Customer Reviews

Kiss Her Goodbye

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kiss Her Goodbye is a great read and a top-notch thriller. The characters are real. That is, Gunderson (the bad guy) IS bad, but you also feel pity for him and realize that he can also love, although in a twisted, psychopathic way. Donovan (the good guy) IS good, but not so good at the beginning that we trust him implicitly. This a great set-up because the reader's sympathies could be nudged either way as the story evolves.

That literary deconstruction aside, don't worry--plenty of stuff blows up! For the adrenaline junkie: There are chases and bombs and gunfire, as Donovan races to locate his daughter (a girl Gunderson has girl buried alive with only three days of oxygen--but not just for the reasons you think). For those with spiritual leanings, there's a few jaunts through the afterlife, although you should probably banish warm fuzzy thoughts of a white light and your dog Buster waiting for you at the Pearly Gates.

My hands-down favorite character in the book is the young Chinese guy who Donovan and Co. turn to for help when he needs to temporarily die to gain access to the afterlife in order to solve part of the mystery. At first my eyes nearly rolled when Browne went the Ancient Chinese Secret route (as if Asian people sit around all day making mystical fortune cookies and pruning bonsai trees), but this guy turns out to the anti-Grasshopper. Yeah, he can stop your ticker and give you a round-trip ticket to the Afterlife, but he'd much rather be smoking pot or chunking Fall Out Boy tunes on his guitar.

Browne saves the best for last with a clever, delicious twist at the end involving Donovan's daughter that will forever taint the words: "Give us a little kiss."

A great trip in more ways than one.

Robert Gregory Browne is a vibrant new voice in a great genre. He brings us spectacular writing, a compelling story, and wow--takes us into untapped territory for thrillers. His characters come alive (and then some), his action zings, his plot intrigues. This is a page-turner with breakneck action but there's heart, too. If I have any complaint is that I couldn't put this book down, and when it was over, I didn't have the next book from Robert Gregory Browne to jump into. But I hear it's coming...

NO MORE BOBS

Robert Gregory Browne is a rare find. I stumbled on this author at the Romance Writers of America conference in SF. I'm so glad I did. Browne hooks you with the opening sentence and doesn't let go until the end. A hard cookie to crack, I was drawn into the thriller immediately with his realistic dialogue, quick-pace and believable characters. He has a wonderful talent to capture the male characters to perfection. Browne maintains the action and suspense and delivers a top-rate paranormal thriller.

I give two thumbs up to this author and highly recommend Kiss Her Goodbye. If you're like me, you'll be back for more.

Kiss Her Goodbye starts as if we are in for a turbo charged "race against time" thriller but at just shy of the midway point author Browne pulls the rug from under our feet with a twist that takes it in a whole other direction,while still working as a thriller .The protagonist is Agent Jack Donovan who is obsessed with capturing home grown terrorist Alex Gunderson ,whose gripe with the American system is the usual assemblage of rag ,tag and bobtail leftist poppycock.Gunderson and his cohorts carry out a murderous raid on a Chicago bank in the course of escaping from which his paramour,the pregnant Sara is seriously injured and reduced to a vegetataive state.Vowing revenge he snatches Donovan's teenage daughter Jessie and inters her alive with just enough oxygen to sustain life for a few hours ,and loses no time taunting Donovan over her fate .Needing Gunderson alive to reveal her hiding place he is frustrated when a trigger happy cop kills Gunderson is a railyard shootout .His one hope now would seem to be by tracing Gunderson's former associates .so far -its a powerful and intense thriller.Then comes the literary trompe l'oeil .Donovan's car goes out of control and he dies ,before being revived .In the period of his temporary death Donovan crosses over to the other side where he encounters Gunderson who tries to take over his body and return from the dead in Donovan's guise .

The race is on to locate Jessie while staving off the incursions of the revenant Gunderson and another trip to the other side becomes necessary before the case is concluded.

The move into Dean R Koontz territory -the book reminded me a lot of such Koontz titles as Sole Survivor in its exploration of spitituality-is initially disorientating but deftly managed and only some slighly stereotypical characterizataion marred the book a tad for me .This has pace ,brio and not a little daring in its mixture of genres and is altogerther an accomplished debut

Mr Browne is an author to kkep an eye out for if this crisp and powerful ,action driven thriller is any guide

I'd never read this author before, and it won't be the last. I really liked the plot, how the story was drawn out, and the ending has a twist you wouldn't have thought of. Fast-paced page-turner, there's not stopping until the very end - and even then, you wonder...

However, I found the characters two-dimensional. They are not developed enough - especially the `bad guys'. I could understand Jack's feelings, being a parent myself, and I wonder if I would have reacted the same way... Probably would have. But I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters - like there was something missing.

Regardless, an excellent story with lots of action, suspense and a mystery all rolled into one with a supernatural twist. A great thriller! I could see this as a movie - but then again, Browne is a former screenwriter.

Robert Gregory Browne's book should come with a warning: Reader, beware! If you open this book and begin reading, you will be sucked into a thrill-a-minute plot, characters so real they leap off the page, and dynamic writing. You won't be able to put the book down till you finish it and when you do finish it, you'll be hungry for his next one. Rob is an award-winning screenwriter who has transferred his incredible talents to the world of novel writing. Thank goodness for those of us who love an excellent read!

"Kiss Her Goodbye" grabs you from the very first page and doesn't let go. Alex Gunderson is looking for revenge against ATF agent Jack Donovan by abducting his daughter and the clock is ticking against him to find her. Robert Gregory Browne`s writing is very fluid and has non-stop action with a bit of supernatural elements thrown in to enhance the story. This is a must read for all thriller fans.

This book was impossible to put down. Definately a page turner that will keep you up at night. The ending was definately a surprize. Anyone who likes suspense should love this book.

First, a caveat: I'm a friend of Rob's. That said, his book is a breathless hard-boiled crime thriller with a paranormal slant that I really enjoyed. The action is nonstop from the first chapter, the characters are distinctive and real, and the dialogue is raw and completely believable. The villains in particular stand out. If you like edgy, mystical thrillers along the lines of Stephen King, Kiss Her Goodbye is for you.

I love finding a new author on their first book and really getting into the characters. Read it cover to cover in two days because it moves so fast. Killer book!