Mouth to Mouth

Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing....
Review: Ellen's daughter Moreen, marries a man much older, Randy, and one whom Ellen thoroughly dislikes. It only takes a few pages into the book, before you understand--Ellen has good reason to dislike Randy. But, what can, what will Ellen do, to save her daughter.

As Ellen becomes involved in her daughter's problems, she revisits some of her own. And, she and husband Scott, will be visited by their nephew, Neal. Neal, is the character that will bring this mesmerizing book to its climax. And, it's Neal who will contribute heavily, to the suspense of this page-turning read.

If you're like me--you're not going to find any characters in MOUTH TO MOUTH, ones you care about. And yet, you'll have to keep reading this book, until you finish it. It has a little bit of everything--action and suspense, family drama, a book full of unusual characters, and even sensuality. I was sorry to finish this one. And, I've already tracked down Kimball's previous book, UNDONE.

Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing....
Review: Ellen's daughter Moreen, marries a man much older, Randy, and one whom Ellen thoroughly dislikes. It only takes a few pages into the book, before you understand--Ellen has good reason to dislike Randy. But, what can, what will Ellen do, to save her daughter.

As Ellen becomes involved in her daughter's problems, she revisits some of her own. And, she and husband Scott, will be visited by their nephew, Neal. Neal, is the character that will bring this mesmerizing book to its climax. And, it's Neal who will contribute heavily, to the suspense of this page-turning read.

If you're like me--you're not going to find any characters in MOUTH TO MOUTH, ones you care about. And yet, you'll have to keep reading this book, until you finish it. It has a little bit of everything--action and suspense, family drama, a book full of unusual characters, and even sensuality. I was sorry to finish this one. And, I've already tracked down Kimball's previous book, UNDONE.

Rating:
Summary: Compulsive Reading
Review: Having read Michael Kimball's previous book entitled "Undone", and thoroughly enjoying the read. I had no hesitation in purchasing "Mouth To Mouth".

"Mouth To Mouth" did not disappoint. The story was compelling from start to finish. The characters were intriguing, the plot twisted and turned with every page. Right to the end you just did not know what was going to happen next.

A true master piece and very much a "must have book" for every home.

Michael Kimball is a true genius of suspense.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Plan on Being Interrupted While Reading This
Review: I read Michael Kimball's previous book, Undone, quite a while ago. It was, to say the least, one of the most convoluted, exciting and suspenseful books I had ever read. When Mouth to Mouth came out, I bought it, although I wondered if Kimball could match Undone. No problem. This book has the same kind of serpentine plot, with twists and turns from page to page. The developing evil creeps up on the reader until suddenly all hell breaks loose, and you wonder, "What happened! " Definitely recommended for readers who like their plots fast, exciting and unpredictable. I can't wait until Mr. Kimball comes out with his next book.

Rating:
Summary: THIS IS AN AUTHOR TO KEEP AN EYE ON!!!
Review: In UNDONE, Michael Kimball thrilled and surprised me with the depth and clarity of his writing, not to mention his natural skills at weaving a novel of such complexity that I was kept guessing right up till the end. In his newest novel, MOUTH TO MOUTH, Mr. Kimball's writing reaches an even higher level of expertise, making me wonder why this New England author isn't know by more readers. In the opening chapter of MOUTH TO MOUTH, we encounter Ellen Chambers-a schoolteacher, artist, and sheep farmer--at the wedding of her seventeen-year-old daughter, Moreen. Ellen feels a great deal of apprehension at her daughter's marriage to Randy Cross, a man who is ten years older than Moreen, mean by nature and works as a strong-arm collector for the local loan shark. In fact, Ellen would like nothing better than to see her son-in-law dead, until a stranger whispers into her ear that anything is possible. The stranger turns out to be Neal Chambers, the nephew of her husband, Scott. They haven't seen Neal in over twelve years, since the day of his father's funeral. As it turns out, it was exactly twelve years before when Ellen caught her husband in bed with Neal's mother. Ellen immediately informed her brother-in-law about the adulterous affair. Later that afternoon, Neal's father, a local minister, committed suicide out of apparent shame by hanging himself from the rafters of Ellen's barn. Neal's family never recovered from what happened. Now, he's back, and he wants revenge against those that destroyed his life. Seduced by her nephew's youth, good looks, and overwhelming confidence, Ellen finds herself drawn into a web of lies and betrayal that starts with sex and ends in murder. Will Ellen be able to save herself and her family, or has Neal planned his revenge so carefully that no one will escape the sins of their past? MOUTH TO MOUTH is a taut, suspenseful thriller that builds to an exploding climax at such a rapid pace that it will leave the reader breathless. I was once again unable to guess or predict where the story was headed as layer after layer unfolded, presenting me with new information that took me in an entirely different direction from what I expected. The twists and turns actually had me wondering if Ellen Chambers would make it out alive; and, if so, at what cost to her sanity and soul. Mr. Kimball's writing is definitely that of a seasoned "pro". It's sharp, yet smoothly textured with not a word wasted. He also clearly understands the nature of humanity and how good people can resort to evil deeds when backed into a corner. He's able to capture the very essence of this in explicit detail, as well as the small-town atmosphere of New England. I have to say that the discovery of Michael Kimball during the past few months has been one of intense pleasure and purer admiration. This is an author from Maine who will one day give Stephen King a hard run for his money. I only hope it won't be as long before his next novel comes out.

Rating:
Summary: The dark heart of everyday people
Review: Kimball follows the success of his first erotically charged noir suspense novel, "Undone," with another chilling story of ordinary people caught up in a nightmare of their own making.

"Mouth to Mouth" starts off on a sad, bleak note as 36-year-old Ellen Chambers watches her teenage daughter ruin her life by early pregnancy and marriage to a violent druggie ten years her senior. That Moreen is following in Ellen's footsteps is an added bitter irony, since she has made it clear that escaping mother is a major goal.

Into this bucolic scene (the wedding reception is taking place at the Chambers' sheep farm) steps a handsome, virile young man with an attractive, smoldering, possibly sinister demeanor. The young man stands up to the thuggish new groom, Randy, and suggestively soothes Ellen's murderous thoughts by assuring her "anything is possible." Their sexual attraction strikes immediate sparks even when Neal reveals he is her husband's nephew, last seen 12 years before, after his father's funeral.

Within a few days Neal has moved in, invited by his uncle, Ellen's husband, Scott, whose easygoing nature irritates Ellen. But there are a lot of things about Scott that have come to annoy Ellen. Currently Scott is drinking a lot. His hardware store is losing out to a chain and, unbeknownst to Ellen, he has mortgaged her sheep farm.

Neal, on the other hand, is a paragon. He is rebuilding Ellen's dilapidated barn and promises to have it finished in 12 days. He defends Ellen's sheep from coyotes, wakes her with his night roaming and swims with her at the farm pond, maintaining the unspoken erotic tension, charged with dark hints concerning Randy and even Ellen's stale marriage.

Randy, meanwhile, has no redeeming qualities and after a while it becomes hard to see how even a mother could love sullen, self-destructive Moreen. Kimball depicts a side of southern coastal Maine the tourists never see - a ruthless loan shark and his drug-crazed, drunken thug assistants and the hapless down-and-outs they feed on. Some of the ordinary residents are nearly as twisted as the loan shark while one of the enforcers turns out to be an eccentric with a strict moral code of his own devising.

The suspense builds slowly at first, introducing the characters and letting them hang themselves with their own discontent, gradually revealing a dark core of venality and self-loathing. Then events escalate, pulling Ellen and her loved ones into a vortex of violence fed by family secrets, driven by revenge and quickly spiraling out of control. Kimball's well-paced plot becomes an edge-of-the-seat page-turner.

Although a few of the characters cultivate unconvincing eccentricities (uncouth Randy, for instance, is a painter - of bestial misogyny, admittedly, but still there isn't a painterly bone in his body), the novel's dark mood is enhanced by the complex humanity of Kimball's characterizations. His people have genuine principles, undermined by selfishness and temptation. And his arch-villain is a pure sociopath, a man whose brilliance, dedication and understanding of human weakness make him almost invincible.

A novel that will keep you reading till it's done and give you nightmares afterwards.

Rating:
Summary: Kimball Avoids the Usual Formula
Review: Mr. Kimball has written a fast-paced, entriguing story, where characters are not really as they appear. The plot thickens continually throughout the story, and the ending is a bit of a surprize. I read it over two sleepless nights - well done!! Evil comes in many shapes and forms.

Rating:
Summary: Erotic?
Review: The first half of the book is a page turner and you want to know what would be in the next page, but as many writers, in the second half the only thing they want is to fill pages with letters that doesn't have to do anything with the real story.
Neal knew all the time what happened to his father and how, he didn't have to do every thing he did just for revenge, and the epilogue doesn't say anything, you just can skip it and you won`t miss anything.
..

Rating:
Summary: Electric
Review: This book was wonderfully unsettling almost from the get-go. The book is peopled with unlikable, but rich and intriquing characters. It is erotically charged like dancing across a field in a lightening-filled thunderstorm. Fear laced with facination impel us forward with these characters to, what we suspect, is not to be pretty places with happy endings. This is also a disfunctional family drama of deceit, death and the corruption of innocence. More about "lust" and loss than "love" and loss, there is a touch of the morality tale interwoven in the story. A facinating read from beginning to end. I intend to go back and read Kimball's UNDONE.

Rating:
Summary: mind blowing
Review: This is a type of book you can't put down. The way the author decribes the persons in the book, you feel you are a part of the story. You feel like you know them. I would go through the day thinking about Ellen.