First thank you to William morrow books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy’s in exchange for and honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars

Synopsis; Martha is a librarian in a small town married to a salesperson. When she discovers blood on his shirt after a trip, she discovers a disturbing pattern of murders in the towns he travels. Is he a serial killer?

What I liked: this was my first Peter Swenson book and found it to be enjoyable. He packs a lot into a very short book ~250 pages. I tried to guess some of the twists and didn’t get them right. Martha and Alan the main characters are written in such a way that you do make some assumptions about. I really enjoy an author that can write in an efficient manner and he gets it done in less than 250 pages. I would recommend this book for mystery fans. It is part of a series but I was fine reading it on its own

Formal review to be posted on instagram and amazon


Overall - this one was one that propelled itself forward but it just didn’t hit the mark as well as The Kind Worth Killing. Glad to see Lily and Henry still hitting it off…but it just didn’t have the same suspense and intensity that I expected. Will continue to ruminate on full thoughts, but overall it was ok.

Huge thank you to William Morrow for the free e-book!

Wow was this one ever easy to fly through! The more I read the more I had to keep going to see what was happening! I love how the chapters each seemed to get progressively more enticing!

Once we got to chapter 16 I was FREAKING OUT!

I read the first in the series, THE KIND WORTH KILLING but didn't read the second THE KIND WORTH SAVING and this one made complete and total sense on its own. You can definitely read this as a standalone! I liked this one more than the first one!

There is so little that can be said without giving anything away, but I'll say this: don't mess with Lily Kintner!

A TALENT FOR MURDER kept me on my toes until the very last page! It will be huge hit for sure!

A Talent for Murder is the 3rd book in The Kind Worth Killing series. While it could be read as a standalone thriller, I highly recommend reading the books in order so you can fully appreciate the characters and storyline arcs.

The Kind Worth Killing is one of my all time favorite thrillers. I love it so much I even did a reread a year or two ago and enjoyed it just as much the second time around. Somehow Peter Swanson has managed to continue with this wild but entertaining story and A Talent for Murder was a good read. For anyone who hasn’t read the series, I’m going to avoid discussing the plot or characters, but I will say the third book feels like a natural continuation of the series. It might not have as many shocking moments as previous books but I binged it. I really enjoy the crazy popcorn thriller vibe of this series.

Is a 4th book in the works? I don’t know, but I’d like to be first in line to read it or any new books by Peter Swanson.

I mean, what do I need to say about a Peter Swanson book? Well crafted and smart writing all around.
Martha is a librarian, ok with being alone forever. In comes Alan, who she agrees to marry.
Alan is a salesman, on the road a lot. But Martha notices weird things when Alan returns. After doing a little investigating, she discovers a trail of murdered women, conveniently in the same area Alan has been.
Did she marry a killer? Is she being paranoid?

Sadly, I think Peter Swanson and I are done. I didn’t realize this was a third Lily and Harry book and I wouldn’t have requested it if I had known since I hated the second book. However since I had it, decided to give this one a shot.

The beginning was so promising!! Martha is married and her husband travels a lot to conferences for his work. But then she starts to realize there are murders near each conference and she starts to wonder. But she can’t just go to the police and say she suspects him - what if she’s wrong? It would ruin their marriage (though perhaps your marriage already has issues if you think your partner might be a serial killer??) Anyway - she decides instead to call her old friend Lily and they will do some research before going to the cops.

This is a super interesting premise and for the first 60% of the book, I was all in and was loving it. However the rest went down hill for me and I hated the ending.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review.

What librarian could resist this premise? Not I! Martha, a newlywed librarian suspects her husband might be a serial killer? Just another opportunity to utilize her aptitude for research, her instincts for discretion, and her friend Lily from library school.

Although it seemed like these components would add up to at least four stars, I was a little underwhelmed. There were some nice connections between the past and present, a strong female character in Lily, and a twist I enjoyed at the end. Our main sociopath was icky, sure, but he didn’t freak me out the same way The Bad Seed did. So, three stars it is. It was still a quick and enjoyable read if you enjoy mystery, psychology, and a little comeuppance!

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

I love Peter Swanson’s stories. They range from mild to totally unhinged, but they are always twisty. This story was no exception.

Martha is worried her husband may be a secret serial killer while he is “away on business trips”. She enlists her good college friend Lily to help her investigate and see if she’s right.

There were some jaw dropping twists in this one. What I did not know is that this is the 3rd book in this series, the first two being The Kind Worth Killing and The Kind Worth Saving. I ave not read those two books yet and it seemed like this book may have alluded to some spoilers from them. So my warning would be to read those first! I’ll be doing that shortly.

This was a fast paced and suspenseful novel. I felt uneasy at times reading it from one of the perspectives- the mind of the killer. It was so well written and I’d highly@recommend it…after you read the first two of course…which you guys have been recommending to me forever.

Thank you to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for my copy of this ARC which published 6/11/24.

After loving the other 2 in this series, I was super excited to be given an arc of the third and it did not disappoint- I hope Peter Swanson keeps making more books with these characters!

While this one was less twisty than the other two, it provided some interesting twists and I loved the changing POV. It definitely kept me on my toes with not knowing what was coming next.

I do think you could read this as a stand alone but think it would be better read after the other two. That being said, I did like the other two books more but still really enjoyed this one!

If you like quick thrillers- pick up The Kind Worth Killing and the Kind Worth Saving snd then this one! They are so fun!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was twisty and surprising. I love when I book keeps me guessing and keeps the pace of the book going until the very last page. This book delivers. The peak into the mind of a killer, a serial killer and the people around them is fascinating and creepy.

I don’t always love books in the third person but in this book it works. While it’s written in third person it changes POV often throughout the book which keeps the book flowing.

For some reason, The Kind Worth Killing didn't capture my heart or attention like it did for so many other readers and to be honest, I didn't realize that A Talent for Murder was part of a series that started there. When I grabbed a copy of A Talent for Murder and realized it was a series, I decided to listen to The Kind Worth Saving - and I loved it! That feeling held true through book 3!

This book can absolutely be read as a standalone. I appreciated knowing some backstory but I liked that A Talent for Murder really focused on Lily whereas the prior book was more focused on Henry. It made for a great balance, especially reading pretty close together.

Swanson has a great way of luring the reader in and normalizing some pretty wild scenarios (for example our murdering protagonist who we all still root for!). This book was unique, totally different from the prior two in the series, and kept me guessing. There were some pretty big scenes I definitely wasn't expecting and I appreciate when an author will make a bold move.

Lily is a badass and it's fun to work through a situation with her and read her inner monologue.

Definitely recommend this series and excited to see where it goes next.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the copy.

A solid and enjoyable thriller! I didn't see the ending twist coming. I also didn't realize this is the 3rd book in this series. It's easily a stand alone but now I want to go back and read the other two.

Martha marries Alan, a traveling salesman, after a short relationship. When he returns from one of his trips with a bloody shirt, Martha begins to dig into his whereabouts. When she sees a pattern of women being killed near the conferences he is attending, she enlists the help of her college friend Lily to help her dig in. While the two have not spoken since college, Lily helped Martha out of a bad relationship in college so Martha feels she is a good person to turn to.

I love anything Petere Swanson writes and this was no exception. While I thought the twist was a bit too farfetched, I loved the build-up and the pacing of the book so much it did not bother me. Lily was a fun character and I liked getting the insight on her and Martha's POVs.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A sequel to "A Kind Worth Killing"! I'm so happy to spend more time with Lily Kintner and Henry Kimball! A librarian suspecting she's married to a serial killer? I was hooked! As I was reading this one, I was so curious as the plot was developing and then WOW, I could not put it down. The mystery of figuring out if Martha's husband was a serial killer was highly entertaining and as with most well written thrillers, I did not figure out the ending or the big reveal at all. The moments of intense suspense has my stomach in knots and I'm pretty sure I was holding my breath. You know its a great book when it affects you physically that way!

“A Talent for Murder,” by Peter Swanson, William Morrow, 272 pages, June 11, 2024.

Martha Ratliff is an archival librarian who loves books. She thinks it’s likely that she’ll spend her life alone.

Then she meets Alan Peralta, who was married for three years just out of college, but is now divorced. They enjoy their first date. They date for awhile, then he proposes. She says yes. Alan sells novelty clothing at teachers’ conferences and is away much of the time.

After a year of marriage, Martha is content. Then Alan comes back from a conference in Denver and Martha finds a streak of blood on the back of one of his shirts. Martha begins researching cities Alan traveled to and finds five unsolved cases of murdered women.

Is she married to a serial killer? Or could it merely be a coincidence? Unsure what to think, Martha contacts an old friend from graduate school for advice. Lily Kintner once helped Martha out of a jam with an abusive boyfriend, Ethan Saltz. She calls Lily and they meet. Lily is sociopathic and a killer herself. Lily once stabbed police officer Henry Kimball, who survived. He is now a private detective.

Martha’s chapters are written in the third person and Lily’s are written in the first person. The characters are interesting and the plot is complex and somewhat dark. There are some twists and a great ending. This is the third in the Henry Kimball/Lily Kintner series, but it can be read as a stand alone novel. Peter Swanson’s fans will enjoy “A Talent for Murder.”

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I'm obsessed with Lily Kintner and Henry Kimball. There. I said it. I loved the first book, A Kind Worth Killing. I became even more intrigued with the second book, A Kind Worth Saving but A Talent for Murder caps the trifecta that is this series. I was hooked right from the start and didn't want it to end. I'm hoping for lots more to the series, because the relationship between Lily and Henry is so interesting and unique that I just need more. i know in reviews of books in a series we often see the "can be read as a standalone", which A Talent for Murder can, but my advice is to start with book one and get to know more about Henry. Then binge them all.

Wow! really enjoyed this! You know a book is going to be good when it makes your jaw drop before the first chapter even starts.

This was twisty and weird... Even the writing style was strange. It blended first person and third person but there is a reason for it which I found so clever.

This one is really hard to review spoiler free so I will conclude with this: will definitely be recommending this one and it might be my favorite of Swanson's yet!

I was excited to read this -- I've heard so much hype about Peter Swanson's work and, admittedly, I hadn't read any of it yet so I was looking forward to this latest novel. Unfortunately, I ended up disappointed. While the opening was strong, the plot seemed to peter-out for quite a while (most of the middle, tbh). The twists weren't as "twisty" as I was expecting given BookTok's love for Peter Swanson's previous works, and the twistiest part felt far-fetched to me. I'm hoping his earlier works can erase my disappointment for this book once I get around to reading them...

**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

Swanson is a must read author for me and he knocks it out of the park again with this third in the Henry Kimball/Lily Kinter series. I loved the set up and premise and enjoyed seeing Martha and Lily try to find out what Alan was up to. I enjoyed how Swanson broke it into parts and multiple POVs that fit with the plot. The twist was twisting in this one and I was geniunely shocked. You could definitly read this as a standalone but I highly recommend going back to the first two in the series and starting there.

Peter Swanson's A Talent For Murder delivers a gripping tale that hooks readers with its promise of suspense and psychological intrigue. Newlywed librarian Martha Ratliff finds her seemingly perfect life upended when she suspects her husband, Alan, of being a serial killer.

Swanson excels in crafting a protagonist that readers can root for. Martha, a solitary and intellectual woman content with her quiet life, becomes an unlikely detective as she follows a trail of unsettling clues. The bloodstained shirt and the series of unsolved murders in Alan's wake set the stage for a story brimming with tension and doubt. Her journey from suspicion to investigation is both compelling and relatable, making her a character readers will empathize with as she navigates her fears and uncertainties.

The introduction of Lily Kintner, an old friend with a knack for getting to the heart of dark matters, adds a layer of complexity and intrigue. Lily's involvement takes the story in unexpected directions, revealing twists that keep the narrative fresh and unpredictable. Swanson's ability to weave intricate character dynamics and plot twists ensures that the reader's interest is maintained throughout.

However, the novel occasionally feels bogged down by its pacing. Some of Martha's investigative efforts and introspections seem repetitive, which can detract from the overall momentum. Additionally, while the conclusion offers some satisfaction, it may leave some readers yearning for a more definitive resolution to the mysteries posed.

Despite these minor shortcomings, A Talent For Murder stands out with its strong character development and engaging plot. Swanson's knack for creating psychological tension and his talent for unexpected twists make this book a worthwhile read for fans of domestic thrillers. It's a tale that explores the unsettling possibility of evil lurking behind the façade of normalcy, reminding us that the most dangerous secrets often hide in plain sight.

In summary, A Talent For Murder is a solid, enjoyable read that earns 3.5 stars for its clever plotting and well-drawn characters, though it might have benefited from a tighter pace and a more conclusive ending.