Kiss

by Ted Dekker, Erin Healy

Overview

Is dying for the truth really better than living with a lie? Find out in this gripping psychological thriller from New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker and Erin Healy.

Let me tell you all I know for sure. My name: Shauna.

I woke up in a hospital bed missing six months of my memory. In the room was my loving boyfriend—how could I have forgotten him?—my uncle and my abusive stepmother. Everyone blames me for the tragic car accident that left me near death and my dear brother brain damaged. But what they say can't be true—can it?

I believe the medicine is doing strange things to my memory. I'm unsure who I can trust and who I should run from. And I'm starting to remember things I've never known. Things not about me. I think I'm going crazy.

And even worse, I think they want to kill me.

But who? And for what? Is dying for the truth really better than living with a lie?

Praise for Kiss:

“Dekker and Healy prove a winning team in this intriguing, imaginative thriller.” —James Scott Bell, international bestselling author

“Kiss by Erin Healy and Ted Dekker is a superb thriller that hooked me from the first sentence. The original plot kept me guessing, and I may never look at a kiss the same way again. I’ll be watching for the next book!” —Colleen Coble, USA TODAY bestselling author

“A perfect 10 packed with romance, politics, scandals, and non-stop suspense.” —Laura Wilkinson, Olympic gold medalist and world champion diver

“Dekker and Healy form a powerful team in crafting redemptive suspense. Kiss is emotionally absorbing and mentally intriguing—don’t miss it.” —Lisa T. Bergren, bestselling and award-winning author

• Psychological thriller with supernatural elements
• Stand-alone novel
• Full-length book: 80,000 words

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781595548191
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	11/16/2009
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	322
Sales rank:	418,417
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Ted Dekker is known for novels that combine adrenaline-laced stories with unexpected plot twists, unforgettable characters, and incredible confrontations between good and evil.

Erin Healy is an award-winning editor who worked with Ted Dekker on more than a dozen of his stories before their collaboration on Kiss.  She owns WordWright Editorial Services, a consulting firm specializing in fiction book development.  She and her husband, Tim, have two children.

Editorial Reviews

'Imagine that you awake from a coma and discover that you have no memory of the past six months. You have a boyfriend you don't remember; your beloved brother is severely brain damaged (your fault, apparently); you're up on charges of drug possession and criminal negligence; and, oh yes, your father, who is currently running for president of the United States, despises you. That's the situation facing Shauna McAllister, who must try to regain her memory if she's to clear her name and find out what really caused the car accident that nearly killed her and her brother. But there's one problem: a group of conspirators will kill her if she starts to remember anything. This is a very enjoyable thriller with plenty of twists and turns—one of those books where you're afraid to get too close to the characters in case one or more of them turn out to be keeping some nasty secrets (and, here, some of them are). A definite treat, not just for Dekker and Healy's devoted fans, but for anyone who enjoys a good thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end.'

Booklist

'Imagine that you awake from a coma and discover that you have no memory of the past six months. You have a boyfriend you don't remember; your beloved brother is severely brain damaged (your fault, apparently); you're up on charges of drug possession and criminal negligence; and, oh yes, your father, who is currently running for president of the United States, despises you. That's the situation facing Shauna McAllister, who must try to regain her memory if she's to clear her name and find out what really caused the car accident that nearly killed her and her brother. But there's one problem: a group of conspirators will kill her if she starts to remember anything. This is a very enjoyable thriller with plenty of twists and turns—one of those books where you're afraid to get too close to the characters in case one or more of them turn out to be keeping some nasty secrets (and, here, some of them are). A definite treat, not just for Dekker and Healy's devoted fans, but for anyone who enjoys a good thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end.'

Booklist

After partially recovering from a six-month coma, Shauna McAllister has returned home, but her memory of the car accident that caused it has been erased. Her estranged father, a senator with eyes on the White House, and her abusive stepmother blame Shauna for the tragedy. Wracked with guilt (the accident left her brother severely brain damaged), she attempts to piece together scattered images from that horrible day. What she eventually discovers will astonish and endanger her. A crisp Christian read about responsibility.

Master of evangelical Christian suspense, Dekker (Thr3e; Blink; Skin) joins first-time author Healy in this thriller, no less fast-moving than the Christy Award-winning author's solo prose, but also more gripping as it plunges into the life of a woman with frayed and painful family relationships. When a tragic auto accident leaves Shauna McAllister's brother brain-damaged and erases her recent memories, she discovers she has a paranormal ability to steal memories from others, a capability that will either get her killed or unveil hidden sides of the very people she thought she could trust. Against this background, she attempts to uncover the ugly truth about her father's dark secrets and to upend his run for president of the United States. True to Dekker's penchant for twists that keep you guessing till the very last page, Kiss also attempts to return to snappier dialogue and more logical plotting than Skin. A psychological suspense thriller that shines light into black-market child trafficking, Dekker's latest will satisfy Christian fiction lovers who want complex characters and who believe in the stark realities of true good and heinous evil. (Jan.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly

Shauna McAllister cannot remember the last six months of her life after suffering a traumatic automobile accident that left her in a coma. She returns home to recuperate but finds that her family blames her for the accident, which also severely injured her brother. Shauna's friend Wayne Spade tries to jog her memory, but instead Shauna develops the mysterious ability to read other peoples' memories. She needs to find out what really caused her accident, but she also knows that it may cost her her life. Debut novelist Healy is aided by thriller master Dekker's talent for writing suspense with a supernatural edge. Kiss will also appeal to readers who enjoy books by Eric Wilson (Expiration Date), T.L. Hines (Waking Lazarus), and Kathryn Mackel (The Hidden). Recommended for CF and crossover suspense collections.

—Tamara Butler

Library Journal

"Shauna McAllister wakes up in the hospital after a car accident with weeks of missing memory. Her fiancé tries to fill in the blanks, but is he telling her the truth? Pam Turlow's sweet voice brings Shauna to life as she struggles to reconstruct her world. But Shauna has a secret to protect:  When she touches others, she can steal their memories. As Shauna begins to uncover the truth about her father's indiscretions, Turlow's voice reflects her tension and fear. Turlow's delivery alternates between a calm, steady narration and modulated emotion. Her understated approach helps make this story of the paranormal even more suspenseful." 
M.B.K.  2010 Audies Finalist - © AudioFile Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

Shauna McAllister wakes up in the hospital after a car accident with weeks of missing memory. Her fiancé tries to fill in the blanks, but is he telling her the truth? Pam Turlow's sweet voice brings Shauna to life as she struggles to reconstruct her world. But Shauna has a secret to protect: When she touches others, she can steal their memories. As Shauna begins to uncover the truth about her father's indiscretions, Turlow's voice reflects her tension and fear. Turlow's delivery alternates between a calm, steady narration and modulated emotion. Her understated approach helps make this story of the paranormal even more suspenseful. M.B.K. 2010 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

MAY 2010 - AudioFile