The Kind Worth Killing
My copy of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die hasn't gotten here yet so I'm going to review the book I just finished, The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson. Swanson is a fairly new novelist. His first book, The Girl With a Clock For a Heart, was published in 2014. The Kind Worth Killing, his second novel, was published in 2015 and his next book, Her Every Fear, is due out in January 2017. Swanson has also published short stories and poems including a sequence of poems inspired by the works of Alfred Hitchcock. He and his wife currently reside in Massachusetts.
The Kind Worth Killing is separated into three parts and each part is told from the viewpoint of different characters. I find that Lily seems to me the main character, hers is the only point of view you read in all three sections. The first section sets up the story. Lily and Ted meet at a London airport, discuss Ted’s failing marriage, and begin to plot to murder his wife, Miranda. Things don't go exactly as planned, the second part sees Lily attempting to clean up the mess, and the last section deals with the consequences of her actions.
Overall I found the book to be a quick, enjoyable read even though it was a little predictable. I'm trying to write this review without any spoilers so I won't go into details but for the most part you can tell where the story is heading. I didn't find that the predictability completely detracted from my overall enjoyment of the story though and I have to admit that the ending was a bit different than I had thought it was going to be. I was pleasantly surprised by the last minute turn of events.
I liked the switching points of view, but I feel that some characters were less developed than others. I wanted to dislike Miranda because she's shallow, manipulative, and she uses her looks to get by in life. Unfortunately she ends up feeling like a stock character and I couldn't feel anything but “meh” about her. I did like The way he wrote Lily her personality and background make it possible for her to do the things she does in the book, but not be a completely unsympathetic character. Some of the things she did seemed a little out of character to me. She's very intelligent, emotionally detached, and at one point she mentions that she will never again let anyone close enough to hurt her but she sits down next to a man at an airport and almost immediately begins plotting to help him kill his wife. We find out later that they do have a connection, but it is clear that at the time of their meeting she barely knows him. I couldn't help thinking that this was odd, she's so cautious throughout the majority of the book and this seems a bit reckless.
The Kind Worth Killing is a good book to take on vacation or read on a lazy Sunday, I listened to it on Audible while driving to and from work. It's compelling enough to keep you entertained but light and predictable enough that you don't have to put a lot of thought into reading it. I am putting The Girl With a Clock for a Heart on my to read list.
The Kind Worth Killing is separated into three parts and each part is told from the viewpoint of different characters. I find that Lily seems to me the main character, hers is the only point of view you read in all three sections. The first section sets up the story. Lily and Ted meet at a London airport, discuss Ted’s failing marriage, and begin to plot to murder his wife, Miranda. Things don't go exactly as planned, the second part sees Lily attempting to clean up the mess, and the last section deals with the consequences of her actions.
Overall I found the book to be a quick, enjoyable read even though it was a little predictable. I'm trying to write this review without any spoilers so I won't go into details but for the most part you can tell where the story is heading. I didn't find that the predictability completely detracted from my overall enjoyment of the story though and I have to admit that the ending was a bit different than I had thought it was going to be. I was pleasantly surprised by the last minute turn of events.
I liked the switching points of view, but I feel that some characters were less developed than others. I wanted to dislike Miranda because she's shallow, manipulative, and she uses her looks to get by in life. Unfortunately she ends up feeling like a stock character and I couldn't feel anything but “meh” about her. I did like The way he wrote Lily her personality and background make it possible for her to do the things she does in the book, but not be a completely unsympathetic character. Some of the things she did seemed a little out of character to me. She's very intelligent, emotionally detached, and at one point she mentions that she will never again let anyone close enough to hurt her but she sits down next to a man at an airport and almost immediately begins plotting to help him kill his wife. We find out later that they do have a connection, but it is clear that at the time of their meeting she barely knows him. I couldn't help thinking that this was odd, she's so cautious throughout the majority of the book and this seems a bit reckless.
The Kind Worth Killing is a good book to take on vacation or read on a lazy Sunday, I listened to it on Audible while driving to and from work. It's compelling enough to keep you entertained but light and predictable enough that you don't have to put a lot of thought into reading it. I am putting The Girl With a Clock for a Heart on my to read list.
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