Steve Cavanagh's novel "Kill For You Kill For Me" is a brilliant modern take on the classic Hitchcockian plot from "Strangers on a Train". The story follows two parallel plotlines that eventually merge surprisingly and satisfyingly. The first plotline revolves around a dark pact between two individuals who share a thirst for revenge. The second plotline introduces us to Ruth, a woman whose life is turned upside down when a mysterious stranger with piercing blue eyes invades her home.
Cavanagh's narrative is a thrilling rollercoaster of twists and turns, each more unexpected than the last. The clever homage to the original film, as well as the dual plotlines, keeps the reader guessing until the end. Fans of fantasy and the multiverse will especially enjoy this modern twist on a classic story.

Ooo what a fun book the idea of a you do this for me and I’ll do this for you murder plot is fascinating. I think I’m going to gift my copy to my mom for her birthday she loves books like this where your kept on your toes and guessing what’s going to happen

Kill for Me, Kill for You
by Steve Cavanagh
Pub Date: 19 Mar 2024 | Archive Date: 02 Apr 2024

Kill For Me Kill For You. is an edge-of-your-seat, page turner which is told from multiple POVS. A great psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until that last page! It is a twisty, thrilling end of your seat read. I suggest you plan on reading the entire book in one sitting as you won't be able to put it down!

Synopsis:
For fans of The Silent Patient and Gone Girl, a razor-sharp and Hitchcock-inspired psychological thriller about two ordinary women who make a dangerous pact to take revenge for each other after being pushed to the brink. Kill for Me, Kill for You will keep you breathless until the final page.

Many thanks to #NetGalley, #AtriaBooks for an E-ARC of this fantastic book.

Wow! What a wild ride from Steve Cavanaugh in his latest psychological thriller, Kill For Me, Kill For You. This edge-of-your-seat, page turner is told from multiple POVS. It is through these voices that we learn about the trauma and grief of the characters, and how they get through their days of fear and isolation.

This book had my anxiety turned up to 100% from cover to cover. The pacing was perfect and the twists had me gasping out loud. I had the struggle of not being able to put the book down, but also not being able to read it before bed because I didn’t want my heart racing while trying to drift off to sleep. All in all, I read it in 2 days because I had to know how it ended.

There were times that the dialogue of the female characters was not believable and noticeably written by a male author. That being said, it didn’t take too much away from the story. Kill For Me, Kill For You is one I will not be able to get out of my head for a very long time.

Read Kill For Me, Kill For You if you love a good, page-turning, twisty psychological thriller with morally grey characters, revenge stories, and multiple POVS.

I don’t recommend this book for highly sensitive readers, as trigger warnings are plentiful.

4.25 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for ARC of Kill For Me, Kill For You by Steve Cavanaugh in exchange for my honest review.

This a new author for me. The premise of two women who decide they will kill the people who have hurt them for each other is entertaining. Especially since things don't go as planned. This was a slow start for me, but it then picked up. The twists at the end were good. I enjoyed this thriller!

Love Steve Cavanagh's writing! I felt such strong emotions with the characters. Fantastic plot and characters. As always, Steve knows how to add some twists!

Amanda and Wendy meet at a group counseling session in NYC and bond over their tragic losses. Each have lost family members and feel broken and alone. In another part of the city, Ruth is brutally attacked in her home one night while her husband is out, and she worries she will never feel safe again until her blue-eyed attacker is caught or dead. The women all have one thing in common: their deep desire for revenge. Both plan to take matters into their own hands but in a Strangers On a Train twist, each woman agrees to kill the other's target. Only one of the women is not quite all that she seems….

Steve Cavanagh never disappoints. This was utterly gripping from start to finish.I would absolutely read again despite knowing what happens. 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I thought this was a fun thriller with some great twists. Would make a good movie/series.

The story mainly focuses on three women. Amanda and Wendy have experienced unimaginable losses and desperately want those responsible to pay for what they have done. They decide to make a "Strangers on a Train"-esque pact: Wendy will kill the person responsible for Amanda's pain, and Amanda will do the same for Wendy. In another story, Ruth is attacked in her home and left for dead. How can she get revenge if she can identify the man responsible?

As these three stories unfold, there were many times that I thought I knew where the tale was headed and I was wrong over and over--happily so. I love it when I am expecting one thing in a thriller and it turns out to be completely different. There are two twists that left me completely reeling.

I found the ending to be a bit over the top, but I can forgive that based on the fact that this is exactly the type of thriller I like to read: one that moves at a fast pace and has things occur that I was not anticipating. If you think this is just a rehash of the same old story, think again! I applaud the author's creativity for taking a trope and turning it on its head.

Like I mentioned above, the tale is very cinematic and I'd love to see it on the screen. If you like suspenseful thrillers, this book is thoroughly entertaining.

This homage to Strangers on a Train was incredibly propulsive, entertaining and oh so page turning! I am a sucker for a book with multiple POVs - the author did a great job of differentiating each voice and really making me as the reader wonder who I could trust and what certain character's true motives were.

I was constantly entertained and surprised throughout the novel - although I guessed a big twist a bit before it happened - I was still invested in how everything was going to unravel and what would happen in the end. This is a must read for any thriller lover! So. Much. Fun!

For Fans Of:
Strangers on a Train
Gone Girl
Twists & Turns
Page Turning Thrillers
Multiple POVs

Think Strangers On A Train, but with a serial-killery revenge twist in a Hitchcockian fashion.

This book has multiple characters, crimes, and POVs, and the reader has to figure out how they're all tied together.. I'm generally not a fan of books with vigilante justice- especially when the evidence against the baddies is circumstantial- but I was interested to see where this read would take me. Honestly, I found it slow going at first and it didn't pull me in until well over 100 pages. There is a huge twist halfway through- which I kind of saw coming and therefore it wasn't a huge surprise for me- but that's when the plot really started to get good. There were some other twists and turns I didn't foresee, but for some reason I wasn't too shocked by the ending.

I've seen really great early reviews in favour of this book, so I think it may have been a case of it being over-hyped in my mind and I expected to be blown away and was slightly disappointed when I wasn't. Additionally, while this was touted as a feminist revenge thriller, I didn't feel this was an accurate description. It did give me The Silent Patient vibes though, and I see how it could appeal to fans of that book. Overall, a well-thought out, past-paced crime novel that I knew many readers will enjoy. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for my early review copy.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

The story first introduces us to two heartbroken and angry women - Amanda and Wendy. They meet and bond at a support group. They have both tragically lost family members and the people responsible for killing them have not been caught. One night, a plan is put into place. They will each take revenge and kill the men responsible for destroying their families. Essentially, " if you kill for me, I’ll kill for you"

The story then flips over to married couple Ruth and Scott. Scott heads out for the night and while he is gone, Ruth is brutally attacked in their home and wakes up in the hospital lucky to be alive. From the attack, she vividly remembers the piercing blue eyes of her attacker. Once she is released from the hospital, she is too traumatized to be in public. So when she finally goes out for the first time and finds herself locking eyes with the blue eyed man, she is terrified.

From the beginning to end, I was hooked. The twists, the turns, the revelations all blew me away! The way the stories weave themselves was genius. When things were spelled out for me, I did a head shake, wondering how I was blindsided.

This was an action packed, heart pumping, wide eyed read. It was intense. It was spine-chilling. It was worth the read.

5 solid stars. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Atria Books for providing an advanced electronic reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: 📱thank you for my ARC @atriabooks + @bookofthemonth pick this month!
Read if you like: twisty thrillers // THE KIND WORTH KILLING // Harlen Coben // stories of revenge
Pub date: March 19th

If you happened to snag this in your BOTM box this month then you did good! 👏🏼 This was one of my most anticipated reads for the entire year and it didn’t disappoint!

About two ordinary women who make a dangerous pact to take revenge for each other after being pushed to the brink - sounds like something you won’t be able to put down right? Right.

Here’s why I loved it 🔪
• The pacing is perfect - with the short chapters and multiple POVs you will race through these pages!
• The twists!!! There were some that I could see coming, but a couple of them were done so well and left me speechless.
• The characters were captivating to me - between their back stories, and their present situations I couldn’t get enough.

This is undoubtedly one of the twistier books I’ve read and you have to suspend belief for a few things, but it didn’t change how I felt!

Amanda has experienced the unimaginable. Her daughter and husband are dead. While she and even the police know who the killer is, it is an impossible case that Detective Farrow wants to see come to justice. In a grief support group, Amanda meets Wendy, also dealing with a similar loss and the desire to seek justice from a killer who walks free. In a Patricia Highsmith-inspired plan, they decide to murder the monster lurking in each of their lives. We also learn of Ruth, who is dealing with her own trauma. She is trying to recover from being attacked by a man with piercing blue eyes. Detective Farrow is also on the case. Through multiple perspectives, their stories unfold. Will the devious double-murder plan work and protect them from the police? And how does Ruth fit into the story?

This is the first book I've read from author Steve Cavanagh, a very popular and acclaimed UK writer. After reading Kill for Me, Kill for You, I am now a fan. This book was released overseas last year, and I am so glad that it is now being released by a U.S. publisher. This book is a great example of why I love mystery thrillers. I was kept on the edge of my seat. It was so much fun seeing how all the pieces of this twisted puzzle came together. The classic 1951 movie Strangers on a Train, adapted from Highsmith's 1950 murder swap novel, is a favorite that I've seen multiple times, so I knew I was going to enjoy reading this book. Gripping, jaw-dropping, heart-pounding. I could go on and on. Don't pass this one by.

Oooo this is a twisty one! When based on STRANGERS ON A TRAIN you would assume you know where this is going but I was so, so wrong. I really enjoyed the cat and mouse aspect this had and loved seeing the characters work through their issues. There was a few unnecessary characters who didn’t add anything more than dialogue to the story so there isn’t a ton of character development in this one. At the end of the day though, Cavanagh has written a compelling and thrilling story that surprised me.

Steve Cavanagh does it again. "Kill for Me, Kill for You" will keep you on the edge of your seat starting from page one. Just when you think you know what's coming Cavanagh will throw you a curveball you didn't expect. I really enjoyed the pacing of this book. I loved the multiple POV's. It allowed the reader to understand how complex each character was and the emotions each one was battling. This book will be an instant hit that you will not want to miss out on.

You won’t regret this read!!

I’d go in blind if I had the chance all over again.


Alternating POVS, easy to follow and very engaging cliff hangers often!

Wowza the twists! That ending left my head spinning and definitely didn’t see ALL that coming!!

Really enjoyed Amanda, the unfolding of the mystery and the big reveals!!

Few uses of G***amn throughout, violent attack and murder as far as triggers to be aware of.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own!

Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh was a spellbinding and suspenseful thriller.
This book was so damn good! I just couldn’t put it down until I finished it!… Had me hooked right from the start. The characters are also well fleshed out making the reader need to read another chapter.
The writing was fabulous, a great page turner, fast paced and a sharp, clever and brilliantly executed thriller.

Thank You NetGalley and Atria Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thanks to Atria for the eARC
This was my first Cavanagh and it won't be my last. In the beginning, I wondered exactly what was going on and where this story was going. However, I just knew that the plot points had to come together, and it so paid off in the end. This story was an interesting take on and commentary on revenge murder. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I gasped at some of the well thought out twists. I liked how the author danged just enough to keep me going. I binged this in a day. Also, bravo on that ending. There were things I truly did not see coming, which left me with lots of feelings about it. I know it's an ending I will be thinking about for a while. I can't wait to explore this author's backlist while I wait for his next novel .

Although there was a plot twist that I didn’t fully see coming, the writing style wasn’t for me. It took a while for things to get moving, and it felt like there was quite a bit of unnecessary filler and commentary. I appreciate the opportunity to read this early!

2.5 stars rounded up. I had a hard time rationalizing any of the decisions made by any of the main characters, but if you like thrillers with lots of twists and morally ambiguous characters, this may be for you. Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC.