Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh is a psychological thriller about two women that agree to take revenge for each other. Similar to Strangers on a Train, but with a lot more twists. This was a really fun, fast-paced read, and I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Wow, this book was SOOOOO good and now I have the biggest book hangover!! This is hands down the best thriller of the year for me so far!

Synopsis:

Two women that have been wronged agree to kill the other man responsible for their loss. Amanda lost her daughter and husband in the same year and Naomi lost her daughter to a man that had benn sexualy abusing her.

Both feel the only way they can move on with their life is to make sure the people responsible get the ultimate justice.

My thoughts:
I would have never guessed how the three stories intersected. But wow this is the first book in a long time that actually had me scared with heart racing a couple of times. This is a thriller in the truest sense! Not only did the book scare me but it also brought me to tears a couple of times because the grief was palpable that these women and their loved ones felt. I really feel the theme of this book could be that vigilante justice is illegal for a reason. Despite how ineffective our legal system seems at times when we stoop to an eye for an eye mentality it only creates chaos. I was so excited to discuss this book with my good friend at my school.

I was super entertained by this one! There were twists and turns and surprises up until the very end. Definitely recommend for a psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat! I didn’t love how the ending turned out, but can’t share more without spoilers ;) 4⭐️!

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria, and Steve Cavanagh for a DRC in exchange for an honest review!**

"She was looking forward to seeing him. Anticipating the bitter sight of him walking free. It was something to fill the nothing. Until she could figure out a way to kill him."

Amanda knows that as quickly as you can find everything your heart desires...it can all be taken away in an instant. After tragically losing her 6 YEAR OLD daughter, a few days later, her emotionally destroyed husband takes his own life...leaving Amanda TRULY alone. In the time since his passing, she's been fighting to make it through each day...and is hell bent on dispensing a little vigilante justice against the man she holds responsible for the deaths, Walter Crone. She has his routine down pat, and shows up on the train he takes at just the right time, gun in pocket...but her plan falls to pieces, leaving her utterly bereft once again.

Until one night at a grief group, when she finds a sort of comfort she WASN'T expecting...in the form of another woman named Wendy, who she later learns is determined to dispense MORE than a little justice of her own. The two bond over drinks, and Wendy casually asks Amanda if she's ever heard of Patricia Highsmith...specifically, Highsmith's famous Strangers on a Train, where two strangers meet and agree to a devious, cunning, and complex crime: each will murder someone "for" the other...and since nothing would be tying the two 'random' perps together, they feel certain they can 'get away' with BOTH murders.

Although the prospect seems far-fetched in some ways, Amanda is desperate and the more she ponders the possibility of a life without Crone and the possibility the police would NEVER be able to tie it back to her...it almost seems crazy not to try it. But after Amanda learns a bit more about Wendy...is she in over her head? Or does this duplicitous scheme run deeper than she ever could have imagined...and who IS the man she was meant to kill, anyway....and WHY does Wendy want him dead?

Meanwhile, Ruth is recovering from an attack after a home invasion. Her husband Scott was out at the time, and Ruth was stabbed viciously by an unknown attacker...and the police still haven't scooped him up just yet. Part of the reason for this is that Ruth hardly remembers ANYTHING about the man who nearly took her life...aside from his almost shocking, almost inhuman blue eyes. So imagine her surprise when she's finally out and about with her husband one night...and SEES the perp, right in the flesh, from across the room. It turns out that Amanda and Wendy might not be the ONLY two out for revenge in this tale...and something inside Scott tells him he might not get THIS kind of opportunity twice. But what exactly will Detectives Farrow and Hernandez FIND once they start doing a little digging? Will all of these newbie murderers get away with their crimes? Or is there an even more complicated web tying all of them together in more complex -and deadly-ways than they even imagined?

After reading so many rave reviews for MANY different installments of Steve Cavanagh's Eddie Flynn series detailing the compulsively readable, clever, and addicting nature of his books, I've been eagerly chomping at the bit to explore anything Cavanagh I could grab, and luckily this book happened to fall into my hands at the PERFECT time. Having a standalone as a lead in was a great way to a feel for the 'flavor' and see if Cavanagh was the sort of auto-read thriller author I've been longing to add to my list...or if his books would fall into too much of a legal/police procedural lane to FULLY draw me in.

Well. I am nothing short of ECSTATIC to confirm that this devilishly twisty, pulse-pounding, thrill a minute read was JUST the tonic I needed to drag me headlong out of the winter blues and get me primed and ready for SUMMER THRILLER SEASON!

Cavanagh certainly isn't the first to utilize the Strangers on a Train conceit (see: Peter Swanson's The Kind Worth Killing, along with MANY, many others) and of course, Highsmith walked so some of these newer authors in the genre could run. But what Cavanagh does here to include the premise is nothing short of brilliant: he actually allows his CHARACTER to reference the plot in an almost-meta like way, which plays as both a respectful nod and a way to accelerate the plot forward faster than, well, a bullet train if you will! After the slow set up at the beginning with the background of Amanda and Ruth, I was beginning to wonder if this was going to play a bit more like a sad domestic drama with a tinge of unsolved mystery thrown in...but ALL I had to do was wait.

Once Amanda and Wendy meet...we are truly off to the races, and promise me, you won't have TIME to look back!

Cavanagh effortlessly tosses us from POV to POV, and I found myself intrigued by ALL of them, which is always such a relief in books like this one, ESPECIALLY ones where you aren't quite sure if you like or trust ANY of the characters. Even the detectives were sharp and funny, not the sort of dimwitted buffoons you often see in thrillers. You know, the kind where you aren't surprised an armchair detective made the discovery because the ACTUAL detectives are truly THAT incompetent...nope, none of that here. This has the feel of a popcorn thriller, but it's more like an elevated popcorn read: a gourmet, seasoned popcorn read if you will! I tore through the virtual pages, blown away by reveal after reveal, and starting to wonder if ANY of my theories (or half baked theories) would come to fruition.

And then I got to THAT twist, at about 96%...and when I say the biggest grin came across my face, and I got that insane rush of adrenaline you ONLY get from a book that is just THAT good, where you want to tell everyone around you just HOW good it was...it's no exaggeration. When you can actually REPLAY that moment in your mind, almost word for word, even after finishing several books since then...it's a clear indicator that this one is something special...and that it EASILY claimed a well-earned spot in my favorite thrillers list as well as my 2024 favorites list!

And although it's a bit macabre, with a title like this one, I couldn't help but sing it in my head to the melody to "Tea for Two"...

"Tea for two and two for tea...A kill for you, a kill for me."

But maybe I should at least skip the tap dancing?

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 for THAT TWIST!

Thank you @atriabooks @netgalley for the gifted copy/ARC!

♦️ 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 ♦️
Do not sleep on this twisty thriller! This was my first read by this author and definitely will not be my last! Best advice, go in blind and stay for the wild ride!

There are two ladies who meet, Amanda and Wendy, who find out they have something in common - a desire for revenge against men that took everything from them and their families. They come up with a plan, if you kill for me, I’ll kill for you. That way, the police won’t suspect them for their opposite crimes.

Another lady, Ruth, is home alone one night when a stranger with piercing blue eyes breaks into her home and attacks her, almost leaving her for dead. She doesn’t feel safe as long as the unknown man is out there.

The book goes back and forth between Amanda, Ruth, and also a detective and husband. As you go into the book, you think you know what might happen and then bam! Nope, unexpected twists just shakes things up… again and again! When I got near the end of the book, I thought we had wrapped up the story and then another bomb detonates and adds another element to the story! This book will make you think about things not being black and white, but also in the gray area.

🎧 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
♦️ Psychological Thrillers
♦️ Unexpected Twists
♦️ Police Procedural
♦️ Fast Paced Thrillers

It has been a while since I have read a thriller that kept me on my toes and kept me guessing the entire time. This did all of that and more! Highly recommend for anyone that’s a fan of The Silent Patient.

A really good read that is narrated by three characters. Ruth, a woman who is victim of a crime, Farrow, a cop who doesn't give up and Amanda who's lost everything to a child predator. It all comes together with great characterization and dialogue that makes for a real page turner. A take on Strangers on a Train but maintains its own freshness. I recommend this one.

Copy provided by the publisher and netgalley

FIVE STARS! Wow, I loved this thriller. I have read a lot of thrillers marketed "in the vein of Strangers on the Train", Kill for Me, Kill for You did it in such a unique way. The pacing was just right, I was totally engaged from page one and I read it in two days. The multiple POVs worked well and the POV of the investigator gave it a crime fiction feel that I loved.

Count me in as a new Steve Cavanagh fan, I will absolutely pick up anything he writes! Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! So much so that I bought a physical copy right after finishing it for my mom to read. It was such an entertaining, fast-paced thriller with several twists and turns. If you’re looking for a believable, could happen in real life story line you won’t find that here. Many parts of it are theatrical and a little over the top but it worked for me!

Oh my!! What a ride!! This book was full of incredible twists that had me gasping outloud several times.

Steve Cavanagh is back with Kill For Me, Kill For You which is another 5 star read for me and I was really sorry when this book ended. Every time I thought it was done and I’d figured it out, Cavanagh would throw another mind blowing twist in.

In this psychological thriller, two strangers meet and make a pact to kill for each other in the vein of Hitchcock’s movie, Strangers on a Train.

And then the craziness starts!

I couldn’t wait to get back to this book each night after work. I highly recommend this if you’re a fan of crime and twisty tales.

*Thanks so much to Atria Books and to NetGalley for the gifted eGalley!*

KILL FOR ME, KILL FOR YOU is a great binge read that kept me on the edge of my seat from page one. I really liked how this book delves into the things people are willing to do for vengeance and revenge. I went into this book mostly blind and I think that definitely added to my enjoyment. Cavanagh alternates the chapters between multiple women's perspectives and a detective trying to help all their cases out. I really liked how that slowly helped me piece everything together. The ending definitely took me by surprise and I am really looking forward to chatting about this one with PM Reads!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Atria Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful stand alone thriller by Steve Cavanagh - 5 stars!

Amanda is grieving the loss of her daughter and husband. The police are unable to pin her daughter's murder on the suspect, and Amanda can't rest until he pays for what he did. When she meets Wendy at a grief support group, they form an alliance. Just like in the movie, Strangers on a Train, they come up with a foolproof plan to enact their revenge against the men that destroyed their lives. In another part of the city. Ruth is viciously attacked in her home by a man with startling blue eyes. She is left traumatized, affecting every part of her life.

This book was pitch perfect. Told from multiple POV, each chapter ended with a cliff hanger that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could. All the storylines converged in a perfect way and I never saw any of the twists coming. And that ending! Whew! This is an absolute must read thriller!

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Atria Thrillers for this copy of "Kill for Me, Kill for You."

A thrilling rollercoaster of a book with so many unexpected twists. I finished it in one day since I couldn't stop reading.

Amanda and Wendy meet at a grief group counseling session and later talk about swapping murders for each other like Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train." But there the comparison ends.

A relentless and caring detective threads through these characters' lives that have been wrecked by tragedy and loss.

Wow!! What did I just read?! I couldn’t put this book down!! Move this book up your TBR list ASAP! 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!

I enjoyed this wild fast paced thriller filled with twists and turns. I have never read anything by author Steve Cavanaugh and I was pleasantly surprised. The story is told using alternating perspectives. It started getting confusing halfway through because one character used multiple aliases but once I realized what was happening, it got better. Read this if you enjoy a fast paced thriller with twists and turns you don’t see coming!
I received an advanced electronic copy from publisher Atria Books and Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book

This book takes the Strangers on a Train story to a whole new level! Amanda has lost both her daughter and her husband to violence. She is going to a therapy group but all she wants is revenge and when she has a get together with another woman from the group she offers up a plan. Then there’s Ruth, she was attacked in her home while her husband was out and her attacker is still out there. Ruth will never be able to find peace until the man with the blue eyes is gone for good. How these storylines merge is insane and well worth the read! I thank Netgalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Wow….This book had a lot going on. I loved the multiple POV in a masterfully interwoven story. It was very fast paced to about 50% then it slowed down only to pick up speed racing to the finish! This book grabbed me and never let go.!

A super quick and bingeworthy read if there ever was one!

The premise of this is very Strangers on a Train with two seemingly random women, Amanda and Wendy, who meet and make a pact to kill for each other. Both women have had a child taken from them and they seek revenge on the men who caused them this suffering and pain yet got off without consequence. Then there’s also Ruth who was nearly killed when she was the victim of home invasion perpetrated by a man with blue eyes. Told in alternating POVs of these three women, this book is about vengeance and the lengths you would go to get your peace back.

The story hooked me from the beginning because I found the premise to be so fun and things started off and escalated pretty quickly. And once it began, it was nearly impossible to put down. I did enjoy each women’s narrative because you got to learn more about their backgrounds and get some insight into the minds and how they were handling their situations.

It’s paced so well and had its fair share of twists and “oooh” moments that kept me on the edge of my seat because it was just so intense! A few of those surprises in particular are ones I didn’t see coming, but I think the author did a great job of implementing them.

The ending was also quite action packed and while parts were maybe a tad unbelievable and predictable, it ultimately made for an awesome showdown with some psychological elements. Plus it really makes you sit back and think about justice and vengeance.

Overall, it was quite the ride from start to finish and I’m always eager to see what this author will put out next!

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 351 / Genre: Psychological Thriller

If you’re looking for a crazy, twisty thriller that you just can’t put down, this is it. Book a long flight or curl up in bed for a weekend and let the binging begin. Don’t even read the summary. If you like murder, vengeance, and justice, you’ll like this. Like really like it. I really really liked it.

Thank you, @NetGalley, @AtriaBooks, and @sscav for my gifted copy. I absolutely loved it!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. And this was the best thriller. I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. It's a must read.