Published 4th July 2024 by Faber.
From the cover of the book:
Two years ago, Martha didn't know that Alan existed. Now, they're married - it was easy to say yes to someone so sweet.But when Martha thinks she sees Alan's mask slip, she starts to fear that the conferences he travels the country to attend might be a cover for something far more sinister.
As her research unearths a string of dead women, she enlists the help of Lily Kintner, an old friend from grad school. What Martha doesn't know is that Lily has a dark side of her own...
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Librarian, Martha never thought she would wed, but when she met unassuming salesman Alan, she found herself accepting his proposal of marriage. Two years later, while their relationship might not be one of passion, Martha is content with her choice, until an unguarded moment has her wondering whether she really knows the man she has married at all.
Convinced that Alan's frequent travels to conventions all over the country might be hiding sinister intent, Martha reconnects with the one person she is sure will believe her, old college friend Lily Kintner, who once helped her break away from a toxic relationship. Martha and Lily begin to work in partnerships to delve into Alan's movements, each using their particular skills to track down clues about suspicious deaths on the convention circuit. Lily is soon equally convinced that there is something odd about the events that seem to follow in his wake, but what Martha does not know is that she recognises the signs because she has a dark side too...
This is the third book in the Henry Kimball series, with welcome reappearances from Lily Kintner, and Henry himself further down the line, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone thriller.
Beginning with a murder disguised as suicide, this delicious crime novel leaps from slow-burn sizzler, rife with hints of dastardly deeds, to page-tuning serial killer romp in double quick time - and it is full of beautifully written characters mired in murky shades of grey. The story flows cleverly from multiple points of view, taking in the past and present of a small cast of wonderfully dysfunctional players, passing the narrative baton back and forth in quite unexpected ways.
With red herrings galore, Swanson shows off his trademark plotting skills to perfection. Masterful misdirection is the name of the game, with a series of sharp turns to be negotiated as the twist and twist again revelations keep you firmly on your toes. It is very much like trying to open a complex puzzle which only reveals its true nature after all its levels have been solved in turn - which also happens to be true when it comes to the characters he writes about too!
I thoroughly enjoyed every little surprise in this story, and the eminently satisfying ending is literally to die for, but I have to say it is the characters that made this such a joy to consume. A well written psychopath is a beautiful thing - especially one who has you rooting for them...
A Talent for Murder is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Faber from sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to join this blog tour.
About the author:
His books have been translated into 30 languages, and his stories, poetry, and features have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Atlantic Monthly, Measure, The Guardian, The Strand Magazine, and Yankee Magazine.
A graduate of Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College, he lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts with his wife and cat.
A graduate of Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College, he lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts with his wife and cat.
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