The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson @FaberBooks @PeterSwanson3 #bloggersborrowbooks #hardbackbooks #bookreview

The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson

Published by Faber & Faber

Publication Date: 2nd March 2023

Book Description:

TWO'S COMPANY, THREE'S FATAL

'Do you remember me?' she asked, after stepping into my office.

When private detective and former teacher Henry Kimball is hired to investigate an ex-pupil's cheating husband, he senses all is not quite what it seems, and before he knows it he's gotten far too close to the other woman.

As the case gets ever stranger, he turns to the only person he can trust, Lily Kintner, someone with dark secrets of her own...

With its ingenious clockwork-like plot, and twists aplenty, The Kind Worth Saving is a crime novel to savour from a modern master.

My Thoughts:

The impending release of this book was the prompt I needed to get its forerunner, The Kind Worth Killing, off my shelf where it had been sitting for quite some time (it's not alone, I buy way more books than I'll ever get through in 5 lifetimes but hey, that's another issue). My blog post at the end of March will tell you my thoughts on that one, and suffice to say I was straight on my local library website to reserve a copy of The Kind Worth Saving as soon as I knew they'd ordered it in. 

Henry Kimball is back at work, although not in the role we last saw him in at the end of the last book. He's now a private investigator and he's more than a little curious, if not reluctant, when former pupil Joan Whalen (nee Grieve) comes into his office asking to sign him up to prove her husband's infidelity. He agrees to take on the case and despite there being not much to report back to Joan, he does however manage to find himself way too involved with the person I suppose would be classed as the "co-respondent" had there ever been a divorce petition.  

This book, as with its predecessor, isn't what you would call a hotbed of quickfire action; it creeps under your skin and has you reading "just one more chapter" on far too many occasions as you are so invested in what is going on. I actually went to bed early one night to catch up on my sleep but ended up getting back up again an hour later as my brain just kept demanding answers! This author has a very clever knack of linking characters in sinister ways, as you will know if you've read the first book (if not, I cannot stress more that you need to read that one first in order to pick up on the finer points of this book). I'm not sure I quite understand the relationship between Henry and Lily though; as close as they are, I do find that one a little unsettling and I was completely creeped out by quiet guy Richard Seddon - they do say you have to watch the quiet ones! 

With some great characters and intricate networking of people I would strongly recommend both books in the series although I have to say I think the first one still just edges it as my favourite. Don't be put off by the steady pace, you need to take your time to appreciate just how twisted these characters are!

About the Author: 

Peter Swanson's novels include The Girl With a Clock for a Heart (2012), nominated for an LA Times Book Prize. The Kind Worth Killing, a Richard and Judy pick and the iBooks store's thriller of the year in 2015; Rules for Perfect Murders, the 2020 Richard and Judy pick; and, most recently, Nine Lives (2022). He lives with his wife and cat on the north coast of Massachusetts.