Review of Kiss me, Judas by Will Baer

Judas...Jude

Tittle: Kiss me, Judas

Author: Will Christopher Baer

Editorial: Harper Collins

Genre: Noir, Thriller

Country of origin: United States

Pages: 269

Days to finish it: 7

Year of publication: 2006

Personal score: 5/5

Preview: Vengeance our best fuel

What the fuck about vengeance. What the hell is the vengeance? An act of justice? An act of tenderness? An act of equality? The truth is that… I don’t know, I only have my own definition, and is: the incorrect thought of doing the things right, or at least thinking something like that or when you´re trying to recover something by the force. But the main point of this is, the vengeance provides fuel, a magnificent fuel, a fuel that can lead us even to the end of the world… until we “achieve” what hurt us before. So, what remains when you have no fuel? Nothing. A person who has no other fuel, is just empty and broken. When a person can forgive and let go the things or persons who in some time hurt them, there´s when them will find peace. There´s no greater vengeance than the truth happiness. My own experience could prove it.

How did I get it?

Years ago, I saw this book in the shelves of new, so I read the synopsis and really caught me, several years passed and still there´s no translation… so finally I´ve decided to read it in the original language, I´m so happy of it.

A little bit of the author…

Author fanatic of noir fiction, just now I´m aware of he has written two more books related to Phineas Poe, and I wanna read them. Let´s see what happens, we will always have the pdf salvation.

Review

Phineas Poe has been released from the mental hospital, and he goes to the nearest hotel bar, in his first day out, he sees a beautiful girl with pale skin and an exotic black hair. So, he decides to buy her a drink, the situation becomes too hot soon, and both end up in his hotel room.

Phineas wakes up, in a bathtub surrounded by ice cubes. And a deep wound on his side… this is only the beginning, and the chase of the mysterious girl, called Jude, will start.

Through the view of a dying man, fueled by the vengeance is showed “Kiss me Judas” and intriguing noir novel that will show us the darkest side of the human soul and the coldest part of Colorado.

Opinion

Several months had passed since I read a book in English, so my English is still rusted. Besides this entire negative panorama, I loved the book. Yes, it was too weird, and fucking strange (I said wtf a thousand times), but it has something that catches you.

I always was expecting for the translation, but this never came up, so I decided to read it in the original language, I didn´t took the common notes, cuz I read it in pdf, but I do take notes. I think that the premise is too risky (as all the book) it could work as a short story and could be amazing.

Of course, I searched for dozens of words, but my lecture rhythm was fine, I was expecting to take a little longer, but it was so dark and dense that I had the need to read it. I guess people were unhappy due to the changes of the time and situations, for me was fine, cuz the author has an amazing ability to create dark atmospheres, or horrid hallucinations.

Lately I realized why the main character is doing the things he does. It´s kind of metaphoric, and I´m trusting that everyone who read it could understand it. This exactly the kind of book I wanna write in some time of my life, my type of story.

Is an interesting noir book, with a couple of creepy passages and a good proposal and development, so I totally recommend it.

Kiss me, Judas, until I die bleeding…

Quotes

"It´s been too long since I sat so close to a woman and my first impulse is to move away."

"It feels she fucked me to pieces."

"…lift her small, cold hand and hold it to my lips. I want to tell her how tired I am…"

"I am memorizing her body and I really don´t need to. She is already as familiar to me as a recurring dream."

"Let her suck me like she was stealing gasoline and then I fucked her as if there was no tomorrow."

"I wanted to kiss her, to taste her mouth and it was hopeless. I wondered if she would feel my pain at all and slowly pulled the gun from the pillows."

"Love is a reptile, I say. Don´t you think? If you cut off its tail it grows another one."

"I kiss her hard enough to bruise and I don´t feel anything but dead skin and elusive shame. You´re not real, are you? I´m dreaming again."

"She trust me. She wants to hurt her, perhaps."

"My body, it seems, is too enamored of the drug to be bothered by ordinary sex. She doesn’t seem to mind, she rides me like she would her own hand, and I watch her, removed and soon dreaming."

"Sorrow is like the ocean and sometimes I wish my heart would stop."

"What do you prefer, she says. Sex or violence? I try to smile. What´s the diference, really.