Review: Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine

Book Details:
Kiss of Death (Morganville Vampires, Book 8)
By Rachel Caine
Genre: Fantasy
Published 2010, Penguin Group
Paperback, 241 pages
ISBN: 9780451229731


Synopsis:

          A new chapter in the New York Times bestselling Morganville Vampires saga.
Vampire musician Michael Glass has attracted the attention of a big- time producer who wants to cut a demo and play some gigs-which means Michael will have to enter the human world. For this, he's been assigned escorts that include both a dangerous immortal as well as Michael's all-too-human friends. And with that mix of personalities, this is going to be a road trip from hell...

I think Rachel Caine could make a trip to the grocery store intoxicating, as long as it took place in Morganville. Kiss of Death introduced a wide variety of variables to play with by allowing the residents of Glass House a road trip outside of town, in the company of the less-than-companionable Oliver. Little did they know that they would not be truly leaving Morganville's craziness behind. From a near-death experience at a late-night truck stop to the destruction of Eve's beloved vehicle, from the surprising usefulness of Eve's brother Jason to the after-effects of Bishop's passage through Texas, Claire, Eve, Shane, and Michael were forced to fight for their lives and freedom from cover to cover, with barely enough time to throw out a few Buffy-esque quips to keep me laughing as I read as fast as I could.
The progression of the various relationships of the main characters were quite interesting. Eve and Michael's relationship is filled with angst and stress over their biological differences, but ironically still makes for typical young love issues. Shane and Claire's relationship lacks the drama of Eve and Michael's, but provides a solid foundation for the two in the midst of the chaos of their lives without becoming sickly sweet. Eve's brother Jason also seems to be in pursuit of redemption with the relationship he has with Eve, even despite his ignoble views about life in Morganville. The reader even gets a broader view of Oliver that shows he may actually have some concern for the lowly humans.
The town of Blacke and its inhabitants could possibly add a new dimension to the series that I hope to see in the next book, Ghost Town (Morganville Vampires, Book 9).

The Cover: So I had to read the entire book to understand the pink hair, but other than that, it is still a great cover.

First Line: "The way the Glass House worked, on a practical level, was that there was a schedule for the stuff that had to be done -- cooking, cleaning, fixing things, laundry."
While this opening may expound on some of the nuances of the Glass House for devout fans of the series, it in no way compels a person new to the series to continue past this opening line.

Favorite Quote: "My dad used to say that life's a journey, but somebody screwed up and lost the map."