Kisscut

Wie auch in ihrem ersten Buch 'Belladonna' ist der Stil einfach und schlicht, nichts Herausragendes. Dennoch spannend bis zum Ende, auch wenn diesmal im Vergleich zum Vorgänger relativ viel Nebenhandlung eingebaut ist. Polizistin Lena, die in Belladonna selbst Opfer war, versucht mit ihrer Situation klar zu kommen, was sich als recht schwierig gestaltet. Die Tatsache, als Vergewaltigungsopfer trotz aller Umstände gegen ihren Willen Lust erfahren zu haben, bringt sie an den Rand eines Suizidversuchs und lässt sie einem Opfer/Täter in diesem Buch gefährlich nahe kommen. Diese seelische Tortur und Marter wird sehr einfühlsam geschildert und ich habe teilweise heftig mitgelitten. Wie auch schon der Vorgänger ist dieser Thriller show more nichts für schwache Gemüter: Slaughter bewegt sich wieder an der Grenze des guten Geschmacks, wobei Kindesmissbrauch als Thema an sich bereits schwer verdaulich ist. Wer also eher sanftere Krimi-/Thrillerkost bevorzugt, sollte die Finger hiervon lassen. Ansonsten gute und spannende Unterhaltung ohne größere Ansprüche. show less

Horrific things are going on in Heartsdale, GA that begin when police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver has to kill a thirteen year-old girl in order to save the boy she’s threatening to shoot. Finding out how they’d reached that point isn’t easy as no one wants to talk, made more disturbing by the things Dr Sara Linton uncovers during the autopsy. Yes, there are some very sick people in this world and rumors are swirling.

Once again the author provides chilling scenarios and gritty details while addressing more than one topic that can make the reader feel uncomfortable. In this case we’re talking child pornography, self mutilation and suicide. We not only find out what’s going on and how many people are affected by it, but we follow the show more thoughts and actions of Jeff, Sara and Detective Lena Adams who is still recovering from what took place in the last book.

Jeff and Sara are slowly trying to build a relationship again. Both are united in finding out what’s going on. He’s wracked with guilt over killing a little girl, wondering if there had been another option. The girl had been Sara’s patient and she wonders if she missed some clues, fearing other kids also need to be helped.

Lena isn’t doing as well as she’d like others to believe. But she hits rock bottom and with some tough love, we start to see a difference. Lena is not an easy person to like with her gruff, aggressive approach and chip on her shoulder. We do see a different side of her and even if you can’t like her, you can appreciate why she makes a good police officer. Have some tissues handy.

One of the things this author does really well is give realistic characters that are most often not truly good or truly bad, but a combination of both; although some do such horrific things that it’s sometimes difficult to remember that there were aspects we liked before finding out what they were doing. Some have no redeeming qualities at all and with others you can only hope.

There are times when the story seems to drag a little, although the story is well-written between discovering what's going on as well as building on the personal lives of 3 main characters. show less

"When a teenage quarrel in the small town of Heartsdale explodes into a deadly shoot-out, Sara Linton - pediatrician and medical examiner - finds herself entangled in a horrific tragedy. And what seems at first to be a terrible but individual catastrophe proves to have wider implications when the autopsy reveals evidence of long-term abuse and ritualistic self-mutilation."
This book starts with a bang . . . literally. I enjoy the by-play of Sara and her sister, Tessa. It reminds me of my relationship with my sister. No matter what the disagreement is, we love each other. As for Lena? What can I say? I love to dislike her. I'm on the fence about Jeffrey but maybe he will grow on me. The story is a roller coaster ride of evidence and show more revelations. Hang on and enjoy the ride! show less

Kisscut
4 Stars

Series note: This is book #2 in Slaughter’s Grant County series and there are numerous references to events in the first book.

When an altercation between teenagers in a skating rink parking lot ends in tragedy, Grant County medical examiner, Sara Linton, and her ex-husband, Chief of Police, Jeffrey Tolliver, are shocked and disturbed by the true nature of the crime and the fact that evil is lurking in their small and seemingly innocuous town.

The plot is extremely disturbing and horrific. Thankfully, there isn’t too much description of the actual abuse otherwise I might have had to DNF. The story itself is compelling and the message that appearances can be deceiving and we can never really know the people around us is show more an important one.

The real problem with this book is the characterization. None of the characters are likable or sympathetic not even the so-called protagonists, Jeffrey, Sara and Lena, who do and say very hurtful things to one another and to others. The only character to come across as a good person with a good heart is Hank, Lena’s uncle. I’m amazed that he was willing to put up with her.

All in all, Kisscut is a well-written and thought provoking book but not for the faint of heart. show less

Very good and also very disturbing. Themes of child sexual abuse, genital mutilation, incest and PTSD turn this book into a very dark read. But it is also very, very, very well-written. I can't say that I enjoyed it, but I can say that I was sucked in by the story.

Karin Slaughter wrote/writes two series: first the Grant County series and later the Will Trent series. KISSCUT is the second book in her Grant County series. It's an older book, and I'm glad I finally found it; Slaughter's style is just as evident in KISSCUT as in her later books.

Sara, a pediatrician and medical examiner in Grant County, and Jeffrey, Grant County chief of police, are both involved in what first appears to be an individual tragedy but turns out to be a case of child abduction, child mutilation, use of children for sex, and more. Also working on this is Lena, a detective who works under Jeffrey. Lena is trying to get past an attack she experienced (in Slaughter's previous book, BLINDSIGHTED). She sees how her show more victimization can be related to the experiences these children are living with.

Ideally, you will be able to read Slaughter's books in the order in which she wrote them. But I'm not. I buy most of my books at used book sales, so I read them in the order in which I find them. This is possible because Slaughter writes so well you always understand backgrounds and you never feel lost. I've read most of her books, and I've loved every one. show less

As much as I liked the first book in this series, I'm starting to think that Slaughter has created one of those towns were everything that possibly could go wrong will and all her characters will have horrible things happen to them over and over. It might seduce some readers into thinking she is a wonderful suspense writer but those of us who appreciate realism to a degree will grow tired of the improbability of a small group of people going through these horrendous events month after month. Don't move to Grant County, GA. You're bound to get killed.