"Quite fascinating"

After wandering aimlessly for most of his adult life from job to job, Whit Mosley's father got him a temporary job as the justice of the peace of Port Leo, Texas. Much to his surprise he likes the job and is good at it so he puts his hat in the ring at election time. When his lover's ex-husband is killed, Whit is called upon to find whether it was murder or suicide.

Everyone who knows and cares about the case prefers Whit call it a suicide. This strange set of bedfellows includes the victim's mother, Whit's lover (who is the deceased's ex-wife), and the man who threatened to kill Whit's family if he concludes that a murder occurred. Whit tries his best to find solid evidence that will convince him how the man died even as someone who calls himself the Blade is getting ready to kill a young lady in Port Leo as he has done to three women before without anyone suspecting him of anything. Whit's case and the Blade's activities meet in an explosive confrontation that has only one possible outcome.

Jeff Abbott has written a fantastic breakout book that will have critics believing they have discovered the next John Grisham. The tale is fast paced with all the sub- plots tying seamlessly back into the main story line. The climax is a shocker that will leave readers reeling from the unexpected denouement. A KISS GONE BAD is a book that deserves a place of honor on the keeper shelf.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted September 12, 2001