And there’s no
overkill…Dead is dead.
Having
had enjoyed, C.S. DeWildt’s Love You To a Pulp so much, I was foaming at the
mouth to dig into his latest Kill Em with Kindness and boy was my appetite for
a great book satiated. DeWildt writes exactly what I love to read…characters
with depth, plots with violence, chapters that cut out the bullshit that bogs
them down, and more violence.
Nick
Gillis is a man who is recovering from the suicide of his pregnant wife. He spends
his time mostly keeping to himself; growing and dealing high-grade weed and
trying to shake the guilt associated with losing his wife and child. One night
at a bar, Nick follows his conscious and intervenes to save Kimmy, a young,
beautiful woman. As in life, this decision brings on serious ramifications,
namely he comes into the crosshairs of her boyfriend, Chad. Chad sets out to
ingratiate Nick into his circle of crime and Nick’s life soon spirals out of
control. Mix in a crooked lawman with no conscience and you have a book you
know is on a collision course with disaster.
This
book seemed to mix scenes of extreme violence (dogs eating people) with scenes
that were comical, if not over-the-top bizarre (Chad forcing Nick to search a
cow’s uterus to ensure they are stealing a pregnant heifer). Chad is a
secondary character that is brutal in his enforcement of those around him and
the scenes in which his brutality coms out were awesome to read. While Chad is
a great secondary character, I feel the strength of this novel lie in the main
character, Nick, and the manner in which DeWildt explores his attempt to rid
himself of feelings of guilt, while also coming to grips with his conflicted
emotions towards Kimmy and the growing feeling that if he doesn’t change
something quickly then Chad is going to own him.
Overall,
this was a quality read that had me engaged throughout.
Recommended.
Reviewed by Derrick Horodyski.
