Firstly thank you to NetGalley and Faber for allowing me to read “a talent for murder” early!

Hearing we wore getting another story with lily and Henry involved was the most excited I’ve been about a thriller book!
Both lily and Henry are quickly becoming some of my favourite characters of all time!!

I absolutely loved the fact that we got a little preview of this story in “kind worth saving” and then get to have the full story!!

I’m greedy so I really hope we get some more stories with lily and Henry!!
A solid 5 star read!!

A really well written book with multi layed plots filled with plenty of tension.I really enjoy the author's stylish writing his descriptions and easy storytelling always make a good read, and this one was a great contemporary thriller.
Lily is a favourite of mine she’s a very complex but someone I'd like on my side anytime.
The twists were unique and unexpected a quick but suspenseful read.
RECOMMENDED
Thanks to Netgalley and Faber&Faber Ltd for the ARC.

A thoroughly well written book with plenty of twists and turns and interesting characters which kept me involved in the storyline.

It took me a little while to get into it but was a good read overall.

Thank you to Netgalley and Faber & Faber for this ARC which I can recommend.

This entertaining novel explores the eternal question of how well we ever really know anyone. Marriage is a complex beast, and even after years together, people can discover unexpected sides to each other. Not always good ones.

So when Martha marries Alan after a whirlwind courtship, she probably expects that there will be some things for them to discover about each other. What she doesn't expect is that one of those things may be tied to a pattern of deaths of women in different places that could correlate to Alan's work travel patterns...

And even though she helped her to escape from a toxic relationship at an important juncture in the past, Martha does not know the person whom she turns to for help as well as she thinks she does, either!

Swanson reminds us why the advent of a new book from him is always a pleasure to be anticipated, delivering yet again in this engaging read that will have no problem in keeping the reader glued to the book.

Going into this I was interested to see what was next for Lily and Henry. While this doesn't really have Henry in much I still enjoyed it.
The story itself was my least favourite from this series. But I was intrigued throughout. Trying to figure out what was going on and why.

What a roller coaster of a book. The twists and turns were unexpected to say the least. This is the first book I had read by this author, and although I realized that this was not the first book in a series it works well as a stand alone story. There were not too many references to the previous titles.
Not the last I will read by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for the advance copy of this book

Looking at the other reviews I will be Billy No Mates on this one. Everything about it felt alien, the writing style, the language, the cultural references , the characters. Almost from the begining I felt distanced from it.
I couldn't really believe the plot or the characters. So disconnected I will not read anything from this author again. Shame as it sounded good but then often hard to tell

In her past, Martha had been in a bad relationship. Unhappy, and unsure of how to end the relationship, she turns to her friend Lily for help. Lily obliges, and Martha continues her quiet life. Over the years the two lose touch. Martha has a job as a librarian, which she enjoys, and has married, a man called Alan, who is a travelling salesman. Alan spends many weeks on the road, but Martha doesn't mind her own company, and is always happy to see Alan when he is home. She is content, until one day she finds herself wondering if Alan is simply playing a part of the loving husband. His words and actions appear rehearsed, as if he is on stage. She decides to monitor the places he travels to more closely, maybe he is having an affair. She does not find evidence of any affair, but she does find that each place Alan has been, a murder has occurred. Worried, and unsure what to do, Martha decides to turn to her old friend who helped her in the past, Lily.
I really enjoyed this book, the author was new to me, but I shall definitely look for other works. The plot kept me guessing, even though I was certain I knew what would happen, I was so wrong. 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 4th July. This is the first book I’ve read from this author I’m now a firm fan! I love this authors writing style!

This plot was full of unexpected twists and turns that made it impossible for me to put down I raced through the pages!Overall, I’d highly recommend this book! 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I am a huge fan of Peter Swanson - his books suck you in and leave you breathless until the very end! Extremely gripping and written in three parts and also from different viewpoints, I loved how all the characters are not what they first seem and all have their own agenda. Definitely Peter Swanson at his best, an excellent psychological thriller which I could not put down.

Thanks to Peter Swanson, Netgalley & the publisher, Faber and Faber Ltd., for the ARC. When I requested this book, I did not know this was a third book in a series that I just did not care for. I thought the second book was a dud, so I thought this would be one too. However, I actually really like this. Swanson redeemed himself in my eyes with this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who made it through the first two books.

Thi is absolutely brilliant! It's one heck of a plot masterfully crafted. Extremely gripping and written in three parts and also from different viewpoints, I loved how all the characters are not what they first seem and all have their own agenda. Definitely Peter Swanson at his best, an excellent psychological thriller which I could not put down.

Librarian Martha has found a husband! Having been convinced that that a love curse had been put on her whilst in college after kissing a classmate’s boyfriend, Martha has always believed that she would never find love. She’s not sure this is actual true love, but she does love Alan in her own way. Alan is a travelling salesman, visiting college towns and campus’ throughout North America selling educational related merchandise to teachers at conferences. When Martha begins to suspect that all is not as it would first appear on Alan’s little jaunts, she calls long lost college pal Lily, who once, many years ago, helped her out with another relationship problem.

This is another Lily and Henry book by Swanson, and like the others is very entertaining. Great characters, multi layered plot and always a twist. Fabulous writing, a book to recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Faber and Faber.

A Talent for Murder (Henry Kimball/Lily Kintner #3) by Peter Swanson

I love Peter Swanson’s books and was very excited to be selected to read his latest novel.

Martha is a librarian and has been married to Alan for about one year, Alan is a modern travelling salesman and is away from home a lot, he goes to teacher’s conventions around the country to sell subject themed items like T-shirts, ties, pins etc. When Alan comes home after one of his business trips Martha notices a blood smear on his shirt and curiously does a search of the town where the conference was held just to see if any news stories come up. She finds that yes, a woman was attacked and murdered. Could it be a coincidence or was Alan involved

Martha then makes a list of all the places Alan has travelled to and then searches to see if there were any other attacks. She finds that there are five unsolved murders and all the victims were women. Martha is stumped, should she confront Alan? but if he is innocent and she accuses him he will never forgive her and she has ruined her marriage, if she does nothing and Alan is involved then other women will be killed.

Martha calls her friend from her college, Lily Kintner, for advice. In their college days Martha remembers Lily rescued her from a very toxic relationship with an old boyfriend, Ethan Saltz. Lily is surprised to hear from Martha but is happy to help and at Alan’s next conference Lily starts her investigation.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Faber and Faber for a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review

4.5 rounded up
Lily Kitner and Henry Kimball #3

Alan Peralta and Martha Ratliff meet and later marry, however, although obviously she thinks he’s a nice man, part of her feels as if she has married a stranger. All her instincts tell her that he makes no sense. She begins to observe him more closely and starts to suspect he’s not only acting a part in his life with her but of much, much more. Later, this suspicion deepens and she does some investigating and what she discovers is very alarming. Has she married a killer? Is he living a life of pretence to cover up his crimes? Lily Kittner is Martha‘s friend from university, Lily having saved her from a toxic relationship. She might just be the perfect person to discuss her concerns with and so she does. Lily is on the case and later she involves Kimball.

Peter Swanson does it again! This is so good, it’s a glide through read and a series I love. Lily is fascinating and it’s fair to say that she’s not the usual brand of central protagonist and her relationship with Kimball is also unusual but there’s trust between them. Lily’s perspective illuminates Martha’s past and her personality, which takes the storytelling into entirely different territory. There are several pull you up sharp moments during Lily’s quest to discover the truth which sends my mind into a tailspin and asking a multitude of questions.

Herein lie games. Deadly ones. There’s manipulation. Masterful and skilful. There are evil intentions. Calculated and cold. Lily and Kimball are on the trail of a truly awful, wicked and vindictive killer, perhaps the most dangerous they have been encounted to date. The investigation gets as twisted as, the tensions at times is off the scale and there are moments of breath inhaling suspense.

The first half pulls you in as it’s full of curiosity, The second half socks it to you although the conclusion could perhaps have been a bit stronger although the ultimate ending is a very satisfying just desserts.

Overall, it’s a really entertaining, multilayered read and a classic Swanson novel. He’s an author I admire and will always want to read especially this series.
It’s dark obviously (well it is Kitner and Kimball), but it is utterly gripping. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Faber and Faber for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I love Peter Swanson books and was thrilled to get the chance to read A Talent for Murder.

Lily Kintner, who features in other Peter Swanson books, is approached out of the blue by Martha, a woman she went to Graduate School with. They lost touch over the years but Martha reaches out because she strongly believes if anyone can help her, it’ll be Lily Kintner because she had helped her before back at Grad School.

When they meet up Martha shares her concerns and suspicious that Alan, her travelling salesman husband, might not be the person she thought he was and that he could well be a danger to women.

Lily Kintner is just a brilliant character and it was great to read another book featuring her. With all Peter Swanson’s books there are some real jaw dropping moments that I didn’t see coming. This is a real page-turner and I devoured the book in a day.

I can’t wait to read the next instalment from Peter Swanson.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Faber and Faber Ltd, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

It's not uncommon for wives to occasionally be suspicious of their spouses,sometimes they suspect they might be having an affair or maybe have a secret gambling habit, librarian Martha suspects that husband Alan,despite his Mr Nice Guy persona, might be a serial killer.
Martha ,needing advice, remembers old friend Lily Kintner from their schooldays as someone with experience of difficult relationships,not realising that Lily is also the ideal person to investigate Alan as she's also had a lot of experience of killing people.

Regular Peter Swanson readers will know sociopath Lily from ,"The Kind Worth Killing" and, "The Kind Worth Saving" and renews her complex relationship with Henry Kimball when it appears she might have met her match.

This is a gripping tale with twists that come from nowhere and often the reader is led down blind alleys by a master storyteller. The shocks don't so much creep up on you as blindside you with a sucker punch . Peter Swanson's books are a step above the average crime novel,not only are they vastly entertaining but also very clever,what you see is rarely what you get in the end.

Another excellent book from one of my favourite authors.

Peter Swanson is a ‘drop everything, read ASAP’ author for me. I don’t even read the blurb.

As with most authors, I like some of his books more than other, the reimagined literary murder mysteries such as Nine Lines and Eight Perfect Murders aren’t my favourites. Give me his cool psycho thrillers such as The Kind Worth Killing and The Kind Worth Saving, now you’re talking!

Imagine my sheer delight to find Lily Kintner, one of the coolest sociopathic anti-heroes, star of The Kind Worth Killing is a main character in this book, I was hollering with joy.

Martha thought she had married a nice man, Alan, a travelling salesman selling novelty T-shirts at conferences. Martha begins to suspect the conferences might be a cover for something more sinister and calls up her old friend Lily to try and help investigate.

Wow! This book flows so smoothly, fast and slick, threat and tension, completely unpredictable with twist after twist. Lily, of course, is as cool as ever.

Just a brilliant and hugely entertaining thriller. A wonderful return for Lily, but make sure you read The Kind Worth Killing and The Kind Worth first.

Read it ASAP!

Thanks to Netgalley and Fabre and Fabre Ltd