About the Book
The thrilling novel "The Kind Worth Killing" is a captivating work of mystery and suspense created by the incredibly talented author Peter Swanson, transporting its readers into the world of Alfred Hitchcock's films. The genre of the story is crime, beginning with an ordinary game that leads to astonishing events.
Ted Severson, one of the main characters in the book, is a man intending to travel from London to Boston when he encounters an attractive woman named Lily Kintz along the way. This meeting has no prior introduction, and as time passes, to avoid boredom, they engage in a question-and-answer game that reveals unexpected truths about their lives.
At the very start of the game, Ted discusses his personal life and marriage, mentioning his ex-wife Miranda, whom he believes betrayed him and caused the collapse of their shared life, leading to years of decline. Although Lily, the listener, sometimes doubts the seriousness or joking tone of Ted's words, she continues to listen as Ted expresses his intention to kill Miranda. Lily, confident and assertive, agrees to collaborate with him because she believes some people, including unfaithful spouses, deserve to be killed.
However, the plot thickens when Lily refrains from revealing truths that Ted is unaware of, creating mysteries that increase the likelihood of both their deaths. Throughout the narrative, Swanson takes his readers on a journey into the minds of his characters, filled with surprising secrets. The book is crafted in such a way that it should either be read in full or not at all; once a reader starts, they cannot put it down halfway. This novel, first published in 2015, has been nominated for several awards, including Goodreads' Best Mystery Book and the Golden Bullet.
About the Author
Peter Swanson is an American writer born on May 26, 1968, in Concord, Massachusetts. He has gained significant recognition and popularity through his psychological works titled "Her Every Fear" and "The Kind Worth Killing." His other notable works include "The Girl with a Clock for a Heart," "Nine Lives," "Before She Knew Him," and "Eight Perfect Murders."
Who should read this book?
Undoubtedly, readers of mystery novels should read this thrilling story. Additionally, those who prioritize reading psychological novels are among the primary audience for this work.
Table of Contents
Swanson's outstanding work is divided into three sections with the following titles: 1- Rules for Airport Cafés 2- The Half-Finished House 3- Carefully Hide the Bodies.
Book Quotes
I finished my drink and ordered another one. She introduced herself with a name that I immediately forgot, and I told her my name was just Ted, not Ted Severson, at least not at that moment. We sat in the overly empty and bright hall of Heathrow Airport, sipping our drinks.
We exchanged a few sentences and it turned out we were both waiting for a direct flight to Logan Airport in Boston. She pulled a slim novel from her handbag and began to read, giving me the opportunity to look at her closely.
She was a beautiful woman with long red hair and bright blue-green eyes reminiscent of tropical waters, and skin the color of cream. If such a woman sits next to you in a café and compliments your drink, you might think your life is about to change. But the rules of airport cafés are different, where your fellow travelers are destined to drift away from you on opposing paths, even though this woman’s destination was Boston.
She nodded in acknowledgment, her neck and throat too red, much like the depiction of sandy lands on a geography map, but her face was losing color, gradually turning blue. I dashed to the adjacent room and picked up the phone. I paused for a second and strained my ears to understand what was happening in the room. I heard a quiet sound of something dropping. I silently placed the phone back and counted to ten before entering the bedroom and heading toward the bed.
Eric was lying down, his hand still on his neck, but he was no longer scratching it. His hand lay motionless on his neck. I stared at him until I was sure he was dead. I placed two fingers on his throat to check for a pulse. There was no pulse. I turned back to the phone and called emergency services, providing my name and address.
“Hello, can I sit here?” I glanced at the freckled, pale hand behind the empty seat next to me in the business class lounge of Heathrow Airport in London and then asked the stranger: “Do I know you?” He didn’t look very familiar, but his American accent, tight white shirt, and jeans tucked into his tall boots made him resemble one of my husband’s obnoxious friends.
“No, sorry, it was just your drink that caught my attention. Is it okay if I order the same?” He sat on a leather-covered swivel stool and placed his handbag on the bar counter. Then he asked about the drink in front of me, and I answered him.
He gestured to the young bartender with spiky hair and a shiny chin and ordered the same drink with two extra olives. When his drink arrived, he raised it toward me. I raised my glass as well, took a sip, and said: “This is a vaccination spot for international travel. That’s why I want to drink.”
After hanging up, I quickly jumped up, grabbed the cashews that I had wrapped in a towel and placed in the fridge, and sprinkled some into Eric's chicken dish that was still in his bowl, putting the rest in a takeout container. Then I shook off the towel and washed my hands. In Eric’s bedroom, nothing had moved. I reached under the mattress and pulled out a plastic bag containing two unused allergy pills.
I ran upstairs to open the door for the doctors to enter. Three days later, after notifying Eric's family, arrangements were made for transferring the body home. The same police officer who had come to my house that Friday night after the doctors returned once more to inform me that there would be no interrogation. I felt relieved by this news but couldn’t deny my surprise.
With an expression I tried to make appear dazed and confused, I said: “Okay, what does this mean?” It means the prosecutor believes the death was accidental and that no further investigation is needed. I thought it was a correct decision as well, but perhaps an officer from his precinct would be questioning about that drinking challenge they held; maybe I'd even go talk to them myself.
I had read many mystery novels and thought that for any death that had even the slightest hint of being unusual, people would be interrogated to ensure all evidence pointed to an accidental and tragic death; in a way, I felt disheartened.
