I requested this without knowing it was a follow-up to The Kind Worth Killing, so I made sure to read that one first. While this book can technically be read and enjoyed as a standalone, do not read this one before The Kind Worth Killing! It completely spoils that story and plot twists. If I had to pick between the two of them, I preferred the first book. Both were amazing, though!

Swanson is a true master at writing an intricate mystery with shocking plot twists and morally grey characters. This one had returning characters from the first book and I thought the character development, particularly that of Henry Kimball, was very well-done. Kimball is a failed poet, then failed teacher, then failed detective, and now struggling private investigator. What makes his story so interesting is that he is highly intuitive and has great instincts, plus I can’t get enough of his hilarious limericks. One of my favorite components of this series (unsure if all of Swanson’s books follow the same formula) is the timely shift of POV so the reader is always aware of a character’s true motives and his shifting of timelines to give us background on the story at hand. I loved the past timeline that was a deep dive into Joan and the return of TKWK’s Lily. Swanson has a captivating, easy writing style and I couldn’t put this one down. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a dark, modern mystery!

4.5 ⭐️

When I first read EIGHT PERFECT MURDERS by Peter Swanson I immediately added him to my auto-buy author list! Then I read THE KIND WORTH KILLING a year ago and I still haven’t been able to stop thinking about it! So I was THRILLED when I was approved to read an advanced copy of THE KIND WORTH SAVING!

If you have not read THE KIND WORTH KILLING, I highly recommend that you read that one first!

TKWS brings back a couple of characters from TKWK. I don’t want to say much more about them as I might ruin something for you from the first novel. However, in this novel, Joan, a woman with a tie to the past, arrives at Detective Kimball’s office and asks him to investigate her adulterous husband. Soon, Kimball happens upon a suspicious murder/suicide that leads him straight back to Joan.

This one has a great storyline, well-developed characters and the twists and surprises I have come to expect from this author.

My sincere thanks to @williammorrowbooks and @netgalley for my digital copy. My thoughts are my own.

Remember Lily from The Kind Worth Killing (book #1)?

Well, she is back and just as cunning and devious as ever!

Joan thinks her hubs is cheating. She can feel it. She has also suspects who his afternoon delight is, but she wants proof. Enter Private Investigator, Henry Kimball. Joan meets with him and it could possibly be the worst day of his life! He can't quite put his finger on the chilly feeling that she brought in with her. He decides to help her investigate her hubs and the cat and rat chase begins...........

It was an uncomfortable and tension filled ride, like when you can hear thunder, you just know the storm is coming soon.

Someone is obsessed. Someone has evil in their heart. Someone is plotting murder and revenge....

"Would you really kill if you could get away with it?" hmm, "It's the perfect plan". Really?

I think it will work as a standalone, but if you've read the first you'll remember a few of the characters and their modus operandi. The bad poetry is back too. I would have enjoyed some humor and lighter moments to balance out the dark tension. Also, the end seemed unfinished like I wanted a little more.

CW - (view spoiler)

It was a highly engaging plot that had very intense moments, some shock, creepy moments, and once when I even said out loud, "No way!"

I was so curious how this was going to become a series after the ending of the first book and I love how it was done. The two main characters of The Kind worth killing return to team up in a thriller after Henry's client at his PI firm hires him to watch her husband and that husband winds up dead. Lily decides to help Henry, feeling she owes him a debt. Henry suspects his hiring was solely to give his client an alibi and he isn't wrong. Lily is the perfect person to help him.

This plot sounds a lot like The Wheel of Doll by Jonathan Ames, and just not worth reading.

Thanks for the digital review copy.

Thank you SO MUCH @williammorrowbooks for the early arc on @netgalley!! I screamed when I got approved!!

IMPORTANT NOTE: this is a sequel to The Kind Worth Killing. I highly recommend reading that one first before this one!

When I saw there was a sequel coming out I was nervous it wouldn’t live up to the first one. Man was I wrong! Right off the bat your thrown back into Henry’s life and the aftermath of the first book. But this time he’s helping an old student find out if her husband is cheating on her. Along the way you learn about this students past and what’s lead her to where she is.

I loved that the author threw in Lilly from the first book! I was worried we wouldn’t get to know what happened to her!

Just like the first book this one is dark, twisted, and full of good surprises! I can happily say this one was just as good as the first!! If this isn’t on your radar then it should be!

Peter Swanson is a go to author for me; I always enjoy reading his books so I was really excited to hear there was a new book coming out connected to The Kind Worth Killing. (Definitely read TKWK first as there are some spoilers in this book.)

The Kind Worth Saving is a classic Swanson through and through. There are multiple POVs, s.h.a.d.y. characters, and good twists. Things in this book start out a little slow, but it gave me enough to keep me very curious as to how the two different POVs and timeliness connected. Overall, I thought it was a very nicely spun web and the ending was strangely satisfying.

This is my second book from Peter Swanson, and it’s safe to say, I am officially moving him onto my list of favorite authors. I absolutely loved this quick, cat and mouse read! I loved how each chapter was a different point of view, and the twist that came half way thru the book, made me gasp! Definitely check this book out when it’s released in March!

A twisty unpredictable murder mystery that sparkles the best of Peter Swanson’s dark humor and grounded characters that are so exciting to read. I couldn’t put it down for even a breather as the engrossing narrative kept me hooked in from the beginning. There’s no lull in the momentum and always an aura of mystique and danger swirling in the pages.

Full review will be posted on https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com/kashif-hussain

Dare I say I loved this even more than THE KIND WORTH KILLING?

Swanson really knocks it out of the park with this one. Loved how complicated and nuanced the characters are and how seamlessly he ties the past and present storylines together. I was hooked and engaged from the first page. This will be a favorite of the year for me, for sure.

If you haven’t read THE KIND WORTH KILLING, I highly recommend reading that one first. While THE KIND WORTH SAVING can be read as a stand-alone, there is a major spoiler for TKWK in TKWS, and TKWK is a fantastic book too.

Thanks to the author and publisher for allowing me to read this early!

Oh my so good! I had to go back and re-rod the first book. Story follows Joan who hires her ex teacher as a investigator to follow her hubby. Who ends up dead along with his mistress . Is Joan behind it? And why? Is all this related to the day that Henry was a tender wheeze there was a shooting in his classroom. As the story unravels so does the juiciness!

I read 200+ books a year and The Kind Worth Killing has ranked among my Top 5 faves forever. It was not without some trepidation that I embarked on the sequel.

But fear not Lily and Henry fans, Swanson executes perfectly and I devoured this baby in 24 hours.

Buckle in for twists and turns, naughty limericks, and Swanson's enjoyable food descriptions.

Thank you SO MUCH to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It is my pleasure to write an honest review.

Another brilliant book from Peter Swanson this book was an absolutely excellent follow up to The Kind Worth Killing it dug deeper into some of the characters lifes with twists and thrills throughout and the perfect ending that I would have never guessed! My honest opinion this is Swanson best book yet!!!! He's a brilliant story teller and hus words flow and you just keep reading and reading love love loved this book I highly recommend it!!!!

Much thanks to #netgalley and #WilliamMorrow for allowing me to read and review this ARC
All thoughts and opinions are my own

Absolutely worth the hype and then some! I’ve been hearing forever that The Kind Worth Killing was so great so I finally read it when I received this sequel and I’m SOOOOO glad I did! I love that I read them back to back because I lived with the characters for even longer and everything was so fresh. I really enjoyed the dive into Kimball’s character more in this book and learning more about twisted, creepy characters! I loved how this one ended! I loved the first person and third person perspectives and the nonlinear timelines! Digging into the past a chapter at a time in tandem with present day made it even better! Definitely one of the best books of the year!

The Kind Worth Saving

I know I’m not alone when I say I’m a huge Peter Swanson fan. Swanson has taken the internet by storm and has kept us all on the edge of our seats while releasing countless 5 star thrillers. The Kind Worth Saving, has set a whole new bar of standards .

If you are anything like me you have been thoroughly entertained with Swansons previously published books but when I tell you that this one is nothing like the rest, I promise you, I’m not exaggerating .

The Kind Worth Killing is jam packed with suspense. There will not be a minute to catch your breath before you are thrown into another twist.

I can’t go on without spoiling so I suggest you pre-order this masterpiece:

Teaser :

There was always something slightly dangerous about Joan. So, when she turns up at private inves­tigator Henry Kimball’s office asking him to investigate her husband, he can’t help feeling ill at ease. Just the sight of her stirs up a chilling memory: He knew Joan in his previous life as a high school English teacher, when he was at the center of a tragedy.
Now Joan needs his help in proving that her husband is cheating. But what should be a simple case of infidelity becomes much more complicated when Kimball finds two bodies in an uninhabited suburban home with a FOR SALE sign out front. Suddenly it feels like the past is repeating itself, and Henry must go back to one of the worst days of his life to uncover the truth.
Is it possible that Joan knows something about that day, something she’s hidden all these years? Could there still be a killer out there, someone who believes they have gotten away with murder? Henry is determined to find out, enlisting help from his old nemesis Lily Kintner—but as he steps closer to the truth, a murderer is getting closer to him, and in this hair-raising game of cat and mouse only one of them will survive.

Cracking good story. (A pet peeve of mine, if you'll forgive me: "whom" is an object pronoun. If a pronoun is separated from its verb by a clause like "they thought" or "he saw" that's no reason to use "whom." This sentence is correct: The fans waited out front for the singer who they believed would soon come out to sign autographs. But Swanson thinks it calls for "whom." Which would be fine if a copy editor were on the job. But I do have to say I hope he understands anapestic meter better than his protagonist.)

Best thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I delved into this well written book completely and thoroughly entertained.

"𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫."

Although Lily Kintner from THE KIND WORTH KILLING, one of my top thriller reads of all time, makes an appearance in this loose sequel, the book is dominated by a different cast of characters. Most notable is Henry Kimball, a failed English teacher who left the profession after being at the center of a tragedy. Now he's a struggling private investigator grappling with the failure of being an unpublished poet.

When Joan walks into his office one day to hire him to gather proof that her husband is cheating, she stirs up terrible memories for Henry. She was a former student present in his classroom the day a shooting happened. Despite his misgivings, he takes the case and finds more than he bargained for--two bodies inside an empty home that is up for sale. Suddenly, he feels as if the past is repeating itself with Joan at the center of more carnage.

While nothing will ever hold a candle to TO THE KIND WORTH KILLING, this was still a twisty, fun read, especially when Lily's storyline became prominent. The plot was crafty and engaging and it was fun to see how all of the moving parts came together for a pretty satisfying end. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this early read that will publish March 7, 2023.

This was a haunting, mysterious thriller that had a perfect amount of suspense and tension while staying fresh in the genre.

I rate this novel five stars because it’s a page turner, suspenseful, and well written. I read the first book The Kind Worth Killing and absolutely loved it. I have read everything by Peter Swanson. He is an auto buy for me. In addition, this book tackled some deep issues and has very complex and deep characters. I recommend reading this book.