Peter Swanson is one of my favorite mystery authors. I have almost read all of his books at this point aside for one. Always 5 stars for me. A Talent for Murder was excellent. Lily fascinates me as a character. I would read 100 books on her. He does such a good job of developing characters and setting the mystery up but not too obvious. Kept me entertained and guessing!

Interesting concept for a book that I haven't read before. I enjoyed and did not see where this was going.

Read Complete 6/18/24 | 3.5 stars

Do I need to read Books 1 & 2 before reading this book? Technically, no. The characters of Lily and Henry do appear and have some increasingly larger roles in the book as it progresses, but you can read this first if you want as the plot is independent. If you plan on read THE KIND WORTH KILLING, then this may spoil parts of that book. You may also feel a little lost being thrown into these two characters without the context and history to back it up, but the plot stands alone.
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I actually really liked the beginning of this book and was quite interested in it. I wasn't really keen on another Lily Kintner/Henry Kimball book, so I was pleasantly surprised when Lily was involved but just on the peripheral. She did have her own POV, but the story was really about an old friend Martha and her husband who she thought might be a serial killer.

The first half of the book was really interesting and I really liked the story! I was really connecting with it for a while, and I actually really liked the twist that took us into the second half of the book, but it lost me from there.

The second half of the book lost its momentum and this is where Lily and Henry really pick up the story. I was pretty irritated by it because I honestly don't care about them anymore and was enjoying Martha's story and everything that she was discovering. I would have rather had Lily & Henry make smaller appearances or not be in it at all and this could be a stand alone. It just really killed the pacing for me and the ending was all a little too easy in some ways. I did like how at the *very* end, things did circle back and everything was wrapped up well.

I did enjoy the read but honestly, Lily & Henry being big parts of it made it worse instead of better for me. Mixed feelings on this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. The plot is intriguing and pulled me in. Some parts were definitely predictable, but I love short chapters and hearing from each character's point of view. I didn't realize this is a third in a series and would like to read the others.

A feeling like the author of A Kind Worth Killing should be on auto 5 stars. That will forever be one of my favorite books of all times, and this one is just as good! I can't thank him enough for bringing these characters back. Amazing novel with amazing characters.

Thank you Net Galley and William Morrow for the arc!

Lily Kitnter & Henry Kimball team up to help Martha uncover if her husband has a talent for murder.
Highlights:
✨Suspenseful Cat & Mouse game
✨Cleverly plotted
✨Good Twist
✨Binge-able quick read, don't need to read previous books in the series, but why wouldn't you!

Bottom Line: Highly Entertaining, perfect beach read!

"A Talent for Murder" by Peter Swanson is a gripping thriller that keeps you guessing at every turn. Newlywed librarian Martha Ratliff starts to suspect her charming husband, Alan, might be a serial killer after discovering a bloodstain on his shirt. As she investigates, she uncovers a pattern of unsolved murders in cities he visited. Martha enlists the help of an old friend, Lily Kintner, whose discoveries lead to even more shocking revelations. While the plot is deviously clever and full of twists, some elements might feel a bit predictable. Nevertheless, it's a page-turner that will leave you questioning everything until the very end.

Thank you to William Morrow for the digital copy to review.

Well hello there Henry, it’s nice to see you and Lily again! I was so excited to read this new book by Swanson as he is an auto buy / auto read author, but when I heard these two were back in his newest I might have squealed. And boy, were they ever back!

This was quite a tale, one of suspicion and a little cat and mouse and a lot of why don’t people ever trust their gut?! But I guess we wouldn’t have this book if they did. I read this on the beach in Mexico a few weeks ago and it was perfect, I paired it with the audiobook and both were excellent reads, I am an audio lover but you can’t go wrong with either medium here. I loved every minute of this and tried to balance wanting to know what would happen with not wanting this to be over, but ultimately I could not put it down and this was perfect all the way through.

Swanson is such a talented writer, balancing the creepy and suspenseful with the perfect amount of intensity, and this was five stars and will be a top read of the year for me. Loved, loved, loved!

A newly married librarian begins to suspect her traveling salesman huusband of murder. After finding that there has been a murder in some of the towns he has visited, while he was there. She contacts an old friend to run her ideas by and they start their own investigation. The beginning of the book had me hooked, but as it went on it became rather ordinary, and more violent.

5/5 stars

Thank you William Morrow for the advanced reading copy!

SYNOPSIS -- Martha Ratliff never expected to find a life-partner, until she met Alan. Sweet and good-natured, Alan was the perfect amount of dorky and kind for Martha, and, a year in, their marriage is feeling solid. Martha never had an issue with Alan's traveling, until a mysterious streak of blood shows up on his shirt one day after a conference, and Martha discovers a concerning pattern: unsolved cases of murdered women track with Alan's conferences. Convinced her beloved husband is a serial killer, Martha contacts her old friend from graduate school, Lily Kintner. The only friend Martha has every really had, Lily steps up to help her investigate Alan, but what they uncover is even more twisted and confusing than they could have expected.

After reading both The Kind Worth Killing and The Kind Worth Saving, I wasn't expecting to love this one as much as I loved those, but I was so wrong -- this was my FAVORITE in the series!! While it is marketed with "standalone" potential, I think you really have to read the other two to have the background information on the characters in order to really care about them/the story. While the spoilers of other books aren't major in this one. I don't think you'd connect to the story as much without knowing who these people are and who they have been.

All of that being said, I really enjoy Peter Swanson's writing style, especially in these books. It's a lot more straightforward than a lot of the writing in this genre, and that's a breath of fresh air. This book leans towards mystery/suspense more than it does thriller, and it was fun to try to figure out the truth of the story while it was unfolding. As with all the books in the series, this had surprising twists and a really clever premise, making it a fun and quick read. I think this was my favorite because it was way heavier on Lily than it was Henry. Henry is fine and doesn't really bother me, but I don't care about him/his character arc like I do Lily, and it was a joy to have more of her in this one. The whole series is worth the read IMO, especially to make it to this one!

I didn't realize this was part of a series. However, it did not take away from my enjoyment. I had heard of the author and was excited to get the arc to review. The story is told from multiple points of view but there are a few main POVs. Martha one of the main characters begins to suspect her husband of being a serial killer and when her friend Lily gets involved things start happening at a little quicker pace with a lot of twists and turns. Some of them were a little shocking and unpredictable twists.
I really went into this blind and all I'll say is from the first chapter with Josie's murder. It was kind of like WHAT!?! Most of the characters are unlikable, and untrustworthy, but their predicaments suck you in, and some of them you just can't help caring if they live or die. There was quite a bit of ‘tell’ rather than ‘show' backstories included, but they added to the tension, and were interesting.

I have no hesitation in recommending A Talent for Murder. It was a great read and I want to go back and read the rest of the series.

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc to review.

I haven't read the other two books in this series but I still enjoyed this murder mystery thriller. Martha's husband is a traveling salesman of literature themed curiosities. His travel hasn't really ever bothered her that much but when he comes home with some blood on his shirt she can't avoid the unsettling feeling she's had about her husband for awhile. Doing some research she discovers that women have been murdered in the towns her husband went to around the time he was there. Knowing she needs help in getting to the truth she calls on her friend Lily Kinter to help her discover what her husband really is. But no one is safe in this thriller. A good overall who dun it with thriller twists and turns. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a twisty and unexpected wild ride this book was! It had misdirection, murder, and teacher’s conferences. What more could you ask for!? In all seriousness once I started this book I flew through it in 2 days. I never felt bored or wished the pace would pick up and I loved that ending! I’m DYING to know more about Lily and her past.

3.5 stars. This is my first book in this series, so I might've gotten more out of it if I had read the first two Lily Kintner books and was familiar with Lily and Henry. As it was, I got attached to Martha and then realized the book wasn't really about her. The thriller has some genuinely shocking twists, but I didn't find the ending satisfying.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

When women start dying in cities where her husband has recently been, a librarian suspects him of being a murderer. She enlists the help of a college friend in helping her investigate. This is told from both friends' perspectives so I got a little confused about whose chapter I was reading. But the twists more than made up for it.

I loved this book. I am familiar with Swanson's writing but didn't initially realize that this was the third book in his popular series until I started reading it. After finishing, I think it could be read as a standalone without issue, but obviously it helps to have the first two under your belt.

Martha's husband travels for work and he is gone a majority of the year. She begins to get suspicious he is a killer and does some investigating of her own.

This book was on the shorter side which made for a quick read. I loved the character of Martha, but also enjoyed the fact that we got other POV's. Peter Swanson has this fantastic way of writing that makes you want to keep reading and this book was no different. It was entertaining and fast paced.

The ending was a little bit predictable, but it wasn't something that took away from the reading experience for me.

Martha Ratliff always through she'd spend her life alone and had no problem with that. However, when she met Alan everything changed. He was a divorcee that had a job that kept him on the road for half the year, who treated her well. This is why she said yes when he asked her to marry him.

Things were going well until one year into their marriage she found a blood streak on the back of one of his shirts. This makes Martha suspicious so she starts to investigate the cities that Alan has been to and finds out that in five of those cities there are unsolved cases of women who've been murdered.

Worried that she's married to a serial killer, Martha reaches out to an old friend Lily Kintner who once helped her with an abusive boyfriend. Thus begins Lily's investigation into Alan, which leads to her to find a lot of unexpected answers.

Before I start talking about my thoughts on A Talent for Murder, I want to preface this by saying that I have never read the other books in the Lily Kintner and Henry Kimball series. When choosing this on NetGally there was no indication that it was part of a series, so my views might be a bit skewed not having read the other 2 books.

That being said, while I didn't love A Talent for Murder, I did enjoy it and would recommend it. I especially feel like those who have read the other 2 books will thoroughly enjoy this book.

I found Martha to be a likable character, along with Lily and Henry, who appear later on in the book. Trying to unravel the mystery with Martha and Lily was fun and I definitely didn't see the twist coming. I honestly can't put into words why I didn't enjoy this book more, but while I like many of the characters, I just never felt fully connected to them. I think not knowing Lily and Henry's history really hindered me in forging a connection.

All in all, if you're looking for a thriller with an interesting plot, I would definitely suggest A Talent for Murder. I would, however, suggest you read the other books in the series first. I am now going to go back and read them iso I can have more background if the series continues.

Peter Swanson is my favorite contemporary mystery and suspense writer. I thoroughly enjoyed The Kind Worth Killing--and managed to hook more readers on Swanson with that title than any other previous one--and The Kind Worth Saving. Did I enjoy this third book of the series? Yessss...but not as much. It's the perfect example of a series that probably didn't need to keep going (maybe that's why this plot and even the familiar characters seem flat in comparison?), and it's overall not the fantastic quality normally put out by the author/his standalone titles. Will people who already enjoy his titles/this series still be okay with it? Yes, mostly, because not every book or book in a series is going to be a knockout. I still can't wait to read anything and everything that comes out next from Peter Swanson, even if this one didn't wind up being a new favorite to recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this title in exchange for my honest review.

This might have been my favorite Peter Swanson yet, I read it in two sittings. It's technically the third of a series, but you don't necessarily need to have read the other two to enjoy it — though those are also enjoyable. There's a lot of tension throughout, and though I felt like I predicted a few of the 'twists,' there were others that kept me guessing.

Thank you Netgalley, #partner, for the advanced copy of A Talent for Murder in exchange for my honest review.

Peter Swanson has become a must-read author for me when it comes to thrillers and I love that his books are so addicting, and binge-worthy and this latest one is no exception – I read this one in a day! The Kind Worth Killing is one of my favorite books so to not only get a sequel to it last year but then another book with Lily and Henry just makes my thriller-loving heart sing!

This book is so clever and full of so many twists. I don’t know how Peter Swanson keeps doing it, but he does, and he does it so well! This is a dark and devious story, and I had such a hard time putting it down once I started it. I loved how layered this one was, with everyone having their secrets and nothing being quite as it seemed.

Once again, we have characters that you will be questioning from the get-go. I love the way Peter Swanson is able to create these morally gray characters that you aren’t quite able to pinpoint what it is about them until the bottom drops out. I just love being able to be in the mind of a killer – there’s something so chilling yet fascinating about that and Peter Swanson does it so well!

While this book does work well as a stand-alone, reading the series in order gives you a much fuller picture of who Lily and Henry, not to mention the new levels of that the cat and mouse games to go with each new book. I do hope there is more to come of this duo!