I didn't know this book was the third book in a series, but it didn't affect the story at all for me. I do want to read the other books in the series after reading this one. This book sucked me in right from the beginning! It was a little dark and twisted, but I really, really liked it!

Such a fun addition to the series. I love getting to know more layers of Lily. I neeeed Henry and Lily to have a more developed relationship. I need them to be together.

The Kind Worth Killing is the book that got me into thrillers so many years ago. Lily Kintner is one of my all-time favorite characters, so I was excited to be back in her world.

This series has been fun to read, although the first book will always remain my favorite. A Talent for Murder is a fast-paced, twisty, and unputdownable addition to the series. In true Peter Swanson fashion, there is a mic-drop ending that left me speechless.

Thank you, Netgalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy!

Dark, twisty, oh-so-murdery! I couldn’t put this book down. The Lily Kintner/Henry Kimball series has gotten better with each book. Swanson is an auto-read author for me, but I’d place “A Talent for Murder” on my top three list of his books to date. Bring on the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this!! Peter Swanson is one of my auto-read authors so I was thrilled when I got the chance to read this ARC. I started as soon as I received approval and couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this was an excellent edition to Lily Kintner’s story. Less twisty and more straightforward than the previous books but still a fast paced, gripping page turner with so much suspense and action. I think Lily is a bad ass character and it was fun learning more about who she is and where she came from.

Having read the earlier 2 books with Lily and Henry, I knew it would be good and I couldn’t wait to start it! I was right! Fantastic! I was really excited to read more about Lily and her life. She is definitely main character material. You don’t want to like her at first but she grows on you. Thank you so much for the ARC. It’s a pleasure to read Peter Swanson and I plan to go through his backlog soon!

Lily's back! The Kind Worth Killing is one of my favorite novels ever so I was thrilled to see it become a series. The sequel was pretty good, but this one is even better! There were some major twists, and I did not guess the direction the plot was going at all! I loved seeing Lily as a central character again with Henry in a supporting role. A Talent for Murder is fast-paced, well-written and hard to put down. The final chapter was amazing! Lily is such a great character and I hope we see more of her soon. Peter Swanson is a talented author, and he continues to captivate me with his twisty plots and intriguing characters. Highly recommended!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC!

I didn't realize this was yet another entry in Swanson's 'Kind Worth Killing/Saving' series (of sorts), but it mostly works as a standalone (though you can clearly tell that MC Lily has more depth explored elsewhere). I found the writing here really, bizarrely basic, and I found the plotting equally basic but also goofy as hell. This book wasn't for me, and I think I'm learning I should stop picking up later-day Swanson books.

Firstly, I must confess my unwavering fandom for "The Kind Worth Killing," the book that introduced readers to the eccentric, highly unique, and very dangerous yet intelligent Lily Kintner, along with the once-police-officer-turned-private-investigator Henry Kimball: the poet of disturbed limericks. That book blew my mind, and its predecessor, "Kind Worth Saving," proved to be a riveting and mind-bending sequel. While it didn't shake me to the core like the first book with its clever twist, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

When I discovered that Peter Swanson was bringing back this unusual duo for another intriguing mystery with a compelling plot—a meek librarian suspecting she's married to a serial killer—I couldn't contain my excitement. I would have traded anything for an early copy of this book. Thankfully, William Morrow gave me the amazing opportunity to dive into this digital reviewer copy, making me scream "Yessss" and pump my fist in the air Judd Nelson-style at the end of Breakfast Club while "Don't You Forget About Me" played in my head!

I must admit, I wish I hadn't devoured this book so quickly, but I simply couldn't help myself. I was hooked from the opening scene: a teachers' convention, a polygamous and eccentric young teacher, Josie Nixon, seeking a quick hookup that ends in tragedy. We are then introduced to Martha Ratliff, an old friend of Lily from college, who works as an archival librarian and ties the knot with a sweet, man of few words, a little odd but always kind salesman. He spends half of the year at various teachers' conventions selling quirky merchandise. When Martha finds a bloodstain on the back of her husband's shirt, she becomes alarmed. Her rich imagination and obsession with investigating mysteries lead her to connect the dots, discovering that each time her husband goes on a business trip, a murder occurs nearby where he stays. Could these incidents be mere coincidences, or is there something sinister about her husband that she needs to uncover? Could it be connected to the curse her college friend placed on her?

Martha decides to seek help from the person who saved her from a sexual predator she was dating. Enter Lily, recently moved to her childhood home to live with her divorced parents, who reluctantly share the same house for financial and health reasons. Lily, currently between jobs, is pen-palling with Henry Kimball. When Martha shares her story, Lily gets intrigued and decides to visit the next teachers' convention to meet Martha's husband in person. Little does she expect to be drawn into something even twistier that requires her to call on Henry to team up against.

Overall, the ending was spectacular! It's always a pleasure to read a new Lily Kintner/Henry Kimball book. Aren't they a match made in heaven? I need another sequel ASAP! And I hope the next book will be a little longer, or I'll practice reading a little slower.

A heartfelt thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for sharing one of my most anticipated books' digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

I didn't realize this book was part of a series I enjoyed in the past, so I was thrilled to once again spend some time with a complicated character I like a lot. Although it's not really a mystery since the reader finds out the murderer halfway through, it is a suspenseful and full of surprising twists.--couldn't put it down! Please write another Lily Kintner book!

Peter Swanson delivers again with a psychological murder mystery that takes the reader into the mind of several killers.

Back at it! Peter, Lily and Henry. Lily and Martha were friends back in college. In college Martha had a boyfriend Ethan that was not good to her and years later Martha suspects her husband is a murderer. Enter Lily who saved her from Ethan and investigates her current husband Alan. The investigation leads to Alan’s misdeeds and Ethan showing back up in their lives. There is murder and lots of juicy twists in this one. Will everyone get what they deserve in the end? Have to read it to uncover.

Peter Swanson does it again! His books get better with each new book. I absolutely could not put this book down. So many twists that I didn't see coming. Looking forward to recommending this book this summer...it will be a great beach read. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I haven't read Peter Swanson in a while but after reading this, I'm wondering why not! His books always have me on the edge of my seat and this one was no exception. Such a great high concept premise. I devoured it in 2 days. I didn't see any of the plot twists coming and even if I had, it wouldn't matter since the characters were all so fascinating, especially Lily. Swanson does such an excellent job with complex plots and characters you think you know but then you're thrown for a loop again and again. Highly recommend to anyone who loves twisty thrillers, devious characters, and intricate story structure.

Martha, a newlywed librarian, is starting to have suspicions that her traveling salesman spouse may be a serial killer after finding blood on his shirt and learning if murders in the cities where he had recently traveled.
She enlists the aid of a college friend, Lily, who had helped her out of a previous dangerous relationship, to see if her fears are valid or if Martha is wildly overreacting.
What starts out as a hunt for the truth leads Lily down a dangerous path where it seems all is not what it seems and she realizes that the past has a way of surfacing in dangerous and deadly ways.
I loved this book. I read it in one sitting and could not put it down! From the straightforward (I thought!) premise to the insane and incredible finale, I have to say that this is my favorite book by far that I’ve read in a very long time!! Also love how Peter Swanson is bringing back past characters. This is not necessarily a series because the books can definitely stand alone - you learn more about these fascinating characters with each novel and I am here for more!

What would you do if you suspected that your husband was a serial killer? I personally don't know that I'd call up an old friend that I hadn't seen in fifteen years (because … awkward!), but it somehow works in A Talent for Murder. I requested this book from NetGalley not realizing that it was the third in a series, but it ended up being a non-issue. There are some references to previous events and relationships, but overall it works perfectly fine as a stand-alone as long as you don't mind that you're missing some of the backstory.

This is the second novel I've read by Peter Swanson, and it's the second one where the murderer is revealed halfway through the story. I don't know if this is his usual modus operandi, but it's an enjoyable switch-up from the usual mystery format with the big reveal at the end. I can't say that I really enjoyed the chapters from the point of view of the killer since they're (obviously) rather depraved, but it's certainly not a POV that you'd get in most murder mysteries.

And speaking of characters, does anyone else think that Lily is a little ... disturbed? So far no one else has mentioned it in their reviews (granted, there's only six on Goodreads as I write this), but I find her to be unsettling. I think that it's partly her lack of remorse when it comes to murder, but I dunno – perhaps I'd understand her more if I'd read the two previous books. Her personality isn't necessarily a bad thing since it's nice to have a different sort of protagonist every once in awhile, but she's definitely not someone that I'd want to be friends with in real life.

The mystery itself is quite entertaining, and I enjoyed following along with Martha's (and later Lily's) investigations into her husband's suspicious business trips. I didn't see the identity of the killer coming at all, although it made perfect sense once they were revealed.

And the ending? I was in no way expecting what happened, although it's a further example of why Lily freaks me out. She's definitely got some Dexter vibes going on.

Overall, A Talent for Murder was an enjoyable and suspenseful read. I'm obviously not Lily Kintner's biggest fan, but she's an intriguing main character and I definitely need to go back and read the two previous books now. 3.75 stars, rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

Another great thrilling mystery from Swanson. It is elaborately plotted, twists and turns that I had never expected. It is tge story of a woman’s suspicions about her husband and we watch as these suspicions spiral out of control. Nobody will ever put all these pieces together. Yet, by the end, the author has provided masterful closure.

I really enjoyed this, thank you Netgalley for this great, chilling read.

WOW.
I absolutely LOVED this book. I genuinely could not put it down. I’d read “The Kind Worth Killing” by Peter Swanson a few years ago and it ended up becoming one of my favorite books. I recently just found out about its sequel but decided to hold off on it. I requested this book due to recognizing the authors name and loving the first couple sentences of the synopsis. When I realized it was the third book in this series, I was bummed because I am never one to skip a book in a series. I decided to keep reading this despite having not read “The Kind Worth Saving” and hoping for the best. and that’s exactly what I got.

This book plays out absolutely seamlessly. It has a cast of characters so unique and ruthless and …. oddly endearing ??? It’s so incredibly complex and messy without being confusing or too much to handle. Peter Swanson has a serious gift for telling a twisty story and satisfying readers. It made my skin crawl and I literally just sat here and finished reading it at 5 AM. It’s been a while since a book has not only kept, but DEMANDED my attention.

It’s that good. I am most certainly going to go back and read what I missed in this series and I look forward to hopefully meeting these characters again sometime soon!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Peter Swanson, and HarperCollins for access to the ARC in return for my honest review :)

Peter Swanson is consistently entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.