Monday, December 5, 2022

The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson

 

Calling The Kind Worth Saving (Henry Kimball/Lily Kintner #2) a semi-sequel, author Peter Swanson follows up the psychological thriller The Kind Worth Killing (2015).  Due out in March, the book continues the story of Henry Kimball, teacher, turned cop, turned private investigator, and Lily Kintner, a smart and complex woman who injured Henry in the first book in the series.



This time around, Kimball encounters one of his former students who was the queen bee at her high school, Joan Grieve. She hires Kimball to confirm that her husband Richard Whalen is cheating, although she has something more devious in mind that calls for the help of a former classmate.

During his investigation, Kimball follows Whalen and Pam O’Neil to their love nest, where he hears three gunshots. What he finds triggers a post-traumatic stress episode from his first and only teaching year. What he thought was the worst day of his life --  a school shooting in his classroom -- has competition from the events happening now.

In the aftermath of the gunshots, Kimball becomes suspicious of Joan. What secrets does she have about the death of her husband and his mistress? How are these murders linked to the school shooting years ago? What could be the link to a supposed accidental drowning that happened when Joan was just a teenager?

As Kimball draws nearer to the truth, he soon finds himself in great danger from Joan’s partner in crime. When Kimball has to step back, Lily Kintner steps up to continue investigating how all the people who have died are linked to Joan.

Peter Swanson’s novel The Kind Worth Killing has been optioned for a movie. He writes short stories, poetry, and features as well as novels. His work has been printed in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Atlantic Monthly, Measure, The Guardian, The Strand Magazine, and Yankee Magazine. The Girl with a Clock for a Heart, his debut novel, is still my personal favorite. Swanson lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, with his wife and their cat.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting December 5, 2022.

I would like to thank William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

 

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