This is the sequel to The Kind Worth Killing.
Henry Kimball is a private investigator who is hired by Joan to confirm that her husband Richard is having an affair with one of his colleagues.
When Henry arrives at a house for sale after following Richard and Pam, he hears gunshots as he approaches the house. They are both dead. Murder/ suicide. Or was it?
The story takes us back to when Joan was a teenager and on holiday with her parents and what happened then.
I liked the way this was written in that we knew early on what had happened. Told from each persons point of view.
Lily comes into this quite late on in the book and she doesn't disappoint.
I loved the ending.
Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Faber and Faber Ltd for granting me access to this text. The following review is a true reflection of my opinion.

The kind worth killing being one of the main books that got me into thrillers and one of my favourites to date, meant that there was a huge amount of pressure riding on this sequel for me - but Swanson, you did it again! This one was long awaited but worth every minute of waiting! A twisted, twisty, suspenseful tale of messed up people doing messed up things.
I loved getting a taste of those devious characters from #1 tangled amongst the mess we’re thrust into. Reading book 1 before starting this is a must and I believe having the experience of the first one makes you appreciate this sequel even more, alongside the great storytelling and cunning characters.
 I’m limited in what I can say as I don’t want to give away any of the plot. I truly believe it’s best to go into this blind in regards to what happens - but trust me when I say, you’re in for another wild ride.

I really loved "A Kind Worth Killing" when I read it nearly 7 years ago so I was very excited when I heard that there was to be a "next in series". Sadly, the reality didn't quite match my expectations - maybe I wanted it too much, dunno...
Don't get me wrong, it's a decent enough story, albeit duping the reader a bit (it's ok no spoilers) to get to where it needs to go, and I did feel a bit cheated, again!
So, we catch up with Henry Kimball after being booted out of the Boston PD, the fallout from the shenanigans of book one. He is now a PI, and also now friends with the woman who knifed him in book one - not 100% sold on this either but then Henry is a funny fish so...
He is visited one day by an old pupil of his - he was a teacher before he was a cop - Joan Whalen wants him to provide proof of her husband's infidelity...
And off we go... flitting between the present investigation, and Joan's past - witnessing how her past shaped the woman she turns out to be... And that's all I'm saying...
I did enjoy this book, but I wanted so much to love it, which I didn't cos, to me, it wasn't a "great" book. Apart from the "dupe the reader" bit, which I really didn't like, the twists and turns were nothing new to me and, as the story somewhat relied on them, it all felt a bit flat at the end.
I also wasn't too sold on Henry and Lily's relationship... bit weird that...
All that said, would I read the next in series... heck yeah. Mainly cos this book was a decent read, if nothing special for me, and, as such, I think my expectations would probably match better. Or, better still, allow the author to wow me once again.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I think to really appreciate this book you need to read The Kind Worth Killing first. Although this is only book #2, in what i hope will be a long series, so much of book 1 is threaded through this book and it helps the reader understand the bond between Henry and Lily. Their relationship reminded me a bit of Chelsea Cains Archie and Gretchen series, in the fact the cop is in love with the murder.
Private Eye Henry Kimball is hired to find proof of a husbands affair with a colleague. The lady who hires him is a past pupil of Henry’s from when he was a teacher. After a few days of following both the husband and the colleague, Henry doesn’t think he is going to find anything but finally sees them both end up at an empty home (they are both real estate agents so know what houses are vacant). As he decides to get closer to the house to perhaps get some incriminating photos, he hears gunshots. The couple are dead and it looks like the husband has killed his lover, then himself. His client, Joan, pays him handsomely although he never got to solve the case. Henry isn’t sure about the suicide verdict as his instincts feel they were murdered. When he starts to look more closely at Joan, he finds she was present at 2 other murders, but who is her accomplice? She had an alibi for when her husband was shot.
As things get more complex he heads up to visit Lily, the lady who tried to kill him in the previous book but whom he now has feelings for.
It’s a good read and I truly hope there are more featuring Henry and Lily.

A complex, gritty thriller is how I would describe the book. This author is always well worth a read.

The single plot twist of the novel is revealed at the 50% mark, and it's not even a good one (gone girl does the same but i cannot even begin to describe the world of difference between the two). This was just badly written. No tension to keep you reading, stale characters, boring plot.

Those who’ve read ‘The Kind Worth Killing’ will recognise PI Henry Kimball, one of the main characters from that novel. Lily Kintner, the other main character will also make an important appearance later in the novel. So, you might want to read that first to get to really know Henry and Lily. However, if like me you haven’t read the previous novel yet, this does work well as a stand-alone, particularly as the plot is completely separate and sufficient backstory for Henry and Lily is given.

Before he was a PI, Henry was once a high school English teacher for a year. He left teaching after a student shot another member of his English Honors class and then himself. Now, in a blast from the past, another student from that class has walked into his office and requested that he find proof that her husband is cheating on her. Joan Whelan (née Grieve) is sure that her husband Richard, a real estate agent has been having an affair with her best friend Pam, who works as a secretary in his office, but wants to present him with proof before she asks for a divorce. This sounds like an easy enough job for Henry, but turns out to be a lot more complicated than he expected and will lead Henry into looking at Joan’s past.

I found this to be a smart, entertaining and suspenseful read. The novel is narrated by different characters, over two lines – Henry’s current investigation and an older event that occurred when Joan was young. The pieces will all fall into place as Henry investigates Joan’s past and discovers a web of lies, deceit and secrets that also involves him. It’s a dark and twisted tale which puts Henry at risk, but fortunately he has the clever and devious Lily to watch his back. Highly recommended!

I was so excited to read this after really enjoying The kind worth killing and I loved it! I think that the story is unique and the characters are definitely the most interesting part. Reading each of their POV's is so fascinating, especially Joan and Richard because they are the characters that are the most complicated. I really liked the inclusion of Henry Kimball and Lily Kintner, it made this partly a sequel but partly a whole new story and I loved that because I thought that The kind worth killing wrapped everything up so a new story was needed.

The friendship between Henry and Lily was so weird but in kind of a sweet way, it grew on me. Henry's character was surprisingly complicated and deep, I'm not sure if his past as a teacher was mentioned in the previous book but I liked that that was part of his story. The friendship between Richard and Joan was also interesting, I like how Joan was clearly the manipulator in this book. She wanted people gone but she clearly didn't want to do the dirty work herself and always preferred to manipulate others into doing what she wanted. Richard was such an interesting character and the way that he depended on Joan to make all the decisions for him was well done.

I do think that the plot kept you hooked, but there wasn't really a big plot twist. It was more like the plot was slowly unfolding itself out in front of you with the more that you read. I think I quite liked this style, as it showed the cat and mouse game that was being played. I was a bit surprised and disappointed because I feel like Henry only figured everything out by accidentally stumbling across things and jumping to conclusions. It worked, but as an ex-detective and a now private detective, I was hoping that he would have more of a skill set for investigating. I was also a little bit disappointed with the ending, I don't want to spoil it but I did think that the end would be different. But everything was wrapped up nicely in the end anyway and I still enjoyed it.

Overall this was a great thriller with a plot that kept you hooked constantly and characters that had you questioning everything. I would definitely recommend this.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 twisty stars. Lily and Henry are great characters and I could read more and more about Lily and her twisted ideas and actions.

A great book only let down by the thoroughly awful Joan and Richard who it was hard to really care about.

Surely one of the most anticipated sequels in years.

The Kind Worth Killing is a modern classic, a favourite Peter Swanson book, the first of his books I read, it set me on a binge read of all of his other books and made him a must read asap author.

Private Detective (and former teacher) Harry Kimball is hired to investigate an ex-pupil's cheating husband, it's a strange case and Lily Kinter is the only person he can really trust. The cheating husband is only the very start of it...

No spoilers, it's a deep, involving and twisting plot, told from multiple perspectives at different times.

The reader usually learns 'the facts' before Kimball and we are willing him to get to the right result. Harry Kimball is refreshingly gimmick free, relying on his wits and systematically piecing together the evidence as he can find it.

The plot moves like clockwork, smooth, precise, with plenty of perfectly engineered cogs keeping it ticking.

This is a masterpiece of thriller writing, a worthy sequel to one of the best loved modern thrillers.

Definitely highly recommended, but read The Kind Worth Killing first to fully appreciate the greatness.

Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Great premise with interesting characters

Having loved The Kind Worth Killing, I was excited to read this follow up from Peter Swanson. Similarly dark and twisty, this focuses on Henry Kimball, no longer a detective but now a private investigator. When he is hired by Joan, an ex-student from his brief days as an English teacher, Richard is pulled again into the world of sinister doings and murder. He returns to a familiar face from The Kind Worth Killing to help him to understand the world of the psychopath. An excellent and intelligent thriller.

4,5 Stars

Almost eight years ago I read “The Kind Worth Killing” and I absolutely loved it. As a consequence I just had to read this one. And I was not disappointed.

The story starts with a woman named Joan hiring her former teacher and now private investigator Harry Kimball. Joan suspects that her husband is cheating on her and she wants Henry to confirm it. But soon Harry gets the feeling that there is something more going on. And he thinks that only one person can help him to figure out what is going on: Lily, who he suspects of murder and who tried to stab him once. He has a complicated but trusting relationship with her and for some reasons she may be the perfect person to help.

Peter Swanson wrote again a dark psychological thriller. He raises some ethical questions. Are some people better be killed? Are there killers with a moral compass? Nevertheless, it is highly entertaining to see two people meet and learn that they are not alone with their dark thoughts. Lily’s role seems to me a bit forced but I enjoyed the book too much to care about that. At the end we see a psychopath outsmart another psychopath which is a bit satisfying but also disturbing. And it is highly entertaining.

The Kind Worth Saving is a clever, well-plotted book which returns to some great characters from The Kind Worth Killing: Henry Kimball and Lily Kintner.

Kimball is asked to investigate a woman called Joan’s husband Richard, as she suspects he is having an affair with his colleague. But then the man in question, and the woman he is allegedly having an affair with, are both found dead and Kimball is a main witness. Can he work out why Joan asked him to investigate the affair, and whether it was for a more sinister reason than he first expected?

As well as the present-day storyline, we follow Joan as a teenager as she gets herself wrapped up in some dangerous situations with a friend from school. I don’t want to say much more about the plot as I don’t want to give anything away – there are some great twists in this book throughout, without ever feeling too ridiculous. You’re actually given a lot of the information quite early on but watching the elements come together is a really satisfying experience.

I think this book can easily be read as a standalone – I couldn’t remember a huge amount of detail about The Kind Worth Killing (TKWK) – but I remembered enough to pick up on extra elements about the characters, so I think it’s well worth still reading TKWK anyway, as it’s another great read and gives you an extra element on insights into the way Kimball’s mind works. I’d really recommend this satisfying, enjoyable thriller – but I wouldn’t expect anything less from Peter Swanson, an author I know I can always rely on for a gripping read!

I really enjoyed The Kind Worth Killing one of Peter Swanson's first books that was published in 2015 so was intrigued to see this book and the return of the main characters from that novel.

I will be honest this authors last couple of books have not really hit the mark for me but I am so glad I picked this one, Swanson returns to form and this was an intensely readable page turner. With the return of Henry Kimball and Lily Kintner, Swanson weaves a suspenseful tale with lots of twists and turns. Kimball is the stereotypical private investigator still haunted by past mistakes and Lily Kintner is a brilliant fascinating character, I loved how the author developed this character and I can't wait to read more about her.

A brilliantly paced , hard to put down thriller. Recommend.

4 stars.

I have really enjoyed Peter Swanson's previous novels and so like many fans was excited to read The Kind Worth Saving. For those who have read The Kind Worth Killing it's a welcome return for two of the characters- Henry Kimball and Lily Kintner- although you don't need to read the previous book to enjoy this one.

Henry Kimball, former police officer and teacher is now a private detective and is approached by a former pupil to investigate if her husband is having an affair with a colleague. Henry is soon drawn into a murder investigation and when he believes there's more to the case he calls on Lily for help.

The Kind Worth Saving is classic Swanson, a gripping and compelling read full of twists where no one is quite who they appear to be. It's such a cleverly plotted thriller that I raced through and a very satisfying follow up. I hope to see Henry and Lily in future novels.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
4.5 stars

Having loved The Kind Worth Killing, I had high expectations for this semi-sequel and was not disappointed! An excellent mystery in itself, it reconnects the readers with the main characters from the original novel. A great read!

the first book in this series was the book that really got me into reading thrillers and mysteries that were a bit outside the cop genre. i love the authors way of writing these absolutely sociopathic characters and letting the reader into their minds, and this book was exactly the same.

the limited cast makes the story feel so tight; there are only so many ways the four of them can be involved and yet the twists still felt unexpected. the returning characters from the first book grew and evolved in a way that felt really natural to them whilethe first book in this series was the book that really got me into reading thrillers and mysteries that were a bit outside the cop genre. i love the authors way of writing these absolutely sociopathic characters and letting the reader into their minds, and this book was exactly the same.

the limited cast makes the story feel so tight; there are only so many ways the four of them can be involved and yet the twists still felt unexpected. the returning characters from the first book grew and evolved in a way that felt really natural to them while still having their actions in this book stay true to the people they were in the first book. it takes quite a skilled author to keep that consistency and still create such a compelling story.

the only thing i probably needed before i read this book was a full reread of the first one, and not just a skim of a plot summary that i found on the internet. i think that context would have strengthened a lot of this novel for me, so definitely a series to read in quick succession. still having their actions in this book stay true to the people they were in the first book. it takes quite a skilled author to keep that consistency and still create such a compelling story.

the only thing i probably needed before i read this book was a full reread of the first one, and not just a skim of a plot summary that i found on the internet. i think that context would have strengthened a lot of this novel for me, so definitely a series to read in quick succession.

Former teacher and Private Detective Henry Kimball is hired by an ex pupil to find out who her husband is having a affair with.
Henry soon realises that all is not what it seems and that his life is in danger.
There is one person he can trust, Lily, but canhe really trust her?

I loved A Kind Worth Killing, which this is the sequel to. It took me a while to get into this one, I wasn't really invested in the characters or the story. There were a few great twists that made me want to keep reading.
I felt like it didn't quite explain the time in between the ending of A Kind Worth Killing and this one. It's a quick read but I think it would've been better left at the first one.