Reviewed by K T Bowes for Readers' Favorite

Kiss It Goodbye by Robert Lane offers a thrilling plot that begins with a kidnapping in present-day USA and forces investigator Jake Travis to delve into the murky history of WW2 to solve it. When Hannah comes to him for help in finding her missing grandmother, she is snatched before Jake can hear her full story. But the real mystery begins decades earlier with the worst kind of inhumanity three frat boys could have committed. One has redeemed himself, but the other two will cling to their secret out of greed. This novel has everything from action-filled cross-country chases to painful, soul-wrenching goodbyes, with a dose of humor in between. Everything in this novel, like the precious necklace, comes full circle in an incredible twist of writing genius.

I loved the subtle opposing narrative threads. There is a fantastic tension between Claire’s tragic family history and Jake’s grip on his children’s future. He’s aware that everything can change in a moment, as demonstrated by his insistence on kissing his girls before he runs each morning and denying that he woke them. I appreciated this clever and insightful analogy as a skillful peek into his true nature. The narrative is wonderfully personable and speckled with Jake’s dry wit as he openly entreats the reader to stick with him. The theme of Kiss It Goodbye is cost, and how a person can be robbed of joy in a millisecond by another’s actions. Parallel to this pertinent theme is the presence of the beautiful and priceless heirloom found, lost, and then found again, as a constant reminder of life’s fragile cost. I enjoyed Robert Lane’s character depictions, which are delightful, raw, and engaging, at once plunging the reader into the depths of despair before launching them into hysterics through Jake’s dry retelling. My favorite line of Claire’s fits with the title: “Despite their pull, she was overcome with grief, for there is no sadder moment in life than the instant you kiss it goodbye.”