Kiss of Death

Rutland #4

by Adam Croft

An elderly woman collapses and dies during a Sunday morning church service in Oakham. But things aren't quite as innocent as they seem.
Within hours, there's a second unexplained death in Rutland. Then a third. But the victims appear to be completely unconnected.
With the body count rising by the day, DI Caroline Hills and DS Dexter Antoine need to uncover the link before more innocent people die.
Only one thing is a killer walks the streets of Rutland. But no-one knows who the next victim will be, when they will be killed - or why.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook

304 pages, Paperback

Published May 13, 2022

About the author

With more than half a million books sold to date, Adam Croft is one of the most successful independently published authors in the world, and one of the biggest selling authors of the past year.

Following his 2015 worldwide bestseller Her Last Tomorrow, his psychological thrillers were bought by Thomas & Mercer, an imprint of Amazon Publishing. Prior to the Amazon deal, Her Last Tomorrow sold more than 150,000 copies across all platforms and became one of the bestselling books of the year, reaching the top 10 in the overall Amazon Kindle chart and peaking at number 12 in the combined paperback fiction and non-fiction chart.

His Knight & Culverhouse crime thriller series has sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide, with his Kempston Hardwick mystery books being adapted as audio plays starring some of the biggest names in British TV.

In 2016, the Knight & Culverhouse Box Set reached number 1 in Canada, knocking J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child off the top spot only weeks after Her Last Tomorrow was also number 1 in Canada.

During the summer of 2016, two of Adam’s books hit the USA Today bestseller list only weeks apart, making them two of the most-purchased books in the United States over the summer.

Before writing full time, Adam had previously worked as an internet marketing consultant, delivery driver and professional actor.

Adam has been featured on BBC Radio, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, The Bookseller and a number of other news and media outl

Reviews

[NILTON TEIXEIRA · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my 4th book by this author, this month. I started with book 3.

There is a nice improvement in this one. The writing was solid and the plot was interesting, although it lacked some thrilling.
And I was pleased with the longer chapters, as I thought it offered more substance.
The thing that I did not like was the change in DS Dexter’s character. In the previous book he was witty and independent, but here he was very weak and looked lost without DI Hills.
There were also some changes about DS Hills’ character.
I did like the dialogues and the personal drama that DI Hills had to face.
I listened to the audiobook as I read the ebook, but the narrator is different and I did not enjoy his voice.
Overall, another fast and quite enjoyable read.

ebook (Kobo): 194 pages (default), 52k words

audiobook narrated by Matthew Horne: 5 hours

[Lesley Lambourne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing in my opinion. I'm really fed up with Mark's whinging and needy attitude; the amount of words dedicated to it simply isn't in proportion to the plot (which is much weaker than previous books in the series).
Also, Dex's intetmittent insecurity simply doesn't work for a DS either - either make him a whizz or a whimp, not a mixture of the two!

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a few of this authors books and I really do like the Rutland Crime Series. Kiss of Death is the 4th book, yes you could read it as a stand-alone but this one has more details about DI Caroline Hills family life. It had been strained from her days working in the Met, so the change to a quieter rural area was supposed to ease the workload and give her more quality time. It's a shame crime doesn't stop when your local DI is on holiday with her husband and children!

Caroline isn't the only one that's in the small squad, she has her DS Dexter Antoine who is perfectly capable. However he isn't happy when he is looking into sudden death, there is one thing that doesn't sit right. When another sudden death occurs then things start to intensify. Trying to help Dex while on holiday isn't the best idea. Neither is Caroline returning to work and leaving her family behind. The dilemma about what to do for the best is one that made this a more personal story. While I do like her as a character, she is very work centred, it's all about the job. Things need to change.

The case is a very random one as such, this is a good thing by the way. First one death and then a second but both are completely different as far as the victims go. So no links, and therefore some limitations as to how to progress. It is when a third death occurs that things start to link, but even then the links are tenuous.

For a short story, 226pages, the author once again adds loads of details. There are the victims, the procedures, the personal stories, the links and all the other juicy bits that make for a very fast-paced read. If you haven't read any of these authors' books then you really should pick one up. He does specialise in quick-paced, short crime thrillers and mystery reads. I should also add there is quite a lot to choose from.

As far as this series is concerned, I think this is the best one. I do like the more personal side of Caroline, and the way she has to battle to get the support she deserves. I liked this one a lot and I would definitely recommend it.

[Misfits farm · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are back in Rutland and DI Caroline Hills is happy to be having a quieter time of things. Not too far away a woman feels ill whilst in church and collapses and dies. When there is another apparently unconnected but unexplained death, things don’t quite add up.
This is the fourth in the Rutland crime series but happily stands alone. I love this series- they are an easy, page turning read that quickly enveloped me into the pages. The characters come across brilliantly and are well rounded having that extra backstory enhancing their police persona. Anyone knowing the Rutland area will quickly envisage some of the place names and perhaps smile at the misdemeanours- as Adam says we really don’t know who we are standing next to at the supermarket- a thief, a burglar or worse- they still go about most of their everyday lives just like anyone else and Rutland is no different albeit a scenic rurality.
A wonderful, highly entertaining read with an excellent plot that kept me turning the pages rapidly.

[Estelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Adam never disappoints in his writing. Yet another page turner.

[Garry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series and the latest installment was a very good read

[Sue Hull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read, enjoy this alot

[Sheila Andrews · Rating 2 out of 5]

Of the four books in this series, this one annoyed me most and I almost didn't finish it. If this was real life I'd be seriously worried about my safety if I lived in Rutland. Having discovered the similar cause of death for all victims, why were the bottles not preserved and tested/examined. There's no mention of the bottles being immediately removed from shop shelves. Caroline's husband was very supportive of her job in previous books, but he seems to have had a personality transplant and can't understand why she would need to cut a local holiday short when there's a mass murderer on the loose. Added to this, Caroline's acceptance that he was right was frustrating. The factory owner would have called the police and scrapped the batch of juice once he realised what was going on. The list of annoyances goes on and I was glad to get to the end.

[Shirley Hartman-Rozee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although a well-written story, I must be getting spoiled in my expectations. I kept thinking there was going to be a twist ending or an explanation for why those specific four people died, but no, it was just some religious wacko off on a tangent—and that made no sense at all. And how do authors choose their titles? What does “Kiss of Death” have to do with poisoned grapefruit juice? I’m sorry, I just don’t get it.

[Christine Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Adam Croft but I was disappointed in this book I felt that he’s run out of ideas I could not see the sense of these murder and why the murder did what he did and some of it was similar to my life so it brought sad memories and also I would never had dealt with a death of a live one through cancer the way he did hope Adam’s next book is an improvement

[Nikki Geary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge Adam Croft fan and loved the Rutland series till this book. It just didn't hit the spot for me this time unfortunately.

[Juliana Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

The fourth book in the Rutland Crime series was a bit of a let down. I'll have to resort to spoiler tags to explain why in more detail, but overall it wasn't much of a whodunnit, I didn't like the tone of some of the characters (at the risk of sounding prudish some of the language felt unnecessarily vulgar - not really 'bad' language, just jarring in the context of the dead body being examined) and a bit repetitive in terms of the hammering home of how hard working the team was, how under-resourced the team was, how close the community was and so on.

From the word go it was hugely obvious the juice was the source of the poison - it was pretty much shouted at us from the moment the first victim took a swig of drink. We had one chapter from an anonymous viewpoint who was clearly the murderer but we had no clue who this was. We didn't find out who it was until around page 150 - about 2/3 of the way through the book. There is no fun in reading a mystery book if we don't even know who the potential culprit is until he is revealed as the perpetrator. There were no clues to unravel - we pretty much met the character, found out that he'd done it and then found out the very tenuous reason why.

As before, I'll read the next one: it's set locally and they're a quick and easy read but this one was particularly disappointing in terms of plot and suspense.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely excellent, which just goes to show what a brilliant and clever storyteller Adam Croft is. Once again we were treated to the endeavours of DI Caroline Hills and her extremely capable team to solve some really intense and mysterious crimes in sleepy Oakham. For a small town in dreamy Rutland they seem to be faced with some really messy crimes, but despite all the odds they always manage to catch the killer. This adventure was just as exciting as the others have been and I find it fascinating how Adam thinks of these amazing and enthralling plots that keeps the reader guessing all the way through. I found myself trying to work out who the killer could be and what their motive was long into the night, and even then I still didn’t see it coming. The sub-plot of Caroline being called back from her holiday and the effects her work is having on her marriage was another great distraction, and I was willing that everything would be resolved. The ending of this novel was a great lead into the next book and I look forward to getting to know some more new characters. Thanks once again Adam for keeping me thrilled and entertained.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book four of a thoroughly enjoyable crime series set in Rutland - the smallest county in England.
DI Caroline Hills is on a much needed holiday with her family, when she is forced to return to work early. People are dying suddenly with out any obvious cause - the victims are not seemingly linked and no one knows when or who the next victim will be.
This well written story is not overly flashy or involved - the police don't go in 'all guns blazing' and this gives the books a 'real' feel. I didn't guess the 'villain' until the end which is good, I like to be kept guessing.
You could read this as a stand alone as there is enough detail in the book to provide some back story - but I have enjoyed reading from book one to see the characters build throughout the series. Looking forward to the next in the series.

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fourth in the series of RUTLAND CRIME detective novels by Adam Croft, and my first. I was lent the book by a friend and I live locally which was the hook; the references to real-world locations are fun. As a book, I have very mixed feelings. It's a short read and the entire first half is set-up, which means the actual case is brief and detective involvement limited. Although the author strives for realism, there are a lot of coincidences and contrivances, and the killer's motivation doesn't really ring true. On the plus side, this is an incredibly fast read, the quickest novel I've ever sped through. I read the whole thing within two sittings, so the author's readability is incredibly high.

[simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow just brilliant Adam!

I loved this book! I can't recommend this book and series enough! Set in the uk with a brilliant Map of local area is just brilliant. If your from the UK,you can literally visualise the local area in the story. As for the storyline itself,its just brilliant. It follows a chef detective inspector,her family,her team and a brilliant puzzling case with twists and turns that keep you engrossed from the first page the the very last page! Loved it Adam,thank you! Your a brilliant author and have read all your books to date and loved every single one! THANK YOU! I do hope there will be a book 5!

[Martin Pilkington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book in the Rutland Crime series, which starts with DI Caroline Hills away on holiday and then …..

There is a lot of ancillary, background description in the book, I believe much more than in previous books, about Caroline and her husband, Mark. There is information about their relationship in previous books as well and this takes it on a little.

This isn’t a crime novel that invites you to pick out the person who has committed the crimes, though I don’t mean by that the guilty person is picked out of the air, but it’s a steady build up of information that gets the police to the guilty person.

Not my favourite book in the series but a good addition.

[Lorrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ Compared to the previous three books in this series, this one is the best of the bunch. There was much more focus on the crimes/solving the crimes. There was still some personal life events, like Hill’s husband being all persnickety about her not being able to tell him ~why~ she had to leave their holiday to go to work. You would think that after all these years of her being a detective, he’d get it, but evidently not. That was something that just didn’t ring true to me; it was simply manufactured to create some stress for Hill.

[Glenda Duming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another one on the books, solved in record time

Outstanding police procedural "who done it". This is book 4 in the Rutland Crime series but it can can stand on it's own. Adam Croft researches his backgrounds with an eye to authenticity and that makes for what feels like a true crime book. I did not know who the culprit was until near the end. That is the sign of a well written book. Recommend

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series, enjoyable to begin with, has got better and better. The cases have been a bit unusual throughout the series. This one was no different as relatively fit and well people are dropping dead. The team work really together and go the extra mile to solve the case. Caroline's home life is often fraught with tension as she gives so much to getting justice for those who need it. A great series which I have thoroughly enjoyed.

[Alison Waterfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating read

The Kiss of Death sees us back in Rutland with another brilliant and intriguing storyline. An excellent book which finds DI Caroline Hills and her team investigating some mysterious deaths. A very clever and well written plot which has you gripped to the end. I enjoy reading Adam Croft’s books and book number 4 in his latest crime series does not disappoint. A highly recommended 5 * read.

[Vron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book boring. Too much spotlight in pointless characters actions and thoughts without moving the plot forward.
The police work is very basic and they discover the plot and the killer more by chance than actually detective work.
Also the motivations are pretty unclear. Rush ending for a very bleak plot overall.
I also hated the marriage dynamics of the main character.
Not a mystery book in my opinion.

[Vanessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the fourth in the series. I read them as they are set locally. They were improving but this is definitely a backwards step. The plot is so implausible and to think a business owner would sacrifice his business and go to jail for just £1 million.

[Joan Waller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kiss of death

As always Adam another brilliant read I do enjoyed the plot and the intrigues into the different aspects of approach to situations was really inspiring can't wait for your next book and once again thank you

[Lora King · Rating 5 out of 5]

DI Hill is on vacay with her family when people begin to drop dead back home. Antoine will have to lead the investigation with the small team. Why would anyone randomly kill people (a la Tylenol murders). Gotta say tired already of Hill's husband and children story line.

[Gerard Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great addition to the Rutland Crime series.

Clever plotting and effective characterisation -- up to the standard of the previous novels in the series.

Recommended

[william shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book Brilliant author

[georgia elderkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant and easy read by Adam Croft

[Sue Saville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love Adam Croft. Read all of his books and never disappointed.

[John Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kiss.it f death

Another brilliant Adam croft book ,great story with a few twists and turns ,couldn't put it down,highly recommended,roll on his next book 😁