A Kiss Before Dying

A Kiss Before Dying

Dorothy meets a handsome young man with an eye for her inheritance while she is in her sophomore year. They are to be married and her life will be blissful; but Dorothy is pregnant and her fiancé's plans are ruined, for Dorothy would be disinherited if her father discovered the truth. So the young man provides his bride to be with some pills that will solve the problem. Soon there will be no baby - and perhaps no Dorothy either... A Kiss before Dying, Levin's first novel, earned him the 1954 Edgar Award for Best First Novel and is regarded as a modern classic.
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Reviews

Photo of jooooo-riaan
jooooo-riaan@jo-ri
3.5 stars
Jan 8, 2024

"There’s no law against going after a rich girl is there?"  A nauseatingly American tale of moral decay.

Photo of Maggie Gordon
Maggie Gordon@maggieg
3 stars
Aug 13, 2022

I adore Ira Levin. His stories are carefully crafted and tense, and he does not rely on overly complex plotting and endless details to make his mark on the literary world. A Kiss Before Dying is a simple, but chilling story. Boy meets girl then pushes her off a roof when he doesn't get what he wants and moves onto his next victim. What makes the book brilliant is the perspective shifts and suspenseful twists. Not quite as amazing as Stepford Wives and Rosemary's Baby, but a fantastic crime novel nevertheless!

Photo of Jeff Brown
Jeff Brown @jeffb23
5 stars
Feb 25, 2022

Another audio book that I cannot imagine just reading off the page. The presentation was fantastic. It really kept you on your toes. And all from a writer of his first book in his mid-20s! I had heard of Ira Levin, and knew he went on to a more famous book or two. But noir is in my wheelhouse and I just loved it. It appears that there was a movie based on the book, so the only thing better than noir is FILM NOIR. I will need to check that out. A truly great book.

Photo of Swasti Ramadhin
Swasti Ramadhin@swasje
4 stars
Nov 9, 2021

I really liked this book. Very suspenseful and entertaining. I finished reading it within an hour and a half.

Photo of Patrick Book
Patrick Book@patrickb
4 stars
Jul 5, 2024
Photo of Alex Webster
Alex Webster@eeluks
5 stars
Apr 2, 2024
Photo of Dean Henderikx
Dean Henderikx@deanhenderikx
2 stars
Sep 2, 2023
Photo of Marta Costa 🐰
Marta Costa 🐰@martacosta
4 stars
Jan 5, 2023
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Majagr@maja
4 stars
Sep 20, 2022
Photo of Eloise
Eloise@elcrivain
3 stars
Aug 12, 2022
Photo of Melody Izard
Melody Izard@mizard
4 stars
Jan 10, 2022
Photo of Lily Bradic
Lily Bradic@lily
5 stars
Aug 3, 2021
Photo of Marie C-D
Marie C-D@marie
4 stars
Jul 29, 2021
Photo of Katarzyna Karpinska
Katarzyna Karpinska@anekse
5 stars
Jun 24, 2021

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