Kiss of Death

by Ray Garton, Joseph Locke (Pseudonym)

As the residents of Dinsmore fall prey to a vicious killer, Jimmy Meredith, the son of the cop in charge of the case, is only interested in Laura, the new girl at school--until he discovers Laura's dark secret.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult

165 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1992

About the author

Ray Garton is the author of several books, including horror novels such as LIVE GIRLS (which has a movie in the works), CRUCIFAX, E4 AUTUMN, and THE FOLKS; thrillers like TRADE SECRETS and SHACKLED; and numerous short stories and novellas. He's also written a number of movie and television tie-ins for young readers. He lives with his wife, Dawn, in California.

Reviews

[Matthew MacIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the same small costal California town of Dinsmore that Lockes previously books also took in. In the prologue a girl arrives home to find her parents attacked and mutilated only to turn around and see the werewolves right before the attack her. Cut to present day with our protagonist Jimmy who sees a new girl, Lara, who just moved to the area and is instantly attracted to (obviously). He tries to get to know her but she never gives much information to him. Until one day when he is able to walk her home when her father invited him for dinner. At dinner they have steaks but when he wants his medium rare he gets a weird look as they all eat theirs super rare. (Suspicious lmao). One night he goes to their place and is chased away by three werewolves on smaller than the other two larger ones. (Such a coincidence). He gets home tired and is worried that Lara and her family are okay. Not being able to sleep he overhears a phone call to his father who happens to conveniently be the chief of police that a family was killed and partially eaten. Omg lol. Even though it was fairly predictable I enjoyed the quick read. I was not expecting the downbeat ending though. Worth a read but it’s a pretty straightforward story without many twists.

[Jennifer Hoey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been looking for this book. I never forgot the story, but I forgot the title! Anyway, this is a horror book in every sense of the word and these werewolves are killers. This tackles werewolves in a whole new way. The young teens involved, one a werewolf, invoke sympathy in the reader. The girl Lauren, accepts who she is even though she doesn't like it. She does not relish being a werewolf and all that involves. She is honest with Jay and genuinely cares for him but cannot escape or be cured by her inner beast. Jay struggles with caring for someone who is dangerous to humans like him. He sees the humanity in her but when confronted by the beast, knows that this won't end well.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soooktober 2021 Book 7

Though it’s unoriginal and pretty thin in both scope and length, Kiss of Death is still a fairly solid read that’s quick, easy and satisfying.

I was only 4 when this this novel came out but if I’d been the target Redding audience way back in 1992, I have no doubt I’d have enjoyed this one.

[Erica Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boy meets mysterious new girl and some gruesome murders take place during a full moon.

Yes, it’s a tragic werewolf story.

Plenty of carnage but so very predictable. There’s no mystery, no buildup, not even a red herring. Not even any new interesting twist to werewolf lore. It’s insulting, really.

[Caylynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simple, predictable werewolf story. Not terrible but nothing particularly original.

[Devin Gaumont]

A simple tween-age book about a boy falling in love with a new girl in town- a town recently ravaged by savage murders. It's not hard to figure out... but still, it's nicely written.

[Paula Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this werewolf tale! It had a very cinematic feel to it - I'd love to see it become a movie! There's a nice love story to be found between some scary, brutal werewolf attacks. Joseph Locke was one of my favourite teen horror writers in the 90s.

[Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good but unremarkable werewolf/love story. That being said, it's a light easy read, and definitely worth the time if you're not expecting anything spectacular.

[Maeghin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was 13, I loved it so much. It opened up an entire new world for me!