Title: The Kind Worth Saving
Series: Henry Kimball / Lily Kintner #2
Author: Peter Swanson
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Synopsis:
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.
My review:
The Kind Worth Saving is a clever, well-plotted book which returns to some great characters from The Kind Worth Killing: Henry Kimball and Lily Kintner.
Kimball is asked to investigate a woman called Joan’s husband Richard, as she suspects he is having an affair with his colleague. But then the man in question, and the woman he is allegedly having an affair with, are both found dead and Kimball is a main witness. Can he work out why Joan asked him to investigate the affair, and whether it was for a more sinister reason than he first expected?
As well as the present-day storyline, we follow Joan as a teenager as she gets herself wrapped up in some dangerous situations with a friend from school. I don’t want to say much more about the plot as I don’t want to give anything away – there are some great twists in this book throughout, without ever feeling too ridiculous. You’re actually given a lot of the information quite early on but watching the elements come together is a really satisfying experience.
I think this book can easily be read as a standalone – I couldn’t remember a huge amount of detail about The Kind Worth Killing (TKWK) – but I remembered enough to pick up on extra elements about the characters, so I think it’s well worth still reading TKWK anyway, as it’s another great read and gives you an extra element on insights into the way Kimball’s mind works. I’d really recommend this satisfying, enjoyable thriller – but I wouldn’t expect anything less from Peter Swanson, an author I know I can always rely on for a gripping read!
My rating: 5/5
Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest review.