Anyone who knows Alice Loudon envies the young woman's near perfect life. Her boyfriend is handsome, nice, and treats Alice with respect. Her job as a research manager at a London-based pharmaceutical company pays well and is challenging.

However, her idyllic, seemingly established life abruptly changes due to a chance encounter while crossing a street. The eyes of Alice and mountaineer Adam Tallis connect. That evening Adam waits for Alice to leave work. He invites her to accompany him, which she does. They share the best sex of Alice's life. Over the next two months their relationship intensifies until they marry. Alice begins to neglect her work and friends. However, she begins to realize that the paragon she married has dangerous flaws. She learns former girl friends have died and now she is the target of his newest obsession.

KILLING ME SOFTLY is one of the best psychological thrillers of the year. The story line centers on an intelligent female enslaving herself to a dominant male even as she begins to question why. Adam is an intriguing but frightening character. However, this novel belongs to Alice, whose brilliant metamorphosis demonstrates the talent of Nicci French. After reading Ms. French's first time ever in America novel, sub-genre fans will obsessively clamor for the publisher to deliver her other two tales (only released in England).

Harriet Klausner

Killing Me Softly was an engrossing novel of psychological obsession expressed as sexual obsession. Sort of a 9 1/2 Weeks light. I read it in a day and 1/2 and I'm trying to forget it so I can read it again! Alice, the heroine, is smart, brave and adventurous. She did the things women would love to do but don't really have the guts (or the heart) to do. Would you leave you nice boyfriend, comfortable life, college mates and parents for dream man? Many women have been tempted to go for it, but take the safe, expected route instead (bummer). I enjoyed reading about a WOMAN taking a huge risk, going over the edge, ENJOYING IT and living to tell about it! Adam the mountain man was also a mysterious, sexy treat. I found his character to be intriguing, sympathetic, needy and very, very,very sexy (if you don't mind the ropes!!!).

Women will love this book!!!!!!

After having read 'The safe house' and 'The memory game', I knew that Nicci Frech' third book 'Killing me softly' just had to be good. And so it was. It kept hold of me from the minute I started reading until the last word. In fact, I would have liked it to go on for a couple of hundred extra pages. The main character Alice is a very smart girl who lives in a London apartment with her boyfriend Jake. Until the day she meets this mysterious stranger she is very happy with her life. After having met with this gorgeous looking man, things change drastically for the worst. French knows exactly how to get a grip on your attention and how to keep it. You can feel the tension rising and you know nothing is the way it seems. Things are bound to go very wrong indeed if no one is going to interfere! Therefore I found it extremely difficult to put the book down. If I did, because I had to, the story kept my mind occupied, I could hardly think of anything else. The book is thrilling until the lastbit, highly recomanded!