Kiss It Away by
Carol Anne Davis
hbk out July 03
Published by Do Not Press
at £15
A pulp thriller from Scottish writer Davis which takes a no-holds barred look at the life of a disturbed and angry young man who is hooked on steroids. Shortly after arriving in Salisbury, Nick rapes a stranger, Ben, and then murders a woman. Ben is sighted in the area and mistaken for the killer. His refusal to tell anyone, even girlfriend Dawn, about his ordeal increases the suspicions of those about him and soon the police are after him. Meanwhile Nick, chemically off the planet and permanently enraged, continues to wreak havoc and bloody murder. When Nick’s fury is targeted at friends of Dawn further horrific violence ensues.
Sexually explicit, dark and twisted, it’s safe to say Davis is a noir writer. The portrayal of the worst excesses of steroid abuse, the sinister side of gym culture and the working of the criminal mind are convincing. Less so is the romantic sub-plot, between Dawn and her ex-husband, which sits uneasily among so much brutality. As well as writing fiction, Davis has also written two non-fiction books: Women Who Kill: Profiles of Female Serial Killers and Children Who Kill. In each she points to an abusive and violent family life (including the use of corporal punishment) as the most crucial aspect in determining which of us grow up with the capacity to become killers. Kiss It Away is fiction rooted in the same analysis - an unsettling read with a wretched villain who is damaged beyond belief.
Manchester Evening News 11.10.03
(
Cath Staincliffe
author of the popular Sal Kilkenny mysteries set on the mean streets of Manchester)
Kiss It Away by
Carol Anne Davis
