A Novel of Suspense (Lucy Kincaid) - Kiss Me - Kill Me

Lucy Kincaid has had her fair share of hard times over the years. She survived a horrendous kidnapping when she was a teen and more, recently a near miss with a nefarious killer. But she hasn't let these horrific acts prevent her from doing what she wants more than anything - to become an FBI agent. Everything she has done up until this point in her life (interning at the coroner's office and working to trap child predators online) has been for the sole purpose of helping her to become the best possible agent she can be. She wants to follow in the law-enforcement footsteps of the rest of the Kincaid clan. However, she does harbor feelings of dread, dread that the FBI won't accept her because of her past. A past that may make her more of a liability than an asset.

FBI agent Suzanne "Mad Dog" Madeaux and NY police offer Vic Panetta are part of a joint task-force investigating a series of murders in New York. Young girls are found asphyxiated and missing one shoe. The press has dubbed the murderer "The Cinderella Strangler," despite the fact that the victims aren't strangled. It appears that each girl is murdered after a night of drinking, drugging, and random sex at after-hour parties held in abandoned warehouses.

Lucy's boyfriend, the ruggedly handsome Sean Rogan, is investigating the disappearance of Virginia teen Kristen Benton, who is also a distant cousin. Kristen has disappeared at least a half-dozen other times in the past. It was always on the weekend, and she would return home by Sunday night. But here it is Wednesday, and she's still not home. Because she is considered a habitual runaway, the police do not provide much help. Therefore her parents turn to Sean Rogan and his partner Patrick, who also happens to by Lucy's brother, in the hopes that they can bring Kristen home before it is too late. When Lucy gets some unexpected news, Sean asks her for her help in finding Kristen. While Lucy feels he is just trying to distract her, Sean knows that Lucy is able to connect and relate to teenage girls like no one he has met before. Patrick, however, is not to keen on Lucy working with them, not to mention his unhappiness at Lucy and Sean dating. He knows that Sean is a bit of a player and will do anything to prevent his baby sister from being hurt again.

It soon becomes apparent that the two cases are related. Almost instantly Lucy and Sean are butting heads with Suzanne and Vic, who are not to pleased with the interference of the private investigator and his girlfriend, and FBI wanna-be. Especially when it's a not-what-you-know, but who-you-know situation arises and Suzanne and Vic realize that Lucy and Sean aren't your run-of-the-mill PI and "sidekick." While Suzanne and Vic are pleased with the results Lucy and Sean are getting, they do not appreciate their toes being stepped on. What everyone really needs to do is check their egos at the door and work together to bring this young girl home and put away a sadistic killer.
Sean knows that Lucy is the perfect woman for him. He loves her completely and will do whatever it takes to make her happy. Lucy loves Sean too, even if she isn't quite ready to admit it yet. As much as she has healed from her past, in some respects it still holds her back. Lucy needs to decide if Sean's love is enough and if it can help carry her through a fight to get back something she thinks is lost forever.

One of the reasons I love Allison Brennan's books so much is that she carries her characters over from book to book. While each trilogy may focus on one Kincaid or Rogan, all of the other family members are involved as well and you get to know their stories too as secondary characters. As you get to know each of these secondary characters you hope that Ms. Brennan will eventually give each of them the spotlight, give each their own book. She has done just that with this series (also see Love Me To Death). I love to see series that go on and on, book after book, and I love the way Ms. Brennan handles the Kincaid and Rogan families. The three-book arc gives us plenty of time to fall in love with each main character, to invest in their lives, without getting too sick of them. Characters that are not leads in one book are still mentioned, giving us a clue as to what they are up to now. Kiss Me, Kill Me is the perfect amount of romance mixed with the precise amount of suspense that come together to form one incredible romantic-suspense thriller.

This was an enjoyable read. I found myself rooting for Lucy and hoping that things work out for her and her relatively new romance. I appreciate that she has been through some "stuff" and, rather than stay in the role of "victim", she has chosen to work her way out of the darkness. You've got to love a book where the protagonist is a strong woman who is strong by experience and not by chance.
Overall, the story was predictable in places but not bad.
If you are an Allison Brennan fan then you should definitely give this one a shot. I'll look for more from Lucy Kincaid!

Descriptions of characters and locations added to the realism in this high velocity mystery thriller. I highly recommend to all
armchair detectives. Truly is a thrill ride you won't want to end. Action packed from beginning to end.

I started reading this book because it was one of the few "Mystery and Suspense" e-books available for checkout from my local library. After the first few pages, my impression was that it had been written for high-school girls. Then when I got to "his quivering p3nis," I had to stop, because it sounded like a Harlequin romance novel. Way too fluffy for me. Give me Michael Connolly, Lee Child, Robert Crais, J.D. Robb, S.J. Rozan - something with a little bite. If you like books by these guys, you might not like Allison Brennan's.

Once again I am floored at the action packed pace of Allison Brennan's writing. She has a winning combination of love, excitement and thrill for her latest Kincaid novel. It's going to kill me to wait til November for the next one. If you are reading this review and have read the previous novels, my recommendation is you buy this at once! (and then suffer with the rest of us til the next book comes out!) ENJOY

I really like the Lucy Kincaid series. I've read all of her previous works and some I liked and some were just okay. I imagine they will only get better as Lucy becomes a FBI agent. I look forward to more adventures with Lucy (& Sean). Keep up the good work!

Allison Brennan writes a good detective story. This one got me interested in looking up the entire Lucy Kincaidd series and reading all the novels. I learned that Brennan has written several trilogies in adddition. I like her style of writing, and the story keeps moving well witth interesting back stories and expanded characters. No goriness, which is good. Pretty compelling sex scenes. Good character interaction and believable dialogue. Not too convincing detaill about the perpetrator howeever. I thought it needed a little more research

Allison sure knows how to write them. Always a pleasure to read, the suspense is always there. You will fall in love with the characters and hope for the best! Just ordered the next book!! I would recommend to anyone.

This is the second book in the Lucy Kincaid series. I love that Lucy's relationship is progressing nicely from the first book but several things about the book keeps me from giving it 5 stars. The actual murder investigatio is good. I am hoping that Allison Brennan brings the FBI agent she introduced in this book back to tell us more about her story. I also found it hard to believe that the FBI allowed Lucy and Sean to interfere in the investigation so much without them getting into any trouble. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.