Kill Me First

by Kate Morgenroth

Book Overview

The man known as Merec is not only a ruthless terrorist, he's also a cold-blooded marketer of his massacres, filming the violence he creates so he can watch them on TV. When he kidnaps Sarah, his evil... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060192755
• ISBN13: 9780060192754
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 259 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Gripping thriller with twists and turns in exquisite detail

I have to admit, I wasn't really expecting much from this book when I purchased it among others in a book store on a visit to Australia. Having recently read it, I was compelled to find out more about the author to see if there were any more books by her. Unfortunately, as of this writing there are none. The book itself grabs you by the throat with it's extreme accounts of numerous heinous acts by the main antagonist, Mercer. He is portrayed as an intelligent, cunning and quite disturbed man. When he runs across the other lead character, Sarah, he is caught offguard. She is not what he expected and the events that follow forever change him. The FBI agent advising the local police after one of the incidents in the story, Agent Tresler, leads a breathtaking chase after Mercer. Tresler gets well acquainted with Mercer and we discover that Tresler is quite good at what he does but the bureau was not his first aspiration. You will soon find out why he is able to fathom Mercer's actions and thoughts so accurately. He even predicts some of the events but without any hard evidence to back up his hunches, he doesn't get much backup. Mercer is unpredictable to a fault, but as the story unfolds you begin to understand him in subtle ways. The ending is a bit of a stunner, but you may find yourself cheering at the results or deeply disappointed, either way you will have difficulty putting this down once you start. I would emphasive, however, that this is not for the faint of heart as the unflinching portrayal of the events that transpire are quite jarring.

Haunting Philosophical Investigation

One of the most haunting characters I have ever come across in fiction: Merec, the philosophical killer for hire. Merec likes to add a dash of his own style to his contracts - a philosophical investigation. He tests his victims' morality and delivers a fatal judgement if they fail. I loved the irony of it, and the deeper questions the author asks about humanity in general.The clipped writing style only serves to make the subject more chilling for being presented in such a matter-of-fact way. I can tell I loved the book because the characters have lingered with me, as have the questions Morgenroth has posed. I look forward to reading her next book!

An incredible book...for those who can appreciate it.

I stayed up until four in the morning to finish Kill Me First. Once I was hooked, I couldn't put it down. But what I found even more rewarding than the non-stop action, was the fact that this book delivered on a deeper level. Kate Morgenroth's debut novel delves into human nature, and forces us to look both at ourselves and the society we have created. Although she paints a sometimes bleak picture of the violence which seems so central to our culture and the media which glorifies it, at the same time Morgenroth gives us hope in the form of the "heroine" Sarah Shepard.While the story is a true page turner, the real power of this book lies just below the surface, in the messages Morgenroth whispers to us between the lines.

Smart, gripping thriller with a fascinating older woman

I was drawn into buying this by reviews that described it as a smart thriller, and it certainly lived up to that. Both Sarah and Merec are fascinating, with this pervasive sexual tension that I'm not sure the author even intended. I couldn't put it down, even though I have to say I flinched away from some of the more graphic scenes. And the violence is not strictly gratuitous and always serves to keep the plot marching steadily forward. Call me shallow, but I thought the climax was positively cinematic, and I kept imagining what actress "of a certain age" would be right to play Sarah. Hurrah for an author who has the guts to make a convincing heroine who's over fifty--especially when I looked at the photo and saw how young the author is. If you like gripping, well-written thrillers and you're tired of all the fake-y women and "sexy" thugs who tend to people this kind of book, Kill Me First is definitely for you.

Surprising, intelligent thriller with a message

Loved it. A well-written book about a dark and clever villian and his captive - a woman self-actualizing in a surprising and disturbing way. Combines a great sense of action with a moral message and humanity. Worth reading as a commentary on morality, violence, and (for lack of a better term) awakening.