Kiss of Evil: A Novel of Suspense [Mass Market Paperback]

Richard Montanari (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 5, 2002

Police officer Mike Ryan was murdered with his own gun. A beautiful suspect walked away free after tainting his reputation with allegations of greed and corruption -- only to perish herself in a fiery apparent suicide. For two years Cleveland Homicide Detective John Salvatore Paris has been struggling to clear his friend Ryan's once-good name with no success. And now a rash of brutal slayings is rocking Paris's city, a plague of terror and ritual sacrifice savage enough to shatter even the most street-hardened cop's faith in justice and a rational world. Each murder is different yet equally horrific -- each victim and crime connected only by a strange symbol carved into their flesh.

And by one name: Michael Ryan.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As twisted and gory as Montanari's previous two suspense outings (The Violet Hour; Deviant Way), this no-holds-barred thriller once again features Cleveland homicide detective Jack Paris, this time pitted against a man who mutilates and dismembers his victims, then marks them with the symbol of a dark branch of the Afro-Caribbean religion Santeria. Though each murder is as savage as the next one victim is castrated, another scalped, another disemboweled there is little to connect them in terms of motive. As Paris's investigation flounders, he uncovers a possible link to the murder of Det. Michael Ryan two years earlier. The fashion model accused of killing Ryan was acquitted of the crime and later committed suicide, but Paris is convinced she was guilty and believes she may have something to do with the man the press is calling the "voodoo killer." Among Ryan's possessions, a handwritten note "Evil is a breed" points to the dark history of the killer, revealed in flashbacks and culminating in a grotesque torture scene that mimics the ravenous swine episode in Thomas Harris's Hannibal. As the body count rises and the chameleonesque murderer threatens Paris personally, a sinister tale of delayed revenge emerges. Only by plunging deep into the sexually charged depths of his gruesome case does Paris get a grip on a solution. Those with a yen for viscera and violence will appreciate Montanari's scalpel-like narrative skills.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"A no-holds-barred thriller." -- Publishers Weekly

"An intelligent, terrifying thriller...KISS OF EVIL takes incalculable turns to its very satisfying end." -- Sun Sentinel

"KISS OF EVIL is a pulse-quickening, deftly crafted page-turner." -- Denver Post --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch; First edition. edition (March 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380795345
• ISBN-13: 978-0380795345
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #919,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the scion of a traditional Italian-American family, which means he learned two things very early in life. One: ravioli tastes much better than baby formula. Two: if you don't get to the table on time, there IS no ravioli.

After an undistinguished academic career in junior high and high school, culminating in an undistinguished five-year career as an English major at Case Western Reserve University, Richard traveled Europe extensively, living in London for a time, where he sold men's clothing on Oxford Street, and foreign language encyclopedias door-to-door in Hampstead Heath.

Needless to say, he hawked a few more ties than tomes. So, abandoning his dream (that being to become the next Bryan Ferry) he returned to the States and joined his family's construction firm.

Five years and a hundred smashed thumbs later, he decided that writing might be a better job.

After working as a freelance writer for years, during which time he was published in more than two hundred publications, Richard wrote three pages of what was to become the first chapter of Deviant Way. He was immediately signed to a New York agency. When he finished the book, Michael Korda signed him to a two-book deal at Simon & Schuster.

Deviant Way was published in hardcover in 1995. Richard went on to publish The Violet Hour in 1998, Kiss of Evil in 2001, The Rosary Girls in 2005, and The Skin Gods in 2006. His books have now been published in more than a dozen countries.

His next novel of suspense, Merciless, will be published by Ballantine Books in spring 2007.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Hannibal Lector?, April 22, 2002

By 

Pangloss "soldierblue" (Woodstock, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Kiss of Evil: A Novel of Suspense (Mass Market Paperback)

In this story, we meet another evil psycho who not only likes to kill his victims, but mutilate them as well. Pursuing this monster is the jaded cop, Jack Paris. This is an engrossing tale, with a down to earth hero who has his own share of problems in addition to tracking down an elusive, vicious murderer. The story is frightening and graphically violent, so if you are the least bit squeamish, think twice about reading the book. Interesting characters, fast moving plot and a monstrous villian make for a quick, tension filled read.
This is the first book I've read by Mr. Montanari. I plan to read the others to find out what I have been missing.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An intricate weave of suspense, May 15, 2001

By 

John Bruening (South Euclid, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kiss of Evil: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

Rick Montanari's "Kiss of Evil" is his best yet, and his two previous novels, "Deviant Way" and "The Violet Hour" were pretty damn good to begin with. Detective Jack Paris (who debuted in "Deviant Way") returns in "Kiss," this time in a manhunt for a serial killer who executes his victims in gruesome, quasi-religious rituals. In the midst of the present-day chase, though, Paris is also obsessed with the mysterious circumstances surrounding a fellow detective's death a couple years earlier. Montanari expertly weaves present-day narrative and flashback in a tale that's guaranteed to throw even the sharpest reader off the scent until the very last page. And in those brief moments when he does let up on the pace and let you catch your breath, he adds satisfying layers of depth and humanity to his original sketch of Jack Paris. If you're into Thomas Harris, or John Sanford's "Prey" series, you'll dig "Kiss of Evil."

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating thriller, not for the faint of heart--or stomach, June 5, 2001

By 

David Montgomery "Book Critic" (davidjmontgomery.com) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kiss of Evil: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

"Kiss of Evil" is a grim thriller exploring the twisted intersection of sex and violence. The nominal hero is Cleveland homicide detective Jack Paris, a troubled man trying to survive life, divorce, and fatherhood, all while attempting to solve a series of brutal murders which seem to be connected to the mysterious death of a brother officer.

Author Richard Montanari has the stark images of hard-boiled noir down pat. His story is fairly gruesome, somewhat confusing, and quite interesting. His prose is dark and sparse, but thankfully ungimicky. He plays with the structure a bit, intercutting the first person POV of the killer with the more standard third person narrative following the investigator. This technique--one I'm not often fond of--works well at heightening both the tension and the revulsion factor. Definitely not for the weak-stomached.

Although the dust jacket bills "Kiss of Evil" as "a novel of suspense" it's not particularly suspenseful or gripping. The emphasis is more on character and the psychological aspects of the case. There are elements of "cat and mouse" detection, but those aren't the focus. Montanari is more concerned with plumbing the depths of the psycho-sexual morass that Paris encounters, and the book is the better for it.