My name is Skye Summers. I m a hairstylist and I can t stop fantasizing about killing my clients. My occasional fantasies have turned into chronic ...
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Jul 22, 2010
Susan
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A dog-loving, vegetarian hairstylist, Lilly Skye Destiny Summers, starts fantasizing about killing her annoying clients, and that would include most of them. Hairstyling implements are usually involved, as are jugular veins. At the same time, a serial killer is abducting women in her state, Massachusetts, and he has named himself the Mass Avenger. Skye starts imagining that the killer is one of her clients.
This is the first book I've read by this author, and I found it very entert More...
This is the first book I've read by this author, and I found it very entert More...
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Feb 12, 2011
Zhôngguó
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Are you that client who bores your hair stylist with the mundane details of your personal life? Are you that lady who steals other people's parking spots? Are you that person in the 20-items-or-less-line with 21 items? Do you let your spoiled children run around annoying strangers? Then guess what? Someone is fantasizing about watching you bleed. Despite her out-of-character hippy name, Lilly Skye Destiny Summers is your typical middle-American gal: she gets along with her parents, she adores he
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Jan 16, 2011
Patricia
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This is an unusual thriller--sort of "Dexter"esque. Although Skye, the beautician narrator, fantasizes about killing her clients in the most imaginative and grotesque ways possible--it's the local serial killer the Mass Avenger who's actually doing the crimes. When Skye's imagination and the killer's actual behavior become entangled--the story kicks into high gear. In the mean time, we are entertained with a parade of fascinating local clients at the beauty salon, along with Skye's
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Nov 28, 2010
Celia
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Storyline: Darcia Helle’s The Cutting Edge kept me right on the edge the entire time with her razor sharp wit and even sharper critiques of the main character’s agonizingly annoying hair salon clients.
We meet Skye at the peak (or would it be low point?) of her career as a small town hairstylist who has just about had it up to her eyeballs with the daily complaints, snarky comments and just general absurdity of her clientele. Skye begins to have morbid and detailed fantasies about giving h More...
We meet Skye at the peak (or would it be low point?) of her career as a small town hairstylist who has just about had it up to her eyeballs with the daily complaints, snarky comments and just general absurdity of her clientele. Skye begins to have morbid and detailed fantasies about giving h More...
Oct 21, 2010
Grace
rated it: 
"I fantasize about my scissors slipping and slicing into her jugular vein."
Anyone who’s ever been in a job that involved personal service will relate to some of Skye Summers’ thoughts about her hairdressing clients. While annoying clients are in her chair, Skye finds herself fantasizing about killing them in the most grotesque ways. From the teenage boy who wants to use a knife on her to the woman who shows up at the crack of dawn and accuses Skye of being late, she's got q More...
Anyone who’s ever been in a job that involved personal service will relate to some of Skye Summers’ thoughts about her hairdressing clients. While annoying clients are in her chair, Skye finds herself fantasizing about killing them in the most grotesque ways. From the teenage boy who wants to use a knife on her to the woman who shows up at the crack of dawn and accuses Skye of being late, she's got q More...
Aug 15, 2010
Stacy
rated it:
I loved this book! Skye was a likable, real character and her honest voice drew me into this novel, a unique blend of dark comedy, suspense, mystery and romance. Skye feels trapped in her job as a hairdresser and fantasizes about “getting rid” of her annoying clients. Anyone who has felt burned out from a job will relate to how Skye’s frustration starts to intrude on an otherwise healthy and happy life.
Meanwhile, in a parallel storyline, a serial killer takes out his own personal More...
Meanwhile, in a parallel storyline, a serial killer takes out his own personal More...
Jul 20, 2010
Christopher
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"The Cutting Edge" is the latest endeavor by Darcia Helle in her vast array of growing novels offered up for her avid fans consumption. I must admit that this is the first of her books which I have read, and for the most part found myself wonderfully entertained. With the focus of "The Cutting Edge" centering on a serial killer and a common hairdresser's obsession with blood, the content falls in line with my book, Duncan's Diary. Maybe all of us crazy people flock to the
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Aug 11, 2010
Alisha
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So, we've all fantasized about killing people. Now before you go off thinking "She's nuts. I would never hurt anyone". I wouldn't either. We're only talking about fantasizing. Now before you go off and think "I would never think about hurting someone", let me save us both the time by saying that we've all had the thought of "I'd just like to strangle that person" or "I really just want to stab that pen in her eye". Even, "God, if she doesn't put
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Dec 15, 2010
Linda
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Skye Summers is not your ordinary hairstylist. What is so different? This hairstylist fantasizes about killing her clients. Skye takes the reader through her day with her regular clients and their problems, confessions and families.
The Cutting Edge is written with a combination of styles. There is a little of everything in this book - a serial killer mystery, humor, thriller and more. As the book starts, it is written in a sarcastic and humorous tone with the main character de More...
The Cutting Edge is written with a combination of styles. There is a little of everything in this book - a serial killer mystery, humor, thriller and more. As the book starts, it is written in a sarcastic and humorous tone with the main character de More...
Jan 21, 2012
Amy
rated it:
Overall I liked this book.It will keep you guessing as to who the serial killer is the writer would hint but never let you in on who it was till the end as it should be in a good murder mystery book. The hairdresser that the killer becomes facinated by was quite a scarcastic woman she has alot of spunk and I liked her alot.The writer let you hear all the evil things she wanted to do to her customers that were a pain.Some of my favorite parts of the book made me laugh by the thoughts she was havi
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Jan 06, 2011
Janette
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Feb 01, 2011
RJ
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Who among us hasn’t fanaticized about evening a score or seeking retribution against someone who has hurt or offended us? It’s human nature. Clinical psychologists might argue that the fantasies serve as a pressure relief valve.
The protagonist in The Cutting Edge, Skye Summers, frequently fantasizes about killing her hair salon clients. Their constant gossip and self-centered perspectives have Skye on the verge of burnout. As domestic obstacles add to Skye’s stressors, her fantasies da More...
The protagonist in The Cutting Edge, Skye Summers, frequently fantasizes about killing her hair salon clients. Their constant gossip and self-centered perspectives have Skye on the verge of burnout. As domestic obstacles add to Skye’s stressors, her fantasies da More...
Nov 29, 2010
April
rated it:
CUTTING EDGE by Darcia Helle is an exciting mystery thriller. It is set in modern day America. It is well written with depth,details, twists and turns. It has romance, suspense, dark comedy, sex, and shows how fate, upbringing,circumstances and personal values can effect how we view life. It also has two storyline going that intertwine together nicely. Skye, the main character is funny, smart, likable and imagines killing one of her clients. She is a beautician. The other storyline is a serial k
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Feb 24, 2011
Cheryl
rated it:
Well, it's no wonder Skye wants to kill people. Her name is Skye for one; her parents are hippies; her husband's ex is a monster of a greedy selfish bitch and his daughter has also found fashion in that as well; and all Skye's clients at the hair-salon have rubbed every single nerve in her body raw. If you've ever worked in the service industry, you will be able to relate to Skye's woes, and if you haven't, Skye's darkly humorous way of dealing with the self-absorbed should be taken as lesson le More...
Sep 30, 2010
Crystal
rated it: 
I just finished this book last night. It was a quick read and was exciting to receive the book after winning it on Goodreads. I hate to be the party pooper but it just didn't do it for me. Listening to Skye talk about wanting to kill her clients for 20-something odd chapters got a bit redundant. There just didn't feel like there was enough variation and the plot didn't feel strong enough. I often felt like I was reading the journal ramblings of a 15 yr old with pent-up angst. I mean who hasn't f
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Jul 24, 2010
Sheri
rated it:
The Cutting Edge (Darcia Helle)
Skye Summers is a hairstylist living in a small town in Massachusetts. She has the perfect husband and her dogs are her babies. Daughter of aging hippies, she grew up in a commune, a vegetarian who would not even consider eating an animal and she would never even consider killing a spider.
So why does she fantasize about killing her clients? These thoughts cross her mind as she cuts their hair. It is beginning to consume her working thoughts. More...
Skye Summers is a hairstylist living in a small town in Massachusetts. She has the perfect husband and her dogs are her babies. Daughter of aging hippies, she grew up in a commune, a vegetarian who would not even consider eating an animal and she would never even consider killing a spider.
So why does she fantasize about killing her clients? These thoughts cross her mind as she cuts their hair. It is beginning to consume her working thoughts. More...
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Sep 26, 2010
VLynch
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“I picture myself cutting Jason’s eyeballs out and making him eat them.” Is one of the lines in of this book. Sounds awful, but honestly, haven’t we all fantasized about killing someone? An ex husband, a stupid co- worker, or someone who has hurt our child, etc.? While in reality we all know everyone has had fantasies like that and most of us would never think to follow through with the thoughts. This book has made me want to check myself into a 72 hour psych ward just for thinking about dropp
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Oct 13, 2010
Jamie
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I won this book in the Goodreads giveaway, so obviously I was interested in it, or I wouldn't have entered the contest! Luckily for me my instincts were right on!
This is a dark, chick-lit, funny book. Helle's main character Skye Summers, is a trip! Maybe that's because her real name is Lilly Skye Destiny or LSD! I loved that way she talked about her clients. We've all been in situations where we want to "kill" someone. Skye just fantasizes about it a little too frequen More...
This is a dark, chick-lit, funny book. Helle's main character Skye Summers, is a trip! Maybe that's because her real name is Lilly Skye Destiny or LSD! I loved that way she talked about her clients. We've all been in situations where we want to "kill" someone. Skye just fantasizes about it a little too frequen More...
Oct 05, 2010
Timothy
rated it:
DO YOU WANT IT IN THE NECK OR THE EYEBALL?
"The Cutting Edge" features Lilly Skye Destiny Summers, a hair stylist. L.S.D. (yes, she's the child of hippies), better know as "Skye," tells her story in the first person. She feels like someone you know. It no doubt helped that author Darcia Helle was once a hair stylist herself. The descriptions of the salon and clients are uncanny.
Skye is a vegetarian - but you would not know it from her Dexter-like daydre More...
"The Cutting Edge" features Lilly Skye Destiny Summers, a hair stylist. L.S.D. (yes, she's the child of hippies), better know as "Skye," tells her story in the first person. She feels like someone you know. It no doubt helped that author Darcia Helle was once a hair stylist herself. The descriptions of the salon and clients are uncanny.
Skye is a vegetarian - but you would not know it from her Dexter-like daydre More...
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Dec 04, 2011
Marty
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I'll admit, I chose to read this book because of an online acquaintance with the author, along with the many rave reviews of her work from other authors in my network. Although I write thrillers myself, I'm not big on gore, guts, and cruelty. So a plot with a serial killer wouldn't normally attract me. [End disclaimer]
I have to say I was pleased with the first half of the book, where protagonist Skye, a hair stylist with murderous thoughts about her overly-demanding clientele, gave voi More...
I have to say I was pleased with the first half of the book, where protagonist Skye, a hair stylist with murderous thoughts about her overly-demanding clientele, gave voi More...
Oct 14, 2011
Jess
rated it:
I know "Psychological Mystery" doesn't quite sound as sexy as "Psychological Thriller", but marketing labels aside...I enjoyed the strong emphasis on "the inner psyche" in this story. Both that element and the mystery/murder component components went extremely well together.
I've entertained the idea of being a hairstylist in the past (during my late teens), so that aspect of the book piqued my interest easily ;). This is a book/story which starts with the More...
I've entertained the idea of being a hairstylist in the past (during my late teens), so that aspect of the book piqued my interest easily ;). This is a book/story which starts with the More...
Sep 20, 2010
Praj
rated it:
Lilly Skye Destiny Summers is the misplaced child of Patrick Bateman (American Psycho) and Catherine Tramell(Basic Instinct).A vegan,hippie hairstylist persistently fantasizing on mutilating her infuriating clients discovers her wild reveries come true when she faces a bona fide serial killer- the Mass Avenger. Sinister, schizophrenic and devilishly wacky; this transgressional narrative is a rhythmic trance crafting hell a perfect haven to reside in. I certainly perceive Chuck Palahniuk beaming
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Feb 16, 2011
Vanessa
rated it: 
This could have been great. I was really looking forward to it so I went ahead and bought it on my ereader. Disappointing is not a strong enough word. I feel like I'm missing something since I was the only one who didn't give it at least two stars. *Sigh* Oh well.
The writing was ok, there was nothing special about it. I sort of liked her characters, the hippie parents and the dogs were the best part. I did not really like the main character, though I felt she should have been liked, More...
The writing was ok, there was nothing special about it. I sort of liked her characters, the hippie parents and the dogs were the best part. I did not really like the main character, though I felt she should have been liked, More...
Jan 19, 2011
Kate
rated it:
This book took a while for me to get into. At first, all it really seemed like was a hair dresser whining and whining and whining about how much she hates whiners! After a while, you get used to her complaining and the mystery aspect of the book picks up and the whole thing becomes quite engrossing. Speaking of engrossing, more specifically the "gross" in engrossing, the serial killer in this book really grossed me out. It honestly wasn't too gory, but icky. I don't really have an
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Feb 23, 2011
Maria
rated it:
From page 1, where Darcia Helle's protagonist introduces herself as Lilly Skye Destiny Summers (LSD Summers -- named by her hippie parents), and then goes on to explain that she is known as Skye, and her husband's surname is Skyler, so she kept her maiden name, I knew that I was going to enjoy this book!
Anyone who has worked in a job where they have to deal with the general public on a daily basis will appreciate the humour in this book.
Skye is a hairdresser and begins to have fantas More...
Anyone who has worked in a job where they have to deal with the general public on a daily basis will appreciate the humour in this book.
Skye is a hairdresser and begins to have fantas More...
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May 22, 2011
Skip
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Recommended by RJ. Skye Summers is a hair stylist, harboring thoughts of killing her annoying clients, who feel compelled to share all of their inner secrets with her. Meanwhile, a serial killer is loose in southern Massachusetts is killing women, who use their wily charms to take advantage of men. Needed to say, the killer ends up as a client and there is a showdown. Helle's writing reminds me of Janet Evanovich's, which is praise indeed.
Mar 24, 2011
Michael
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Let me begin by saying that this book is totally outside of my normal reading genres. I’m generally not a big fan of suspense stories, whether books or movies. That said, I found The Cutting Edge to be a great read. Darcia Helle has a remarkable ability to breathe life into her characters, whether it’s the endless stream of annoying clients in her hair salon, Skye Summers and her family, or most notably, the serial killer stalking the town. Much of the story is told in the first person throu
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Oct 09, 2011
Jenn
rated it:
Despite the editing errors and occassional spelling flubs (the "er" was completely left off of the word "killer"), I enjoyed this book. The present tense narrative was awkward and felt a bit like it was narrated by a robot. "It is Monday. I am at work. I look at my schedule. I am already getting angry." There was no natural flow to the narration.
That said, I think the author did a good job of terrifying anyone who visits a salon! Next time I need a trim, More...
That said, I think the author did a good job of terrifying anyone who visits a salon! Next time I need a trim, More...
Jul 30, 2010
Christy
rated it:
Chick-lit horror.
Helle writes with a really fun, natrual style that makes the book a quick read that appeals to the chick-lit appetites, but the story is smart and violent enough for someone who is actually literate.
Great escapist novel for the woman who'd like to murder everyone.
Helle writes with a really fun, natrual style that makes the book a quick read that appeals to the chick-lit appetites, but the story is smart and violent enough for someone who is actually literate.
Great escapist novel for the woman who'd like to murder everyone.
Aug 09, 2010
This book makes you realize what the saying becareful what you wish for means. Very entertaining. I would recommend highly.
