Killing Me Softly: A Novel of Obsession [Import] [Hardcover]

Nicci French (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Press; First Edition edition (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0718143426
• ISBN-13: 978-0718143428
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,143,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A fine line between desire and abuse, May 25, 2000

By 

R. Griffiths "bookchoice" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Killing Me Softly (Mass Market Paperback)

I wanted to read this book because I knew that the author is actually two people - the British journalists Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. At first I was sceptical. How can two people write a novel that hangs together, I thought. Well, they succeed and only a couple of chapters in I had completely given up trying to guess who wrote what (an impossibility) and was entirely engrossed in the plot. There is just the right mixture of foreboding and surprise to keep readers turning the pages and burning the midnight oil. I stayed up till one in the morning to finish this, and the last half hour had my heart beating at twice its normal rate. Perhaps if you read a lot of thrillers the effect wears off a bit, but whether or not you read a lot of thrillers you should certainly read this one. A novel dealing with sexual violence could easily become either colluding or 'preachy', but Killing Me Softly avoids both these traps. The only qualm I have is about Adam's visit to Tara and Adele's parents. Why exactly?

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love Story Turned Thriller, October 11, 2000

By 

Momo - See all my reviews

This review is from: Killing Me Softly (Mass Market Paperback)

I had already been impressed with one of Nicci French's earlier books, "The Memory Game", and had high hopes for this one. It was even better than I could possibly have imagined.

"Killing Me Softly" starts out as a beautiful love story. Alice meets Adam and both are attracted to each other on first sight. That one moment is going to change Alice' life. She leaves her boyfriend, her home and her friends to get married to Adam. Only bit by tiny bit does Alice realize that there are some dark spots in Adam's past. With Alice' growing suspicion the book picks up speed and turns into a gripping thriller.

The whole book is told from Alice' perspective and this helps a lot to accept the choices she made. The reader is witness to her inner turmoil and shares her doubts and fears. I personally would have had a hard time to buy the story if it had been told differently. Told in first person as it is, it becomes believable and understandable.

I very much recommend this book to those who like psychological suspense.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh So Sad, June 19, 2000

By 

Betty Chan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Killing Me Softly (Mass Market Paperback)

Everyone dreams of a love that would sweep them off their feet and although it sounded all too incredulous for the story, that's how it all began for Alice.

Discarding her comfortable and predictable life, Alice falls in love and lust with Adam Tallis, a climber of mountains. Her happiness is tainted when her own curiosity of her husband's past gives way to gory events that she never expected.

I felt greatly grieved at how the story went. A believer in love myself, I felt happy for Alice to have found such a man who would love her and take care of her forever. I couldn't help shedding a couple of tears at how their love had to end.

This tale is intricately weaved and you would find it hard to put down this book. Every character is an important clue to the mystery which you think is really not much of a mystery, at first.

There are things in the story which reminded me of a "real" life - friends to fall back on, moving ourselves out of the comfort zone in pursuit of what we want, loving and being loved.

It all just seems almost real to me, the anxiety, the tension, the fear. I feel so moved by it all that I wish it would have gone better for Alice and Adam.

There is just so much to tug at your heartstrings that I can only say, READ THIS BOOK.

Great one, Nicci.