A Book A Week

I do this thing where I really enjoy a book, vow to read the sequel, and then somehow wait years before I actually get around to it. It's not intentional, of course. There are simply more books out there than I'll ever have time to read, and I can't help getting distracted by whatever shiny new release catches my eye that week. The downside is that I often forget about, or straight-up ignore, a series that I'd probably really enjoy.

So when I read Peter Swanson's excellent The Kind Worth Killing last week, I was determined not to let its sequel fall by the wayside. I'm happy to report that I stuck to my guns and read The Kind Worth Saving over the weekend.

Henry Kimball is a former cop turned private investigator. You'll have to read the previous book to find out exactly why he left the police force, but suffice it to say, he's landed on his feet. When Joan walks into his office, though, Henry is immediately transported even further into his past, back to the days before he was a police officer, when he taught high school English. Joan was one of his students, and the two lived through a tragedy in his classroom that ultimately drove Henry from teaching for good. Seeing her again brings memories of that day rushing back.

Joan has come to Henry for help proving that her husband is cheating on her. It should be a fairly straightforward case of uncovering infidelity, but things quickly take a much darker turn. For the second time in their lives, Henry and Joan's paths cross only for tragedy to follow. Suddenly, the past seems to be repeating itself, and Henry realizes that finding the truth about what's happening now may require him to revisit one of the worst days of his life.

I'm really glad I didn't wait to read this one. The Kind Worth Saving sees Peter Swanson expand upon the story and characters he introduced in the first book without simply retreading the same ground. Henry was mostly on the sidelines in The Kind Worth Killing, so I enjoyed seeing his character fleshed out and given a much more prominent role here. Swanson once again employs shifting perspectives and flashbacks to gradually reveal the full picture of this cat-and-mouse thriller. While I didn't find that approach as effective here as in the first book, I still had a ton of fun watching everything come together.

Lily Kintner takes more of a backseat, especially early on, but I was okay with that. This is ultimately Henry's story, and seeing how his path intertwines with Lily's across both novels makes the two books feel like parts of a larger whole. I've already read the third book in the series, so for now, my time with Henry and Lily has come to an end. I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to them, though. Peter Swanson, consider this my official request for another!

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2026, 64)