Having enjoyed a previous Peter Swanson book, I had high expectations for "A Talent for Murder." Unfortunately, this one didn't live up to them, possibly because I hadn't read the first two books in the series. The story reveals the murderer early on, which took away the suspense I was looking for. Without the twists and turns typical of a good mystery, the plot felt flat. The premise itself was underwhelming, leaving me disappointed. Overall, it lacked the excitement and intrigue I anticipated, earning it only two stars from me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber for an advanced copy of the book.

A Talent For Murder is the third book to feature Lily Kintner and Henry Kimball.

Martha, a college friend of Lily, gets in touch when she believes her new husband may be involved in a few suspicious deaths. Lily had helped Martha to end a damaging relationship many years before, so Martha senses that Lily may be able to help her find the truth.

I thoroughly enjoy both Lily and Henry’s characters, and I love their complex, platonic relationship. To truly understand them, you should really read The Kind Worth Killing, then The Kind Worth Saving first. As they have an interesting shared history. I didn’t find myself able to connect with the other characters in the book.

I can’t pinpoint why, but the book didn’t wow me. I think I was reading it more for the Lily and Henry update, rather than the main storyline, which didn’t hit the mark for me. It’s a 3.5⭐️ read for me.

Martha, a librarian, becomes suspicious of her husband and his frequent trips away on business. She calls an old friend to help her look into what he is up to.
I enjoyed this book but found it a little slow in places hence the 3 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

A Kind Worth Killing was one of my "all time favourite psychological thrillers" and I even read it twice when I found out there was a sequel, The Kind Worth Saving. Firstly, to see if it was as good as I originally thought and secondly to remind myself about the book. I can categorically state that the first 2 books in this series are absolutely amazing and I was so delighted to see that there is yet another book featuring Lily Kintner and Henry Kimball which is available NOW.

I don't want to give much away and the blurb above explains some of the storyline. Martha who seems to have had bad luck with relationships and is convinced she has had a "love curse" put on her at University, is now married to Alan. He seems nice enough. He travels most of the time for work selling his wares to teachers and educational support staff at various conferences around the country.

It's only when he returns from a conference where a teacher has been killed does Martha begin to wonder if her husband is involved. Reaching out to her old friend Lily Kintner from her university days, she asks Lily to help investigate Alan and what looks like several other dead women at the same venues her husband has been attending over the years.

I'm absolutely NOT going to give anything away, but if you have read The Kind Worth Killing and any of Peter's previous books you will know to expect the unexpected and to be shocked to your core throughout. I've mentioned it in previous reviews about this series and I will mention it again... "It wouldn’t be a Peter Swanson novel if he doesn’t kill off some really fascinating and important characters mid-way through the story whilst literally turns the narrative upside down and leaves the reader reeling."

Absolutely BRILLIANT and once again proves that Peter Swanson has a real Talent for Writing!

I ADORE ‘The Kind Worth Killing’ and will tell absolutely anyone who will listen to me to read it so when I saw the advance copy of A Talent for Murder I jumped at the chance to read it. It’s one of those books I want to review in details but can’t without any spoilers and what is most amazing about Peter Swanson’s books is how he delivers massive twists continually throughout his novels. Enjoyed the familiar characters and new ones alike- amazing POV chapters to explain details and set suspense. 10/10 recommend!

A Talent for Murder is a serial killer novel with a twist and will keep you on tenterhooks until the last page! I loved the complex relationships that it detailed throughout and how it all came together at the end - the writing is absolutely superb.

A fun concept but the pacing was a bit off for me. Still, this was a very entertaining book for the most part and a great "palate cleanser" if you're looking for that kind of thriller.

Read as a stand-alone, Dark, twists and turns plus shocks - an enjoyable thriller.
My thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Oh this poor woman, she had the worst boyfriend when she was younger - he gaslit her, abused her, scared her. But she escaped that relationship and after a long time on her own, she met Alan, who seemed like the sweetest man and they got married. But strange things start happening when Alan is away with work, women are turning up dead where ever he goes and now Martha wonders, does she really know the man she married? She does the only thing she can think of and calls up her friend from college who helped her end that earlier toxic relationship. Can she help get her out of another possibly toxic relationship???? And then everything kicks off.......

I enjoyed this up to half way, and the big reveal as to who the killer was, but then it took a bit of a nose dive for me. I wasn't as interested in the catching of the perpetrator as I was in the identification.

This was a twisty read. I enjoyed it but, sometimes I got frustrated with the wife as she seemed to be so lame. The story was very good but sometimes it slowed right down for me. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Peter Swanson is an auto read/ buy author for me. I enjoy his writing style and the majority of his book have been winners for me. I was delighted to see the return of Lily Kintner and Henry Kimball, first introduced in The Kind Worth Killing ( which is probably my favourite of Swanson's books). While this book didn't quite reach the same level to the two that came before, this was still a great read. Brilliantly paced, twisty and impossible to predict where it was going, I audibly gasped twice when reading the concluding chapters. A perfect summer thriller, recommend.

I enjoyed this book. It was a thriller and kept me guessing with a twists, turns and a few shock moments. Definitely recommended for a summer thriller read.

#ATalentForMurder #NetGalley
Awesome. 5 ⭐
How well do you really know your husband? After an unexpected, whirlwind romance, quiet librarian Martha married Alan. But when she thinks she sees his mask slip, she starts to fear that the conferences he travels the country to attend might be a cover for something far more sinister. As she secretly starts to map his movements she unearths a string of dead women, but could these two things really be linked? Unsure of her own instincts, Martha turns to an old friend, Lily Kintner, who once helped her escape a toxic relationship in grad school. But what Martha doesn’t know is that Lily has a dark side of her own .
I didn't know back then that this character of Lily would be going to come in the future books but I'm starting to like her. I enjoyed this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for giving me an advance copy.

Wow!!! What an amazing & brilliant read. This is one of the books of the year. The storyline is gripping & had me full attention from the very first page. Swanson is amazing at creating brilliant thrillers & this is an example of that.

Peter Swanson’s A Talent for Murder was an absolute blast to read!
Martha Ratliff suspects her husband Alan is doing more on his conferences away than he leads her to believe. So she contacts a long lost friend of hers to help her found out the truth. What follows is an absolutely captivating story about deception, friendship and finding out the truth.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the previous books with Henry & Lily and this one was a pleasant surprise! Although it was a bit of a slow start once things starting happening it really had me hooked, I didn’t want this book to end. The last few chapters really had me anticipating the worst! And the end caught me off guard! Cannot wait to read more from Peter Swanson!
Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber ltd for the arc!

Peter Swanson is a clever writer and this kept me gripped from the first page .
Martha suspects her husband of being a serial killer, he travels to conventions and whilst he’s there a murder takes place it’s got to be him hasn’t it?
The only person Martha can think to discuss it with is an old school friend Lily Kinter .
Martha and Lily begin to investigate Martha’s husband can he really be a killer?
This book is dark at times but the writing makes it an enjoyable read with plenty of twists and turns that kept me hooked .
Peter Swanson is a unique writer and definitely on my favourites list .
Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd.

I have read lots of Peter Swanson books and loved them. Sadly I didn’t enjoy this one. Maybe I needed to read the two previous books in the series. I didn’t feel anything for any of the characters, I felt the plot was a little absurd and there wasn’t any real twists or turns.
Not one I’d recommend this time

Thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for ARC.

Full disclosure - I'm predisposed to think highly of any new novel from Swanson. One that features Lily Kintner, her family and Henry Kimball is a real bonus. This is a treat from start to finish. Very dark themes are explored and those who can't read about violence, even obliquely, should stay well clear.

Martha is married to a travelling salesman and begins to wonder about her husband. His behaviour is odd, and violence seems to happen in the towns he's been in recently. On impulse she contacts old college friend Lily, who has helped her work through a difficult relationship dilemma before. They meet and agree to look into things a little more. You don't need to know any more about plot, just that Swanson skilfully weaves, twists, turns and confounds to a very satisfying conclusion.

Dark and twisted thriller with the repeat characters Lily Kintner and Henry Kimball (3rd in the series). This novel can easily be read as a standalone thriller but then you would be missing out on the first two amazing novels (The Kind Worth Killing, The Kind Worth Saving).
Martha has begun to doubt that her kind natured husband of 2-years may not be the sweet natured man he has seemed to be. Alan travels constantly for business and when Martha starts to suspect him of being a serial killer there is only one person she can confide in, her old college friend Lily.
This is a fast paced, fun and compelling read.
Strong well developed, dark and twisty characters with an excellent plot.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.