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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Slaughter has written another intense story..., September 3, 2002
Karin Slaughter has said in interviews that she wants to be a better writer with each book. She has clearly done that with Kisscut. I think it has tighter plotting, characters that are more human (even the evil parts), and a stronger narrative than in Blindsighted, her first book. While I don't think the plot is better in this book, the development of the story is. Just when I 'knew' the story was cruising to a certain place (and who and what and how), some unexpected turn of events jumped off the page -- more than once. We get to see more of small town life in Grant County. Sara, doctor and part-time medical examiner, and Jeffery, the police chief, are still central characters in Kisscut, but Lena, one of Jeffrey's detectives, is brought to the fore in this book and has her inner self laid bare. There are enough references to the first book's story to give a good idea of what happened without giving everything away. Without being Lena, I'd say that her thoughts and perceptions are congruous with how a person could behave and react to her experiences. The rest of this gives away just about everything except names, with each paragraph telling more. If you do not want to know about the plot and 'who done it', skip to the last paragraph. Kisscut has child pornographers who think it is appropriate to physically and sexually abuse children -- and they have no guilt or remorse about it. I'm not sure there is a way to write about that and have it seem comprehensible, because in my mind there is no understanding intentionally hurting children. I know it happens, though, because I know adults to whom this was 'normal' while they were growing up. The author has made her perpetrators believable, sympathetic characters at the beginning of the book. Ms. Slaughter took the bold step of making women (yes, plural) the primary 'evil doers'. Of course, after the warped attentions that her Blindsighted tormentor inflicted on his victims, we shouldn't be surprised at the ugliness springing from the human mind that this author conjures to put on paper -- although in person she appears to be an engaging young woman who couldn't possibly think of, let alone know, anything about the dark side of humanity. While I'm sure Kisscut was plotted out before this last year's revelations about the molestations by priests of the Roman Catholic Church, having a minister who is involved in this mayhem on children is certainly a timely addition -- and another reminder that you can't trust someone just because of his or her position or profession. There is some brightness to report. It looks like Sara and Jeffery could be getting back together. Ms. Slaughter has once again written a book that is not easy on the emotions, but is highly readable. Get Kisscut and settle in for a fine, intense story on the printed page.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Kisscut Extremes, March 20, 2004
This past week, I finished Kisscut, the second book by Karin Slaughter. I'd read the first novel by this author a few months ago, and while I wasn't blown away by her writing, I was curious enough to consider the next book in the series. After all, this author received a three-book, six-figure contract based on the first book, so why not study her efforts to see what publishers are buying? Returning to the Georgia-based setting are pediatrician and part-time coroner, Sara Linton, her ex-husband and police chief, Jeff Tolliver, and police detective, Lena Adams, who is still recovering from a brutal rape and attack depicted in the previous book. Sara interested me a great deal because of her relationship with her mother, but Lena, whose sister was murdered in the first book, wasn't as appealing. In fact, she's downright unpleasant at times. Maybe that's the point, as the second book explores. Anyway, Kisscut starts off with the police shooting of Jenny, a 13-year old who threatened to kill boy outside a roller rink. Clearly distraught, the girl was last seen exiting the restroom... where the tattered remains of a pre-term fetus are found, flushed in the toilet. Are the two connected? Did Jenny intend to kill the father of her baby? The story isn't just about Jenny, the baby (which actually isn't hers) and her attempted murder of the boy. In fact, it's a far more sordid, brutal tale of extensive child abuse, self-mutilation, incest and pornography. Slaughter thankfully doesn't go into explicit detail, though she still manages to sicken and horrify through alluded passages. It's a twisted, frustrating journey that layers trauma upon trauma, discovery upon discovery. The ultimate culprits aren't the usual suspects, and that makes the story even more difficult to handle. For the most part, the text was engaging with a good balance between the A story (the mystery) and the B stories (Lena's struggle to accept what happened to her and move on, Sara/Jeff's rekindled relationship) with strong description and dialogue. Slaughter did improve from the first book, though Lena is still very much an angry, unlikable woman, and I haven't decided yet if I want to read the third book in the series. For those who can stomach the actual story, Kisscut is a worthwhile read for an above average mystery... but it's not one I'd ever want to read or think about again.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
graphic thriller, September 20, 2002
In the parking lot of the popular Heartsdale, Georgia teen hangout skating rink Jenny Weaver threatens to shoot Mark Patterson. Police chief Jeffrey Tolliver is forced to kill the teenage girl. His former wife pediatrician and Grant County coroner Sara Linton witnesses the fatal shooting. Inside a toilet of the rink resides a dismembered fetus. Sara's autopsy of Jenny provides several strange clues that do not add up. The deceased was a long time abuse victim, Her battered vagina had been sewn shut and there is no evidence of any recent sexual activity to produce a fetus. Detective Lena Adams, a victim of rape and grieving the death of her sister interrogates Mark. Soon she learns the horrifying perverted secrets of a town with quite a sideshow of pediophile, incest, and child pornography and prostitution. Living up to her surname, Karin Slaughter provides readers with a graphic thriller that combines elements of a police procedural with that of a medical examiner tale. The story line catches the audience from the start, but fans should not dive in with a full stomach as KISSCUT tears into boundaries rarely seen in a thriller. The author eases some of the tension by the use of puns and other humorous devices that at times can be missed due to the high level of excitement. Those who enjoy Patricia Cornwall will relish this novel and Ms. Slaughter's previous book (see BLINDSIGHTED), but this writer adds more red meat in her recipe. Harriet Klausner
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