
Member Reviews

3.5 stars. This is my first book in this series, so I might've gotten more out of it if I had read the first two Lily Kintner books and was familiar with Lily and Henry. As it was, I got attached to Martha and then realized the book wasn't really about her. The thriller has some genuinely shocking twists, but I didn't find the ending satisfying.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

When women start dying in cities where her husband has recently been, a librarian suspects him of being a murderer. She enlists the help of a college friend in helping her investigate. This is told from both friends' perspectives so I got a little confused about whose chapter I was reading. But the twists more than made up for it.

I loved this book. I am familiar with Swanson's writing but didn't initially realize that this was the third book in his popular series until I started reading it. After finishing, I think it could be read as a standalone without issue, but obviously it helps to have the first two under your belt.
Martha's husband travels for work and he is gone a majority of the year. She begins to get suspicious he is a killer and does some investigating of her own.
This book was on the shorter side which made for a quick read. I loved the character of Martha, but also enjoyed the fact that we got other POV's. Peter Swanson has this fantastic way of writing that makes you want to keep reading and this book was no different. It was entertaining and fast paced.
The ending was a little bit predictable, but it wasn't something that took away from the reading experience for me.

Martha Ratliff always through she'd spend her life alone and had no problem with that. However, when she met Alan everything changed. He was a divorcee that had a job that kept him on the road for half the year, who treated her well. This is why she said yes when he asked her to marry him.
Things were going well until one year into their marriage she found a blood streak on the back of one of his shirts. This makes Martha suspicious so she starts to investigate the cities that Alan has been to and finds out that in five of those cities there are unsolved cases of women who've been murdered.
Worried that she's married to a serial killer, Martha reaches out to an old friend Lily Kintner who once helped her with an abusive boyfriend. Thus begins Lily's investigation into Alan, which leads to her to find a lot of unexpected answers.
Before I start talking about my thoughts on A Talent for Murder, I want to preface this by saying that I have never read the other books in the Lily Kintner and Henry Kimball series. When choosing this on NetGally there was no indication that it was part of a series, so my views might be a bit skewed not having read the other 2 books.
That being said, while I didn't love A Talent for Murder, I did enjoy it and would recommend it. I especially feel like those who have read the other 2 books will thoroughly enjoy this book.
I found Martha to be a likable character, along with Lily and Henry, who appear later on in the book. Trying to unravel the mystery with Martha and Lily was fun and I definitely didn't see the twist coming. I honestly can't put into words why I didn't enjoy this book more, but while I like many of the characters, I just never felt fully connected to them. I think not knowing Lily and Henry's history really hindered me in forging a connection.
All in all, if you're looking for a thriller with an interesting plot, I would definitely suggest A Talent for Murder. I would, however, suggest you read the other books in the series first. I am now going to go back and read them iso I can have more background if the series continues.

Peter Swanson is my favorite contemporary mystery and suspense writer. I thoroughly enjoyed The Kind Worth Killing--and managed to hook more readers on Swanson with that title than any other previous one--and The Kind Worth Saving. Did I enjoy this third book of the series? Yessss...but not as much. It's the perfect example of a series that probably didn't need to keep going (maybe that's why this plot and even the familiar characters seem flat in comparison?), and it's overall not the fantastic quality normally put out by the author/his standalone titles. Will people who already enjoy his titles/this series still be okay with it? Yes, mostly, because not every book or book in a series is going to be a knockout. I still can't wait to read anything and everything that comes out next from Peter Swanson, even if this one didn't wind up being a new favorite to recommend.
My thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this title in exchange for my honest review.

This might have been my favorite Peter Swanson yet, I read it in two sittings. It's technically the third of a series, but you don't necessarily need to have read the other two to enjoy it — though those are also enjoyable. There's a lot of tension throughout, and though I felt like I predicted a few of the 'twists,' there were others that kept me guessing.

Thank you Netgalley, #partner, for the advanced copy of A Talent for Murder in exchange for my honest review.
Peter Swanson has become a must-read author for me when it comes to thrillers and I love that his books are so addicting, and binge-worthy and this latest one is no exception – I read this one in a day! The Kind Worth Killing is one of my favorite books so to not only get a sequel to it last year but then another book with Lily and Henry just makes my thriller-loving heart sing!
This book is so clever and full of so many twists. I don’t know how Peter Swanson keeps doing it, but he does, and he does it so well! This is a dark and devious story, and I had such a hard time putting it down once I started it. I loved how layered this one was, with everyone having their secrets and nothing being quite as it seemed.
Once again, we have characters that you will be questioning from the get-go. I love the way Peter Swanson is able to create these morally gray characters that you aren’t quite able to pinpoint what it is about them until the bottom drops out. I just love being able to be in the mind of a killer – there’s something so chilling yet fascinating about that and Peter Swanson does it so well!
While this book does work well as a stand-alone, reading the series in order gives you a much fuller picture of who Lily and Henry, not to mention the new levels of that the cat and mouse games to go with each new book. I do hope there is more to come of this duo!

This was such a fun mystery! I was happy to be back with Lily and Henry after binging the first 2 books, and Martha was really compelling to me. I loved the mystery here and how it tied back into previous books/reveals. The writing was great and I honestly have no complaints!

This one got me good!! I love how the characters in Swanson’s books are so sick and twisted that you simply can not wait to see how they are either A) gonna get away with it or B) get caught and stopped. This one had plenty of both!
It kept me on the edge of my seat, rooting for Lily, but there was a small piece missing. It’s been awhile since I last read a Swanson novel…but I wish I understood more of Lily’s character. Maybe this was explained more in the first novel but I could have used a little refresher. What drives her and what’s her goal? I felt like I wanted more from her character. I still gave it a strong 4 stars!

Fast and clever mystery thriller.
Shortly into their marriage, librarian Martha Ratliff starts to suspect that her husband, Alan, is a serial killer. He travels a lot as a salesman, but he'd never given her a reason to become suspicious. Then she finds a streak of blood on one of the shirts he had worn on a recent trip to a conference in Denver. Martha is good at research, and she starts to investigate any links between crimes that happened in the cities her husband had gone. What she discovers, 5 suspicious deaths, leads her to turn to her old college friend, Lily Kintner. Lily had previously helped her with a difficult situation involving a man and Martha needs her again.
This went in an unexpected direction, but I enjoyed it tremendously as the twisty plot unfolded. I liked the main characters of Lily and Henry as always because they are so different to the normal hero types in this genre. The pacing was good and the writing was excellent. Easy to read in a single sitting because it is hard to put down.
I was able to listen to the audiobook while following along in the e-book ARC (provided by the publisher) and the 6 different narrators really added to the production quality as their voices gave life to each of the characters. I love it when different narrators are used in audio making it easy to listen as one can easily figure out which character is speaking.
Note - this is the third in a series featuring Lily Kintner and Henry Kimball. I've read the previous ones and feel that this is a series that should be read in order. Can't wait for Swanson's next book.

Normally Swanson keeps me on my toes, however this one did not live up to the hype for me. I figured out the suspect way too soon and the characters were very shallow to me. I will still happily recommend to my thriller mystery patrons, just not one of my favorites.

I absolutely loved The Kind Worth Killing and while I overall liked The Kind Worth Saving, I was overly annoyed by the endless use of weird dirty limericks that honestly did nothing to add to Henry's story or character. SO all that to say I understandably went into A Talent for Murder rather hesitantly when it was chosen for as a bookclub read for June, but I'm happy to report that it was quick, enjoyable and I enjoyed my time with it. Swanson's books can sometimes be hit or miss for me, but I really liked my time with this one and would love to read more from Lily's perspective.

I wanted to love this one but it just didn't pass muster for me. The writing was fairly weak (not as strong as I remember from other Swanson books?) and honestly the plot just meandered. I also really do not understand how the title relates to the story. There was a lot of potential but ultimately this fell really flat for me. I also thought that Lily's choices at the end of the book were asinine and I did not like how the story resolved, particularly with the Henry Kimball character. Backstory was alluded to but never explained. This one was just....flat, all the way around.

Ever since he wrote A Kind Worth Killing, Peter Swanson has been one of my absolute favorite authors. That book was spectacular and you just know when you grab one of his novels, it's going to be a treat.
A Talent for Murder is his latest book, and it was a great four-star read. In it, Peter brings back Lily Kintner, plus private investigator Henry Kimball characters from A Kind Worth Killing.
I cannot recommend Peter’s books enough, they are so fantastic. Clear your schedule because once you start reading, you won’t want to stop!
Martha Ratliff conceded long ago that she’d likely spend her life alone. She was fine with it, happy with her solo existence, stimulated by her job as an archival librarian, constantly surrounded by thought-provoking ideas and the books she loved. But then she met Alan, a charming and sweet-natured divorcee with a job that took him on the road for half the year. When he asked her to marry him, she said yes, even though he still felt a little bit like a stranger.
A year in and the marriage was good, except for that strange blood streak on the back of one of his shirts he’d worn to a conference in Denver. Her curiosity turning to suspicion, Martha investigates the cities Alan visited over the past year and uncovers a disturbing pattern — five unsolved cases of murdered women.
Is she married to a serial killer? Or could it merely be a coincidence? Unsure what to think, Martha contacts an old friend from graduate school for advice. Lily Kintner once helped Martha out of a jam with an abusive boyfriend and may have some insight. Intrigued, Lily offers to meet Alan to find out what kind of man he really is . . . but what Lily uncovers is more perplexing and wicked than they ever could have expected.

✦ 𝘘𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘚𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴
A newlywed librarian reaches out to an old friend for help when she begins to suspect that the man she just married might be a murderer.
✦ 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 :
• The Kind Worth Killing
• cats named Gilbert
• long game revenge
• multiple POVs
• morally grey characters
• full cast audiobooks
• the twistiest twists
Lily + Henry are back! This is the 3rd book in The Kind Worth Killing series, & although this could be enjoyed as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the first 2 books first! Not only because they are SO good, but it gives a lot of context as well.
Told in Swansons signature 3 parts, it’s perfectly paced, brilliantly layered & so twisted. This one seems like a straightforward is-he-or-isn't-he story until, just when I think I know where the story is going, another unexpected revelation makes me question everything I thought I knew.
I definitely recommend this killer read 😉 At just under 300 pages, this one can easily be binged in a day! A perfect choice for a summer thriller.
My only complaint is I wish it was longer! I really hope this isn’t the last we see of this dynamic duo - I would jump without hesitation at the chance to read another TKWK book!
thanks to @netgalley, @williammorrowbooks + @peterswanson for the opportunity to read this ARC ◡̈

I really enjoy psychological thrillers/mysteries where character is more important than plot. So, I liked knowing who the real killer was early in the story. The writing was fine and in spite of some big implausibilities, I fully enjoyed this story. My only issue is that I had not read the first two in the series and felt I really needed insight into Lily’s backstory to fully appreciate her and her actions in the ending.

A Talent For Murder is the third book in a series written by Peter Swanson. I read it not knowing that it was part of a series and other readers can do the same. There are a few brief mentions of events in the other books but nothing you must know to enjoy reading this newest book. Martha has been rolling along living her life and is perfectly content with how it's been going. Then she meets and ends up marrying Alan. This is when her life begins to take an unanticipated turn. This is a dark book with plenty of twists and turns to keep the pages turning rapidly. Read and enjoy!

Title: A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson
Publication Date- 06/11/24
Publisher- William Morrow
Overall Rating- DNF at 30 percent
Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
*sigh*
There was nothing offensive about this book so I will give it a 3 star review purely out of respect of what it takes to write a novel.
One of the first things I want to say is you really cannot read this without reading the other two in the series first even though they are virtually unrelated. So here’s the problem. The first 30 percent is a flex about how there are characters from the previous two books in this one. Literally that’s it. Then the premise gets introduced that our MC’s husband may or may not be a serial killer. I just feel like at 30 percent in we should be doing more investigating, there were virtually no interactions between the MC and her husband except one where she may or may not have seen blood on his shirt. I did not want to spend 30 percent of a book being reminded that there are characters I already know about and nothing meaningful.
Like I was saying above, too much of the story is telling and not showing. There was literally no showing of anything and just telling. I’m really frustrated because this premise was so good, I was so excited and how cool would it be for this old f**ked up crew to investigate this ladies husband to find out if he is a serial killer. I obviously didn’t finish the book so maybe he is. I actually DNF’d this like 3 other times because I really was curious about the premise but everything else was so bad I just didn’t care anymore.
I’m sorry this review has been so negative I really don’t have anything good to say which is unlike me. I will say, the first book in this series is good, if for some reason you haven’t read that one, go read it and then stop there.

Love this book. Love this series. Back for the 3rd time and better than ever. Way to go. Love this book. Love this series. Back for the 3rd time and better than ever. Way to go.

This is my first Peter Swanson book and I was very underwhelmed. I have never read a book that told who the killer was in the middle of the book. There is another first for me, but it would be a spoiler. The book fell flat for me unfortunately. It is a quick read at 267 pages however.
Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced digital copy of the book.