Summer Reading: The Kind Worth Killing

So far, my summer reading is off to a good start. I’ve read two books and am finishing up a third. I have been trying to dedicate at least an hour a day to reading, but with the past few books, once I start them it’s hard to put them down and I can easily lose myself for the afternoon. Don’t you love it when that happens?

Recently, I finished The Kind Worth Killing, by Peter Swanson. I had heard glowing reviews about this book and it seemed like a logical follow-up to the last novel I read, The Girl on the Train. You can read my review, here.

The plot was twisty and salacious — and had every element of a juicy summer thriller. The chapters center around three main characters: a husband and wife named, Ted and Miranda Severson, plus Lily Kintner. How the three characters are interrelated unfolds as the chapters progress, but the gist is that Ted meets a stranger while waiting at the airport for his flight. That stranger happens to be Lily Kintner. Once aboard the plane, after a few too many drinks and a game of truth-or-dare, Ted reveals to Lily that he is thinking of killing his wife after discovering that she is cheating on him. Lily doesn’t miss a beat and replies with a calm and serious retort — “some people are the kind worth killing.” You can imagine the wild ride that this book takes after that….

Overall, the plot did not go the way I thought it would from the start, which made the book both intriguing and irritating. For the most part, I enjoyed the read, but towards the end I felt that the plot got a little carried away and the last fifty pages seemed superfluous. Also, the ending was slightly anti-climactic given the book’s premise. Still, if you liked The a Girl on the Train (or psychologically suspenseful novels, in general), this book is worth reading.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely!

My grade: A-/B+

Up next… Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert. Stay tuned!

P.S. My grade for last months book, The Girl on the Train is an A+