The Kind Worth Killing? What is a Kind Worth Killing? That was the naive question I asked as I was told about Peter Swanson’s engrossing thriller. It was a book recommended to me many times on a podcast, and when the premise was explained to me I knew it was something I would eventually read.
The Kind Worth Killing opens up with a character named Ted Severson, who finds himself in a Heathrow Airport bar when returning to Boston. He meets a red haired woman named Lilly at this bar, and they instantly hit it off. Lilly comes across as charming enough woman, charming enough to have Ted spilling the secrets of his marriage after just one drink. Soon enough, Ted is telling Lilly that he witnessed his wife sleeping with their building contractor, while he was spying on her. Ted jokingly lets slip that he wishes he could kill her. And that’s when Lilly suggests that it might not be such a bad idea.
From then on, we get to learn Lilly’s backstory between following up with Ted’s path to murder. And although the book begins with Ted, Lilly quickly becomes the star of the show. What’s twisted about this book is that Lilly is so clearly wrong for her actions, but somehow Peter Swanson was able to make me champion her character developments. I wanted to see Lilly succeed in everything she did. Her wrongdoing had such powerful motivations behind them that watching them play out was nothing short of compelling.
A huge plot twist hits around the halfway mark of The Kind Worth Killing, and from then on, certain things in the story begin to feel too convenient. It’s not enough to hurt the reading experience completely, but some of the details on how things play out lose a bit of plausibility. Despite this, I couldn’t put the book down because I absolutely needed to find out where this would end.
Beyond Ted and Lilly, we get to see the perspective of Ted’s wife Miranda. We see her desire to use her husband for his cash; as a means to build the perfect home. We also see that she has the building contractor, Brad, wrapped around her finger.
Later on in the story, we also begin to see the perspective of a detective who is trying to solve some murders that occur throughout the book. Having all these different perspectives adds many layers to the story, and it keeps the reader guessing through the characters’ own thoughts.
The Kind Worth Killing is a highly satisfying thriller that will have you flying through the pages. Be sure to pick it up and share your thoughts with us!
