A Talent for Murder
A Novel
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Jun 11, 2024
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- $14.99
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- Pre-Order
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A Talent for Murder has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Prepare for suspense and surprises when Peter Swanson’s clever, persistent antiheroine Lily Kintner returns for a battle of wits with a potential serial killer. Librarian Martha Ratliff can’t shake the idea that her new husband, Alan, has something to do with a series of seemingly unconnected deaths, each occurring near one of his frequent business trips. Her old grad school friend Lily, who once helped her to exit a toxic relationship with a charming sociopath, is more than willing to help investigate, but can she discover the truth before any other women die? Swanson starts with the familiar thriller trope of “maybe the person you’re closest to is really a stranger” and immediately takes it in some exciting and unexpected directions that left us guessing until the very end. This is Swanson’s third book starring the fascinatingly dark Lily, but it reads like a standalone thriller. A Talent For Murder is a great summer read.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Swanson's brilliant latest (following The Kind Worth Saving) revolves around a newlywed's suspicions that her husband might be a murderer. Maine librarian Martha Ratliff is feeling uneasy about her recent marriage to traveling salesman Alan Peralta. Her fear that she doesn't truly know Alan is exacerbated when he returns from a trip to Connecticut in an unusually severe mood. When Martha searches online for details about his trip, she turns up a news story about the supposed suicide of a young woman named Josie Nixon at the same art conference Alan visited. Soon, Martha starts drawing connections between Alan's past trips and nearby homicides. For guidance, she turns to Lily Kintner, her old friend from graduate school (and a character from Swanson's previous novels). Together, the women stage a meeting between Lily and Alan, which only serves to illuminate that little is as it seems when it comes to Josie's death. Swanson's gift for well-earned yet seismic reveals is on full display, and he fortifies them with unexpected heart through the story of Lily and Martha's friendship. This is a masterpiece of misdirection.
