Ed McBain's Kiss is an interesting book.  With two main stories, I was never bored.  But I did think some of the characters were a bit shallow.  And I was annoyed by a few of the author's writing habits.

Kiss contains two stories, connected only through the main character, Detective Steve Carella.  Carella's father had been murdered.  And now the trial is underway.  Carella is attending the trial, and trying to remain strong for the sake of his mother, and the rest of his family.  And, even though Carella is quite certain the defendant is guilty, it seems there's an awful lot of evidence pointing another direction.  Will a guilty man walk free?

At the same time, Carella is investigating an attempted murder case.  Emma Bowles has found her life in danger more than once.  But when the suspected would-be murderer is found dead, you'd think her troubles would be over.  Except all is not what it seems in the Bowles household.

The author flips between the two stories with no warning, so it's occasionally a bit confusing.  Especially at the start of chapters, where you enter into a conversation, and aren't sure who's speaking for several sentences. 

The author also allows his characters to interrupt each other.  A lot.  More so than should ever happen in real life. I found this technique to be quite annoying.  The story doesn't flow nicely, when you have a full page of fragmented sentences, due to characters talking over each other.

I also had a problem with the Emma Bowles story.  We never get to know her at all.  She never becomes anything more than a potential murder target.  Even as clues are revealed about who is behind the plot to kill her, we're never given adequate reasons why this situation occurred.  As a result, it was difficult to connect with this story.  Of course, no one wants an innocent woman to be killed, but it's not like I would have lost a whole lot of sleep worrying about her, either.  After all, I didn't really "know" her, and I have no idea what really brought about the current situation. 

I found myself much more interested in the murder trial story.  Like all good courtroom dramas, there are lots of surprises revealed during the trial, and lots of tension as you wonder what the eventual outcome will be.

Finally, I have to mention the ending of the book.  Without giving anything away, I'll just say one word: Fantastic!  The author did a great job, in this regard, giving us an exciting ending, that left a smile on my face.

Overall, this book has some ups and downs, and I'm left thinking of it as "average".  As a result, I'll give it 3 stars, with a slight recommendation for a well-done ending.


Thanks, Andy for adding this book to the database so quickly.


Happy to join sleeper54's 09/09/09 writeoff in honor of Epinions' 10th anniversary!

Recommended: Yes