It is literal magic when an author can seamlessly weave characters from one book into another in such a way that a reader does not have to have read the first book in order to become completely engrossed in the second. This is precisely what best-selling author Peter Swanson has done in The Kind Worth Saving. Bringing back two of the characters whose stories began in the 2015 award-winning The Kind Worth Killing, Swanson weaves an entirely new mystery for private investigator Henry Kimball and Lily Kintner, who might best be described as Kimball’s favourite “frenemy”.
Kimball knew Joan years ago, but when she suddenly appears to hire Kimball to investigate her, perhaps, soon-to-be ex-husband, a job that should be fairly ordinary becomes anything but that. After the case takes a completely unexpected turn, Kimball realises too late that it is entirely possible that nothing in this case is quite what it seems. Worst of all, he suspects that to solve the case he has found himself embroiled in, it is likely he will have to go back and re-examine the worst day of his entire life, in hopes of finding answers. Kimball enlists the help of the devious and brilliant Lily Kintner as it becomes clear that a murderer is not only on the loose, but is headed in Kimball’s direction.
Fans of Swanson’s work, particularly The Kind Worth Killing, will undoubtedly enjoy The Kind Worth Saving as it recaptures the twists, the pace, and the fascinating characters of the former. But as mentioned above, the earlier book does not have to have been read first. Everything a reader needs to know about the past is re-capped within the text. The Kind Worth Killing was my introduction to Swanson and remains one of my all-time favourite thrillers and The Kind Worth Saving pairs exceptionally well with it. Any reader who enjoys diving into the excitement of the traditional cat-and-mouse chase will find that plus so much more in Peter Swanson’s newest novel.
The Kind Worth Saving is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
In this spectacularly devious novel by New York Times bestselling author Peter Swanson—featuring the smart and complex Lily Kintner from his acclaimed novel, The Kind Worth Killing—a private eye starts to follow a possibly adulterous husband, but little does he know that the twisted trail will lead back to the woman who hired him.
There was always something slightly dangerous about Joan. So, when she turns up at private investigator Henry Kimball’s office asking him to investigate her husband, he can’t help feeling ill at ease. Just the sight of her stirs up a chilling memory: he knew Joan in his previous life as a high school English teacher, when he was at the center of a tragedy.
Now Joan needs his help in proving that her husband is cheating. But what should be a simple case of infidelity becomes much more complicated when Kimball finds two bodies in an uninhabited suburban home with a “for sale” sign out front. Suddenly it feels like the past is repeating itself, and Henry must go back to one of the worst days of his life to uncover the truth.
Is it possible that Joan knows something about that day, something she’s hidden all these years? Could there still be a killer out there, someone who believes they have gotten away with murder? Henry is determined to find out, but as he steps closer to the truth, a murderer is getting closer to him, and in this hair-raising game of cat and mouse only one of them will survive.
