Book Review: The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
- Paola Santana
- Apr 9
- 2 min read
"With his flight delayed, Ted Severson meets Lily Kintner, a magnetic stranger, in an airport bar. In the netherworld of international travel and too many martinis, he confesses his darkest secrets, about his wife's infidelity and how he wishes her dead. Without missing a beat Lily offers to help him carry out the task."
BOOK SPECS:
Number of pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Genre: Crime Thriller
Tropes: Serial Killer, Mysterious Stranger, Intelligent Psychopath
SHORT REVIEW:
This book was suggested to me by my sister; and boy, did it keep me on my toes! I absolutely loved it! If you are into good smart thrillers, then you will love The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson.
HEART RATE:
SMUT SCORE:
FULL REVIEW:
Plot
The storyline of this novel reminded me a little bit of TV series Dexter, as Lilly is essentially a psychopath that convinces herself she has a perfectly good reason to kill people, or rather, that certain types of people deserve to die. And because the people she is dispatching from this life to the next are perceived to be worse than she is, you too will think she is perfectly reasonable on her quest.
Characters
The characters are really interesting - for a change, the serial killer is a well-educated woman, living a perfectly normal and somewhat successful life.
Romance & Smut Score
There is a hint of smut when Ted watches his wife getting it on with another man. There is also plenty of admiring Lilly's beauty going on, but it's all very tame, as this novel is really a crime thriller rather than a romantic suspense.
Writing
The story is told in first person, but the point of view hops in between four of the characters. The writing is incredibly smooth and easy to read. And the plot has so many twists and turns that you are at the edge of your seat throughout. But what I loved the most about this book is how it played with my morality.
When I started reading this book I was against murder, no matter what. But I ended it completely agreeing that murder is perfectly justified if you have been betrayed, abused or hurt somebody for shallow reasons. These are some words I thought I would never say. And I suppose, it's the whole premise of this book. So more than a plot twist if you will.
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