Peter Swanson is masterful and has become an auto-purchase author for me. It has all the twists in this clever plotline that keeps you glued to the page from start to finish. For any fans of thrillers, this is a must read.

A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson is the third book in the Henry Kimball and Lily Kintner series. This book follows Martha, Lily's friend from college. Martha reaches out to Lily when she suspects her husband of being a serial killer. Lily decieds to follow Alan at his next convention that he will be working. Lily notices that someone else is following Alan a blast from both Martha and Lily's past. Now Lily must get Henry Kimball involved to help her find who is really behind all of these murders. As with all Peter Swanson books this one I could not put down and until I was finished with it. I loved everything about this one. I want to thank both NetGalley and William Morrow for letting me read an advance copy of this book.

This one was so easy to get into. Right from the first paragraph I was completely interested in what was going on. In fact, the lead character in that first part of the book had me thinking "I think we'd be friends". So I was super invested in the action. And then this book went a lot of really interesting places. I was completely delighted by this romp of a mystery from start to finish.

Another great suspense story that once again features Lily Kintner and to an extent PI Henry. Lily’s college friend Martha is newly married to a man she really doesn’t know and she soon suspects he might be a killer. Enlisting the help of Lily they both investigate Alan and see there are murders of women while he’s in that particular city. The fast pacing, interesting plots we’ve come to expect from Swanson, this is another winner.

I loved “A Talent for Murder”. and I could not put it down. This can be read as a stand-alone, but it's helpful to have read the others in the series to get Lily's backstory. It has a cast of characters so unique and ruthless and kind of endearing. The story is so incredibly complex and messy without being confusing or too much to handle. I loved that this story was told through multiple POV’s. I always enjoy books like this more because I feel so much more connected to the characters. The pacing of the book for me was perfect, the story moved along while still giving the reader all of the backstory they needed to know for the characters involved. The story is told in present day and flashbacks that helped in introducing the new characters. Halfway through, it takes a turn I was not expecting, 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. Lily is such a great character and I hope we see more of her soon. Peter Swanson has a serious gift for telling a twisty story and satisfying readers. A huge thank you to NetGalley, Peter Swanson, and HarperCollins for access to the ARC in return for my thoughts.

This is SUCH a fun thriller! Probably the best thriller I have read so far in 2024. Our story follows a woman who is convinced that her husband is a serial killer. She gets the help of a friend to help her try and see if her intuition is right. WOW. So great and I absolutely loved the ending. I will be recommending this to thriller pals for sure! Awesome job, Peter Swanson!

𝗔 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 by Peter Swanson
𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: June 11, 2024

Thank you to @williammorrowbooks, Netgalley and Peter Swanson for an ARC!

Wow! What a great book! This is the third book in the Henry Kimball/Lily Kintner book series which includes The Kind Worth Killing and The Kind Worth Saving. Once again, we are brought a highly suspenseful and extremely addicting serial killer thriller that hooks you from the very first page!

There are three parts with alternating chapters, just like the previous two books and while the other two books focused more on Henry Kimball, Peter Swanson has chosen the third book to showcase Lily and her talents. I absolutely loved this book and it has taken the top spot in this series.

If you haven't read Peter Swanson yet, this series is the perfect starting point to experience his great writing style! I highly recommend this series!

Compelling but deeply weird. There were at least 2-3 twists too many - Twists meant to convey that we can all be killers, twists meant to show that most of us live in the morally grey areas.

!!! Lily Kintner is BACK!!!

I went into reading this with a bit of trepidation because I really wasn't a fan of The Kind Worth Saving (after LOVING The Kind Worth Killing), and I was afraid of being subjected to more limericks. Fortunately, Henry Kimball takes a back seat as a supporting character this time [there is only one limerick in the entire book (!!!), thank goodness], and Lily and her college friend Martha are front and center.

Martha reaches out to Lily because Lily has helped her deal with a bad relationship in the past, and now Martha suspects her mild-mannered husband, Alan, may be a serial killer after she finds blood on his shirt. He travels to conventions frequently for work, and Martha does some super librarian investigating and notices a disturbing correlation between cities he's visited and unsolved murders of young women.

I loved this! Multiple POVs, fast pace, some fun twists, and LILY - she's one of my favorite characters ever, so it was delightful being back inside her head. This works as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend reading The Kind Worth Saving first so you get the full Lily experience.

You never quite know what’s really happening in this twisty and clever mystery about a serial killer (2? 3? 4?) who turns out to be someone quite different from who you expect it might be. The logical storytelling soon sets you straight though, and the offbeat ride of this novel is totally enjoyable.

A Talent for Murder
by Peter Swanson
Pub Date: June 11, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
A newlywed librarian begins to suspect the man she married might be a murderer—in this spectacularly twisty and deviously clever novel by Peter Swanson, New York Times bestselling author of The Kind Worth Killing and Eight Perfect Murders.
I read this book a little too quickly. I devoured the story and characters. 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.
5 stars

5 Stars!! Excellent story! Excellent twists!
Another great chapter in the Lily Kitner saga.
The story hooked me from the beginning and never let go. Twists and turns! Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader.

Peter Swanson knows how to write a thriller. It's almost impossible to predict his plots because they're so unique and because he isn't like other writers. There are times while reading his books where I'm genuinely shocked by something. That doesn't happen a lot to me when I read thrillers. This book had me hooked from the first chapter. It is told from multiple POVs and characters, and I never tired of any of the characters (which is rare...). This book is a little dark and detailed at times but that just makes it seem more real and personal. I'm glad characters from previous Swanson books play a part in this one because these specific characters have earned my affection. I have become a big fan of Peter Swanson and I'll be recommending this book to all my friends and family members who love to read. And I'll be looking forward to the next Swanson book to be released. He never misses.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read and review such a captivating novel.

A nice addition to the Lily Kintner series. I found this book to be a little more straightforward in the sense that there’s not huge unexpected twists like the first 2 books but this book is fast paced, action packed, and super entertaining.

Holy smokes! 😱 What a book! I absolutely love Peter Swanson and what he has done with this series. It is so incredibly good. I fell in love with Lily and Henry while reading the first in this series and I was honestly rooting for them. I still am. I just can’t say enough good things, a must read for this series.

This was a really addicting and entertaining book! I loved how the story flowed and how the suspense just continued to build! I really didn’t know where it was going and it definitely kept me guessing. It’s so faced and I couldn’t put it down! You get to read from multiple character perspectives and that really enhanced my enjoyment of the story. It gets pretty dark and disturbing and it continually shocked me!

Thank you so much NetGalley and William Morrow for the arc!

I enjoyed this! It was a nice change of pace than other thrillers to have the murderer reveal in the middle of the story rather than the end. Lily though seemed to have zero remorse. I haven’t read the other two books prior so I don’t know if there’s much more about her and why she’s the way she is. But she was cray cray.

Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc. All thoughts are my own.

Unofficial Synopsis:
Martha thought she’d live her life alone, so when she meets the charming and sweet Alan, she is quick to fall in love. Even though he’s gone for half the year.

So, when he comes home with what appears to be blood on the back of his shirt, Martha decides to start investigating. She learns that for all the city’s Alan has been at over the last year, five of them have had unsolved cases of murders of women.

Could she be married to a serial killer? Or is it s coincidence?

Review:
I didn’t realize going into this one that it was part of a series, but it was still entertaining. It did read like a standalone in many ways, so I don’t think you need to be vested in the series to enjoy it. I love good fast paced thrillers, and I feel that this one was a little slow for my liking. It seemed to drag at times. However, the story was good, and I love reading about any characters dealing with books and I felt really connected to Martha. I loved that this story was told through multiple POV’s. I always enjoy books like this more because I feel so much more connected to the characters. Another thing that I enjoyed was the multiple timelines. This can be tricky because if not done correctly I feel like you can get lost, but that wasn’t the case here. I found it easy to follow. I enjoyed the suspense and thrills that seemed to be at every corner! Peter Swanson is always an auto-buy author for me, and he will continue to be.

Peter Swanson is a genius! I just read the first two books in the Henry Kimball/Lily Kinter series then immediately was able to read this new one and was totally floored! Fantastic series, fantastic characters and writing! Recommended too all thriller readers!

Wow!! What did I just read?! I couldn’t put this book down!! The characters were well developed and I found myself staying up way past my bedtime to finish it. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this incredible book! I will definitely be sharing it with all of my fellow book lovers!