From Publishers Weekly
Sensuality sears the pages of Cameron's newest contemporary romantic thriller, set in the sultry small town of Toussaint, La., but nearly every other element disappoints. Heirs of a run-down estate, Vivian Patin and her mother prepare to patch up their lives and the mansion at the same time. But a murder on the grounds throws their plans awry and Vivian into close company with handsome local deputy sheriff Spike Devol. Bad blood between Spike and the investigating detective forces Vivian and Spike to launch their own inquiry. As the bodies pile up, the two become entangled romantically. Though Spike and Vivian finally get in synch once their clothes come off, they spend the first half of the novel pulling each other aside "to talk" but never really communicating. Meanwhile, a number of secondary characters crowd the pages and muddy the pacing. Discouragingly, Spike seldom follows through on leads he uncovers and even offers the blithe opinion that Vivian's gardener, who disappeared the day of the murder, will turn up fine. It's no surprise, therefore, that Spike never guesses who the killer is. While the romance ties up satisfactorily, the mystery unravels in fits and starts and will likely leave many readers feeling cheated. Seekers of sexy thrills will flock to Cameron's latest (after Cold Day in July), but those looking for a story with depth should give this a pass.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
After her father dies in a fire that destroyed her parents' New Orleans restaurant, Vivian and her mother, Charlotte, decide to turn Rosebank, the plantation he recently inherited, into a hotel and restaurant, but their renovation plans are threatened when Vivian discovers the body of their family lawyer on the grounds. Convinced that the local authorities see her as a convenient suspect for the murder, Vivian talks Spike Devol, the deputy sheriff from a nearby parish, into being both her private investigator and bodyguard. Already romantically interested in the lovely Vivian, Spike doesn't need much persuading to look into the murder, but when the body of another victim turns up, it seems obvious that someone doesn't want Vivian around Rosebank and will do anything to get rid of her. New York Times best-selling Cameron returns to the wonderfully atmospheric Louisiana setting of French Quarter (1998), and borrows a few secondary characters, for her latest sexy, gritty, compellingly readable tale of romantic suspense, which has all the twisted villains, dangerous secrets, colorful characters, and vividly detailed sensuality her readers find irresistible. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Elizabeth Lowell
"If you haven't read Stella Cameron, you haven't read romantic suspense."
Jayne Ann Krentz
"Stella Cameron is sensational!"
Book Description
In Kiss Them Goodbye, New York Times bestselling author Stella Cameron returns to Toussaint, Louisiana, where sinuous cypress trees reach across the bayou to shade opaque waters from the relentless sun . . . But the shadows hide a dark and deadly danger. Just weeks after inheriting Rosebank, a once-magnificant plantation on the banks of the Bayou Teche, David Patin died in a mysterious fire that destroyed his popular New Orleans restaurant. In the aftermath, his daughter Vivian and wife, Charlotte, are shocked to discover that the family finances are as run-down as their only remaining asset -- Rosebank. With her degree in hotel management and her mother's restaurant expertise, Vivian Patin decides to restore the family fortunes by turning the lushly overgrown and decaying Rosebank into a resort hotel with all the sultry charm of old Louisiana. But Vivian's dream becomes a nightmare when she finds the family's lawyer dead on the sprawling grounds of the estate -- with a rose on his chest and a brilliant lipstick mark on his cheek. Suddenly Vivian begins to wonder if someone is targeting Rosebank and the Patin family . . . And if her father's death was, in fact, an accident. Dissatisfied with the local police investigation, Vivian approaches Spike Devol, deputy sheriff of a nearby town, who has a reputation for being smart, honest and tough. She asks him to help her find the truth. But the instant attraction between them leaves Spike reluctant to get involved -- until he discovers that Vivian could be the next victim. When another shocking murder occurs at Rosebank, it's clear that the stakes have never been higher -- and that now it's up to Spike and Vivian to catch a killer . . . Before he kills again.
About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Stella Cameron is the award-winning author of contemporary and historical romantic suspense novels. There are more than eight million copies of her books in print, including Cold Day in July, Tell Me Why, Glass Houses, Key West and French Quarter. Stella and her husband, Jerry, make their home in Washington State.
Kiss Them Goodbye FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
New York Times–bestselling author Stella Cameron blends sultry Louisiana charm with murder, intrigue, and a sizzling new romance in this fast-paced contemporary novel. Rosebank, once a magnificent plantation house, is the inheritance of Vivian Patin after her father's mysterious death. With her degree in hotel management and her mother's restaurant experience, Vivian feels more than competent to transform Rosebank into a deluxe resort hotel -- until she finds the family's lawyer dead on its grounds. As Vivian pairs up with Spike, a nearby deputy sheriff, to uncover the truth, the investigation sparks their romance even as it plunges them both into immediate danger. Ginger Curwen
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Just weeks after inheriting Rosebank, a once-magnificent plantation on the banks of Bayou Teche, David Patin was killed in a mysterious fire, leaving his daughter, Vivian, almost bankrupt. With few options remaining, Vivian Patin decides to restore the family fortunes by turning Rosebank into a resort hotel.
Murder changes everything.
Vivian's dream becomes a nightmare when she finds the family's lawyer dead on the sprawling grounds of the estate—with a rose in his chest and a brilliant lipstick mark on his cheek. Suddenly Vivian begins to wonder if her father's death was really an accident. . .and if the entire Patin family is marked for murder.
Can the killing be stopped?
Sheriff Spike Devol is smart, honest, tough—and sexy. Rosebank is not in his jurisdiction, but Vivian, fed up with the corrupt local police, asks him for unofficial help. The instant attraction between them leaves Spike reluctant to get involved—until another shocking murder occurs and it seems that Vivian will be the next victim.
FROM THE CRITICS
Booklist
After her father dies in a fire that destroyed her parentsﾽ New Orleans restaurant, Vivian and her mother, Charlotte, decide to turn Rosebank, the plantation he recently inherited, into a hotel and restaurant, but their renovation plans are threatened when Vivian discovers the body of their family lawyer on the grounds. Convinced that the local authorities see her as a convenient suspect for the murder, Vivian talks Spike Devol, the deputy sheriff from a nearby parish, into being both her private investigator and bodyguard. Already romantically interested in the lovely Vivian, Spike doesnﾽt need much persuading to look into the murder, but when the body of another victim turns up, it seems obvious that someone doesnﾽt want Vivian around Rosebank and will do anything to get rid of her. New York Times best-selling Cameron returns to the wonderfully atmospheric Louisiana setting of French Quarter (1998), and borrows a few secondary characters, for her latest sexy-gritty, compellingly readable tale of romantic suspense, which has all the twisted villains, dangerous secrets, colorful characters, and vividly detailed sensuality her readers find irresistible. —John Charles
Publishers Weekly
Sensuality sears the pages of Cameron's newest contemporary romantic thriller, set in the sultry small town of Toussaint, La., but nearly every other element disappoints. Heirs of a run-down estate, Vivian Patin and her mother prepare to patch up their lives and the mansion at the same time. But a murder on the grounds throws their plans awry and Vivian into close company with handsome local deputy sheriff Spike Devol. Bad blood between Spike and the investigating detective forces Vivian and Spike to launch their own inquiry. As the bodies pile up, the two become entangled romantically. Though Spike and Vivian finally get in synch once their clothes come off, they spend the first half of the novel pulling each other aside "to talk" but never really communicating. Meanwhile, a number of secondary characters crowd the pages and muddy the pacing. Discouragingly, Spike seldom follows through on leads he uncovers and even offers the blithe opinion that Vivian's gardener, who disappeared the day of the murder, will turn up fine. It's no surprise, therefore, that Spike never guesses who the killer is. While the romance ties up satisfactorily, the mystery unravels in fits and starts and will likely leave many readers feeling cheated. Seekers of sexy thrills will flock to Cameron's latest (after Cold Day in July), but those looking for a story with depth should give this a pass. Author tour. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
More sex and murder and boudin sausage, from Cameron (Key West, 1999, etc.). Not that this uninspired lot of one-dimensional characters talk like they're from Louisiana, with a few minor exceptions. But here we're in a forgotten parish, heading to a crumbling plantation house called Rosebank, which a mother and her grown daughter hope to restore to its former grandeur. Charlotte and Vivian have plans to turn it into a hotel, though they don't have two nickels to rub together. But what about the priceless treasure that's rumored to be hidden somewhere in the house or on the property? When their lawyer heads over in his powder-blue Jag with information that might make them rich, someone else gets involved . . . and puts up a detour sign and blocks the road . . . and puts on a strange mask . . . and rubber gloves . . . and pulls out a big, sharp knife. Scared yet, campers? Okay, let's turn off the flashlight and wait until it gets really dark. Let's go walking with our cute little dog and find the lawyer's almost decapitated corpse. Let's recapitulate the decapitation to the point of irritation, for the benefit of a clueless detective and a renegade sheriff named Spike Devol, an aw-shucks he-man and stud. Gee, daughter Vivian looks a little down in the dumps to Spike. Maybe some mind-blowing sex will make her smile. (It does.) Maybe his cute little daughter will enjoy playing with her cute little dog later on. (Yep.) Back to the, um, murder. How come their socialite neighbor Susan Hurst has been hanging around so much? And what's up with her hip-wiggling, bitch-in-heat daughter Olympia? Susan's second husband Morgan Link doesn't seem to be exactly a pillar of the community either. Braceyourself, cher, for an unbelievably disgusting sex scene involving a hogtied Susan and out-of-control Morgan, watched by naked Olympia, who then forces herself sexually upon her screaming mother. Does anyone need to throw up now? Wait . . . there's more and it's just as bad. Incoherent plot, wooden dialogue, clumsy prose: in a word, abysmal. Cameron should be ashamed. Author tour
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