Kiss & Tell
book review,  Books

Kiss & Tell by Luke Murphy

If you enjoy sharp police procedurals and psychological thrillers, you’ll want to pick up a copy of Kiss & Tell by author Luke Murphy, who was kind enough to give me a copy of his book for review purposes.
All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this review contains affiliate links.

Kiss & Tell by Luke MurphyKiss & Tell by Luke Murphy
Published by Imajin Books on July 15, 2015
Pages: 292
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Buy from your local independent bookstore via Bookshop.org
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With the death of her father... Officer Charlene Taylor has received her dream promotion-working Homicide with the LAPD. Her first case is the high-profile murder of Ken Anderson, a playboy UCLA professor with a haunted past. A mafia kingpin, billionaire tycoon, cheated wife and jaded lover are only a few on a long list of suspects, all with motive and opportunity. ...all hope of reconciliation is lost. Not only does she feel the pressure from media and her boss to solve her first case, but Charlene must also deal with her father's murderer, the "Celebrity Slayer," a serial killer who enjoys baiting her with his knowledge of her life and routines. Can a rookie detective work two high-profile cases and still keep her sanity? Editorial Reviews: "Luke Murphy scores big with this deep psychological thriller. Just when you think you've got things pegged, Murphy serves up another twist. Fast paced and fun, you won't want to put this book down." -Tim Green, New York Times bestselling author of Unstoppable "An intricately detailed and clever mystery featuring a tough minded but vulnerable protagonist with more than a few demons of her own. The twists and turns kept me guessing to the very end." -Christy Reece, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing To Lose "Luke Murphy's Kiss & Tell is a character driven page-turner with an interesting plot. The main character, LAPD Detective Charlene Taylor, draws the reader into her world for a ride throughout the book. This is one definitely not to miss." -Dianna T. Benson, bestselling author of The Hidden Son "Luke Murphy's heroine, Charlene Taylor, is tough and tender. Kiss & Tell is a first-rate police procedural. Hang on. You'll have fun." -James Thayer, author of The House of Eight Orchids "Luke Murphy's novel, Kiss & Tell, has lots of twists and turns, and police procedures where the good guy, in this case, Charlene Taylor, is not always good. The characters come to life with suspense, drama, explosive action, and an ending you never see coming." -John Foxjohn, USA Today bestselling author of Killer Nurse

four-stars

Luke Murphy’s novel Kiss & Tell is perfect for fans of Harlen Coben and Jonathan Kellerman. I really enjoyed the main character, Charlene. She’s a bit of a mess, a feisty rookie cop coping with personal demons and dealing with a bit of an alcohol problem AND the recent murder of her father. Her tough cop persona is balanced with a more gentle side seen when she is working with victims and possible witnesses. Charlene is flawed and believable.

There is a lot going on in this fast-paced story as Charlene juggles two cases – a high-profile murder and her own father’s murder. Her father’s death becomes more complicated when she discovers that it was tied to a serial killer – a killer that seems to know more about her than she does about him. This story has plenty of twists and turns, and the pace is fast. The murder scenes are plenty grisly, the police procedural aspect is sharp, plenty of suspense provided from the serial killer angle, and there is a human aspect as we see Charlene’s personal struggles (and sometimes poor choices.)

Murphy does an excellent job with character development – and there are a lot of them. Early on, it almost felt like too many to keep up with as there were so many potential suspects for the high-profile death, but the twists were enough to keep me hanging in there. At one point, one storyline was so gripping that that I nearly forgot she still had another mystery to solve!

The cover reads that Kiss & Tell is A Charlene Taylor Mystery, so I hope there are more books coming as I’m looking forward to more of Charlene!

Interested? You can click here to grab a copy of Kiss & Tell on Amazon or click here to find it at your nearest Indie bookstore!

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