Kill For Me Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh
Published by Headline Fiction
Publication Date: 3rd August 2023
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Book Description:
One dark evening in New York City, two strangers meet by chance.
Over drinks, Amanda and Wendy realise they have so much in common.
They both feel alone. They both drink alone.
And they both desperately want revenge against the two men who destroyed their families.
Together, they have the perfect plan.
If you kill for me, I'll kill for you...
My Thoughts:
Having waited patiently in the reservation queue for this book at my library, I made sure I was able to call in to collect it on my way home from work on the day I received the notification to say it was available. Hardbacks aren't really my format of choice as I like to read a few pages on my commute each day where possible, but I'd heard such good reviews of this book that I wasn't prepared to wait for the paperback to hit the shelves.
In the first chapter we meet Amanda and learn about the loss of both her 6 year old daughter and her husband. We see how Amanda intends to deal with the man who she believes caused her to lose everything she held dear in her life. The man who escaped justice just because his father was able to influence the so-called "law enforcers". The story then moves to a young woman named Ruth Gelman, who is stabbed in her home by a serial attacker who police come to nickname "Mr Blue Eyes" following the statement she gives them when she wakes up in hospital. But just how do the two threads of the tale relate to one another?
Amanda is forced, through the consequences of her need for revenge, to attend group counselling - a prospect she manages to put off right until the very last chance her legal team can scrape together for her. There she meets another young woman named "Wendy" and against all the rules of the group, they end up going for drinks after the session. It is during this session that Wendy makes a bold suggestion: they can both get the end result they want, but without any of the risk attached: Wendy will kill Amanda's target if she agrees to do the same for her. Just like the movie "Strangers on a Train".
From thereon in the story really is quite a hair raising ride. There are multiple occasions where you want to shout at the pages to warn characters against going through with their intended actions. The ripples that spread from the decisions made by these women are far-reaching and will have your eyes wide and jaw dropping by the end. In fact, it wasn't until I sat and properly considered the events of the last few chapters that I really appreciated just how clever Mr Cavanagh's writing is in this book. Some readers have said they prefer the Eddie Flynn books, but for me this one is my favourite of the ones I've read so far from this author.
My advice is, where possible, try to read this book in decent sized chunks as I feel you'll get far more carried along by the tension and plotting than if you read it chapter by chapter. I'm pretty sure the ending will give you a smile of satisfaction on your face once all the pieces fully register in place.
About the Author:
Steve Cavanagh is the bestselling author of the Eddie Flynn series of novels and standalone thrillers. In 2018 The Liar won the CWA Gold Dagger for crime novel of the year and 2019 saw his novel Thirteen win the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Every one of his novels has either won or been nominated for awards internationally.
He is a former lawyer, born and brought up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he still lives.
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