Customer Reviews

Kill and Tell

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Linda Howard's latest, KILL AND TELL, is a surprising deviation from her usual style.

Well-known for her too-gritty, diamond-in-the-rough heros, the author has instead crafted in Marc Chastain a tough, yet startlingly tender hero.

The story begins with heroine Karen Whitlaw and her estranged father Dex, an ex-Viet Nam sniper determined to blackmail someone from his past. Karen, grieving the recent loss of her mother, travels to New Orleans at the behest of Detective Marc Chastain when informed of her father's death.

What follows is Karen's reckoning with her ambiguous feelings about a father who deserted her as a child, as well as her journey into sensuality with Marc. Meanwhile, sinister forces from her father's past seek to destroy Karen and the book her father held over someone's head.

Kudos to Ms. Howard for creating Karen as a self-sufficient woman able to protect herself from the killers by using her intellect and physical strength. When Karen finally does seek protection by returning to Marc, she is clearly an equal partner in their attempts at survival. Additionally, unlike many of Ms. Howard's heros, Marc is neither too rough or forceful in his passion, nor bent on doing what he considers is best for Karen, regardless of her thoughts.

Unfortunately, the book is so short as to be considered incomplete; it's only 300 pages (just 50 more than a series romance novel such as Silhouette Intimate Moments), and nearly half of the story is dedicated to interaction among the secondary characters. There is not nearly enough interaction between the hero and heroine, and I would have appreciated another hundred pages or so of this positive love story, which is a change from the author's often grim stories.

Overall, it's a very good love story, and I get the feeling there will be at least another book in this series to tell John Medina's story. I could be wrong, though; I expected another book to follow up the SON of the MORNING story, which also felt incomplete, and we haven't seen one yet.

I'm hooked on Linda Howard! I didn't think I would find another author who writes such entrancing stories (I'm also a Nora Roberts junkie). The main characters are strong, sexy, and smart. The plot is an excellent blend of romance , mystery, and suspense. Howard explores the thoughts and feelings of her characters in more detail than Roberts. Some might think it boring, but I thought it was excellent insight. The whole book was a pleasure to read, I couldn't put it down!!

I don't understand why anyone would give this book less than 5 stars. It was excellent! Karen goes to New Orleans to identify her estranged father. The detective in charge, Marc is no nonsense man who cares about his cases. The attraction is mutual from the beginning and it got only better. It was refreshing to read about two people who realize early on how they feel about each other instead of the always 'he/she loves me, he/she doesn't' That thinking is getting quite old with some authors. Linda Howard is by far my favorite and I have loved them all.... with the exception of Sarah's Child because the female lead character was too much of a wimp. I wholeheartedly agree with the reader from California... good work Linda!

Great story; hot hero. Don't know why so many "reviewers" are gripin' about how unrealistic this romance is. Many romances are not like our actual lives, okay? I mean, the cops I've been ticketed by were in no way similar to our favorite Chief of Police in "Open Season." More's the pity.
And I CAN believe that Karen fell for Marc Chastain so quickly. With her mother's recent death, then having to travel to New Orleans to deal with identifying her estranged father's body, and THIS MOUTHWATERING SOUTHERNER takes charge to assist her with making Dad's funeral arrangements? Heck, I'm not under any of that stress and Marc hasn't given me a shoulder to cry on and I'm already in love with the guy.
I had a friend in college who met and married her husband within a week. They were in their late 20s/early 30s and had two kids when she went back to University to get her degree and I almost had to wear a flame-retardant suit whenever I was in the same room with 'em. No icky PDA, but just that much chemistry between them. So yes, you and I may not have experienced what Karen and Marc do but it DOES happen.
Someone reviewing another author said that some of these reviewers need to get a real life instead of getting off on having their reviews posted on Amazon. That about sums up the way I feel about a lot of folks who really slam a writer's work.
We can agree to disagree; different strokes for different folks. But, people, as a newspaper editor I know how difficult it is to fill up a page with words and there are very few instances that I'll slam someone who's giving it the good old college try.
Linda Howard works her [...] off and it shows in every one of her books. If you don't like it, don't buy her stuff. But don't feel as if you're performing some Mother Teresa act of charity here by posting your catty remarks here.

I have only recently been reading Linda Howard books and I am a fan. I have decided she is going on my favorite list along side Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krantz, Dara Joy, Donna Fletcher, Lynn Kurland to name a few. She is in great company. Her characters are strong, funny, and she writes a great story. Some people seem to have a problem with the fact some of her characters get together too quickly. People its a story, not real life. its for enjoyment. I have read other books of hers. I like the paranormal stuff as well as her sense of humor. You Go Girl. You have a new and devoted fan.

After the recent death of her mother, Karen Whitlaw is the unwitting recipient of her long-abesnt father's "Kill Book," which details the CIA-sanctioned hits he performed going all the way back to the Vietnam War. A phone call from a detective in New Orleans brings Karen to the big easy, to claim the body of her murdered father. Detective Marc Chastain knows that there is something fishy about his latest murder case, as it appears to be a professional hit. His investigation into the crime results in some inquires from the local feds. At first kind of brisk with her Karen, he soon becomes attracted to her. After a night of hot sex (his seduction on the balcony is one of the better Howard trysts), Karen flees back to the safety of her home in Ohio. But as more "accidents" befall her, she returns to New Orleans and to Marc, as the two join forces to beat the clock to locate the piece of evidence that will solve her father's death.

Pairing the searing couple with the sultry city of New Orleans makes this story even more of a winner. With lots of action and edge of your seat thrills, the story just keeps moving until the breathtaking conclusion. It also introduces John Medina, a shadowy CIA-operative who plays a minor but pivotal role (and later gets his own in "All the Queen's Men").

This book was steamy enough to get wrinkles out of fabric. I read it in a day (as I do with books that I really get into) and was literally unable to put it down... The suspense is well done; you are nervous, even frightened for the herione. And the sex? Well, lets say that you don't need any erotic if you have Linda Howard. And the romance is very well done. You even will heave a sweet sigh when you finish and feel that the world is okay if such things happen. Linda Howard always creates an intense world centered around a strong man and an even stronger woman. This is one of her best.

Linda Howard's "Kill and Tell" is the perfect mix of romance and suspense. This novel completely blew me away, and I couldn't put it down, not even to sleep.

After work one morning, Karen Whitlaw receives a call saying her father has been murdered on the streets of New Orleans. She is shocked; she has barely known her father since he left the family after returning from Vietnam. She heads down to Louisiana, where she meets up with Detective Marc Chastain, who helps her and comforts her over her father's death. Karen soon returns to her apartment in Columbus, Ohio, but soon things too strange to be coincidence start happening. She returns to Marc to hide out and to discover why her father was murdered--and why they are after her now.

Howard does an amazing job mixing in romance and suspense. I was breathless at the end of the love-making scenes and on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what was going to happen. I highly recommend this book.

This is your standard Linda Howard storyline. Heroine meets hero, she is being hunted, hero must help keep her alive.

Karen receives a package from her estranged father, a homeless vietnam veteran. Around this same time, she also receives a telephone call from the police in New Orleans informing her that her father was murdered. Karen has to find the strength to pull herself together enough to go to New Orleans to identify her father's body, pay her last respects and find him a final resting place. When Karen arrives in New Orleans she meets Detective Marc Chastain who takes one look at her and her "cold" attitude and decides she is one of those "unfeeling, uncaring, selfish" types who could care less about family or the fact that her father is dead. As Marc helps Karen make an identification of her father, he realizes he has made an error and Karen is actually very hurt but hiding behind a touch facade. He is touched and very attracted to her.

Karen soon finds out that she has even more problems than her father's murder, because someone is trying to kill her. Karen must work with Marc to track down the murderer before she is the next victim.

This was a good solid story. I read in one sitting. I would recommend.

I really like how the story never slowed down & was always throwing in new people/new elements that I had to keep up with. No skimming here! You'd definitely miss something!
I can't really call it a murder mystery, although there is lots of murder in it - because I knew who was behind the murders, I just didn't know why. The suspense, however, kept my eyebrows raised more than once. I suppose that the reason I could handle this book with all the murder & gore, when I can't handle others, is because this one didn't have the evil element that so many do. No ritualistic killings, no torture, that kind of stuff - that type of thing IS NOT entertainment to me. This was simply 'Bang - he's dead!' lol However, LH did describe the after effects of the bang.... hence, NOT a light read.
Anyway, the romance was really great also, definitely not fun & light-hearted, but really good (& really hot!) I totally enjoyed LH's descriptions of New Orleans & the atmosphere she was able to conjure up for me. It really made me want to go back to New Orleans & wander slowly through The Quarter. I will have to say that I thought Marc & Karen fell for each other a little too fast for reality.... but I really liked both characters & LH somehow made it ok with me.
Ok, NOT my usual light, fun read.... but Linda Howard had me riveted anyway! This one was just as good as the 2 previous books I read by LH (Mr. Perfect & Open Season) - but it did differ BIG in two ways: The other 2 were mainly romances with a suspense/thriller story thrown in........ Kill and Tell is mainly a suspense/thriller with a romance thrown in; The other way it differed was that it was not a funny one like the other two.
A definite recommend if you do murder/action/adventure/romance! (or whatever you call it! lol)