Romance, mystery, and murder collide in Jessica Martinez’s Kiss Kill Vanish, a seductive thriller that will keep readers on their toes at every turn.
Valentina Cruz no longer exists.
One moment, she was wrapped in Emilio’s arms, melting into his kiss. The next, she was witnessing the unthinkable: a murder in cold blood, ordered by her father and carried out by her boyfriend. When Emilio pulled the trigger, Valentina disappeared. She made a split-second decision to shed her identity and flee her life of privilege, leaving the glittering parties and sultry nightlife of Miami far behind.
She doesn’t know how to explain to herself what she saw. All she knows now is that nothing she believed about her family, her heart, or Emilio’s love, was real.
She can change her name and deny her past, but Valentina can’t run from the truth. The lines between right and wrong, and trust and betrayal, will be blurred beyond recognition as she untangles the deceptions of the two men she once loved and races to find her own truth.
This is, perhaps, Martinez’s edgiest book to date — and my favorite of all her books. She masterfully captures so many elements within the 400-some pages, and successfully keeps you guessing as more layers of the book’s mystery unfold. Every time you think you know where the book is going, Martinez surprises you with genuinely unexpected twists.
Kiss Kill Vanish captured my imagination from the beginning — starting with the intriguing premise described in the flap copy, to the first page, wherein our heroine has already made her escape. Her characters pulled me in, and wondering where the story would go next — and how things would be resolved — kept me eagerly reading page after page.
Of course, Martinez’s writing is lovely as always — and she so beautifully captures each moment with the perfect turn of phrase. Her descriptions of the book’s different settings are particularly lovely and inviting.
Kiss Kill Vanish is an edge-of-your-seat page-turner, whose characters and surprises will stay with you long after you finish the last sentence. Look for it in stores October 7th.
Novel Novice 