Zebra (Paperback), ISBN 0-8217-6658-9
If a page-turning, spine-tingling suspenseful read heads your holiday wish list, then this book fills the bill -- and fills it to overflowing. (I couldn't put it down, and I had the flu, a headache and hated the world.)

Did I mention romance? Murder? Rape? Political intrigue? Plane crashes? Old scandal? New scandal? A nice, safe life as the wife of a U.S. Senator unraveling bit by bit, revealing the nasty truth hidden beneath a web of deceit and violence? Mentioned or not, you will find it in Kiss and Kill, waiting to draw you in, snare you in the spell woven by a master writer. Young's writing will force you to grip the book tighter and tighter, breathe a little faster, and wonder how on earth the plot can possibly come to a reasonable and satisfying conclusion.

The wife of a senator from Texas, Anne Atwood lives the life of the rich and famous in the glare of Washington's political spotlight. A respected hostess, Anne entertains her husband's friends and foes, gives the required parties, and raises their lovely daughter. But her life of privilege and power begins to crumble when a plane crash makes her a widow -- and brings a new complications, in the form of a faceless stalker set on collecting and old debt.

Anne delves into her husband's past to uncover the stalker's motive. She soon discovers her husband kept too many secrets to count. Journalist Ian McKay offers to help Anne through the maze of deception Senator Atwood created, but can she trust a man whose own reputation bears the taint of tragedy and scandal? Does she have a choice when each day leads her deeper and deeper into tangle of lies -- lies that might kill her?

If you want to indulge in some heart-stopping suspense, a bit of murder and mayhem, Kiss and Kill supplies all that and more. It will go on my keeper shelf just as soon as I can pry it loose from my husband (the Tami Hoag fan). Yes, it's that good.

Patricia Lucas White

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Patricia Lucas White's latest historical novel, To Last a Lifetime, was an Eppie finalist for 2003. To Last a Lifetime and two of her fantasy romances, the Sapphire Award-winning A Wizard Scorned and The Godmother Sanction, can be ordered through Hard Shell Word Factory. Her recent contemporary, PS, I've Taken a Lover, is available from Lionhearted Books.