A Killer's Kiss

Starred review from July 16, 2007
At the start of bestseller Lashner’s superior seventh crime thriller to feature Philadelphia DA Victor Carl (after 2006’s Marked Man
), two police detectives pay Carl a late-night call to inform him that Dr. Wren Denniston, the husband of Carl’s former fiancée, Julia, was found shot to death in his Chestnut Hill mansion earlier that evening. Since Carl, known for his malleable ethics, had been entertaining Julia at his apartment shortly before the detectives’ arrival in an effort to revive their relationship, he becomes a prime suspect in the doctor’s murder. Unsure whether his lover is setting him up, Carl must dodge a rogue’s gallery of villains who had their own reasons for wanting Denniston out of the way before he can uncover the real culprit and figure out Julia’s true feelings for him. Chandler and Hammett fans looking for a fix will be well rewarded.

September 1, 2007
"There was this girl." Old love dies hard, and who better than Philadelphia defense attorney Victor Carl to share with us the familiar tale of passion, murder, and greed? When former fiancée Julia shows up at his apartment one night, Victor is not really surprised to find two police detectives right behind her. Although Julia's urologist husband was murdered that very evening, our hero, ever loyal and valiant, desperately wants to find her innocent. Not surprisingly, drug addiction, Jamaican drug dealers, embezzled funds, and a Russian gangster complicate the search for justice. With $1.7 million missing, soon Victor is caught up in a lively pursuit. Where's the money, and who's the murderer? Without much courtroom action or former partner Beth's earnestness, the book lacks the sparkle of "Marked Man", and Lashner hints that Victor might take a break for a while. Still, as Victor muddles through, the humor keeps his seventh appearance appealing. Lashner's style fits some quirky niche between Carl Hiaasen's capers and standard legal thrillers and certainly brings Philadelphia to life. Recommended for all popular fiction collections.Teresa L. Jacobsen, Solano Cty. Lib., Fairfield, CA

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