The main character in Linda Howard's KISS ME WHILE I SLEEP is Lily
Mansfield, an assassin for the CIA. Her two best friends, former
CIA agents Averill and Tina, and their adopted daughter Zia --- a
girl who Lily rescued after she was abandoned as a baby --- are
brutally murdered.

Lily investigates and finds out that Averill and Tina performed one
last assignment: blowing up a laboratory. The owner of that
laboratory, Salvatore Nervi, is a powerful organized crime boss who
has the family killed as payback for destroying his lab. Lily makes
it her mission to avenge the deaths of her friends, and she does so
by killing Salvatore. She is masterful at disguises, which comes in
handy as she begins dodging Salvatore's son, Rodrigo, and the
CIA.

The CIA sends out one of their best agents, Lucas Swain, after Lily
to terminate her because she has committed an unauthorized kill ---
it doesn't help Lily that Salvatore was an informant for the CIA.
As Lucas becomes involved with Lily and finds out why she did what
she did, he is torn between completing his assignment and helping
Lily carry out her revenge mission. The two begin falling in love
with each other, which complicates matters further. The twists and
turns of the missions will keep readers turning pages, as well as
the budding romance between the protagonists.

Both Lily and Lucas are likable characters and, despite their
glamorous occupations as spies, very realistic. Readers will
understand Lily's motives for revenge. It's obvious that killing is
no easy matter for Lily; she has always justified her actions with
the idea that it must be the right thing to do if her government
tells her to do it. Readers will also understand the struggle Lucas
has about how to handle his assignment. Even though Lucas is a
veteran agent who has undoubtedly carried out dozens of such
assignments, he is not so jaded that he will quickly throw away a
chance for love. The romance between the two, while quick in time,
is realistically told. Readers will pull for them to be
together.

In addition to the romance, the mystery and suspense of the plot
will keep readers glued to the pages. There are many surprises
throughout, and things play out in a way that will keep readers
guessing until the end. Rodrigo is a cold villain who seems to take
pleasure in hurting people and in tracking down Lily like an
animal. Readers will hold their breath while waiting to see if Lily
can stay one step ahead of Rodrigo. He is a relentless man who will
stop at nothing to get revenge on the woman who murdered his
father.

Linda Howard has written more than a dozen books, but it is obvious
with KISS ME WHILE I SLEEP that she has many stories left to
tell.