Kiss the Girls: A Novel by the Author of the Bestselling Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross)

First came the stunning number-one bestseller Along Came a Spider. Now comes the scariest, most unforgettable novel in several years. In Los Angeles, a reporter investigating a series of murders is killed. In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a beautiful medical intern suddenly disappears. Washington D.C.'s Alex Cross is back to solve the most baffling and terrifying murder case ever. Two clever pattern killers are collaborating, cooperating, competing- and they are working coast to coast.
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I read the first page or two. I bought the book. And I can't remember much after that, except that, heart pounding, palms sweating, I entered the obscenely diabolical world of two serial killers: The Gentleman Caller, and Casanova, terrorizing both Coasts at once. With skill and his own brand of genius, Patterson takes the reader into the crazed yet terrifyingly logical minds of each killer. We are there while they stalk their victims: young women who are smart, educated, self-assured, and perfectly beautiful. At least in the eyes of their killers. We are there during some of the most gruesome and terrifying murders. We are there as Casanova sexually tortures his live victims in his House of Horrors, in which one infraction of the "house rules" results in horrible death.

What is the connection between these two killers? What is their sick purpose? It falls to police detective/psychologist Alex Cross to solve the mystery. But Alex has more than a professional interest in the case. His beloved niece Naomi is one of the missing women.

I challenge anyone to put this book down once begun. I was absolutely amazed at the hold it had on me--and still does. I immediately ordered the next in Patterson's Alex Cross series, "Jack and Jill." And I have recommended "Kiss the Girls" to every book-loving friend I have.

27 of 33 found the following review helpful:

How long must a man lay in the earth ere he rot?Dec 18, 2000
By Edward Aycock
I read this entire book in about a day... it's easy when the author conveniently supplies us with bite sized chapters, perfect for this modern world! Who wants to be bogged down in depth, or character development? We want a world of red herrings galore, and cardboard characters.

That much I can actually deal with. What bothered me in this book was Patterson's rather disturbing juxtaposition of descriptions of well muscled, and flawless bodies (male and female) against the background of hideous violence. (The scene with the snake was completely uncalled for). Patterson almost seems to be at awe of the villains well muscled physique and *ahem* other body parts...he certainly writes enough about it. But the idea of these women being paraded around in lavish evening gowns in front of their sick captor is just absurd. And honestly, our heroine may be strong, but how many times can she be victimized and beaten and STILL live?

This book is a disturbing look at violence against women,made even more disturbing by the needless eroticism of the violence. This is just rather irresponsible. And set as it is against the flat, unimaginative prose, "Kiss the Girls" adds up to a book that you need to take a shower after reading.

7 of 7 found the following review helpful:

Not a bad read.....Dec 27, 2000

If you didn't like the movie, which I didn't, then you'll like the book, as I also did.

Here is a quick review of the book. Casanova is a collector of something rare and beautiful....women. When he sees one he thinks is both beautiful and rare, he takes them and keeps them in his personal collection. The problem comes when he takes a family member of Alex Cross, a dectieve. Alex is soon on the case to get back the one he loves. There are also murders across the coast on the opposite side of the states. Could there be two serial killers wanting to out do each other? Or are they working together? If so, how can Alex Cross stop them both? I suggest that you read the book if you want to find out.

Alex Cross is an interesting character. I liked how he had an instant bond with Kate. It seems that Kate and Alex we're almost a mirror image of each other.

When it comes to fiction, it's important to have "good" good guys, but I feel it's more important to have better bad guys. Patterson accomplishes this. Cassanova and The Gentleman are *incredible* some of the things that Casanova does is out right creepy.

The style that Patterson writes in take a little getting used to. It's in both first and third person. When you get used to that, it's a sinch to read. The chapters are 2 and 1/2 pages tops.

The book goes into way more detail that the movie. As I said, if you didn't like the movie, you'll like the book.

31 of 40 found the following review helpful:

No words are foul enough to describe itNov 24, 1999
By Elizabeth (QuidamCS@usa.net)
I find it disturbing that so many people have given this book the highest rating, because if any book in the whole history of bookdom deserves to be given a subzero-stars rating, this would be it. This book is the "Plan 9 from Outer Space" of thrillers. You cannot even say that the plot has holes, because it isn't solid enough to have holes in it.

The author expects us to believe no end of absurdities,for example, the "mind-bending" mystery of the "disappearing house," which can be guessed by anyone with a modicum of brains or imagination. And then there is the girl who did not escape a fate worse than death but at least she did escape from being killed in a manner most disagreeable and distasteful. You would expect her to make herself scarce, but nooo, she insists on going back to her house, from where she was taken, so we know that the rapist/killer knows where she lives. And it is not as if she lived in a well-lighted building with round-the-clock surveillance and lots of people around. No, she lives in an old, half-abandoned house full of dark corners and in the middle of nowhere, and no one thinks of placing her under surveillance, and the lights on the street don't work properly, and guess who comes a-calling! Well, I know it is a hard guess, but I'll give you a clue, it ain't Abbott and Costello.

Not to mention that Mr. Patterson belongs to the literary school of "Descriptions are Difficult, and besides, they are Boring." You know that when instead of taking the trouble to describe a character, he just says he or she looks like some old celebrity. So, we are told that the Gentleman Caller looks like "U2 singer Bono," and a prospective victim looks like "a young Grace Kelly," and so on. Well, it is just as well, because when he actually gets to describe a character's appearance, he cannot keep it consistent till the end of the book. So Kate's eyes mysteriously change color somewhere along the line. Well, maybe she lost her colored contacts or something. Small wonder, with all her traipsing through disappearing houses and stuff.

And should I mention the absurdly clichéd characters? And the sloppy, amateurish writing? Ah, why bother? I hope you've got the pct. by now. Mr. Patterson, never again.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:

Frighteningly suspenseful!Oct 23, 1998

Yes, this book is frightening and very suspenseful. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a passion for nail biting thrillers. This is a mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. If you like mysteries this one was written for you. Kiss the Girls is about frightening man in his mid twenties. He goes by the name "Casanova". This creepy character stalks and then captures beautiful, inteligent, young women. Once captured he brings them to his home deep within the thick forrest of North Carolina and locks them up in a room. He then goves them certain rules to follow. If they break these rules Casanova puts a frightening end to their life. In this distrubing case there are many detectives trying to solve it. There is one detective Cross who is passionately involved because his neice Naomi has been captured by Casanova. Detective Cross refuses to rest until Casanova is captured and broughtr to justice. The terribly suspenseful, frightening ending has several surprising twists. I guess you'll just have to read it to find out. This book has a lot of good aspects. It is loaded with gripping suspense from start to finish. The frightening story never lets you take a rest. Another great aspect of the book is that it has very short, snappy chapters. Each chapter is only about 2 to 3 pages long and ends in a very suspenseful twist. This style of writing makes for non-stop, action-packed thrills. There are not many bad aspects about this book. One of the drawbacks is that the author goes into too many gory details. It is also very hard to follow who is who in this book. The good aspects of this story definitely outweigh the bad aspects, therefore, rush to your nearest bookstore and buy this book today.

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