In Peter Swanson's latest offering, Kill Your Darlings, the idyllic facade of a long-standing marriage is not merely cracked, but shattered, then meticulously reassembled in reverse, revealing the dark mortar that has held it together for decades.

This is not just a thriller; it's a forensic examination of a shared secret, a slow-burn psychological descent that will leave readers utterly captivated.

We are introduced to Thom and Wendy Graves, seemingly pillars of domestic tranquility on the picturesque North Shore of Massachusetts. Wendy, a published poet, and Thom, an English literature professor – their lives appear perfectly curated, their son grown, their Victorian home a testament to a quarter-century of shared bliss. Yet, the opening gambit delivers a chilling jolt: "All is well…except that Wendy wants to murder her husband." From this audacious premise, Swanson hooks us, daring us to peel back the layers of a relationship poisoned by an unspeakable act.

What truly sets Kill Your Darlings apart is its audacious narrative structure. The story unfolds in reverse chronological order, a masterful stroke that transforms conventional suspense into an almost archaeological dig. We move backward through pivotal moments: a fiftieth birthday party brimming with unspoken tensions, the seemingly joyful purchase of their home, the profound event of their son Jason’s birth, and a truly unsettling "mysterious death of a work colleague." Each step backward is not a retreat, but an advance into the murky depths of their past, each revelation a disquieting brushstroke on a portrait of a marriage defined by a single, terrible conspiracy.

Swanson crafts Thom and Wendy with a chilling authenticity. Their love, their resentments, their shared history, and the ever-present shadow of their collective sin are rendered with a precision that makes them feel unsettlingly real. The brilliance lies in how their long-kept secret, initially a binding agent, slowly becomes the very acid dissolving their union. As the narrative peels back the years, we witness the fraying edges of their pact, the creeping paranoia, and the dawning realization that perhaps, the only true way to bury their past is to bury each other.

Kill Your Darlings is a sophisticated, deeply unsettling thriller that will appeal to fans of psychological suspense and those who appreciate narrative innovation. Swanson expertly builds tension not through jump scares, but through the creeping dread of revelation, the unsettling question of who these people truly are beneath their polished exteriors. This is more than a whodunit; it’s a whydunit layered with a how-long-can-they-get-away-with-it. Prepare to be engrossed, to question the very nature of trust and commitment, and to be utterly enthralled by a marriage teetering on the brink of ultimate betrayal. Highly recommended.

I always love a Peter Swanson book. Kill Your Darlings was no exception. This book was unique for the author. It is told backwards. There’s no question of “ who-dunnit”. You know right away. It’s more of a question of why did they do it.
It took me a minute to get used to reading it in reverse, but once I got used to it, this is one of my favorite stories of his. It’s a tale of a marriage with many little and big betrayals. Every chapter you find something new out and it just adds layers of mystery to their story. Both main characters were somewhat unlikable, but in a good way. That’s not a dealbreaker for me in a book. I think you should definitely give this one a try. It was a pretty cool reading experience to race to the beginning so to speak to find out how all of this got started.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this book more than I did because I normally enjoy this author’s books. At times, it as confusing going back and forth with the dates/times. Overall though, the plot was decent and I could see this being a very good movie I’d watch.

I really wanted to like book because I enjoy the authors other books. Though this did not draw me in, I like the premise but just seem to lose interest as the story went on. It was okay and I did finish but it was not my favorite.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
3 star

2.5 stars
This was a well written book, very poorly executed. It constantly went back and forth in the timeline so much that it became repetitive in going back/forth to recapitulate points already made along the way. I’m not sure why the decision was made to organize things the way they were, but it was a big miss for me.

Kill Your Darlings is a structural marvel—an evening-bending narrative that rewards close reading (or listening). If you're into psychological thrillers that play with time, guilt, and moral unraveling, Swanson’s reverse-chronicled tale is captivating. Just go in prepared for a suspense style that builds differently than a typical forward-moving thriller.

Kill Your Darlings was a WOW read for me. Starting at the end and ending at the start this murder story was a compelling page turner. It starts, or actually ends with a murder then backs it up to the significant events revealing relationship between Wendy and husband Thom, motives and hushed secrets. The suspense is almost unbearable. The chatacters were insanely fascinating and very unpredictable. The twisty plot and completely unexpected ending easily made this a five star read. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the wonderful opportunity to read Kill Your Darlings in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story of Wendy and Thom Graves. Married for over 25 years, Thom teaches English Literature and Wendy published a poetry book years ago. They have a son, a nice house, and a good living. But, Wendy is unhappy and wants to murder her husband. The book moves forward from there by going backwards in time.

I appreciate the effort to try a fresh take on a story. Unfortunately, this book was more "meh" than "wow." I enjoyed the concept of starting with the ending and working backward, but it didn’t quite work. The pace dragged too much, and the characters weren’t likable enough. I also found the suspense in the story to be rather weak. I couldn’t stay engaged.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

I went in expecting this to be a normal Peter Swanson thriller and I was gleefully wrong. I enjoyed the reverse time. The plot was great as well as the pace.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and @WilliamMorrow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kill Your Darlings is not your typical domestic thriller and that’s kind of what makes it stand out. It’s a slow-burning, reverse told story about a long, complicated marriage held together by secrets and maybe a shared crime or two.

We start in the present, with Wendy quietly plotting her husband Thom’s murder, and then work our way backward through their marriage. It’s like peeling back layers of a relationship to get to the original rot. Along the way, we see major milestones birthdays, houses, deaths, betrayals and begin to understand how two seemingly average people ended up locked in such a dark, twisted dance.

Peter Swanson plays with time and memory in a really clever way. The structure takes a minute to get used to, but once it clicks, it’s addictive. It's less about high stakes thrills and more about emotional tension, regret, and the gray area between loyalty and guilt.

That said, it’s a quiet kind of suspense. The pacing is more meditative than pulse-pounding, so if you’re looking for nonstop action, this might not be your thing. But if you’re into slow-burn psychological drama with sharp writing and moral murkiness, this one delivers.

3.75 Stars rounded to 4!

#NetGalley, #WilliamMorrow, #KillYourDarlings, #PeterSwanson, #SuspenseBooks

Objectively, Kill Your Darlings is clever and well-written. I wasn't a fan of the backwards timeline, but it was meticulously plotted, and I appreciated the brilliant way the story ended.

However, I also find his writing to be verbose. There is actually very little action in the book; much of the plot centers around Wendy and Thom's married life, in a character study I found dull and dreary. I would have been more interested in the narrative if flashbacks were interspersed with current events.

Wendy and Thom have been together a long time and are bound to each other by a long-ago murder. But a relationship with a secretive component faces lots of obstacles. Told in reverse order, this shorter mystery book is a glimpse into a complicated relationship with some dark characters.

I liked this book, although at times I felt like the backwards timeline was a bit confusing and unnecessary. I did really like the ending that I keep thinking about- it's subtle but effective. I liked that it was shorter and felt very much like an old school mystery. I really like Swanson's writing style and I'm glad to see him branch out a little but also stay true to his style. Mystery lovers are going to enjoy this one a lot, I think.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this free copy of "Kill Your Darlings."

An ingenious mystery told backwards about a marriage built on a foundation of deceit. And how long does it take for the foundation to crack?

Ah, the ending (which is really the very beginning of Wendy and Thom, but wow)! So memorable! And who would have known that such a small detail kept secret would have repercussions 30+ years later...?

Another chilling thriller from author Swanson!

Wendy and Thom have been married over 25 years and live a beautiful life in north shore MA with fulfilling jobs, a great son, and one big secret. Oh, and Wendy has been dreaming of killing her husband. Knowing she can not divorce him because of their big secret, she begins to daydream of how to kill him instead.

This book is told in reverse, which is not something I have ever seen before and I thought it was so interesting! There were some points I would have liked more current day context, but in general I found the formal so fun. Neither Wendy or Thom are good people, but I still enjoyed seeing how they got to how they are today.

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

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Swanson is one of my favorite authors and this book was another hit. What I loved about this one was that it was so different from his other books. I appreciate that he doesn't follow the same formula every book.

This book starts at the end of the story in 2023 and works back to the beginning of the story in 1982. Wendy and Thom's love story starts in 1982 on their 8th grade DC trip. They lose touch but reconnect, which is the arc of the story. But, their secrets keep them together, while also pulling them apart and tainting their relationship.

I don't want to give any spoilers, but the development of the characters, especially in reverse order, was really strong. This one is definitely a slow burn as you find out what happens right at the start of the book. But, there are lots of mysteries to unravel throughout the story.

What I will say is that the final page literally made me gasp! I happened to be reading it while floating on a pool on vacation. I got to the end and he turned thinking I was falling off my float when he heard me. Well done, Swanson, yet again!

Peter Swandon knocks it out of the park again.
This time telling the story in reverse chronological order

Not as strong as Gone Girl, but exciting story of a love lost and a couple staying out of habit.
Nice quick summer read

Another great read by Swanson! The backwards timeline was amazing. It took me a hot minute to get into it, but once I did I truly enjoyed the way the story went back and revealed secrets. Nice Job Peter!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #WilliamMorrow for the book #KillYourDarlings by #PeterSwanson. Peter Swanson is one of my favorite authors and this book is just one of the reasons why. This story is told in reverse and it was perfectly done. Thomas and Wendy have been married for over 25 years and have a son named Jason. They also have a big secret from long ago and will do anything to protect it. Wendy had grown tired of their marriage and wants to kill her husband. The fantastic plot twists that keep coming are just amazing and the last one is the best! Never saw that coming.

Mutually assured destruction is a solid foundation to build a marriage on, right? That’s essentially the premise of Peter Swanson’s newest thriller and while I can’t say either Wendy or Thom was in the least relatable, they were both fascinating sociopaths I wanted to know everything about. The unique narrative structure takes the reader from the present, where Wendy really wants to kill her husband, through the years to when they first met in the 8th grade. Along the way they make several questionable choices and one really big bad one that is obliquely referred to throughout the book until it’s revealed to the reader exactly what they did so many years ago.

Considering the playful format and the constant references to the Bad Thing, I really hoped for a little more oomph to the big reveal. The thing they did was bad, sure, but what made these two relatively average people willing to do it? I feel like a little too much time was spent dancing around the central crime of the story when more time spent with Wendy and Thom in their childhoods and early relationship would have made the basis of their commitment to one another more believable. Additionally, there was a small scene with a side character early on that made me think “this will be important later” and then it was… but it was basically left on the side of the page to die rather than become consequential to the story.

Fifty more pages of resolution and reflection would have made this one a huge success for me but regardless it was a very dark and fascinating portrait of a marriage that will leave you with a lot to ponder. And despite my criticisms of how the resolution played out, the last chapter was actually quite a clever way to leave things.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to be an early reader of this title, available now!

This was such a different take on what I've read from Peter in the past.I definitely loved the backwards telling of a love story. It begins with Wendy despising her husband, Thom, and wanting to get rid of him & then takes us back to when they first met at 14. This book had a lot of clues that lead up to the last chapter. The last chapter has me questioning the entire book and I can't put my finger on if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

All in all, i think that this was an okay book but I never experienced the WOW factor that i normally get with Peter's books. I will look for the next one though because I usually do enjoy his books.