With a Kiss We Die

A Novel

By: L. R. Dorn

Narrated by: Therese Plummer, January LaVoy, Lucas Cheng, Kirsten Høj, Vikas Adam, Lisa Flanagan, Gabra Zackman, Fred Berman, Lauren Fortgang, Hillary Huber, Dan Bittner, Jarred Webb, Joan Cheam, Angel Villalobos, Amaris Canada

Two college lovers suspected of a brutal double homicide enlist a podcasting crime journalist to proclaim their innocence in this psychologically riveting and compulsively readable novel of love, lies, and murder, perfect for fans of The Lady Vanishes podcast and I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.

I’m Ryanna Raines. And welcome to “The Raines Report.”

Ryanna Raines is the host of a popular true-crime podcast. Her specialty is investigative journalism, her style is truth-seeking moxie, and with millions of listeners along for the ride, her star is rising. But when an intriguing message is left on her tip-line, the reporter is pulled into the most challenging case of her career.

The mangled bodies of a husband and wife have been discovered in their multi-million-dollar estate in Southern California. The prime suspects are their twenty-two-year-old son and his girlfriend, two college theater students who are now facing arrest and indictment. In a surprising move, they only want to speak with Ryanna, offering exclusive interviews in exchange for her help getting their side of the story told.

Instead of a badge or a weapon, Ryanna carries her voice recorder onto the battlefield of the high-profile murder investigation. Through a series of interviews, Ryanna examines her subjects from multiple angles and diverse points of view, breaking past the walls of “he said, she said” to pierce at a dark and horrible truth.

Written in the style of a true-crime podcast, With a Kiss We Die is a heart-racing mystery and thought-provoking tale about love and secrets that unfolds episode by episode as it hurtles towards an explosive conclusion. L. R. Dorn has crafted a suspenseful examination of our cultural obsession with true crime, the complicated moral obligations between journalists and their subjects, and the often-deadly line between performance and deceit.

Fun audio book

I love the full cast! Really enjoyed listening to this. It kept me entertained and I’m sad it’s over.

Not much of an ending

The story kept me interested but I kept waiting for a twist or surprise at the end, which never came. I never really understood the motivation of the main characters to seek out a podcaster in the first place, and I was hoping for a satisfying answer.

great book

excellent! I wish there were more books. loved the different readers for each character. highly recommend

Good use of multiple narrators

The podcast format lends itself to the use of multiple narrators, and it was fun to recognize voices of some of them. The story was interesting but, ultimately, disappointing. No real suspense, the ending was flat.

Another Hit!

Fantastic Audio Performance! Story had me hooked from the beginning and kept my interest through the end!