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76 of 80 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Keeper from Linda Howard, July 19, 2004
In "Kiss Me While I Sleep," Linda Howard has returned to the world of John Medina and Niemi Burdock, the world of covert intelligence operations and contract killers. She has also returned to the theme she explored in "Cry No More," the trauma of a parent who has lost a child. Lily Mansfield is a contract killer for the CIA, 37 years old, with 19 years of experience. She is also a grieving parent whose 13-year-old, adopted daughter has recently been killed, along with her foster parents who were Lily's best friends. Lily has set out to kill the man who ordered the hit on Zia and her foster parents, and to wreck as much havoc as she can on his organization. She is doing this without the CIA's sanction; in fact, they have sent one of their top agents, Lucas Swain, to stop her. Sound grim? It isn't. Lucas Swain is not only an alpha hunk, he is also one funny guy. I found myself chuckling at Swain's opinions and actions, whether it was his thoughts on "chick food" or his views on Fiats. (He hates 'em.) The man went through more cars than Stephanie Plum. If "Cry No More" had a fairly straightforward plot, that must have been because Howard was saving all her twists and turns for "Kiss Me While I Sleep." Just when you think you understand all Lily's and Swain's schemes and counter-schemes, Howard gives the plot a twist, and you realize you've been led down the garden path. Again. All in all, a delightful read with a sexy hero and heroine, a serious examination of a parent's grief, and a plot that will have your head spinning. Highly recommended.
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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More like 4 1/2 stars, but wonderful none-the-less, July 14, 2004
I'm a big fan of Linda Howard. She's about the only author I read that I shell out for a hardcover. I wasn't disappointed when I bought Cry No More, but this was a different story, different mood, different characters. Personally, I liked Cry No More much better, but this one had its moments. For instance, I got a pleasant surprise to find out how Medina was doing (although indirectly). The love scenes were much different than her usual and now I know how they got the cover art. I also liked the originality of this one, but at first, I wasn't sure how I would like a 37 year old female assassin as the main character. I have to say that she grew on me; I thought she suffered enough and needed a way out. It was also easy to follow her train of thoughts and helped me relate to her as a person. Swain was another story. He was a little too easy going and light hearted. Not what I expected of a CIA man sent to "terminate" her. But they worked well together and it helped lighten the mood of the book. The more I think about it, the more I realize that he was the only type of guy matched for Lily. Reasons why I thought it fell slightly short of 5 stars...one, the way she was too trusting of Swain - not a characteristic that I would attribute to a 19 year veteran in the game. Two, I didn't think there was enough heart stopping action. For a CIA contract assassin and a CIA field agent, I sort of hoped for more cliffhanger type action. Three, the ending felt rushed. Personally, I like the end wrapped up nice and neat. Not to say this didn't end the way I wanted, but that I'm not into such an abrupt ending. Or maybe I wasn't ready for the book to end. Overall, I liked the book because I'm a fan of Howard's writing style and I like the characters she develops. She tells a great story in a way that I like to read it. Can't wait for her next one.
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Excuse me while I weep....., August 13, 2004
I have to agree with Silver Tarnished about this book, the latest from Linda Howard. I didn't believe in Lily for a minute--or care much about her--and while I could see that Howard was trying to write against type by making Lucas Swain easygoing, cheerful, and upbeat instead of the stereotypical dark and dangerous CIA operative, he didn't work well for me, either. Far from being a page turner, this Howard novel was slow going; I lost interest even while I was reading it.
In attempting to leave the romance novel behind for the more seriously regarded genre of romantic mystery, crafted so beautifully by writers such as Mary Stewart, Howard has lost her niche, in my opinion. She writes well enough, and as a romance novel author, she can be moving and comical--(the scene in Open Season when the heroine and hero discuss the colors mauve and puce is a good example)--but she doesn't seem able to pull off the plotting or the characterization in her later stories of intrigue and mystery. One example: The character of Lily in KMWIS is a contract killer of long duration who plans every move with careful precision and far in advance. Yet she walks through an airport carrying a tote bag and a carry-on which, when viewed later on security cameras, easily identifies her. It would have been so easy for Howard to have made the bag reversible, or substituted one bag inside the other, but how, then would the hero have discovered who she was and managed to track her? This is what I mean about plotting. Whatever Howard needs to happen, happens. Realistic plotting is difficult and if not done well, makes the whole concept look silly and artificial. Perhaps Howard should take notes from the seasoned writers of crime noir if she wants to continue writing in this genre.
I also grew very weary of the repeated reminders of Lily's love for Zia, her main motive for revenge. I was unconvinced mainly because Lily is not written deeply enough to make us feel what Howard says she (Lily) feels about the child, her friends, or her terrible need for revenge. In trying to convince us and, therefore, make her assassin heroine more palatable, Howard is guilty of--no pun intended--overkill.
I discovered Howard two years ago when someone gave me a copy of Mr. Perfect, an appealing if less-than-perfectly-written little comic/romance/mystery. I followed it with Open Season, which I liked quite a lot. I've since read all her older romance and historical novels, many of which I think are very well done. However, Cry No More suffered from some of the same flaws as Kiss Me While I Sleep, in my opinion. I look forward with a mixture of eagerness and trepidation to the book due in December. Like many other reviewers here, I think I'll wait for the paperback.
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