07/01/2014
Gr 9 Up—Wealthy Valentina is taking a chance with falling for her father's 24-year-old employee, Emilio. It's a chance that seems absolutely worth it until the night when, while hidden in a closet, she sees him shoot a man point-blank while her father stands and watches. Terrified and confused, the teen flees to Montreal, leaving behind the comforts her father's success in the art trade have brought her—the yachts, the Klimts and Picassos that adorn her Miami mansion, and the freedom to never have to think about money. Her reality up north is radically different. Accompanied only by Emilio's mandolin, under the simple moniker Jane, she busks for money, barely making enough to eat, when an encounter with Lucien, a spoiled and cocky artist, lands her a job as his muse and model. She manages to coast by until a run-in with Emilio at an art show spirals her back into his arms. What proceeds is a whirlwind of intrigue and romance that, aided by Lucien's troubled, but far humbler brother, involves a yacht fire, an FBI bust, a standoff at gunpoint, and a helicopter rescue. From the heat of Miami to the cold streets of Montreal, Martinez's modern-day film noir is a wild ride for romance and thriller fans alike.—Joanna Sondheim, Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York City
★ 09/01/2014
After discovering that her father and boyfriend are killers, 17-year-old Valentina Cruz runs away to Montreal. Penniless, she lives in a rented closet, works as an artist’s model, and practices her stolen mandolin by night in an empty cafe. She thinks the music will sustain her good memories of her boyfriend, Emilio, who taught her to play: “Here I thought the memories were triggered by melodies in a self-renewing loop, but this whole time they’ve been seeping out, drop by drop, note by note.” Martinez (The Vow) skillfully develops the contrast between Valentina’s expectations, instilled by a privileged childhood, and her desperate circumstances. When Emilio turns up with an explanation for what he’s done, he and Valentina plot to escape the web woven by her father, but nothing goes as planned. Meanwhile, after the artist she poses for commits suicide, Valentina is drawn into the life of his brother, Marcel. Valentina’s decision making is sometimes opaque, but her strong voice, full of sensory imagery, and her exquisitely drawn relationships with Emilio, Marcel, and her father make this a memorable thriller. Ages 14–up. Agent: Mandy Hubbard, D4EO Literary Agency. (Oct.)
Compelling characters and a fast-paced, unpredictable plot make this thriller a genuine joy ride.” — Kirkus Reviews
“[A] strong voice, full of sensory imagery, and exquisitely drawn relationships... make this a memorable thriller.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[A] thrilling, twist-filled story.” — Booklist
“A whirlwind of intrigue and romance…. From the heat of Miami to the cold streets of Montreal, Martinez’s modern-day film noir is a wild ride for romance and thriller fans alike.” — School Library Journal
“A sexy, pulse-pounding thriller with a fresh, artsy vibe—bold, dangerous, intoxicating.” — Lisa McMann, bestselling author of the Wake trilogy and the Visions series
“A beautiful tangle of love, loyalty, compromise, and betrayal, Kiss Kill Vanish will leave you breathless.” — Robin Wasserman, author of The Book of Blood and Shadow and the Seven Deadly Sins series
“Kiss Kill Vanish is an outstanding and original novel that is unlike anything else I’ve ever read. Martinez manages the rare combination of gorgeous, atmospheric writing and thrilling, page-turner action. She has created a darkly romantic world that is compelling and ultimately unforgettable. I miss it already.” — Corey Ann Haydu, author of OCD Love Story and Life by Committee
A beautiful tangle of love, loyalty, compromise, and betrayal, Kiss Kill Vanish will leave you breathless.
A sexy, pulse-pounding thriller with a fresh, artsy vibe—bold, dangerous, intoxicating.
[A] thrilling, twist-filled story.
Kiss Kill Vanish is an outstanding and original novel that is unlike anything else I’ve ever read. Martinez manages the rare combination of gorgeous, atmospheric writing and thrilling, page-turner action. She has created a darkly romantic world that is compelling and ultimately unforgettable. I miss it already.
[A] thrilling, twist-filled story.
2014-08-06
This latest novel from Martinez, whose work features and speaks to the recently emancipated teen, offers evidence that the new-adult literary niche is more than a marketing gimmick. Valentina's world exploded when, hidden in her boyfriend Emilio's closet, she watched him kill a man at her father's behest. Terrified and devastated, she's fled Miami for Montreal and changed her name and identity. She finds Montreal's brutal November cold as hard to take as posing for Lucien, the poseur artist and condescending jerk who's hired her. His smarter, stoner brother, Marcel, is dangerous—he knows she's dissembling. The fact that her family's wealth is blood money haunts Valentina, but struggling to pay for food and her share of a decrepit apartment keeps her occupied—at least until Emilio turns up, demanding (unsuccessfully) that she return with him to Miami. While what he says turns her world upside down again, it can't excuse her father. Desperate to escape the past stalking her, Valentina talks Emilio into fleeing together, but Lucien's death upsets their plans. Valentina engages readers' sympathy through each surprising plot twist, although that someone so bright and observant could remain wholly ignorant of her father's true profession isn't entirely plausible. Happily, such lapses in logic are few and easily ignored. Compelling characters and a fast-paced, unpredictable plot make this thriller a genuine joy ride. (Thriller. 14 & up)
