Kisscut by Karin Slaughter - Book Review

I first read about one or two of Karin Slaughter’s books a few years ago. The books sounded interesting so I picked up Blindsighted, her first book. I did enjoy the book even though some of what happened in it was disturbing and I picked up her second book, Kisscut.

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Kisscut featured the same main characters that had been in Blindsighted. Sara Linton was the pediatrician and medical examiner in Heartsdale Georgia. Her parents, sister Tessa, and ex-husband Jeffrey Tolliver all lived in the same town. Jeffrey was the chief of police, which forced him and Sara to work together at times. Their relationship was complicated by the fact that they still had feelings for each other. They became closer working on an intense investigation that involved Lena, another police officer, and they decided to start dating again.

Kisscut had its own plot while still building on what had happened in Blindsighted. Because of that, a few things I mention while discussing this book will be spoilers for the first book. Kisscut can stand alone but I do think that it would be better if Blindsighted was read first. The characters will be more developed and certain things will make more sense. If the books were read out of order, certain things would be spoiled.

Sara and Jeffrey were meeting at the local skating rink on a Saturday night. Instead of having a nice evening, they ended up with a horrible situation that ended with a dead teenager. The autopsy and investigation revealed long term abuse that horrified Sara and Jeffrey. Lena was still struggling to deal with everything she’d been through even though she was back on the job. The things she was still trying to deal with did cause her some complications on her job.

Kisscut dealt with a very disturbing subject. As the book progressed, more and more disturbing things related to the investigation were uncovered. The plot dealt with horrible abuse that some teenagers had been subjected to for years. Details related to the abuse were shared at different times. I think the details were slightly less graphic than the crime related details in the previous book. It was very unpleasant to read about and the details will be too graphic for some readers. Some details related to what Lena had gone through were brought up again as well. Things related to Sara’s work as the medical examiner were shared. I was very glad that more details from an autopsy weren’t included.

Sara and Jeffrey had a complicated relationship. They had to work together at times, something that Sara hated because of how things worked out with their marriage and divorce. Jeffrey had messed up badly but he still loved her and wanted her back. They had managed to work through some things during a previous investigation and Sara decided to date him again. Despite that, she still wasn’t sure she wanted to be with him again and it didn’t help that her family thought she was crazy for getting involved with him again. It was made clear that they were intimate without there being any actual sex scenes included. There were some sexual discussions and situations related to the case that were rather disturbing to read.

Sara and Jeffrey have been the main characters in both books with Sara being more developed overall. Sara liked both her jobs for different reasons. She spent time feeling guilty because she hadn’t spotted the signs of abuse in the past. Sara was indecisive at times, especially connected to her relationship with Jeffrey. She seemed to only want things on her terms, though she did make an effort for him once or twice. Jeffrey had to take some time to deal with his mother. That did cause the book to go off into a subplot that just wasn’t that interesting to me even though it did provide more information about Jeffrey. He was also trying to deal with something related to the case. Sara’s parents and sister Tessa were just barely in the book. Tessa said a few things at one point that I felt made her less likable.

Lena was struggling to recover emotionally to what had happened to her. She had returned to work, but she really wasn’t handling it that well. She flat out refused to talk to anyone about what she’d gone though even though she’d promised Jeffrey she would. She appeared to be on the verge of snapping, especially in a few scenes. She did questionable things during the investigation, including ignoring a direct order from Jeffrey. Lena had a horrible attitude and I just didn’t like her. I understood that she’d gone though something horrible, but I still just didn’t like the character. Maybe if she had been more likable before everything had happened, then I would have felt more compassion for her. She was very judgmental, going so far as imply that homosexuality was a mental illness. I got to the point where I dreaded the sections that were focused on Lena because I just don’t like her.

Kisscut was a good book that dealt with a very disturbing subject. This book definitely isn’t for everyone and I would think that it would horrify most parents. People that like good crime books or who enjoyed Blindsighted may also like this one.