It’s a Mystery: A Killer’s Kiss, by William Lashner

She was the kind of woman who…

If you’re a fan of the classic noir mystery genre, books that begin with the entrance of the sexy dame with a secret, A Killer’s Kiss should please. Victor Carl is no PI, but he is a defense attorney, handsome, smart, and not as successful as he’d once planned. He’s  cynical and wisecracking, but he’s never gotten over the fiancee who jilted him for a richer man, so when Julia makes a sudden reappearance into his life, Victor allows his heart to muffle the warning bells that clang in his mind. Even when he learns that her husband has just been murdered and she keeps handing him a pack of lies.

Of course, there’s a set up of monumental proportions. There are also a Russian gangster and his sadistic henchman, a Byronic drug addict, good and bad cops, a housekeeper with a heart of gold, Victor’s most recent hustler of a client who wants to be his PI, and various other colorful, threatening, and ambiguous characters, all of whom want something from Victor. And will do what they must to get it. As for Victor, he’ll do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of things with his skin intact (literally.)

A Killer’s Kiss is a thriller that reveals its truths gradually, retaining a few genuine surprises for the final chapter.