Kiss & Tell by Luke Murphy - A Review by Fran Joyce

I found Kiss & Tell on a suggested reading email I received from the makers of my e-reader and downloaded it the same day not knowing when I would find time to read it.

It is the first novel in the Charlene Taylor Mystery series by Luke Murphy.

A couple of months later, I discovered the author is a member of the same writing community I follow on Twitter, so I reached out to him about reviewing his work in This Awful Awesome Life.

I’m also reviewing Dead Man’s Hand, the first novel in The Calvin Watters Mystery series by Murphy. Luke agreed to do a Q&A for this issue, so make sure you read all three articles.

Charlene Taylor is a second generation cop with a lot of baggage. Her father was a top homicide detective and a perfectionist who put his job before his family. Charlene was raised to be the son he never had. Following in his footsteps, she becomes a cop and works hard to live up to his standards.... so hard she alienates herself from her mom, sister and boyfriend.

Charlene is bright and ambitious, but her drinking threatens to derail her career. After her father is murdered, she's convinced he was working on a case instead of enjoying his retirement.

A serial killer dubbed “the Celebrity Slayer” has been murdering B list actresses. Charlene becomes convinced her dad's murder is somehow connected, but her captain assigns her to another high profile murder.

Ken Anderson is a university professor and the son in law of a powerful businessman. His murder at the home of his teaching assistant becomes Charlene’s first homicide case. Her investigation exposes Anderson’s checkered past and the more she digs the longer the list of suspects becomes.

While investigating the professor's death, Charlene starts receiving calls from someone claiming to be the slayer. The slayer seems to know intimate details of Charlene’s life. How does he know so much? Can she solve Anderson’s murder and join the hunt for the slayer before she becomes his next victim?

Detective Charlene Taylor is a strong female protagonist. Murphy does an excellent job of writing from her perspective. She is a nice balance of toughness with a certain vulnerability that makes her seem real instead of the typical invincible super cop. She has serious flaws… she drinks too much and she has difficulty with relationships, but she's a work in progress. I like that Murphy doesn’t magically “fix” Charlene in this first book. Her foibles make her more interesting, and I look forward to watching her evolve as the series progresses.

This book is action packed with many suspects and surprising twists. Charlene solves two major cases, so expect to be engaged at every turn. Murphy could have separated these cases into two books without cheating his audience of exciting reads.

Books by Luke Murphy:

Calvin Watters Mysteries:

Dead Man’s Hand

Wild Card

Charlene Taylor Mysteries:

Kiss & Tell

Rock-a-Bye Baby