. She even gets into a fight with some jerk dude and holds her own.

Maggie and Audrey did get sent away to separate types of places for a couple of years when they were young, but Audrey came out on top with getting a good education where she was put and with a town benefactor that sent her to college. This started a whole other mess of junk back in the day with jealousies.

Anyway, like I said, I loved Audrey's character because of her spunk and the way she tried to help kids and people, even the ones in town. She's a really sweet character with some good come backs in the book and she has no problem with punching some jerk in the throat, nose, balls, and then some. She's pretty awesome! I can't wait to read the next book, there should be one more about Audrey and it sounds really good!

I did read the author's note and it's sad to know that what happened to Maggie, happened to one of her friends as a child. But we all know this happens all of the time. Of course no one killed the dad in real life, he just went to jail. But I like the idea of the victim taking out the pedophile. I just do, they are disgusting pieces of work.

*I would like to thank Netgalley and Redhook books for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

GOODREADS REVIEW:

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1607326456

AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:

http://www.amazon.com/Takes-One-Audrey-Harte-novel/dp/0316302503/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1460389246&sr=8-1