Kiss Of Death

Sophie Anderson #5

by P.D. Martin

A young woman's body is found with puncture marks on her neck, and soon the delicious word vampire is on everyone's lips. All of FBI profiler Sophie Anderson's skills—psychic and psychological—will be needed for her to determine whether this was a thrill kill or something even more sinister.

Exploring the blood bars and Goth clubs of L.A., Sophie immerses herself in the seductive culture of self-styled vampires. Posing as the alluring Lady Veronica and infiltrating a notorious clan, Sophie will learn just how deep the fantasy goes for some believers.

When life requires death, nothing is sacred.

Genres: Crime, Thriller, Mystery, Fiction

381 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

P.D. Martin--Phillipa Deanne Martin--was born in Melbourne, Australia, and developed a passion for crime fiction and storytelling at an early age. This interest was backed up with formal education through a bachelor of behavioral sciences (with majors in psychology and criminology) and a postgraduate certificate in professional writing (creative writing).

Phillipa also writes children's and young adult fiction under Pippa Dee.

Follow this author on Facebook - www.facebook.com/pdmartinauthor
www.facebook.com/PippaDeeAuthor

Reviews

[Brenda]

4.5★s

When FBI profiler Sophie Anderson woke from the nightmare which seemed so real, she was disorientated – but the credits rolling on the TV screen in front of her made her realize that it must have been the program which had caused the terrible dream…

Sophie had moved from Australia and was a profiler for the FBI; as well as that, she had a psychic ability when working her cases. No-one but her boyfriend, Detective Darren Carter knew of her ability and she wanted to keep it that way. Sometimes these dreams turned into reality which was pretty distressing. But she had finally realized that inducing these “visions” could sometimes help the victims.

So when Sophie was called in by the LAPD to assist in a murder investigation, she initially wondered why. But the discovery of puncture wounds on the young woman’s neck, along with a witness who, though not very reliable, reported evidence supporting some kind of ritual – suddenly the world of LA’s goth clubs, blood bars and vampires was in front of them. As Sophie was investigating alongside the sceptical Detective Sloan, she decided to go undercover – her goth outfit and the special name of Lady Veronica meant she could visit those clubs she would be unable to as a cop.

But her infiltration of Anton Ward’s “house” After Dark which was made up of men and women who believed they were vampires was suddenly incredibly dangerous. As Sophie and the rest of the investigative team came closer to the truth, their realization that there was a greater need for speed hit them when another body was found. Would they be able to unravel the complex web of lies and deceit before it was too late?

Another great thriller by Aussie author P.D. Martin, though this one was definitely different! I enjoyed it with the incredible twists which kept me turning the pages quickly. Gripping, intriguing and fascinating, I have no hesitation in recommending Kiss of Death and the Sophie Anderson series highly.

[Saturnus]

This was my first Sophie andersson book, but definitly not my last!
I have never read about vampyrism in crime, but it was interesting.
Sophie is a strong charachter that i can recognize myself in.
She and Darren are a great couple, even if she is a awful girlfriend, but nobodys perfect :)

[Maria]

Oh well, I enjoyed it, it was a fast read, my first from the author. But it had too much... Umm... "paranormality" in it😅

[Andy]

My fault, I admit it: I was expecting this book to be set in Australia.

My preferred way to read books or watch movies: Learn just enough to know that I want to read it/watch it, put it on my shelf on in my queue, forget almost everything I know about it, then read it/watch it in a state of near-complete ignorance.

In the case of Kiss of Death, I knew that the author and the main character are Australian. I also remembered that it was crime fiction, one of my favorite genres, and that it had something to do with vampires (real or pretend, I wasn't sure). Crime fiction can start to blur together if you read enough of it -- which I have -- so in my state of near-complete ignorance I was very jazzed about reading a tale of crime and vampires and Australia.

Two out of three isn't bad. As I said, my fault. I'll have to learn about Australian crime another time -- I see that the sixth entry in this series (Coming Home) IS set in Australia.

Sophie Anderson is an FBI profiler with mild psychic powers. She has visions of being chased through a park, then is called on to investigate the very murder she may have "witnessed" -- a woman's body has been found in the park, with puncture wounds in the neck.

I wonder if most profilers have it as easy as Sophie. Probably not, since I imagine psychic powers are not standard-issue. But even with her abilities, and even though she goes undercover on this case and forms a relationship with many of the suspects, Sophie sure takes her time in coming up with her profile. Her method is to basically decide who she thinks the killer is, then create a profile to match. I suspect her fellow profilers would consider this cheating.

Actually, I think you have to hand it to Sophie for recognizing that the "science" of profiling is anything but. Does anyone remember the Beltway Sniper case? The profilers said it was a lone white male. Turned out it was two black males. Hard to be more wrong. Sophie doesn't want to be wrong by quickly drawing up the obvious profile -- "bite marks equals wannabee-vampire." For all she knows, the killer wanted the murder to LOOK like the work of a vampire clan.

Sophie does the sensible thing and works the front lines, making contact with the local vampire clans. Her psychic powers kick in from time to time, but not enough to make her job any easier.

The story wisely keeps the nature of the vampires somewhat vague until the end. Are these people who like to pretend to be vampires because vampires are so cool and working a dead-end job is so not cool? Or could they be real vampires?

After so much crime fiction, Kiss of Death was a nice change of pace with its added supernatural twists on the genre. I look forward to reading Sophie's adventures Down Under for even more of a change of pace.

[Andrea Corley]

It was a long time coming (over TWO YEARS!) but I finally got this read! It was not because it was a bad book, but because I just don't have time to sit down and read anymore but I decided that I was going to MAKE time and finish this and I'm glad I did!

Vampires are't my favorite subject and maybe that's why I kept struggling to continue, but overall it was a great story and I just love Sophie Anderson!

I'll be sad to read the last one in this series next!

[Sara]

Another great book in the Sophie Anderson series! I continue to enjoy and appreciate Sophie as a character, and this was a more "fun" and interesting case to read about than the last book, in my opinion. As with the other books, you have to suspend a bit of disbelief throughout, but I think once you've made it to the fifth book in the series this is relatively easy. I enjoyed the plot and the new characters in this story. I'll definitely read this series again at some point in the future!

[Little Dino]

This book is written in first person point of view (Sophie’s POV) which made me realize that for someone who works for FBI she is very immature and unprofessional. While working on this case where people are dying, Sophie forms a relationship with...
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Little Dino off to read now ~~~

[Kimberley]

I picked this book up at my local library and I was somewhat hooked to the read! I actually really enjoyed this book and I will be searching for all of the other Sophie Anderson editions! :)

[David]

I enjoyed it even though not keen on the vampire content.

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out]

I was lucky to win Kiss of Death in the Goodreads Giveaway. I hadn't read any of the previous books in the series and I was excited to have the chance as it blends my two favourite genres - crime/mystery and paranormal as well as a bonus of having an Australian as the main character.

Sophie is an Australian born FBI profiler based in LA. She is invited to consult on a case where a young woman's body is found in the state park, with puncture wounds in her neck. While the police concentrate on the woman's best friend and ex boyfriend as suspects, the investigation leads Sophie to the goth subculture of "vampires". With her own unique abilities, Sophie cannot dismiss the possibility of a less prosaic explanation for the murder.

Since Kiss of Death is a first person narrative, what we know is defined by what Sophie learns which keeps the plot tight but at the same time can be rather constricting as Sophie does a lot of notetaking and researching in order for us to get background on the pathos of the subculture and the suspects. I am so used to a third person narrative I didnt find the perspective all that comfortable.
Anton was a intriguing character, and provided some interesting personal tension for Sophie and the plot.

The pace of the investigation is taut as suspicion moves from suspect to suspect, complicated by Sophies vague psychic visons and her own reaction to Anton - the self proclaimed vampire master of After Dark.
The emphasis of the plot is on the investigation and resolution of the murders, with the paranormal aspect an interesting subplot. The look into the cultural phenomenen of vampire fascination and its history and psychopathology is very interesting.
The suspense is held well through the majority of the book, with several possible leads. The climatic ending is exciting and satisfying.

Thankfully, Kiss of Death could hold its own as a stand alone novel, so threads from previous novels, such as her relationship with Darren, did not distract the main plot.

I'd really prefer to give Kiss of Death 3 and a half stars - it misses out on 4 stars only because of my own prejudice of the first person narrative. I am planning on reading the previous books in the series.
Widely recommended for crime/mystery/proceduralas well as paranormal genre fans.

My thanks to PD Martin for her gift of this book.

[Sarah]

The opening scene features the vision/dream, experienced by FBI profiler Sophie Anderson, of a girl being pursued at night. This sets the tone for the book and introduces to new readers (like me) the fact that Sophie is not only a profiler but a psychic who intermittently experiences visions of events around her investigations. In Kiss of Death, she has just seen the death of a girl who is found in an LA park with two puncture marks on her neck. Investigators soon link the killing to one of the vampiric cults operating in LA, somewhat prosaically named ‘After Dark’ and led by the charismatic Anton Ward. But Sophie’s investigations are hampered by the attraction she feels towards the leader and his possible recognition of her psychic gifts.

Sophie adopts the persona of a vampire follower to infiltrate the group, which causes problems in her relationship with her boyfriend Dan and also begins to blur the boundaries between professional and personal relationships.

My heart initially sank when I realised this book was written on the subject of vampires as this isn’t an area I’m the slightest bit interested in. The book didn’t particularly have anything new to say about the whole vampire genre and I kept expecting the vampire angle to be a red herring in the investigation and the true motive for the murders would be revealed. But vampirism was at the heart of the book and the author seemed keen for the reader to treat the vampire cult as a serious proposition. I think it would have helped if she’d written in a character who strongly disbelieved in the whole notion of vampires to balance out Sophie’s apparent credulity. As the narrative developed, however, the focus shifted to the cult-like nature of the group which was very interesting and widened the scope of the book.

The psychic aspect of Sophie was portrayed very well and I thought this was the better part of the book. The FBI profiler bit was a little superficial for my liking although the infiltration of the group worked well in the plot. It was a fun book to read, with some enjoyable scenes showing snapshots of LA from an outsider’s point of view (Sophie is Australian). I think if the subject matter hadn’t been vampires I would have enjoyed it a lot more, so I am keen to read other books in the series.

[Tez]

With two puncture wounds in her neck, an exsanguinated corpse was likely the victim of vampires...or people who think they are. FBI profiler Sophie Anderson works with the LAPD to investigate the case, and she's a little too eager to unofficially go undercover, infiltrating the mysterious After Dark group. She's been struggling to understand her own psi abilities, so maybe that's why she wants to spend more time with the leader...

This is the fifth novel in the Sophie Anderson series. I'd already read the first two novels, skipped the third (features one of my most disliked tropes), and haven't yet got my mitts on the fourth. The original Australian trade paperback edition mistakenly labelled Kiss of Death as a "thriller" on the front cover, but I'd put it under the catch-all genre of crime or, more specifically, procedurals. (The thriller element kicks in at least halfway into the novel.) The Aussie mass market paperback cover has wisely removed the "thriller" label, but I'm including this note in case you acquire the earlier version.

It's never really concluded whether the vampires really are supernatural, or if they suffer from porphyria and/or Renfield's syndrome. I'd love to read more about these medical/psychological conditions, so hopefully future authors of vampire fiction will continue to explore the science.

While the research and investigation are fascinating, I can't connect with the characters. As a psychological expert, you'd expect Sophie to know better, to smell a rat, to not fall for a New Religious Movement leader. She shouldn't be so easily charmed. As soon as we encounter him, Anton Ward's a sleaze, and thus I don't get the attraction. Quite possibly the idea that he could share more details of Sophie's psi abilities could explain the appeal, but only partially. But generally speaking, in fiction alpha males tend to be douchebags, so I never understand their appeal. But I'm likely in the minority, so my opinion doesn't count ;-)

[April]

I really enjoyed this book. I won this from Goodreads first reads, giveaway. I was afraid that it being book #5 that I would be confused, but that was not the case.
I liked Sophie and her direct clear approach to the solving of crimes. I found the Goth culture and the vampire cult believable. I was trying to come up with my suspect as she was and liked how the ending came about. I found the book to be fast paced and well written.

I was also able to read Coming Home, by PD Martin. It is also another Sophie story. It is available from Phillipa's website and was another great story.

Thank you Phillipa for Kiss of Death. Wonderful book. I am looking forward to reading more of Sophie's stories and can't wait to see what is next.

[Tanya Sylvester]

I thought this book was okay. I was into in because even when there were only 50 pages more to go, I wasn't sure who the killer was. Turns out, it was someone who we (the reader) hadn't met. We'd heard of him in passing, as a potential suspect, but there was really no basis as to why since no one had actually spoken to him until the last 40 pages of the book. From there, he was introduced, revealed and captured. I struggle with books like this because I feel like a mystery should be solvable by the reader. Not easily, but the reader should be able to look back and say, "Ohhh! I get it now. It all makes sense!"

Worth reading though. Decent writing and I like when books are set in an area or community that I'm not really familiar with.

[Jennifer Thomson]

PD Martin knows how to write an entertaining book and she's done it again with the 5th book in the Sophie Anderson series.

Sophie is a FBI profiler with a secret of her own: she has visions. And it's that aspect of her character that stands out in this entertaining read.

When a teenage girl's body is found with two puncture marks on her neck the finger of guilt immediately points at a local group of high class vampires. But, could Sophie be getting sidetracked by alluring head vamp Anton Ward?

Reads this is you're a fan of True Blood and crime novels where the main character is a bit different.

[Rhonda]

This was one in a series of books that I have really enjoyed reading until this one. The story is centred around Vampires and the Vampire world. To be honest, I couldn't care less if Vampires and their stories are fashionable because I like things that I feel are possible. This seemed a ridiculous story and if there are such weirdo's out there, I'd rather remain ignorant and not know of their existence.

If you too feel as I do, don't worry and just skip this one as there is nothing in there that really leads from the previous book or follows on with any real relevance into the next! MISS IT!

[Saj]

Greece holiday reading by the pool:) My favourite part about this book is that the pages are a bit curled from being in touch with my wet bathingsuit!
Anyway... I chose this one very randomly and didn't have high expectations. I wasn't familiar with the author or the series (which this apparently is). Being completely ignorant then I actually expected this to be a supernatural story, maybe even a bit scary. I was therefor disappointed to find myself reading an average crime story with a tolerable main character. Now it just makes me think about Greece.

[Luciana Cavallaro]

Another great story by PD Martin. Not as suspenseful as her previous novels but still makes for compelling reading.
FBI Agent Sophie Anderson investigates a ritualistic murder which leads her to the hidden world of goths and vampires. Not your typical vamp story but definitely much more interesting as Martin delves into the power of cults, why people are drawn to charismatic leaders and ultimately join.
This story doesn't disappoint and Sophie with her psychic vision to see what happens to the victims adds to the tension.
Looking forward to the next Sophie Anderson novel.

[Lauren]

This was a really interesting book. It had me hooked from the moment I started reading it.
There were so many suspects that you were guessing right until the conclusion who was behind it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be looking at reading some more by P.D. Martin, very easy and enjoyable to read.

[Mark Sullivan]

This was a fun, fast-paced, and exciting read. A huge thanks to PD Martin for the book giveaway and the shout-out written in the cover. This was a great novel for fans of police/crime thrillers, or those who are interested in a different take on the vampire craze. I really enjoyed this book and am certainly interested in checking out more the Sophie Anderson adventures.

[Hannah]

I was one of the lucky winners of the Goodreads Giveaway, and while I have not yet found time to read this (will post review later when I have, though!), I just wanted to leave a bit of a shout out to P.D. Martin. Thank you, and I was really tickled to find a message from you inside the cover!

[Deedra]

Much longer than the other Sophie Anderson books I have read. I liked the vampire element added, but there was less about Agent Anderson's psychic ability. Felt like this book took much longer to develop the crime than the others.

[Denise Whelan]

This book started out pretty good, but then it just flattened out for me just past the middle of the book! I have loved the other books P.D. Martin has written, I just thought this book was okay, not really what I had thought.

[Saturnus]

This was my first Sophie andersson book, but definitly not my last!
I have never read about vampyrism in crime, but it was interesting.
Sophie is a strong charachter that i can recognize myself in.
She and Darren are a great couple, even if she is a awful girlfriend, but nobodys perfect :)

[Julia]

Liked hoe the author made vampires fit into a realistic situation. Thought it was a bit odd she would go for the whole vampire thing with all the other books having possible situations but she made it work with explanations as to why people would desire blood.

[Lynn Stadel]

This book like all P.D. Martin books kept me on the edge of my seat. I love all the details including the profile that Sophie writes, if you like vampires you will love this book.

[Daniel Lassiter]

Note: I do not remember when I finished this book.

[Trisha]

This is another great Sophie Anderson mystery. My only complaint is that it finishes too quickly. I like the dynamic between Sophie and Anton. Keep them coming Phillippa.

[Louisa]

This was a great book, one that I loved reading! It was a great 5th book, and it was just really good!

[David]

An ok storyline involving the vampire sub-culture and an Australian profiler working for the FBI in America to solve a series of vampire related murders. Slow moving plot.