Title: The Kind Worth Killing
Genre: Murder mystery|Suspense
The title itself invokes a sense of mystery and intrigue. Imagine you are at the bookstore, you see this book nearby and it is an almost natural and instantaneous reaction to have the following series of thoughts: Who is the kind worth killing? What makes them that way? Is it necessary to kill them?
This exciting, page turning thriller begins when a very drunk businessman Ted, meets an enigmatic red headed woman, Lilly, at the airport. In his stage of frustration fuelled by alcohol, he confesses to her about his wife, Miranda, cheating on him with their contractor, Brad. Jokingly, he expresses a seemingly harmless and sarcastic comment about wanting to kill her.
Without skipping a beat Lilly replies, “Let’s do it.” and from there on, a string of shocking revelations, devious twists and diabolical plans unfold.
The novel holds all the elements familiar to readers of the noir fiction subset in the true crime genre: gritty urban elements, morally grey characters, snappy and terse dialogues, and the normalisation of the darker side of human psychology through the lens of multidimensional characters. It manages to contribute to this underrated and lesser frequented section of true crime by handling the plot, character, and the style of writing in a way that contributes to the classic and vintage charm of the genre without making it cliched or monotonous to the average reader.
“No one writes a psychopath like Swanson.”
Author Peter Swanson has yet again proved his literary ability to produce brilliant multidimensional female leads who hold a penchant to romanticise and utilise the more shadowy and iniquitous side of human psychology. The two primary Women in the books give a fresh twist on two polar opposite stereotypes of the modern woman in a way that is both thrilling and equally feminist, with sleuthing abilities that have undertones equivalent to characters like Sharon Stone’s Catherine Tramell in basic instinct, and the sensuous appeal of Ritya Hayworth’s Gilda Munson. He consistently makes it a point to explore darker elements of the female psyche by describing elements of female rage and sexuality in a way that is almost poetic and sincerely satisfying to read. The characters are complex, deeply layered and provide an incredibly refreshing analysis on the typical sociopath, in a way that both romanticizes sociopathic traits and singles them out. The men act as moulding tools to emphasise upon the same traits.
Aside from this, the book has an utterly engaging dialogue, with notes and words which leave the reader investigating and hanging on to every word.
Slowly and steadily, as the book unfolds, it falls into a classic who dunnit web with each of the characters, right from the overtly salacious detective, to the audaciously lustrous men, ending up being inextricably linked to each other by the flimsiest of threads and old connections, many of which will simply end up blowing the reader’s mind in the best way possible. This is a story which ultimately constricts into a sticky web of small town connections, college rivalry, and terrible coincidences.
Lastly, what truly helps maintain the puzzling aura and thrilling speed of the book are the alternating perspectives: From Ted, to Lilly, to even the most unexpected characters in the world. In a way, this solidifies the idea of an unreliable narrator, as everybody’s perspective is biased, The reader is never truly aware of whom to believe, and whose side to choose. It keeps the book’s mystery “oomph” factor continuous and steady.
In my opinion, the only truly negative aspect in the entirety of the book was the ending. It denoted a feeling of dissatisfaction since it did not allow a full insight into the fate of one of the most primary characters; hence, failing to provide a much needed sense of closure and a proper wrap up.
But apart from that, this book is an incredible revival of the noir fiction genre. It is reminiscent of old action crime movies from the 50s and female bombshell “maneater” characters from the 90s. It is a modernised Sherlock Holmes and Nancy Drew with a hint of sensuality.
Seriously, the book has it all: the subtlest and almost non-existent gore, deliciously structured female characters, brilliantly mind numbing plot twists, and to top it all off, a rhythm which makes the unfolding of the build up agonising and exciting. If there is any book to be put on a reading list, or simply to be devoured on a late Friday night with good red wine or coffee alongside the craving for a good old mystery with great characters…, The Kind Worth Killing is exactly the number for you.
Total must read.
Written by – Aditi Singh
Edited by – Aryaa Dubey