A Kiss Before Dying

“A Kiss Before Dying” is a novel by Ira Levin. In the story, a young man wants to marry one of the three daughters of a rich businessman to have a good life. I chose this book because its title made me think there would be romance and crime in the plot.

The novel begins when the man’s girlfriend, Dorothy, tells him that she is pregnant. Dorothy’s father is rich and owns a copper company. The man realises he can’t marry her if she is pregnant and kills her, making it look like a suicide. After that, he starts going out with Dorothy’s sister Ellen, but she finds out her sister was murdered, and before she can discover it was him, he kills her too. Then he tries to marry Marion, the eldest of the three sisters. However, Gordon Gant, who met Ellen once, is investigating him and knows he’s guilty. Will he be able to prove it and send him to jail? Or will Marion marry a man who doesn’t love her? Read the book if you want to find out!

I didn’t like Dorothy because she was foolish and she only thought of getting married. Ellen was a very intelligent person as she realised her sister hadn’t killed herself, and she’s my favourite character. The murderer and Gant were also clever. Marion was too serious for me to like her. My favourite part was Ellen’s letter, because it shows how she analysed every detail of her sister’s death and came to the conclusion that Dorothy had been murdered. It is a big shock when the murderer’s identity is revealed. Ira Levin did a really good job and makes you think of what a person is capable of doing for money.

I think that this book is a great story which combines murder, romance and greed. I found it very interesting. Anyone who likes reading crime stories should read it.

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