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The Kiss Off

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The Kiss Off by Stephen Larkin has an action-packed plot filled with murder, corrupt politicians, and dangerous crime lords out for blood.

If you were new to the country and someone offered to take you under their wing, would you do anything to stay that way? What would their protection even look like? Would you ask questions? For Eileen Sullivan, Benny and Rita Fitzgibbons, hard work is everything and they'll just about take anything. From the start, Larkin captivates his audience with death, mystery, and political corruption. What's not to like about that?! 


Being the eye candy of a prominent senator was all fun and games, until he started spilling his illegal activities to her during drunken spells. Now, being a meticulous record keeper, Eileen thinks that she can get away with bribing him into marriage. She would be set for life, but she knows that it is only a matter of time before it is over. She has been swimming in water with sharks for far too long. Eileen O'Sullivan's body washes up on a beach full of vacationers and there are some pretty angry people looking for her murderer once they learn that the body is Eileen's. Not only are the police out to find the murderer, but the Irish and Italian mobs may be involved too and they are all too eager for a blood bath. 


Larkin brings likable characters to the table with this story. In the beginning, we get a sense of foreboding with someone stalking after a girl who has made her way onto a boat with her friend. Then a series of catastrophic events unfold. Everyone begins to have their own agenda invested into the murder of this woman, even though you know who the killer his throughout the entire story. It's quite fascinating to be able to slowly unravel how everyone is connected throughout the read. The pace is steady and the story is action-packed, making it easy to get wrapped up in. The story is written well with little to no grammatical errors and the cover is quite alluring. Readers who like suspense, mystery, and crime may thoroughly enjoy this book. 


An electronic copy was provided to Turning Another Page by Reedsy Discovery and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a five-star rating for The Kiss Off by Stephen Larkin.

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Turning Another Page is a small web-based business, owned and operated out of San Antonio, Texas. Originally created as an official book blog in November 2014, Turning Another Page has successfully grown to encompass services that can be offered to authors worldwide.

About the author

Stephen Larkin has been a lifelong resident of Long Island, NY and has been an avid reader since his teens. Steve is the author of "The Kiss Off" and "Murder on Dog Island." Steve has been married to his wonderful wife, Gabriele and they have two children. view profile

Published on November 01, 2017

Published by

80000 words

Worked with a Reedsy professional 🏆

Genre: Mystery & Crime

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