Punish Me with Kisses

by William Bayer

Beautiful blonde Suzie devoured me like candy that summer in Bar Harbor, tauting them with her bare-breasted body, humiliating them for their helpless lust. And all summer long, shy, sensitive Penny counted her sister's lovers - and waited for the end.

From Amazon: A psychosexual thriller charged with eroticism and menace, " Punish Me With Kisses" is the story of two sisters and the mysterious Dark Man to whom both are helplessly drawn.

Genres: Fiction, Suspense, Mystery

315 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

WILLIAM BAYER is the author of nineteen fiction and non-fiction books. Thirteen of his novels are now available in ebook and audiobook editions. His books have been published in fourteen foreign languages. Two of his novels, Switch and Pattern Crimes, were New York Times best sellers.

Bill was born in Cleveland, Ohio, son of an attorney-father and screenwriter-mother ( Eleanor Perry). He was educated at Phillips Exeter and Harvard where he majored in art history. His Harvard honors thesis was an analysis of a single painting by Paul Gauguin: “D’où venons-nous? Que sommes-nous? Où allons-nous?” For six years he served in Washington, Vietnam and New York as an officer with the U. S. Information Agency. He has been a grantee of The American Film Institute and The National Endowment of the Arts.

His novels have won the following awards: Peregrine (The Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel, aka “The Edgar”); Switch, (the French Prix Mystère de la Critique); Mirror Maze, (the French Le Grand Prix Calibre 38); The Magician’s Tale (The Lambda Literary Award for Best Mystery); The Dream Of The Broken Horses (the French Prix Mystère de la Critique).

His novel, Switch, was the source for seven television movies, including two four-hour mini-series. In all of them the main character, NYPD Detective Frank Janek, was played by the actor Richard Crenna. All seven movies were broadcast nationally by CBS in prime time.

Bayer is married to food writer, Paula Wolfert. They have lived in Paris, New York, Connecticut, Tangier (Morocco), and San Francisco. They currently reside in the Sonoma Valley, an area North of San Francisco which Jack London called “The Valley of the Moon.”

Reviews

[Tabitha Ormiston-Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

It can't be easy to think oneself into the mind of a truly sick and perverse individual, but Mr Bayer does it magnificently in this book - not even once but twice. We see one person's madness spiral out to infect a whole family. The subject matter is distasteful but it is marvellously done.

The book is lightened in the second half by the comic relief of that popular stock figure, the mad psychiatrist. But there is nothing "stock" about the way this sad, pathetic woman is depicted.

From start to finish, the book was beautifully executed. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who is not too weak of stomach.

[mirole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this book after I saw it on the Most Disturbing Books list.

Of course, it was disturbing but aren't psychological thrillers supposed to be?

Anyway, I had not not expected that the writing would be so good and the story so compelling. It really IS a psycological thriller and we spend most of the time in the mind of the main character. Also it being an EROTIC psychological thriller, there is lots of sex in the book but none of it gratuitous.

[Will Decker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Subject matter aside, the style of writing was very reminiscent of Vonnegut. The author works you slowly and deliberately into the mind of the demented so that you never realize where you are until it's too late. With that said, I found the entire plot just a rambling on of events that lead nowhere. Unless you consider whose bed the MC finally ends up in. Nothing like reading the sordid details of a demented and screwed up family.

[Chloe Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a strange book, wasn’t expecting the themes to be anything like what they were when I started the book. Only giving it above two stars for the sheer fact that it kept me guessing the entire time.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't hate the entire book (just the nasty ending), but it was an odd book. Not one I'd suggest to others.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nasty subject..nasty ending
I didn't like one character

[Keelys · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not that bad, but the last 40 pages were really really bad so...

[Leese · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed. Read other reviews so it gave me high expectations which it didn't meet.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out well but ended poorly.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I️ really enjoyed the beginning of this book but the end took such a disturbing turn. I️ thought there would be some type of satisfying resolution but it just got too dark and sad. I would have enjoyed it more if she was able to work through her trauma and discover the truth about who murdered her sister. I️ guess it was just a bit to dark and unsettling for me

[Bea De · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book.Read it several times.Really cool story;Also loved the subject matter.Again there we discover the ugliest trauma's and complexes stem from the family unit;not from the so-called prowlers on the street etcetera..

[SoDark · Rating 3 out of 5]

One disturbing book....

[Beulah Lioncruz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot, suspense and flashbacks make sense. The book involves incest which is awfully disgusting but overall, it was interesting.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read it when I was a teen forever searching for erotic and non-erotic fiction. The title was and still is very sexy. I think I discovered it in my dad's old room shelf from his school-bachelor days that was full of literary treasure from decades past. The room was in our country home in my hometown and as a kid I looked forward to those trips just to explore that shelf.

Anyway reading the book now as an adult, the writing is beautiful and the erotica titlating enough without being crude or offensive. A better written 50 shades if you ask me. I can't reveal what I did not like because of spoilers.

I love the main theme of the book. It is a little cliche with the whole wealthy, white, upper class ut with family skeletons thing but that main theme is what makes this particular skeleton, interesting.

[Kelvin Agboh · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book detailing the lives of a WASP New York family following the aftermath of a murder. If you're easily disturbed I wouldn't recommend, however it mixes both erotic and mystery in equal doses. It has a controversial theme and an ending that some people will hate, but I felt it fit in with the style of the book.

[Gwen Bentley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I debated about how to rate this book. I finally settled on a 4 Star, even though I did NOT enjoy the book. I felt this was fair because the writing and the story were good. It was suspenseful. I was just very uncomfortable with the content--subject matter.

Spoiler alert: I was very UNcomfortable with the subject matter of graphic incest and abuse.

[Denyze]

Bought this in 1980, from one of those book club magaines, and the ISBN isn't listed here. I can't really remember much about this book, so it'll be one of my 'one to read again' books.

ISBN 072780684X

[Kim]

Sick book!!

[Velga]

"Ick," is all I can say.

[Literary_Madness (Tonya Allen) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Creepy and not in the scary, horror sort of way.

[Roseann Esposito · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely weird but addictive book.

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

not what i was expecting at all

[Amy Aston]

Read this at age 11/12 after buying it in paperback from the drugstore. 😱