I first read "The Kind Worth Killing" by the same author last year, and loved it so much that I immediately rattled through the rest of his back catalogue! So when I saw "The Kind Worth Saving" on NetGalley, I hit that request button so fast!

I love when you find an author who ticks every box - smart writing, well developed characters, and beautifully plotted twists and turns. And Peter Swanson has done it again with The Kind Worth Saving.

I loved the dual timelines, and found Joan such an interesting character, and it was lovely to see Lily Kintner make a return! I was completely gripped and couldn't get through this one fast enough, A brilliantly written book with masterful twists, a fascinating folie a deux at its heart, and a mesmerising central protagonist.

My only complaint is that now I have no Peter Swanson left to read and I'm bereft. An EASY five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, and to the publisher, for providing me with a free ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I do think that Peter Swanson is at his best when he’s writing unhinged characters with very questionable morals. I read The Kind Worth Killing last summer and was absolutely hooked with all the twists and turns that I had to pick this one up when it was announced. I do have to say that you probably don’t have to read the first one before reading this one, but it will add some character backstories and context that might help with your enjoyment of it.

This was incredibly fast paced, and I loved the way that we get so many different narrators throughout. You never know what’s going to happen next and whether or not your narrator will even make it to the next chapter. Swanson is not afraid to kill off his darlings. This definitely adds a tense and exciting element to the story, and also gives a bit of an unreliable narrator vibe, as it's not always clear what the truth is or who's telling the truth, so you just have to keep reading in order to find out. It was quite addictive like that.

I do just have to say that the characters felt a bit more generic in this one, I wanted more for them, but it just fell flat in a few places. I also wished that we had gotten more of the flashback moments of Joan throughout the years. That was my favourite part and I think it could have gone even further, maybe even gotten a bit darker. I feel like he really could have taken the Joan and Richard storylines even further. Whilst I enjoyed getting to see Lily again in the story I'm not sure that her perspective really added that much, and there are definitely other storylines that I would have preferred to have more information on instead.

Overall, I loved the way that all the mysteries and characters twisted together. It was very well written and there were so many twists that I didn’t see coming. Definitely a fun and easy to read thriller!

After receiving an ARC from Netgalley I couldn’t wait to get stuck into this book as I remembered loving the first one. It had been a few years since I’d read it though and I couldn’t recall all of the details so I decided to reread ‘A kind worth killing’ first. I wasn’t disappointed there were fine details from the first book that I’d forgotten and it was just as enjoyable a ride as the first time. Having done this prep I was ready for ‘A kind worth saving’. It follows on perfectly from the first novel introducing new characters but also linking back to our old favourites and events that happened in the past.
It was just as twisty and you definitely gained an insight into the evil that can roam the streets unnoticed.
Henry really is a great detective, piecing together the truth from only a few snippets of random information. This book is a great follow up to the first. I really enjoyed it!

The Kind Worth Saving is the second book in the Henry Kimball/Lily Kintner series by award-winning American author, Peter Swanson. When a former student hires Henry Kimball to confirm her husband’s infidelity, he is reminded of the fateful end to his only year as a high school English teacher. Joan Grieve, now Whalen was in the room when a tragic event ended the class, and his career as a teacher, early.

Joan tells Henry she is fairly certain that her husband Richard is having an affair with Pam O’Neil, the office manager at his real estate office. After he follows each of them without result, then gets quite a bit closer to Pam than is wise, Joan tells him where and when he is most likely to find them together. Just after he gets to that particular house for sale, he hears gunshots and inside finds Pam with Richard Whalen, both shot dead.

While the local police rule it a murder-suicide, a few things about it, and about Joan, just don’t sit right with Henry. He decides to run the whole thing by the woman who almost killed him two years earlier, Lily Kintner. Back then, he was in the Boston PD, but his approach, and an obsession with a certain suspect, saw him suspended. Now, he’s a PI, but he values Lily’s opinion, even though, or perhaps because, he believes she may have murdered twice.

Lily agrees with him about Joan. They decide to separately investigate, having no real idea of who they’re going to encounter, and the inherent danger involved...

Swanson gives the reader a tightly plotted tale with some excellent twists and a fine red herring. He fascinates the reader with characters who love the thrill of the kill, the feeling of power. Lily’s rationale for her actions is thought-provoking, and Henry is an interesting protagonist, an English teacher turned cop turned PI whose love of literature infuses his life. He’s still writing dirty little limericks about those involved in the cases he’s investigating, adding to the dark humour Swanson peppers throughout.

While it works as a stand-alone, first reading The Kind Worth Killing gives the reader a good background of the main characters, avoids spoilers in this one, and why would you deprive yourself of such a brilliant page-turner? The resolution is comprehensive but more of this duo would be most welcome. This is another superb dose of Peter Swanson crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Faber & Faber.

I read this without knowing anything about Swanson's previous book and it holds up quite well as a stand alone although the reader would benefit from understanding the references to the characters' backstories from book 1 - some of their motivations are a little puzzling.
The writing moves along at a good pace with some clever (if not entirely believable) plotting. The reader sees the events unfolding from the point of view of several protagonists which works well in this case. I liked it enough to consider reading book 1, which readers seemed to love, but probably wouldn't read book 3 if and when it's released.
My thanks to Faber and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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The Kind Worth Saving

I read the kind worth killing absolutely years ago and although I can't remember much about it I definitely remember reading it, which tells me it was pretty good. Therefore when I saw there was a sequel coming out I knew I had to pick it up.

The Kind Worth Saving follows Henry, a private detective and ex teacher after he is hired to investigate an ex-pupils husband following suspicion of cheating. However, this isn't any ex-pupil. Henry was only a teacher for a short time due to a student shooting another student and then himself within his lesson, and this ex-pupil was present in that lesson. The case isn't all what it seems, and Henry makes the mistake of getting close to the women whom the husband is suspected to be having the affair with. So he turns to Lilly, a women with dark secrets of her own (which I believe is the basis of book 1).

With lots of twists I definitely enjoyed this book. It was a good thriller with an interesting plot line that wasn't guessable, I'd say it's the perfect holiday read.

The second book in a series, Private Detective, Henry Kimball is hired by an ex-student from his days as an English teacher at Dartford-Middleham High School. The story is told from several points of view and flows seamlessly. Though not very likeable, the characters are somewhat quirky. Enthralling and clever.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Faber and Faber Ltd via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Henry Kimball is a private investigator having in the past been a school teacher and policeman both jobs coming to abrupt ends due to a school shooting which he did not get over and accusations of stalking Lily Kintner. His investigating business is not doing so well. Out of the blue Joan comes in and asks for help as she thinks her husband, Richard, is having an affair with a lady in his office and she needs to know. She appears not to be too bothered but has this need to know which seems strange if she not going to confront him. After talking to Joan he realises that she was a pupil in one of his classes when he was teaching. He takes on the job and starts to makes enquiries and following both Richard and Pam, the woman Richard is having an affair with. Kimball has followed Richard to a house up for sale in a remote area, looks around and hears gunshots and then finds two bodies. He begins to think he has been set up but cannot quite get a handle on the why and who. In comes Lily Kintner into the story, the lady he supposedly stalked. After chatting through the case Kimball is convinced that he has to investigate Joan more wisely and closely. The story continues well and I liked the way it moves from the past (when he was a teacher) to the present. I enjoyed the story. I have not read The Kind Worth Killing and although I did not think it made a huge difference to my enjoyment of this book I think it would have given me more insight to the dynamics of Kimball and Kintner

Swanson’s wicked novel THE KIND WORTH KILLING was the type of book that immediately jumped onto my all-time favourites list, and I picked up its sequel with both excitement and trepidation – could it possibly live up to its predecessor? I think that Lily Kintner is that rare type of character you recognise as being totally without a normal moral compass but who you want to root for nonetheless, and I was curious to see how she had fared since the events in TKWK.

Henry Kimball is now a private investigator after having been forced to quit the police force (at this stage I realised that I had to re-read TKWK to refresh my memory and I’m glad that I did). He is hired by Joan Whalen, a woman he soon recognises as being one of his former students during a quick stint as a graduate English teacher before realising that the profession was not for him. Joan is curious to find out whether her suspicions are correct that her husband is cheating on her. In typical Swanson style, things escalate quickly from here and everyone seems to have secrets to hide.

Whilst Lily features in TKWS, she has only a peripheral role, and we mainly bear witness to both events in Joan’s past as well as the present mayhem the investigation creates. But don’t despair, because readers who are hoping for the same kind of flawed, amoral characters we saw in TKWK will soon find them here, as well. You don’t pick up either book if you’re easily triggered because here a normal moral compass doesn’t apply, so if this is not your thing, you should probably give this a miss. As for myself, I could appreciate the almost satirical character study of this wild bunch. Do these type of people exist in real life? I hope I will never have to find out. Was it entertaining though? Very much so – as the normal rules of society don’t apply, everything is possible, and the novel held a few clever surprises in store.

A great story that is so twisted! Loved every moment of this book and starting to understand the who's and the why's. Hard to put down!

I enjoyed this book on the whole, but found the storytelling repetitive at times. I did read the first book but don’t remember too much of it; this didn’t stop the enjoyment of this one.

Whilst I enjoyed this book I couldn't help but think - why write a sequel to a near perfect book? At least, what I remember was near perfect. It's been over seven years since I read the first book and I can honestly say I don't remember a thing, except that it stayed with me for days after I'd finished. I would much rather have had a sequel to Rules for Perfect Murders.

The Kind Worth Saving started off interesting but slowly began to make my eyes roll. I think the part that lost me was Joan's involvement of Henry in the first place. It's ludicrous. I liked the flashback scenes with Joan and Richard at the beach. It truly showed the inner workings of two psychos who wanted nothing but to watch the world burn. However, I found PI Henry Kimball unrealistic and unbelievable. I was also constantly confused with two characters named Richard which was completely unnecessary to the story.

TKWS also saw the return of Lily Kintner. Her sections should have been left to the cutting room floor. She served no purpose to the story.

Overall, I generally enjoy Peter Swanson's books and he will continue to be an auto-read author for me. I'll just keep hoping for a sequel to RFPM.

**Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy.

There are lots of really positive reviews for this book, racing about the twisty plot etc. I didn't get far enough to get to any twist! After struggling through the first third of a book that was repetitive in the extreme, I have up. It might have helped if I'd read the first in the series.

Read quite a few Peter Swanson books and find him a fascinating writer
He definitely never disappoints
Enjoyed reading the kind worth killing and the sequel is just as intriguing
Liked that Kimball and Lily were working together again

Thank you netgalley, Peter Swanson and Faber & Faber

This was a very clever and enjoyable plot, like all of Peter Swansons books I’ve come to love. The only disappointment was the short and swift ending.

The Kind Worth Killing remains one of my most favourite reads since 2018 and I enjoyed the references to it and past characters at the fore of this book.

I'm not going to attempt to summarise the plot here because I don't want to give any spoilers, suffice to say Kimball and Lilly are back!

This is such an enjoyable book with plenty of twists and turns. I absolutely devoured it and I hugely HUGELY recommend!

The kind worth killing is one of my favourite books so when I heard about a sequel I knew I had to read it. A huge amount of this book is backstory which helps you to understand the relationship between the characters. I found it all a bit underwhelming I’m afraid but it was nice to have Lily Kinter back in my life for a short time.

I can only imagine how tough it is to return to characters written so many years ago. Especially when that book is so well regarded amongst fans. But I can totally say that The kind worth saving makes me want even more stories in this little universe.
I struggled a bit for the first 30% to get into the story. But once it all started to work for me, I was again immersed in the story. Even if, for me personally, it wasn't as engaging as the one in the first book. It still was very addicting. Hence why I would love for our main characters to return for future stories.

The structure is once again what works best for me. I often complain about thrillers not working for me because of the structure. The way the information is being given to us makes the mystery less exciting for me. But it's not the case here. The little twists always catch me by surprise, even if I know they are coming. And I adore that.

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.

The Kind Worth Killing is my favourite Peter Swanson novel so I felt a little trepidation at this new release. I shouldn't have Henry and Lily are back on top form; the story and the characters were awful (in the nest possible way) and I couldn't wait for them to get their comeuppance. A fast paced, gripping crime thriller that you won't be able to put down.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review