A Talent for Murder
A Novel
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4.1 • 26 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A newlywed librarian begins to suspect the man she married might be a murderer—in this spectacularly twisty and deviously clever novel by Peter Swanson, New York Times bestselling author of The Kind Worth Killing and Eight Perfect Murders.
Martha Ratliff conceded long ago that she’d likely spend her life alone. She was fine with it, happy with her solo existence, stimulated by her work as a librarian in Maine. But then she met Alan, a charming and sweet-natured salesman whose job took him on the road for half the year. When he asked her to marry him, she said yes, even though he still felt a little bit like a stranger.
A year in and the marriage was good, except for that strange blood streak on the back of one of his shirts he’d worn to a conference in Denver. Her curiosity turning to suspicion, Martha investigates the cities Alan visited over the past year and uncovers a disturbing pattern—five unsolved cases of murdered women.
Is she married to a serial killer? Or could it merely be a coincidence? Unsure what to think, Martha contacts an old friend from graduate school for advice. Lily Kintner once helped Martha out of a jam with an abusive boyfriend and may have some insight. Intrigued, Lily offers to meet Alan to find out what kind of man he really is . . .but what Lily uncovers is more perplexing and wicked than they ever could have expected.
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.
