Customer Reviews

Kiss It Away (Bloodlines S.)

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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.

...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.