Smart, immersive and twisted, Peter Swanson's The Kind Worth Saving doesn't disappoint. It was a dose of nostalgia for me, for my first Peter Swanson book was The Kind Worth Killing. You do not have to read book one to begin this one. Peter's ability to capture narcissism is at its finest with a character like Joan. The pacing was brilliant and diverse, with Henry Kimball dominating the first half and the OG Lily Kintner making an impactful return. The simplistic plot of a former English teacher, now private investigator (Kimball), helping his former student, now client (Joan), in catching her husband having an affair with his co-worker intricately branches out to unlikely alliances, high school memories and an unfortunate accident. I devoured this book in one sitting and could never anticipate the ending that was simply jaw-dropping. I am still thinking about all the puzzle pieces coming together with such simplicity and yet delivering a power punch read.

Do not skip this one if you're a fan of domestic/marriage noir etched with twists and turns.

A big thank you to NetGalley & Faber and Faber for giving me an ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson

Henry Kimball is now a private investigator, he used to be a policeman and before that an English teacher. One day Joan comes to Henry to hire him to investigate her husband. She is convinced her husband, Richard, is having an affair but wants Henry to giver her evidence of the affair so she can confront Richard with it. But this is not Henry’s first encounter with Joan, he was her teacher in high school and she was there on the worst day possible, where a male student shot dead one of Joan’s friends and then took his own life. Then when Joan’s husband has an unfortunate accident Henry starts to think that maybe there is more to Joan then meets the eye and starts doing his own investigating.

I loved this book; it was a bit slow at first but once you get into the story you do not want to stop reading.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Faber & Faber Ltd. for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

An interesting, classic mystery thriller with some good plot twists.

Working as a private investigator, Henry Kimball is hired by his former student Joan, from a brief stint when he was teaching at a school, to track down her husband who is cheating on her with his co-worker. This seemingly simple case becomes more and more complicated, Kimball's handling of the case is hardly textbook either.

The first part of this book is a bit slower and the narrative didn't really work for me, I found it a bit too dry. The second and third parts are much better, also because the plot was definitely more interesting for me. That's when I really got sucked into the story. And either the narrative got better or I just stopped paying attention to it. The plotline in both parts was really good.

I'm not a huge fan of the many POVs in my books, and here too, I feel I could have done without it entirely. Knowing the story from just Kimball and Lily's point of view would have been enough for me. The other POVs weren't a big problem for me, it's just a matter of my preference.

I didn't read the first book in the series, but that wasn't a problem. Although in this book the author reveals quite a lot of what happened in the first book, so I think it would be better to read the first book before if you want to truly enjoy the whole series.

Overall, I really enjoyed the whole story and probably go back to read the first book in the series one day.

I read this as a stand alone book so I didn't follow the previous plots and characters. However having said this I really enjoyed the book. It was well written and had an interesting twisting plot.

Another Triumph..
Lily Kintner is back in this tremendous sequel to The Kind Worth Killing. When Henry Kimball turns to Lily for help in a case, so it begins. With utter perfection the tale and the mystery unravels with ease. A plot positively simmering with suspense, bubbling over with unease, teeming with twists, a whip smart narrative and with a deftly and perfectly drawn cast of characters. Another triumph.

Brilliantly devious and dark book, the second in the series but can be read as a standalone. This book will grip you to the end. Thank you netgalley for the advance copy.

Perfection! For fans of Gone Girl and Sweetpea there is a new female psychopath (or two) on the block. Peter Swanson’s female characters are so well written they jump off the page and you imagine their lives beyond the book in your hand. Lily Kintner is a fabulous character and has you rooting for her. Her relationship with Henry Kimball, the disgraced detective she tried to kill is almost fraternal. The clues are in the poetry (and limericks) to find the links between a killer and one who directs them. More please!

Insanely good!

Set two years after The Kind Worth Killing, the detective in that novel, Henry Kimball, is now working as a private investigator after leaving the police force under a dark cloud. His latest client, Joan Whalen, is a familiar face to him, a student he taught back in the early 00’s during his brief stint as a high school English teacher. Joan hires him to trail her husband, and his officer manager, who she’s convinced he’s having an affair with. But, what should have been a straightforward job for Kimball quickly turns baffling, mysterious, and deadly, making the events of A Kind Worth Killing seem like child’s play in comparison.

Woo hoo! Brilliant! A Kind Worth Saving was a gasp out loud, completely worthy sequel to it’s predecessor, and now I can’t decide which book is my favourite – they’re both as twisty, twisted, and addictive as each other, with endless shocks and surprises at every turn. And, whoa that ending! Kimball’s arc had me all in, as did the flashbacks to a teenage Joan in the year 2000. I loved the other POV too, but am unable to reveal which character was narrating.

The Kind Worth Saving could definitely be read as a standalone, but if you do intend to read A Kind Worth Killing (And why wouldn’t you? It’s amazing!) then I recommend reading it first, as this one contained major spoilers for that one.

What a roller coaster ride A Kind Worth Saving was. Even though Kimball’s kind of a creep and a coward, and is still churning out those god-awful dirty limericks, I couldn’t help becoming attached to him. I have no hesitation in recommending this psychological thriller domestic/marriage noir, or anything written by Peter Swanson.

I’d like to thank Netgalley UK, Faber & Faber, and Peter Swanson for the e-ARC.

Sandy *TheworldcouldendwhileIwasreadingndIwouldnto's Reviews > The Kind Worth Saving
The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson
The Kind Worth Saving
by Peter Swanson (Goodreads Author)
30817744
Sandy *TheworldcouldendwhileIwasreadingndIwouldnto's reviewMar 10, 2023 · edit
really liked it
bookshelves: 2021-netgalley-challenge, 2023, 2023-netgalley-challenge, 4-star, contemporary-fiction, crime, friendship, private-investigator, psychologicaldrama, series

EXCERPT: I have no regrets in my life even though I've killed people, I've always had a reason - a good reason - for what I've done.

ABOUT 'THE KIND WORTH SAVING': There was always something slightly dangerous about Joan. So, when she turns up at private investigator Henry Kimball’s office asking him to investigate her husband, he can’t help feeling ill at ease. Just the sight of her stirs up a chilling memory: he knew Joan in his previous life as a high school English teacher, when he was at the center of a tragedy.

Now Joan needs his help in proving that her husband is cheating. But what should be a simple case of infidelity becomes much more complicated when Kimball finds two bodies in an uninhabited suburban home with a “for sale” sign out front. Suddenly it feels like the past is repeating itself, and Henry must go back to one of the worst days of his life to uncover the truth.

Is it possible that Joan knows something about that day, something she’s hidden all these years? Could there still be a killer out there, someone who believes they have gotten away with murder? Henry is determined to find out, but as he steps closer to the truth, a murderer is getting closer to him, and in this hair-raising game of cat and mouse only one of them will survive.

MY THOUGHTS: I haven't read the book in this series that precedes The Kind Worth Saving titled The Kind Worth Killing but, really, it's not absolutely necessary. The stories are completely separate and any references to what occurred in the previous book are either superficial or adequately explained.

Henry Kimball is an interesting character, although I didn't immediately warm to him. As an ex-high school English teacher he was involved in a school shooting. As a policeman he was accused of stalking a suspect. Now, as a PI, he has come full circle he finds himself employed by an ex-pupil to investigate her husband, another ex-pupil.

The most intriguing character is Lily Kintner who doesn't appear until the second half of this book. Lily apparently features prominently in The Kind Worth Killing, which I am now intent on reading. She and Henry have a strange relationship, but one where they are each very protective of the other.

I enjoyed this read. It's clever. It's intriguing. It's different, and entertaining. Are we going to get a #3, Mr Swanson? I certainly hope so.

One thing I disagreed with Mr Swanson on was his comment, attributed to Lily's father, that 'Agatha Christie is all imagination and a terrible observer.' My question is this: that if this is indeed true, how did she write the characters of Jane Marple and Hercule Poirot, both of whom are great observers.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.4

#TheKindWorthSaving #NetGalley

I: @petermswanson @faberbooks

T: @PeterSwanson3 @FaberBooks

#contemporaryfiction #crime #friendship #privateinvestigator #psychologicaldrama

THE AUTHOR: A graduate of Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College, Peter Swanson lives in Somerville, Massachusetts with his wife and cat.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Faber and Faber Limited via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

This is the second book in the Henry Kimball / Lily Kintner series by author Peter Swanson.

Joan Whalen hires private investigator Henry Kimball to investigate her husband who she believes is having an affair. Joan was a student of Henry’s when he was an English teacher prior to becoming a PI and was the centre of a tragedy. Joan wants Henry to prove that her husband is having an affair but the case becomes far more complicated when he discovers two dead bodies in an uninhabited house that is up for sale. Henry feels that the past is repeating itself, and he must go back to one of the worst days of his life to uncover the truth.

Henry is determined to uncover whether there is a killer that has remained hidden all this time, but to do that he going to put his own life on the line.

This is a very exciting read and works as a standalone. Good characters, well written and a twisty plot make this an excellent read.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Faber & Faber for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Someone already stole my best words for this review by calling it twisted and devious. That’s exactly right and for once the slipping time line really works. This is my third Peter Swanson and I just like his work more and more.

The sequel to A Kind Worth Killing For and I was delighted to receive an arc. Brilliantly crafted, the author takes the reader down a twisted path. Well written, interesting characters and a satisfying ending.

Really oddball, bizarre, twisted and dark. I loved the way the plot evolved, between past and present and the premise behind the tale. Two high school acquaintances bump on holiday as teenagers and have a common goal in the demise of an ugly character, they think they have orchestrated the perfect murder and seemingly they have and the secret bond that forms between them is indeed incredibly strong so they do it again and again. The coincidences, the way they plot murders in such a matter of fact way and the way they fly under the radar as unmemorable is brilliant. Absolutely enjoyed this one, recommended.

I LOVED The Kind Worth Killing, so I went into this with very high expectations. Lily is one of my favourite characters that Peter Swanson has ever written, and once again she did not let me down

This book is great, the story is intriguing and it keeps throwing twists at you!

An interesting twisty tale of seemingly perfect murders executed by a couple with no seeming connection. First a teenager pushed off a pier late at night witnessed by a young girl then a school shooting and suicide witnessed by the same girl but no connection made. The schoolteacher in the room when the shooting occurred has left teaching and been a policeman for a while but ended up being dismissed after being accused of stalking. He’s now a private investigator and is engaged by the girl from the earlier deaths to follow her husband who is suspected of having an affair. The story of this part of the tale forms the main part of this entertaining yarn which twists hither and thither deliciously. All to a super ending!

A worthy sequel to the first instalment of the series. A different type of thriller, not reliant on twists but rather on unfolding confused threads alongside the reader. Very enjoyable.

In this spectacularly devious novel by New York Times bestselling author Peter Swanson—featuring the smart and complex Lily Kintner from his acclaimed novel, The Kind Worth Killing—a private eye starts to follow a possibly adulterous husband, but little does he know that the twisted trail will lead back to the woman who hired him.

Loved the first book and this one was no exception. Peter Swanson definitely has a way of drawing you into his stories. Fabulous character in Henry Kimball, the once revered member of the Boston Police force who is now a private investigator. He is now tasked with a case where a former student from his early teaching days has arrived in his office with a case for him to investigate, but should he really trust this woman? Sets up a very entertaining tale. Swanson has an innate ability of portraying characters that really show off their human sides and are always relatable. The story although it may not seem complicated is so well written and this demonstrates the quality of this authors work. can't wait for the next one, 5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book.

A craftsman at work, the descriptive writing paints such a clear picture that you can easily transport yourself into the story.
The book just flowed and kept me reading long after I should have switched out the bedside light.
I had read the previous book about Henry and Lily but had forgotten most of the details. This did not matter though as any past events you need to know are covered in this book. So you could get away with reading this book without reading the other first but you'd get a more rounded experience if you have.
This book engages the reader and takes them on a journey. A very definition of an unputdownable read.

This is the sequel to The Kind Worth Killing.
Henry Kimball is a private investigator who is hired by Joan to confirm that her husband Richard is having an affair with one of his colleagues.
When Henry arrives at a house for sale after following Richard and Pam, he hears gunshots as he approaches the house. They are both dead. Murder/ suicide. Or was it?
The story takes us back to when Joan was a teenager and on holiday with her parents and what happened then.
I liked the way this was written in that we knew early on what had happened. Told from each persons point of view.
Lily comes into this quite late on in the book and she doesn't disappoint.
I loved the ending.
Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Faber and Faber Ltd for granting me access to this text. The following review is a true reflection of my opinion.

The kind worth killing being one of the main books that got me into thrillers and one of my favourites to date, meant that there was a huge amount of pressure riding on this sequel for me - but Swanson, you did it again! This one was long awaited but worth every minute of waiting! A twisted, twisty, suspenseful tale of messed up people doing messed up things.
I loved getting a taste of those devious characters from #1 tangled amongst the mess we’re thrust into. Reading book 1 before starting this is a must and I believe having the experience of the first one makes you appreciate this sequel even more, alongside the great storytelling and cunning characters.
 I’m limited in what I can say as I don’t want to give away any of the plot. I truly believe it’s best to go into this blind in regards to what happens - but trust me when I say, you’re in for another wild ride.