Kill and Tell: A Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Linda Howard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2003

Some secrets need to be told...

Still reeling from her mother's recent death, Karen Whitlaw is stunned when she receives a package containing a mysterious notebook from her estranged father, whom she has barely seen since his return from the Vietnam War decades ago. Then, a shocking phone call: Karen's father has been murdered on the gritty streets of New Orleans.

Even if they lead to murder....

For homicide detective Marc Chastain, something about the case of a murdered homeless man just doesn't add up -- especially after he meets the victim's daughter. Far from the cold woman he expected, Karen Whitlaw is warm and passionate. She is also in serious danger. A string of "accidents" have shaken Karen to the core, and forced her into the protective embrace of the charming detective she vowed to resist. Together they unravel a disturbing story of politics, power, and murder -- and face a killer who will stop at nothing to get his hands on her father's secrets.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Linda Howard's romantic suspense Kill and Tell supplies readers with plenty of thrills and chills. As a nurse, Karen Whitlaw has seen more than the average person, but even she isn't prepared to identify the body of the father she hasn't seen since she was 13. The local detective on the case, Marc Chastain, informs Karen that her father, who was homeless, has been murdered. Still grief stricken over the recent death of her mother, Karen isn't prepared to examine her feelings about her father and his absence from her life. She is willing to accept that he was the victim of street crime until her home is burglarized and she becomes the target for some frightening "accidents." Whoever killed her father is after her, and the only hope she has for discovering why must lie in the notebook that Karen's father mailed to her mother shortly before his death. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A riveting masterpiece of suspense."

-- Iris Johansen

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Star (September 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743475488
• ISBN-13: 978-0743475488
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (113 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #248,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( H ) > Howard, Linda

More About the Author

Linda Howard is the award-winning author of many New York Times bestsellers, including Up Close and Dangerous, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Cover of Night, Killing Time, To Die For, Kiss Me While I Sleep, Cry No More, and Dying to Please. She lives in Alabama with her husband and two golden retrievers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Howard delivers surprising new style in latest novel, December 16, 1997

By 

C. Turner "Carmen" (South Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kill and Tell (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read--strong characters, good plot!, October 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Kill and Tell (Mass Market Paperback)

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!!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down, April 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Kill and Tell (Mass Market Paperback)

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!