Kiss Them Goodbye: A Novel

Joseph Eastburn’s electrifying novel of suspense spins the harrowing story of a serial killer with a morbid taste for display, who unleashes a diabolical frenzy at an elite boarding school for first families’ children.

Sitting atop a hill overlooking the surrounding countryside, the Ravenhill School is a bastion of exclusivity, offering the children of the nation’s first families a magnificent education and a refuge from the harsh realities beyond its ancient cloisters—until the first student is found dead, upside down in a campus garbage can.

When the body count rises, it becomes clear that Ravenhill has been invaded by a serial killer with a particularly gruesome appetite for display, each successive slaying more grotesque than the last. As the clues multiply, panic grips the environs of Ravenhill, and expert Nick Fowler is called in from out of town to break the case. From the school’s administrator who wants to keep the crimes under wraps to the police who resent an outsider’s intrusion, Nick’s investigation isn’t sitting well with the locals.

As Nick draws closer to penetrating the killer’s twisted mind, he soon becomes a target. And when the murderer plants a series of taunting clues for Nick, he must tread carefully if he hopes to not fall into a psychopath’s deadly trap.

Fast-paced, compelling, and thoroughly terrifying, Kiss Them Goodbye is a brilliant, unforgettable thriller.

Sitting atop a hill overlooking the surrounding countryside, the Ravenhill School is a bastion of exclusivity, offering the children of the nation’s first families a magnificent education and a refuge from the harsh realities beyond its ancient cloisters—until the first student is found dead, upside down in a campus garbage can.

When the body count rises, it becomes clear that Ravenhill has been invaded by a serial killer with a particularly gruesome appetite for display, each successive slaying more grotesque than the last. As the clues multiply, panic grips the environs of Ravenhill, and expert Nick Fowler is called in from out of town to break the case. From the school’s administrator who wants to keep the crimes under wraps to the police who resent an outsider’s intrusion, Nick’s investigation isn’t sitting well with the locals.

As Nick draws closer to penetrating the killer’s twisted mind, he soon becomes a target. And when the murderer plants a series of taunting clues for Nick, he must tread carefully if he hopes to avoid a psychopath’s deadly trap.

“Latches on to you . . . and won’t let go. . . . Eastburn has a truly diabolical mind . . . this book funnels you to death and horror with the frightening inevitability of a physical law.”—D. Keith Mano, author of Topless

“Fine and shuddery . . . Eastburn’s tight, spare prose gets us horribly to the point of all of this. And along the way, we make the acquaintance of a remarkable detective, Nick Fowler.” - Thomas Adcock, author of Grief Street

“One of the most thoroughly bizarre mystery/suspense novels in quite some time, creating an eerie, atmospheric, and compulsively readable tale . . . a giddy, crazy ride through a world of love, hate, naked greed, illicit sex, perversion, and ballroom dancing . . . a gripping, intriguing book that melds mystery and suspense into a fascinating confection. This is a write to watch.” - The Armchair Detective

“One of the most thoroughly bizarre mystery/suspense novels in quite some time, creating an eerie, atmospheric, and compulsively readable tale . . . a gripping, intriguing book that melds mystery and suspense into a fascinating confection. This is a write to watch.” - The Armchair Detective

“Joseph Eastburn’s debut is like the first cut of a confident surgeon; he slices through the skin, nerve endings, and subcutaneous fat… right to the heart of a grim but highly involving story.” - Graham Masterton

“Kiss Them Goodbye latches onto you…and won’t let go…. Eastburn has a truly diabolical mind—and the structure of this book funnels you to death and horror with the frighteningly inevitability of a physical law.” - D. Keith Mano, author of Topless

“The territory of Eastburn’s fine and shuddery…novel is that most dreadful period of anyone’s life: school days, a time of bullies, bores, and bad food…. Eastburn’s tight, spare prose gets us horribly to the point of all of this. And along the way, we make the acquaintance of a remarkable detective, Nick Fowler.” - Thomas Adcock, author of Grief Street

“Striking…a triumph…complex, engrossing with a distinctive narrative voice.” - Andrew Vachs, author of Shockwave