Librarian Martha was convinced she would be forever unlucky in love, and remain forever unmarried. Then she met Alan, and after a whirlwind romance, she finds herself with a loving husband, a perfect relationship, and in a job she loves. Everything seems perfect. Until it isn’t. Alan is a travelling salesman, and is gone for work a lot. Martha likes this in some ways, as it leaves her with her independence. She enjoys it when he gets home however. Until she is doing his laundry, and finds a streak of red on the collar of a shirt. Is it lipstick? Or blood?

Martha starts to investigate Alan’s business trip locations, and discovers that in the past year, in each of the cities Alan had visited, there had been an unsolved brutal murder of a woman. Martha begins to panic, and while maintaining the facade of normality, she contacts an old friend, Lilly, who once helped her escape a toxic relationship in college. Martha doesn’t know that Lily has a dark side of her own, and won’t hesitate to help a friend in need, in any way.

This was my first introduction to the Lily Kintner series, but the book works as a stand alone. That is not to say that the book necessarily worked completely for me. Martha’s leap from Alan being a loving husband to a prolific serial killer was quite a jump, and Lily’s willingness to believe her on scant evidence, quite surreal. I have some good friends, but not many who would believe my husband a mass murderer if all my evidence was a red stain on the collar! This deductive leap aside, once the story started, and the ‘investigation’ took legs it was a thrilling psychological read, with Martha having to keep her wits about her, and play happy housewife, all the while we don’t know if Alan is ready to kill her, or is simply confused at his wife's new demeanour. A good, exciting read.

*I received this book from NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

What would you do if you found out that your new husband might be a killer?? This is what happens to Martha, a librarian. In the beginning she didn't want to get married at all. She was happy with her life. Until she met Alan, a divorcee who travels a lot for work.
When Martha discovers a blood streak on the back of one of his shirts she starts to have suspicions, Martha investigates the cities Alan visited over the past year and uncovers a disturbing pattern—five unsolved cases of murdered women.
This one is quite hard to digest! If you like Peter Swanson you will surely enjoy the third installment of the Kimball/Kintner series!
Thank you #NetGalley #Faber and Faber Ltd for this ARC

Peter Swanson does it again! I love everything this author writes and as always he didn’t disappoint with this one. Great writing style, full of intrigue and suspense, I couldn’t wait for it all to come together at the end.
As always I’ll be looking out for whatever he writes next.

An intriguing story that kept me engaged. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC.

A Talent for Murder is a darkly captivating thriller that dives into the twisted mind of a killer and the complexities of human nature. Peter Swanson masterfully builds an atmosphere of suspense, where every character feels both relatable and dangerously unpredictable. The plot is laced with tension as secrets are uncovered and motives are questioned, leading readers down a path of chilling surprises. Swanson’s deft storytelling keeps you guessing as he navigates the blurred line between justice and revenge. It’s a smart, riveting read for anyone who loves a psychological thriller that’s as thought-provoking as it is gripping.

Another fabulous story by Peter Swanson. Lily and Henry are super characters and there’s always mayhem when they get together. It’s engaging; it’s tense; it’s compulsive. I loved it.

Thank you Peter Swanson, the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and I'm grateful to Netgalley and Faber and Faber for the chance to read this novel. The premise, a recently married woman begins to suspect that her husband, a travelling salesman, is behind a string of murders across the United States. I had to suspend disbelief a bit here - from the reader's perspective I could see why such a link might be made, but I wasn't sure that the wife would have really come to the conclusion she did from the limited information she had. I see that this is billed as a Henry Kimball/Lily Kintner book (no 3) but Lily doesn't come into the picture for a while, and whilst Lily clearly had a complex back story, one that I assumed was mentioned in previous books in the series, this worked well as a stand alone novel. The links between the murderer and Lily were, I thought, surprising and again not entirely believable to me. Nonetheless this was a good page turner.

On my gosh
Could not put this book down
Absolutely fantastic writing
Great storyline glad Lily was in it
Can't wait for the next book
Thank you netgalley Faber & Faber and Peter Swanson

This author is always an auto buy for me and once again I loved this read.

I really enjoyed the continuation of Lily & Henry's story. A Talent For Murder has plenty of twists and turns, a great storyline & brilliant characters.

Another unputdownable read.

Another great read from this author. This is the third in a series and although it can be read as a stand alone, I would recommend reading the series.

Although I did enjoy this, it wasn't my favourite if his books. Very enjoyable but lacked slightly in being an edge of your seat thriller

I love this series - I liked how this installment was more focused on Lily than Henry - I hope there is more to come in this series. 4 stars

Unfortunately I really did not like this one. I have enjoyed other books by Peter Swanson but this one... was not my cup of tea. I actually don't know why I bothered to finishing it. I should have DNF'd it at the start.. it actually took me a couple of months to read it...

This is the 3rd Lily / Henry book. Both of these characters are so enjoyable to read. Part of me wants them to be together & part of me doesn’t.

This story is more focused on Lily, she helps out an old friend Martha who believes her husband may be a serial killer.

Unfortunately it didn’t have the kick the previous 2 books have had but it’s still good and still worth the read. Can’t wait for the next one

After believing she was under a love curse, thirtysomething librarian has met and married Alan, a quiet, unassuming travelling salesman. However, suspicious after his return home one day, she finds out that a woman was killed at his last event. Researching further she finds a trail of deaths coinciding with Alan's work trips. Convinced that her husband is a serial killer Martha reaches out to old college buddy Lily but when Lily starts to investigate the situation becomes a whole lot more complex.
I very nearly gave up on this book and I'm so glad I didn't. The first half is all about Martha developing suspicions and a little of the backstory. It's only at halfway that the plot begins to take off in an unexpected direction. From then on it's a breathless ride and really worth reading.

I loved the Kind Worth Killing so reading A Talent for Murder was a no brainer. I love the continuation of the Lily Kintner and Henry Kimball series and as always the story has lots of twists and turns that kept me gripped until the very end. 3.5 Stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson (review)

4.25 out of 5

Is Martha being paranoid or is her husband secretly a serial killer?

"A Talent for Murder" is a great, fun story that would make for perfect easy reading. There is some darkness in the subjects discussed but nothing gets too graphic. If you are a murder mystery fan, then this book is well worth your time.

This is my first experience of the Henry Kimball books and "A Talent for Murder" has made excited to read the others. There are some allusions and descriptions of experiences with Kimball that I assume are told in the previous two books but I'm not sure if they fit into the spoiler arena or simply allusions to past events. If this is the final Henry Kimball book I'm not sure this can be regarded as climatic, but I will have to read the others to see if Kimball is more of a pivotal side character who binds the trilogy together rather than someone who spends the majority of time in the limelight.

One of the biggest points of praise for this book, and in particular for Swanson, is the killer's personality. The killer is not simply a one-sided freak but rather a surprisingly nuanced person who both sickens and excites. This is where I probably have my biggest point of criticism; I would have welcomed more time with the killer and the murderous planning and execution. The jumping between POVs keeps things moving swiftly but I could see this story being told completely through the eyes of the serial killer and still being worth the time.

There are minor squabbles with how some story points are concluded or moved on from (impossible to discuss without spoilers) but the overarching story was fantastic and fun. I devoured this book in a couple of days and kept thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it.

This is now my second Swanson book ("Rules for Perfect Murders" being the first) and I've enjoyed both reads. The praise for Swanson's writing of killers makes sense but one of my favourite aspects is his love for literature. Books and stories are characters rather than simple Easter eggs. These are stories written by a book lover for book lovers.

The novel hooks readers with its initial curiosity and delivers a gripping twist in the second half. While the conclusion might feel slightly rushed, the resolution is ultimately satisfying. Swanson's latest is a compelling, layered thriller that solidifies his reputation as a master of suspense.

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I've enjoyed the author's previous books featuring the characters of Henry Kimball and Lily Kintner so was interested to delve into their third book together. The premise of Martha suspecting her husband hooked me immediately but things really got interesting when Lily (who as a character I really like) stepped in to help Martha. It's a dark book full of twists and turns that although dragged in a couple of places, still kept me gripped throughout. I've knocked one star off as the final chapter wasn't to my liking and felt a bit out there.

it was really surprising, considering i wasn't expecting another henry kimball lily kinter novel to be pulled off, for me to have enjoyed this as much as i did. the moment lily got involved in martha's story as well, you already knew that it was going to be something! looking forward to more peter swanson as always.

I love Lily and Henry. This book was such a journey so many twists. Peter Swanson’s stories are always original and never disappoint. I hope we see more stories from Lily and maybe even a bit more of Henry in the future