Title: Kiss Me, Kill Me
Author: J S Carol
Pubisher: Bonnier Zaffre

[Synopsis]

She thought she could trust him. She was wrong…

When Zoe meets Dan she can’t believe her luck. He’s everything she is looking for in a man – intelligent, charming, stable, supportive.
Until they’re married.
Then Zoe realises that Dan is controlling, aggressive, paranoid.
And there’s no way out.

Or is there?

When Zoe discovers that she’s pregnant, she realises that the only way she can keep her baby is to leave Dan.
But that’s harder than you think.
He found her once before, and she knows he can find her again.
But Dan has plans of his own – plans that don’t necessarily include Zoe.

But then, even the best laid plans often go awry, and you really need to be careful about who you trust…

[My Review]

Kiss Me, Kill Me is an addictive, clever psychological thriller with some truly challenging, provocative characters. Told through various points of view, we slowly unpick more about Zoe’s life with her awful husband Dan, and the more we find out, the more I hate him and feel for Zoe.

I don’t want to give too much away about the story but you’re really rooting for Zoe to escape this awful life with him, but Dan makes it incredibly hard to do so – and he’s managed to stop her before. Will she finally manage it – or is Dan one step ahead?

There are surprises along the way, which meant that even when I thought I knew what was going on and had a handle on things, I suddenly found I had got it all wrong – and I love those sorts of novels!

In some ways the pace is fairly slow, for example when we’re learning about how Zoe met Dan and their younger life together, and at times I wanted to get back to the present tense so I could find out whether Zoe’s plans to escape would be successful. However, the background all helps you understand the bigger picture, so it’s worth it!

This is the first novel I’ve read by J S Carol and it’s certainly piqued my interest in other titles. I’d recommend this novel to anyone looking for a clever plot, convincing characters and great writing!

[Rating: 4/5]

Many thanks to Bonnier Zaffre for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.