Peter Swanson is a best selling author of 11 novels, including The Kind Worth Killing, winner of the New England Society Book Award, and Her Every Fear, an NPR book of the year. A graduate of Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College, he lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts with his wife.
Martha Ratliff conceded long ago that she’d likely spend her life alone. She was fine with it, happy with her solo existence, stimulated by her work as a librarian in Maine. But then she met Alan, a charming and sweet-natured salesman whose job took him on the road for half the year. When he asked her to marry him, she said yes, even though he still felt a little bit like a stranger.
A year in and the marriage was good, except for that strange blood streak on the back of one of his shirts he’d worn to a conference in Denver. Her curiosity turning to suspicion, Martha investigates the cities Alan visited over the past year and uncovers a disturbing pattern—five unsolved cases of murdered women.
Is she married to a serial killer? Or could it merely be a coincidence? Unsure what to think, Martha contacts an old friend from graduate school for advice. Lily Kintner once helped Martha out of a jam with an abusive boyfriend and may have some insight. Intrigued, Lily offers to meet Alan to find out what kind of man he really is . . .but what Lily uncovers is more perplexing and wicked than they ever could have expected.
A Talent For Murder is the third book in the Henry Kimball thriller series. The first two books in the series introduced us to private investigator Henry Kimball and the complicated Lily Kintner. In this third book, Lily’s involvement in an old friend’s investigation has her once again seeking the assistance of Kimball. This book can be enjoyed as a standalone, but readers would be missing some very compelling character histories without reading the first two books first. The story is told in three different POVs of Martha, the killer, and Lily. As in the previous books, Lily’s perspective is very intriguing, as she still has a very twisted moral compass but somehow remains likeable.
If you’re expecting this book to have a major storyline between Henry and Lily, as in previous books, you’ll be disappointed. Lily and Henry only come together in the later half while together working on finding the killer. Their strong chemistry, which has been apparent since book 1, is not explored in this book, which makes their story feel unfinished. Hopefully this will pave the way for at least another book in this captivating series! In typical Swanson fashion, there are several unpredictable twists in the second half that change everything. The dramatic conclusion, although satisfying, feels rushed compared to the buildup that precedes it. There is definitely a feeling of unfinished business between Henry and Lily. An additional chapter for these characters or a follow-up epilogue would have been beneficial.
The audiobook features a stellar cast of narrators that make it an unstoppable listen. To the delight of listeners of the previous books in the series, narrators Kathleen Early and Keith Szarabajka return to reprise their roles. In the opening chapter, Sophie Amoss delivers a completely engrossing portrayal of Josie, an attendee at a teacher’s conference, who is thrown from the balcony after a tryst in her hotel room. Each portion of the story that follows is masterfully executed by different narrators, making for a very satisfying listen. Saskia Maarleveld delivers an unnerving performance of librarian Martha Ratliff, perfectly capturing Martha’s varying levels of distress. Kathleen Early’s contrasting portrayal of Lily Kitner is much more even-toned but equally intense, nicely capturing the essence of this morally grey character. With the addition of Graham Halstead’s thrilling narration, listeners are given everything they could ever ask for in a multicast audiobook!
Overall, this book is a great option for those who love slow-burn thrillers with compelling characters and unguessable twists. The audiobook is most definitely the recommended format for enjoying this one, with its stellar cast of narrators who all deliver superb performances!