The Kill: A Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Allison Brennan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2006

Her worst nightmare brought back to life, she risks everything for a second shot at justice.

For thirty years, FBI scientist Olivia St. Martin has lived with guilt and one abiding certainty–that while she wasn’t able to save her sister’s life, she did testify and helped to convict the rapist and killer. When shocking new evidence exonerates the man Olivia is sure she saw abduct her sister, she breaks every rule in the book to uncover the truth.

Driven by the possibility that she put the wrong man behind bars, Olivia discovers that a serial killer has been at large all these years. Believing that the monster has just struck again in Seattle, Olivia leaves her lab and poses as a field agent, sharing her unofficial investigation with a hardworking Seattle cop. Olivia doesn’t want to lie to detective Zack Travis. And she certainly doesn’t want to fall in love. But as the investigation intensifies, Olivia and Zack find that they’re rapidly losing control–over their hearts, their secrets, and a case that threatens to consume them.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The latest from Brennan (The Hunt) is a satisfying romantic thriller that pits a smart, gutsy heroine against a serial killer more than three decades into his brutal career. Olivia St. Martin, a scientist with the FBI, is stunned to learn that new DNA evidence has exonerated Brian Hall, the man she helped put away 34 years ago for her sister's murder. Olivia's research reveals that her sister's true killer may be responsible for the rape and murder of almost 30 young girls, including two recent slayings in Seattle. When her supervisor refuses to involve the FBI, Olivia travels to Washington herself, posing as a field agent, to join Seattle Police Det. Zack Travis's investigation. As Zack and Olivia try to find a missing girl before she becomes the next victim, they discover the chemistry between them and soon share more than a case. A subplot involving Hall's quest for revenge adds depth to the novel and propels it to a tense conclusion. While it lacks the nail-biting of topnotch romantic suspense, Brennan's effort should provide adequate escapist fare for fans of the genre. (March)
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About the Author

Allison Brennan is the author of ten bestselling romantic thrillers, including The Prey, Speak No Evil, Killing Fear, and Playing Dead. For thirteen years she worked as a consultant in the California State Legislature before leaving to devote herself fully to her family and writing. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. She lives in Northern California with her husband, Dan, and their five children.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; First Edition edition (February 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345485238
• ISBN-13: 978-0345485236
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,476 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dear Reader:

Like most writers, I am an avid reader. I started light - Encyclopedia Brown, Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew - but by the time I was eleven, I'd discovered my mom's vast Agatha Christie and Ed McBain collections.

But two things happened on my way to becoming a mystery writer.

First, I discovered Stephen King.

As a thirteen-year-old book fanatic, I learned about page-turners early. I wrote Stephen King a fan letter after reading THE STAND and told him I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. He wrote back and told me: "If you want to be a writer, write." Which I took to mean, why wait until I grew up?

My problem? I never finished anything I started. As soon as I was well into the story and had figured out what was going to happen, I became bored and started a new project.

In high school, I became fascinated with true crime, and it wasn't until college that I started reading my mom's romance novels. They hadn't appealed to me as a teenager, but as a "mature" twenty-one year old, I found them entertaining.

Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, and others introduced me to contemporary novels that didn't involve murder, dismemberment, or deranged clowns living in the sewer.

Over the next decade, I built a career, married, had five kids, but never stopped reading--or writing.

I soon discovered a wonderful blend of suspense and romance with the romantic suspense novels of Tami Hoag, Kay Hooper and Lisa Gardner, and knew exactly what I wanted to write. I could take my mystery reader background, my fascination with true crime, and my desire for the happily ever after, and blend it into a romantic thriller.

I love romance because I want a happy ending. True love should win over adversity. IF the hero and heroine are worthy. They need to earn it, because nothing achieved easily is truly appreciated. But I also love intense thrills and chills because they are physical--fear causes the entire body to react, heart pounding, head thumping, hands shaking.

I'm thrilled to have a new series. LOVE ME TO DEATH started the Lucy Kincaid series. Lucy is an aspiring FBI agent with a troubled past. Readers can follow her from application to Quantico and -- hopefully -- as a Special Agent. The fourth book in the series, SILENCED, will be out on 4.24.12.

Thank you to all my readers who continuing to buy and read my books. I appreciate your feedback and enthusiasm. I will keep writing as long as you keep reading!

Happy Reading!
Allison Brennan

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New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan has published seventeen romantic thrillers, in addition to several short stories. Allison is a five-time RITA award nominee for Best Romantic Suspense, and the Daphne du Maurier winner for Best Mainstream Suspense for FEAR NO EVIL. She also has an essay on Daphne du Maurier's REBECCA in the Edgar-nominated 100 MUST READ THRILLERS.

A former consultant in the California State Legislature, Allison lives in northern California with her husband Dan and their five kids. She's currently writing ... or attending her kids sporting events.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, March 10, 2006

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kill: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

Olivia St. Martin lives daily with the knowledge that as a young child she was unable to prevent the abduction and murder of her older sister, Missy. She has only the small satisfaction that her testimony resulted in the murderer's imprisonment.

Olivia is the director of the Trace Evidence and Materials Analysis division of the FBI in Virginia. When she learns that DNA evidence proves that Brian Hall did not murder Missy, Olivia is determined to find the truth.

Her investigation reveals that a serial killer has been on the loose for years. He surfaced in New York several years after Missy's murder and then appeared in Kansas, Atlanta, Nashville and other cities. His twenty-nine victims in thirty-four years were all blonde females between the ages of 9 and 12. Olivia's boss refuses to involve the agency so she travels on her own to Washington State where two of the recent murders occurred.

In Washington she joins Seattle Police Detective Zack Travis' investigation. They begin to work closely together to hunt the killer--and become romantically involved. Time is running out and Olivia struggles to solve the case and prevent more murders.

Allison Brennan does murder better than almost everyone writing in the romantic suspense genre does. She writes scintillating thrillers that keep you turning the pages until you breathlessly reach the conclusion. And then you want more. She is becoming one of my favorite authors.

Armchair Interviews says: For other exciting thrillers by Allison Brennan, read The Prey and The Hunt.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Generic and Predictable, May 10, 2007

By 

Jennifer A. Fischetto (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kill: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the third book in the trilogy, and I found all of them to be generic and predictable. The plots are like Lifetime Movies. They aren't awful, but they are certainly not unique. I should have given it two stars.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Finish, May 7, 2007

By 

bookaholic - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kill: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

I agree with the previous reviews in that this one moved a little slow and took a little longer to read. I am not from Seattle, actually I have never been there, so the apparent errors in geography did not effect my enjoyment of the book. I still think it's worth the purchase price and will continue to read her work.