Pagecount: 300 First published: 1953

Dorothy, Bud's girlfriend tells him she's pregnant. Bud is very angry but pretends he loves her. He gives her pills to get rid of the baby. -FLASHBACK: Bud was very popular at school. After the war he had several jobs and an affair with an rich widow. he went to Stoddart and met Dorothy. -PRESENT: If the pills won't work, Bud promises to marry Dorothy. Bud sees a golden future ahead because Dorothy's father is president of Kingships Copper and very welthy. The pills don't work and they'll marry in three days. Bud doesn't want to marry her instead he is making plans to kill her. Bud gives her poisoned pills and let her transfere a Spanish line which says something like: I'm sorry for the trouble, There is nothing else I can do. He mails the line to her sister in Dorothy's handwriting, Ellen. If Dorothy isn't dead in three days he assumes she didn't take the pills. When *he realises that Ellen would receive the messages he have to kill Dorothy by throwing her from a building. People think it was suicide, because of the note Ellen received. Bud is proud he commited a murder and got away with it. Ellen doesn't think it was suicide and starts to in

The story was realistic. Sometimes a bit complicated. It looks like a normal crime story, that's why it's not very special and fantastic.

Ellen Kingship and Gordon Gant were appealing persons to me. If the people in the book really existed, I think those two would suit me best. They are both hustlers, I like that. It appears like everybody else in the story needs evidence before they can be satisfied, then again others can't look beyond their noses. Ellen and Gordon rely on their instincts. They couldn't just make for the facts.The only bad conduct of Ellen , according to me, is that she is very cruel. She also acts in a very thoughtless way and that's why Bud Corliss finally gets his hands on her and succeeds to kill her.

I cannot say this book was hard for me to read, I think this is the suitable level of difficulty. All in all I'm very glad I've read this book. The other books she wrote as well, have aroused my curiosity, and before long, one of them will be standing in my bookcase.

The story is told cronologically, except in Part I, chapter two. In that chapter you get some information about Bud's past His name is not mentioned yet!! Part I is about seven or eight days, 1950. Part II starts a year after Dorothy's death, 1951 Part II is ten days, from 5 to 15 March. In part III is more time covered. Marion is going to marry on 24 December 1951, almost nine months after Ellen's death

I couldn't identify with the main character, but I didn't like him that much. He is a killer who plans his murders and thinks about every step he makes. He pretends to be someone else, his real identy is kept secret by him. If I would know anyone like him I wouldn't know he was like that because he doesn't shows his real identity. I don't know killers who don't keep it a secret either.He kills people, what isn't the worst, but he does it for the money! Except the killing thing he is probably quite OK, he is after all the "ideal-son-in-law" and good in school.

The story plays in New York and a few other places which aren't mentioned by name. The time it plays in are the fifties. The people in the book are from "regular families" (Bud Corliss), from "rich families" (all the members of the Kingship family), the from the other persons home aren't mentioned. The age of the persons varies between 20 (students) and 60 (partents) years old. Some of the people got a job, other are still students.

I think that "a kiss before dying"is an intresting novel, which isn't boring at all and not to hard and even readable for people who hate books. One thing that's unrealistic is that the police doesn't investigade the kills. I've seen the movie, but that was a long time ago s

Some topics in this essay:
Kiss Dying, Bud Corliss, Leo Kingship, Ellen Dorothy, Dorothy Bud's, Copper Bud, Gordon Gant, Kingships Copper, March III, Kingship Leo's, bud corliss, kiss dying, gordon gant, leo kingship, blond blue eyes, perfect crime, bud dwight, mother kiss, bud's mother, aren't mentioned, kingship rich, daughter leo kingship, leo kingship rich,