Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh is marketed towards fans of The Silent Patient, Gone Girl, Verity and The It Girl - with all those boxes getting ticked and then some!

This thriller was one twisty and well executed ride, the plot beyond tight and well thought out! I had a hunch at the first main twist, but found myself more surprised as my thought played out, (pleasantly) shocked that Cavanagh's writer mind actually went there. Other twists left me additionally awestruck and gasping at their execution.

It's graphic, but not overtly so. There are characters to reluctantly side with, and those to loathe. The twists start early and continue deep into the third act.

If you're looking for a thriller to knock your socks off, this is the one that will do it! Just trust me: dive into it with as little information as possible!

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the complimentary copy to read and review.

What a fantastic thriller. I was hooked from the beginning. Steve Cavanagh had quickly become an auto read for me. He has the ability to grab you from the beginning and keep your reeling until the end. I highly recommend this thriller!

In a Nutshell: An interesting psychological thriller with regular twists along the way. Inspired from the classic murder swap “Strangers on the Train”, which I haven’t read/watched and hence I could enjoy this as a fresh story. The ending might not work for everyone. An entertaining ride if you follow the golden rule of contemporary thriller reading: Do not overthink!

Plot Preview:
New York City. Ever since Amanda’s daughter and husband died, she has been focussed on avenging their deaths while still struggling to cope with her loneliness and grief. At a counselling session, she bumps into Wendy, who is also intent on a revenge plan against the man who destroyed her family. As they unburden to each other, they come up with a plan: You kill for me, I’ll kill for you.
Ruth, who also lives in NYC, had been a confident professional until the day a stranger with piercing blue eyes entered her house and attacked her. It was just luck that she survived, but her attacker has been untraceable. Ever since the traumatic incident, Ruth is petrified to be alone, though her husband Scott assures her that she’s safe.
How will Amanda and Wendy’s mutual-revenge plan work? Will Ruth ever feel safe again and will her attacker be found? What is the connection between the two arcs?
The story comes to us in the third person perspectives of Amanda, Ruth, Scott, and Farrow – the detective who worked on both Amanda’s and Ruth’s cases.

I had two advantages before beginning this read:
👉 No first-hand knowledge of any murder-swap book, even the one this is supposedly based on: Patricia Highsmith’s ‘Strangers on the Train’. I haven’t even watched the Hitchcock movie based on the classic. Thus I had no idea how the plot would go.
👉 No experience with any Steve Cavanagh book prior to this. This is the first time I’m reading his work.
As such, I went in blind, with no (great) expectations about anything, despite the hype surrounding this novel. Plus, I prepped myself to suspend disbelief – a mandatory requirement for contemporary thrillers, which seem to thrive on OTT scenes, an overload of coincidences and minimal common sense. All of this worked in favour of my reading experience.

Bookish Yays:
🤩 The perfect title for such a plot. It tells you everything you need to know and then shows you how little you know.
🤩 Amanda and Ruth – two women so caught up in their past that they can’t even face the present with their whole minds. They are flawed, impulsive, and broken. More importantly, both had their grey areas. I loved the imperfection of their characters, portraying how devastating the impact of grief can be, and how people handle trauma differently.
🤩 Farrow was an exceptional character. He is the kind of detective who uses his head as well as his heart, a pleasant change from the usual depiction of focussed and professional officers. I also love how his chronic back pain was used as a plot device, and not just in the action scenes. In most books, injuries and illnesses are conveniently forgotten after a couple of chapters, but here, it is actually a vital part of the plot throughout. Farrow’s partner Hernandez is also an effective character.
🤩 The portrayal of grief and PTSD: I don’t expect deep introspective writing from psychological thrillers, so it was a surprise to see the realistic way in which the emotional upheaval after a tragedy was depicted.
🤩 A steady build-up to the story, going slow in the beginning and consistently revving up the pace until the final showdown. I like how it took its time to establish the backstory for its characters, though this might not satisfy those readers who seek pacy action from the start.
🤩 Plenty of twists along the way. Though not all of them were unexpected, they were still enough to keep me entertained and hooked.
🤩 There are some clues that help figure out the link between Amanda and Ruth, but the journey is still enjoyable. The discovery of the expected truth didn’t reduce my surprise.
🤩 Many chapters end with mini-cliffhangers, making it tough to keep the book aside.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
😐 The violent scenes are pretty gruesome, but the author handles them with care and doesn’t dwell on them too long. That said, in one particular instance, I have no idea how the target survived after an attack with that kind of weapon.
😐 Implausible circumstances, unbelievable actions, impulsive decisions – all these are eye-roll-inducing, but present in almost every thriller nowadays, The difference is that these felt toned down and hence not so frustrating in this story, at least to me.
😐 There are several barbs against the then-US president that seem unnecessary, Though the significance of these comes out later, the political jabs are still distracting.
😐 I am a tad unsure about the final twist. I mean, I WAS impressed! No way I saw THAT coming and I just went slack-jawed at that reveal. It was a brave writing choice. But it is also not a settled ending, so if you like all things neatly tied, beware! I love how the story kept some things dangling (Life doesn’t always end at the perfect endpoint; why should books?), but I wasn’t entirely convinced by the revelation made as this final reveal negates the said person’s earlier behavioural pattern.

Bookish Nays:
🙄 This line: “They [serial killers] are the great white sharks of the human species.” NO! Sharks don’t kill for fun or for an adrenaline rush; humans do. Let’s not insult sharks and further spread such myths.
🙄 The writing is overly descriptive at times, especially when it is focussing on the physical actions of a character. This affects the pace.


All in all, my initial response after completing the novel was quite positive. But as I dwelt on the plot, and especially on the ending, the questions start popping up. I should have remembered my policy: don’t overanalyse!

Though I am not too convinced about certain turnarounds in the characters’ behaviour, the book still offers an entertaining ride. The atypical ending that leaves some things unsaid, will probably be a dealbreaker for some readers. But IMHO, authors have the right to decide what fate they want for a character they created, and just as in real life, karma doesn’t always work.

Is this ending leaving an avenue open for a sequel? Not sure. But if yes, I’m definitely in.

Definitely recommended to thriller fans, if you remember to go with the flow, don’t mind the slow-ish start, and are okay with unsettled character arcs.

3.75 stars.

My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “Kill for Me, Kill for You”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

I thought I knew what this book would be about when I picked it up, but was I ever wrong! This book kept me turning the pages and guessing until the very end. So much suspense and such a great story! Steve Cavanagh has become one of my go to authors. This will be one of my top books of 2024 and I highly suggest if you have been on the fence about reading it that you pick it up immediately!!

5 Stars!

4.5 Stars

I loved the concept of this one! Two women meet and both want revenge so they swap murders…if you k*ll for me, I’ll k*ill for you.

I couldn’t put this one down. It was unique and for a thriller the character development was so good. The book kept me on my toes - it was twisty and full of suspense and I loved the ending. If you’re a thriller lover, then you definitely need to pick this one up!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kill For Me, Kill For You was a pretty great read. It was a great page turner that keeps you on your toes from start to finish. Chapter after chapter I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen and how everything played out. I started putting the pieces together, but didn’t connect the dots until the very end.

You get to really know Amanda & Ruth at the very start of the book to know what they’re dealing with. Losing a child and husband is life altering. Getting assaulted in your own home is such a violation of privacy you’ll never feel safe there ever again. This book takes you through the twists and turns of new characters, how they play a role with Amanda & Ruth and how everything ties together in the end. It’ll keep you on your toes until you finally figure it all out.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Steve Cavanagh for the ARC of Kill For Me, Kill For You.

A really fun mystery thriller with lots of twists and turns. I enjoyed it so much! Definitely recommended.

Woah! Strangers on a train turned on its head ten times over. This thriller had more twists than a pretzel shop!

This novel starts when Amanda and Wendy meet in a grief support group and then decide to murder the individual who has caused the grief for one another. I really thought this was going to go down the predictable path of following close to Hitchcock’s plot but oh boy was I surprised!

Steve Cavanaugh has written a few of my favorite legal thrillers, he has a real talent for leading you one way and then punching out a truly shocking surprise.


Five stars!
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When a killer destroyed Amanda's life and then walked free, all she could think of was revenge. Then one day a woman named Wendy joined her grief support group with a similar story to her own, and they agreed to take vengeance on their respective killers, each committing a murder for each other.

This book went in so many directions from that which I had expected. Amanda was likeable and easy to sympathize with, and the story of Ruth and what happened to her that was interspersed with that of Amanda and her present-day interactions with Wendy was sympathetic as well. The reader felt just as betrayed as the characters with the twists and turns of this novel. I appreciated the ending too, it was really satisfying.

Amanda has suffered loss that no one should ever experience. When she meets Wendy at a grief group she feels a connection with someone for the first time in a long time. When they realize they can help one another find the closure they both need Amanda must decide if she can really kill another human being.

This book is wild! The story is woven together perfectly and the twists kept coming. As someone who reads a ton of thrillers I am hard to impress. This one did it! Fantastic!

In Kill for Me; Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh, the reader is plunged into a gripping thriller centered around a series of murders and attempted murders. Two women make a pact to take revenge for the other, but things aren’t as they seem as the story unfolds. The main character, Amanda, luckily has a detective who has befriended her and only wants the best outcome. As the story progresses, secrets are revealed, alliances are tested, and the line between hunter and prey blurs.

Cavanagh skillfully weaves together a web of suspense, keeping readers on the edge of their seats with each unexpected twist and turn. The intricate plot is full of surprises, making it a compelling read for fans of the genre. The storyline is developed from multiple points of view (each chapter) and offers a nuanced portrayal of all character struggles and motivations.

Overall, Kill for Me; Kill for You is a four-star read that will appeal to anyone who enjoys gripping tales of serial killers and the relentless pursuit of solving a puzzle. Cavanagh's mastery of suspense and their ability to keep readers guessing until the very end make this a must-read for thriller enthusiasts.

Wow. WOW. WOW. This book is fantastic. Told in different points of view and twist after twist. Five stars!!!

Kill for Me, Kill for You | Steve Cavanagh
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Twist, after twist, after twist. Modeled after “Strangers on a Train,” you’ll think you know how it’s going to go and who is who, but you actually won’t have a clue. Told through multiple perspectives, you get the full story. Many books don’t tell you about the same situation from multiple viewpoints but Steve Cavanagh did that, and did it WONDERFULLY! And somehow still made it easy to follow. With the insanity that this story was, my only gripe was that the ending was too clean. Everything got cleaned up, which is great, but it just didn’t feel fitting for how wild of a ride the overall book was. Overall, I still recommend this book and am thankful that even though I missed it through Book of the Month, I was able to get an ARC from NetGalley! Thank you NetGalley for giving me this opportunity!

This book is part murder mystery, part revenge plot, and has some good twists to it. The author took inspiration from Strangers on the Train and made it their own.

While this was a fast read for me it never really gripped me the way I want a thriller to. I want to turn the pages and want the feeling of not knowing what is going to happen next. I didn’t really get that with this one. I was a little underwhelmed and saw most of the twists coming.

The plot and writing in this were really enjoyable, I just wanted a little bit more from it. Something was just missing for me. But overall this book was a solid three stars.

EARC provided by Atria Books.

This book. OH MY GOD. I have never been so annoyed trying to piece a story together. The way the storylines tied in together was fantastic. I love the way the author leaves so many things up to interpretation to come to our own conclusions. It’s such a unique writing style and I am so excited to read more by this author.

Amanda is distraught over her child and husband's death, wanting only for the person responsible to pay for his crime. Attending grief groups, she meets Wendy who has the same feelings, who then proposes Patricia Highsmith/Alfred Hitchcock's classic plan: they swap murders to get revenge for their families. Meanwhile, Ruth is attacked by a blue-eyed man. She survives but the trauma remains and she has to flee her home with her husband Scott. A cop, Farrow, investigates these cases and the women connected to them. As the revenge plots move forward, these women are drawn together into a dangerous fight for their lives.

I have really enoyed Steve Cavanagh's books in the past, the Eddie Flynn books have been wonderful. But this book did not really do it for me. The characters were well-developed, with different responses to the traumatic events that happened to them. It had some very solid twists, some of which I really saw coming but still appreciated how it impacted the characters. I think it was the pacing. The first half felt very methodical while the second half, as the plans form and succeed or fall apart speeds by so much faster. While it made for exciting reading and I finished the book quickly, it left me wanting so much more. There wasn't any time to breathe like there was in the first half. It made the ending feel rushed and not as impactful as I wanted (especially when you are competing with the classic of Strangers on a Train and the great set piece of the ending at the carnival). That said, I don't disagree with the praise this book is having for being a strong thriller with great twists and characters. Steve Cavanagh is still a great crafter of thrillers, even if this one didn't work for me as much.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy of Kill for Me, Kill for You in exchange for an honest review.

Wow what a twisty tale that was brought to life. I don't see how this one is getting anything less than 4 stars from readers.

Published by Atria Books on March 19, 2024

One of the main characters in Kill for Me, Kill for You is a violent crime victim. Two others are mothers of murder victims. The last key character is an older cop named Farrow. Farrow “closed cases that nobody else could.” Farrow is the stereotype of a dedicated cop who fights through back pain and never married because he devotes all his time to catching bad guys. He is, in a word, boring.

Ruth was stabbed multiple times by a serial killer with blue eyes who breaks into houses and kills women. The cops call the serial killer “Mr. Blue Eyes” based on the description that Ruth, as the only survivor of his murder spree, was able to provide. A siren spooked Mr. Blue Eyes so he fled before he could finish stabbing Ruth to death. Now Ruth is too paranoid to leave her home (which is a bit irrational since she was stabbed in her home) and counts on her dutiful husband Scott to protect her.

Scott bulked up after being bullied as a teen. He’s a former prosecutor who loved to put bad guys away, making him another boring character but a suitable shield to whom Ruth is Velcroed. Steve Cavanagh tells us over and over that Scott is a perfect husband who will always protect his wife. When the plot takes its first twist, this trait turns out to be unfortunate for Scott.

Amanda and Naomi are mothers whose kids were murdered. Amanda’s six-year-old was found in a dumpster (naturally, because Cavanagh wants to horrify the reader without being overly graphic about the crime details). Her husband killed himself a week later.

Amanda believes her daughter was killed by Wallace Crone, a wealthy stockbroker, because a camera caught an image of someone who looks like Crone walking with a girl who looks like the daughter. The reader is presumably meant to share Amanda’s outrage that the legal system won’t put Crone behind bars based on suspicions about his guilt. Amanda has been stalking Crone (she plans to shoot him when she gets the chance) and, reasonably enough, he’s suing her for harassment. The reader is apparently meant to be outraged by that, as well.

Naomi’s daughter was found dead in a vacant lot. The daughter’s diary indicated that she’d been having sex with her teacher, Frank Quinn. Naomi believes Quinn killed Naomi to protect himself. Her suspicion goes nowhere because it’s unsupported by evidence.

Naomi and Amanda meet in a support group for traumatized mothers. The group requires its members to identify themselves by fictitious names. Amanda and Naomi become friends. They soon discover a mutual frustration that the legal system won’t convict people of crimes in the absence of clear evidence. Naomi proposes a scheme that she has taken from the Hitchcock film, Strangers on a Train. If Amanda kills Quinn and Naomi kills Crone, Naomi explains that the murders will go unsolved. Neither woman has a motive to kill her victim, while the woman who does have a motive will be surrounded by witnesses who can establish her alibi for the moment of the murder.

With that setup, Cavanagh needed to tweak the Strangers on a Train plot to avoid the perception that he was stealing the story outright. To avoid spoilers, I’ll avoid revealing the tweaks. Suffice it to say that, as in Strangers on a Train, a murder ensues. In fact, Cavanagh adds more murders before the novel ends. And as in Strangers on a Train, the dual murder scheme does not proceed as planned. I imagine that most readers will see that coming. As the reader will anticipate, the dual murder plot involving Amanda and Naomi will eventually tie into the story involving Ruth and her fear of the blue-eyed serial killer.

With the possible exception of Farrow, who is just too dull to care about, none of the characters deserve the reader’s sympathy. It’s one thing to be a crime victim. It’s quite another to think that your status as a victim entitles you to seek revenge. Cavanagh makes heroic efforts to seduce the reader into viewing Amanda as a relatable human being, but a person whose life is driven by the desire for revenge isn’t a person anyone should want to know.

The story builds toward a conclusion that is meant to be suspenseful. By that point, I had given up on caring about the outcome. The plot acquires energy in the closing chapters — another murder is imminent — but the intended victim isn’t a character in whom a reader will have made an emotional investment. The penultimate dramatic scene is so contrived that it left me laughing. A bad guy babbles away, explaining the plot from his perspective like a Bond villain, giving good guys the time they need to thwart him. Really?

While the story earns points for following an unexpected course, the plot isn’t remotely believable. Apart from a psychopath whose behavior is consistent with mental illness, the story depends on characters behaving stupidly. People are certainly capable of stupid behavior, but these are supposedly intelligent characters. A forced plot, combined with a manipulative effort to create sympathy for characters who deserve none, prevents me from giving the book a wholehearted recommendation. A reader’s time might be better spent reading Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train or watching Hitchcock’s masterful adaptation of a great novel.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

I feel kind of guilty giving up on a book so quickly, but I decided I couldn’t force myself to read something I wasn’t enjoying just because it’s an ARC. It probably didn’t help that the ARC starts with a letter from the editor recommending this book for fans of three of my least favorite “thriller” authors working today. Anyway, the first several chapters were just not grabbing me, and the dialogue is incredibly stiff and unnatural. I jumped ahead to the end and I can safely say that I’m glad I didn’t spend much more time on this book, because it concludes in a very unsatisfactory way. If you are a fan of Colleen Hoover, Alex Michaelides, or Ruth Ware (the authors referenced in the letter from the editor, this may appeal to you! I am definitely not the audience for this one though.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I would give this a solid 4.5- I love when multiple POVs come together and I don’t see the “how” coming! The story was great, with lots of twists and turns that I did not expect. The only reason I knocked a half star off is that there were one or two twists or events that I just couldn’t believe would happen. Otherwise a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!