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

A newly wed librarian suspects her husband of murder. She makes contact with an old friend in order to allay her fears and in doing so creates mayhem.

This is the third in a series and although it does stand alone, I would recommend reading the series.

I enjoyed the caper and characters. It’s not an edge of the seat thriller, but, a really enjoyable, entertaining, quick read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber Ltd for the opportunity to preview.

I can never resist a Peter Swanson book but I enjoy some of his novels more than others - this one is him back to his best though! I loved this one, it was impossible to put down! This is possible to read as a standalone but it is actually the third book featuring Lily and Henry so I would recommend reading the previous two first. This novel opens with a woman at a convention who is murdered but it's made to look like suicide. We then follow Martha who is newly married and starts to have suspicions about her husband who goes to these conventions where other suspicious deaths have occurred. She contacts her old friend Lily and they start to investigate. We then find out about how Martha and Lily know each other and see some uncomfortable things that happened in the past. This novel is shocking and it pulls the rung from under you a few times, I was completely engrossed in reading this. I had my suspicions about what was happening but there were still things that properly shocked me! I loved this one and highly recommend it!

This is my first Peter Swanson book and my goodness was I impressed. I’ve heard a lot of hype around the author so I will be reading his backlog for sure now. Anyway, this book gripped me and didn’t let me go until I had finished the last page. I will be recommending!

The style of writing was very odd with the POV’s being managed differently I.e. written in first or third person. This was a new thing for me and ended up a distraction. So that’s not to say everyone will find it odd. However even if I ignore this quirky style I still only emjoyed this book enough to rate it three stars. The first half was riveting but the twists soon came and left not much drama.