Rating: 
Summary: Confusing and not especially believable
Review: Kisscut is supposedly an examination of the child pornography business, but in the final analysis it does a poor job of that while straining believability at every turn.
How can it be that Sara Linton, pediatric physician and part-time town coroner, could not detect any signs of trauma among the several child victims of the pornography ring whom she had treated for many years. How does a thirteen year old girl have the wherewithal to confront a fellow teenager in a parking lot with a gun and resist the intimidating presence of Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver drawing a bead on her at close range? How can it be that an incestuous relationship in a family resulting in a pregnancy can go unnoticed for six months? How can it be that a collection of low-lifes could be so skillful in escaping detection and avoiding authorities in their sordid business? And what would a pornography story be without the stereotypical moral man turning out to be a prime participant in exploiting children for gratification? And of course, the obligatory scene of veteran policemen gritting their teeth to keep from killing a child molester is present.
A secondary theme of Kisscut is the rehabilitation and deterioration of Detective Lena Adams. But without reading Blindsighted the reader is mostly in the dark as to the background of her mental state. The reader is left to wonder how a veteran policeman can extract so much valuable information one minute and be on the verge of a breakdown the next.
The story is not particularly well-constructed. The who and when of all of the abuse is confusing. It is not enough that Tolliver finds the house where pornography filming was occurring; no, a door is blown off of its hinges when it is opened. Pornographers are booby-trap experts?
Blindsighted was not without its troubles, but Kisscut is a step backwards. Perhaps the justification for reading the book is to maintain continuity in the author's four part series on Grant County.
Rating: 
Summary: Small town realism
Review: Kisscut really captured small-town America to me. Other readers who haven't lived in small towns might find certain plot elements unrealistic, but they rang very true to me. In a town where everyone knows everyone else, and where we all just have to do our jobs whether we want to interact with that person or not, I thought Ms. Slaughter brought a lot of realism to her story. I won't give away any spoilers, but I can really picture certain elements of the plot happening in my small town.
Rating: 
Summary: Cry for the Children
Review: KisscutCry for the Children Stories of child abuse and pedophia are notoriously difficult to write. The author must find a balance between the need for justice and the horrible fact that there is no such thing as justice for these crimes. For there is no real undoing, the victims will pay the price for the rest of their lives, always trying to build on the ruins of what should have been their formative years. There is no punishment for the predator that can bring real release or healing. Andrew Vachss is a past master at taking the reader into this world, but he is only one voice. Now Karin Slaughter has ventured into the same bleak territory. The story begins when Jeffrey Tolliver, Chief of Police in the little town of Heartsdale is forced to kill 13-year-old Jenny Deaver to prevent her from shooting Mark Patterson, whom she once loved. As horrible as this was to contemplate for Tolliver and his ex-wife Sara Linton (Heartsdale's pediatrician and medical examiner) further investigation slowly gives up a twisted nightmare of injury and abuse. Masked by the evasions of the children, Sara, Jeffrey, and detective Lena Adams feel helpless and confused. The evidence of a series of crimes gradually surfaces, another child disappears, but the source of the evil remains impossible to decipher. Already badly scarred by the events in 'Blindsighted,' Slaughter's first story, Lena is desperately seeking a way to regain her life. The case has strange resonances within her, only recently a victim of rape herself. Sara and Jeffrey are trying to redefine their relationship in the face of newly rediscovered feels. Gradually these three play out their own themes of love and anger against a malign tapestry of malicious acts of misplaced and bent sensuality. Given the difficulty of getting this kind of novel right, Karin Slaughter does an admirable job of writing. I think she errs a bit in trying too much to ameliorate the after shock of what, in a very real sense, is a horror story. I feel that during the unfolding of the novel, she should have been even more brutally honest, and allow the reader little or no escape. Instead she provides distractions to provide uncomfortable but effective shelter from the worst effect. On the other hand I congratulate her on having to nerve to end the story as it does too often in real life, leaving the reader in touch with the true nature of the crime.
Rating:
Summary: Kisscut
Review: One of the best books I have read this year. Her other book, BLINDSIGHTED, is also one of my favorites. This is only her second book and she is truely amazing. DON'T MISS IT.
Rating:
Summary: A Suspense-Filled Story That Sickens as It Enthralls
Review: Sara Linton and her ex-husband (AKA her current boyfriend), Jeffrey, are about to encounter something neither one of them has ever experienced...not in his years as chief of police or her combined work at the morgue and as a pediatrician. It's something that the people of Grant County would never have imagined could be happening in their neighborhood. But it is. Thirteen-year-old Jenny Weaver and sixteen-year-old Mark Patterson seem to be the center of it all. When Jenny holds a gun to Mark while, at the same time, almost begging Jeffrey to kill her instead, the first piece of the puzzle is put into place. But so many more questions are opened up by it. The evidence of molestation, abuse and self-mutilation lead to a child pornography ring that seems to include more Grant County children than anyone will ever be sure of. But who is the head of it? And what can be done to stop them? Suspenseful, devastating, morbidly fascinating - these are just a few of the adjectives that can be used to describe Karin Slaughter's latest release. She sucks the readers in from the very first chapter and holds their attention steady until the final page is turned. This is a difficult book to put down as each page just brings more questions that desperately need answers. The subject matter may affect some readers in an adverse way, so this may not be a book for everyone. However, those who can handle its graphic nature will not be disappointed in any way. Even while Slaughter successfully holds the level of tension at a steadily rising pace, she builds the characters (secondary as well as primary) into more than just one-dimensional names on paper. There is depth to their emotions and even the abusers (in some instances) can illicit sympathy from their fellow characters and the readers alike.
Rating:
Summary: Real Characters, Believable Plot
Review: Slaughter follow up to Blindsighted is a tighter novel. She doesn't bother to set the tone for the book or catch up readers who may have forgotten or not read her first no vel. Within a few paragraphs a confrontation occurs between teenagers that sets the plot for the entire book. What was suppose to be a quiet night at the skating rink turns deadly as one teenager says to another you will pay for what you did. The aftermath is a shoot out with the chief of police, a dead child and a dead baby. This all occurs in the first twenty pages, the other three hundred and some pages is the telling of a complex tale of evil. Jeff is looking at this case as teenagers who think the only solution to their problems is a gun. With so much of this in the news, that is how the readers are led to believe. But quickly events and evidence and even a few weird comments prove that he is not looking at a teenager scorn but a teenager looking for vengeance. Slaughter pulls no punches as she delivers a story that is hard to read but captivating at the same time. Her plot still has a few weak moments as she forced a scene to happen to give Jeff another avenue to explore in this case. I think she could of have this evidence present itself in a different light. I cannot say more about the case without spoiling the read. I will say the heart of the case will have you shuddering at times and the ending is the right ending. Others may disagree with me, but considering how long the criminals have been pulling this off and the set up they have they were too smart for the cops in this investigation. One other strong point is the character development she ropes around this plot. Lena is recovering from the last novel and how she copes with it, is true but painful to read.
Rating: 
Summary: RELIGIOUS READERS BEWARE
Review: The auther, Karin Slaughter, hates Christians. Her first novel revolved around a serial killer who was a religous fanatic. Her second featured a Christian minister participating in child molesting. The only character Slaughter pictures as a living saint is a blind lesbian. Her romantic lead cheats on his wife.
Rating: 
Summary: Another derivative, cookie cutter Cornwell clone.
Review: There's nothing new here. Just the same old stuff you'll find in Patricia Cornwell's worst books (only not as skillfully written) and in dozens of other books trying to emulate her success.You've got an improbably perfect female coroner, flirting with an ex, a small town that hides secrets (worst cliche of all ) and both graphic physical and sexual violence involving kids in an attempt to shock and titillate (and sell books) from a safe distance. It's so shallow and the mystery so contrived and obvious that I have no doubt it will hit the bestseller lists so everyone who reads it can feel good about deploring the violence it depicts (all the while loving every juicy detail). I'd rather read a book with more insight into real human behavior or with something braver to say.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended, Another Great Book
Review: This author is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Her books cross many lines in the sand that most of us are unwilling or unable to cross and that journey is refreshing, interesting, and disturbing all at once. This writer seems to be coming into her own on this novel and I can only see promise. The characters are real and you will come to love spending time with them. I love the theory of having three main characters without some kind of triangle involved. The relationship between Sara and Jeffrey is as true to life as it gets and you will root for Lena over and over again. This book is a quick read with plenty of page-turning suspence and a lot of twists that will keep your attention and will keep you guessing. Give this book a try and I promise your will be the next rave review for this book.
Rating:
Summary: GOOD MYSTERY
Review: This book is not for the faint at heart. The author has selected a sensitive topic (child pornography and incest) and the details of the crimes are factual and disturbing. The story will keep you hooked until the end. Excellent!
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