Review: Kill for Me by Karen Rose

Genres: Romantic Suspense

Five teenage girls have been murdered. One survived, and only she can reveal the secrets of a disturbing ring of people who kidnap and sell teenage girls on the black market. But those responsible for the crimes will do whatever it takes to maintain her silence.

Susannah Vartanian and Luke Papadopoulos have both sworn to stop the murderers for their own reasons. Susannah, the sister of the hero in SCREAM FOR ME, suffers from a mysterious past that is connected to the sinister black market. Luke is an investigative agent and a computer expert who refuses to let another child predator get away.

Susannah and Luke are instantly attracted to each other, but their troubled pasts prevent them from immediately acting upon their feelings. The case will lead them to the shady realm of Internet chat rooms, where anyone can mask their identity. As Susannah and Luke draw closer to the criminals, they discover a chain of deception so intricate they don’t know who to trust. Susannah and Luke find comfort in one another’s arms, but the killers are ruthless and determined, and will take extreme measures to insure their anonymity and keep their business intact.

Kill for Me is the third and final book in Karen Rose’s chilling trilogy about the Vartanian family in Dutton, Georgia. This is the story of Susannah Vartanian, the younger sister of Daniel, the hero of the previous novel. I knew this novel picked up where Scream for Me left off. Or I thought I did. I was surprised to learn when I started it that it actually begins several chapters before Scream for Me ends. In essence the two run parallel for a bit. This caused me a some trouble at first since I didn’t re-read Scream for Me before starting this one, but once I got started I had no trouble falling into the story.

This is a multifaceted story that’s complex and yet terribly simple. I’m afraid it was very hard to read at times, not because the story was lacking, but because the subject matter was harsh. Human trafficking. Targeted specifically at teenagers. As the mother of an almost teen, this was hard for me to stomach at times.

I think one of the best parts of this novel is the strength shown by the young women who were kidnapped and sold into prostitution. Two of them especially showed themselves to be strong young women. My heart hurt for them, and I so wanted to save them. The depth of my feelings for these young women is a testament to Rose’s ability as an author. They could have been my daughters, nieces, sisters.

In the previous two novels we saw the toll working the Internet Sex Crimes division had taken on Luke. I can’t imagine seeing those heinous crimes without being able to do anything to stop it. For him it’s a constant battle to maintain his humanity, and I didn’t blame him a bit. He was definitely a well drawn character.

Susannah was hard to warm up to at first. She keeps people at arms length. I know a lot of people had a hard time with her hatred of her brother, but I understood that completely. She needed someone to blame, and knowing that Daniel abandoned her gave her the perfect excuse to turn her anger onto him. Knowing the horrors she suffered, I don’t blame her at all for putting the blame on Daniel. Especially because he was the only one who would have saved her.

Because of her feelings toward Daniel and the trauma she suffered, she seems closed off and cold. As the story progresses we realize that isn’t the case and I think it was easier to sympathize with her. I honestly admired her willingness to stand up for herself and put herself on the line to see those who were guilty punished. I think Rose could have taken the easy way out and made Susannah a different character, but instead she gave her real emotions and real baggage. In the end I have more respect for Susannah – and for Karen Rose – because of the way things turned out.

Their romance comes about slowly, and I appreciate the way it was handled. There’s no doubt the two are attracted to each other, but because of Susannah’s past it would have ruined the credibility of the story if they’d jumped right into a relationship. It took time for them to trust each other and I really liked the way it was done. In the end I believed they had a shot at forever, though it wasn’t going to be easy.

Once again Rose managed to write an intricately woven masterpiece of suspense and action. I was kept guessing right up until the end.

4.5 out of 5

The series:

This book is available from Grand Central Publishing. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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