Kiss It Away (Bloodlines S.) [Hardcover]

Carol Anne Davis (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bloodlines S. | Publication Date: February 12, 2004

Davis' latest is a harsh, disturbing, graphic, gritty story set in Salisbury, England. Nick is a skinny, angry drifter whose obsessions are working out and taking steroids to build up his muscles. Horribly abused as a child, Nick has grown up defensive, full of fury, and ready to take out his rage on anyone unlucky enough to get in his way. Ben, a software engineer, has a fight with his girlfriend, Dawn, and walks through the park to think their relationship through. Unfortunately, Nick is already there, waiting for a hapless victim. In a burst of violence, he rapes Ben and shortly afterward, stabs a young woman to death. A few days later, Nick needs money to buy his latest dose of steroids and kills another woman for her money. Ben, who is too sickened and ashamed about being raped to tell anyone, begins acting oddly, and Dawn can't understand why. When the police put out a ""photo-fit"" of the killer, Dawn is shocked that it looks just like Ben, who was seen leaving the park after being raped. The police are closing in but on the wrong man. This brutal and ugly story pulls no punches in exposing the seedy and chilling world of a psychopathic killer. A not-to-be-missed thriller by Scotland's `queen of suspense.'""--Booklist (Starred review). ""Davis unveils her scariest hero yet: a steroid-addicted psychopath who's not only nasty but who inspires nastiness all around him.""--Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Davis' latest is a harsh, disturbing, graphic, gritty story set in Salisbury, England. Nick is a skinny, angry drifter whose obsessions are working out and taking steroids to build up his muscles. Horribly abused as a child, Nick has grown up defensive, full of fury, and ready to take out his rage on anyone unlucky enough to get in his way. Ben, a software engineer, has a fight with his girlfriend, Dawn, and walks through the park to think their relationship through. Unfortunately, Nick is already there, waiting for a hapless victim. In a burst of violence, he rapes Ben and shortly afterward, stabs a young woman to death. A few days later, Nick needs money to buy his latest dose of steroids and kills another woman for her money. Ben, who is too sickened and ashamed about being raped to tell anyone, begins acting oddly, and Dawn can't understand why. When the police put out a "photo-fit" of the killer, Dawn is shocked that it looks just like Ben, who was seen leaving the park after being raped. The police are closing in but on the wrong man. This brutal and ugly story pulls no punches in exposing the seedy and chilling world of a psychopathic killer. A not-to-be-missed thriller by Scotland's "queen of suspense." Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Davis unveils her scariest hero yet: a steroid-addicted psychopath who's not only nasty but who inspires nastiness all around him." -- Kirkus Reviews

"This brutal and ugly story pulls no punches. . . . A not-to-be-missed thriller by Scotland's 'queen of suspense'." -- Booklist Starred Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Do Not Pr (February 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904316085
• ISBN-13: 978-1904316084
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,255,986 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the blurb...waste of time and $, August 3, 2010

By 

jadeeye28 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kiss It Away (Bloodlines S.) (Hardcover)

I purchased this book after reading a preview of the 1st chapter and a few positive reviews. The book started out okay, keeping my interest for about 3 chapters. However, having read a lot of Ruth Rendell's work, I noticed right away that Davis's writing style is not at all like Rendell's as the front cover claims. She tries really hard to paint believable characters, but no matter how much detail she gave, I found them all disappointingly flat. I could not relate to a single one and was not convinced at all by the actions or thoughts of "bad-guy" Nick, whom I found entirely unrealistic. Ben was a bit better, and his girlfriend was okay. But I couldn't read this book all the way through and found myself skipping ahead to see what was happening. The ending was horribly fake--I highly doubt that a typical cop is going to be that sympathetic if a grown man tells him he was raped...Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone, unfortunately.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hitchcock and Kafka would approve..., November 13, 2009

By 

Jeff (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kiss It Away (Bloodlines S.) (Hardcover)

...of the relentless fear and paranoia that sweep through this fine novel. In Kiss It Away, a young man named Ben takes a very ill-advised walk through a park at night. He is raped by another young man, Nick, who is in the midst of 'roid rage. Shortly after this rape Nick murders a young woman in cold blood leaving her body to be found by the police. Unfortunately for Ben, ha also leaves evidence that ties the murder to Ben, although the police do not yet know who he is.

Ben has a girl friend. Ben is too ashamed of the rape to tell her what happened, but she knows it was something that has left a life changing trauma inside Ben. As the police escalate their search for the murderer, she begins to suspect Ben. Ben, too, can feel the police closing in, and his actions become more secretive and elusive, creating the impression that he has something horrible to hide.

Will Ben find a way to clear himself, or is he doomed? It's a great hinge for a plot and one that is handled admirably by Carol Anne Davis, who is a writer who can be tough as nails. I love all of her books. This is the first one I read and it is really good.

If you like this, be sure to read her Safe as Houses. It's even better.