About Books: ‘A Talent for Murder’ is entertaining, suspenseful

Peter Swanson has a talent for writing twisty psychological thrillers. Two characters in this book were also in two of his previous books, which I did not know. This book stands alone, however, and brings readers a compelling story not about one murder, but multiple murders. While you are reading, you may ask yourself how well do you know your spouse?

Martha Ratliff is a happy single librarian when she meets Alan, a divorcee who has a sales job that frequently takes him out of town selling gimmicky merchandise to teachers attending conventions. Even though Martha doesn’t feel she knows him that well, she feels comfortable marrying him. Now one year into the marriage, Martha begins to notice little things when Alan returns home from a job that she can’t explain. She discovers a blood smear on one of his shirts that he wore at his most recent convention as well as learning about the death of a teacher who was attending the convention. What was really going on when Alan was away?

Martha’s curiosity turns to suspicion as she investigates the cities where Alan has been over the past year. She uncovers a disturbing pattern. There have been five unsolved cases of murdered women that coincide with Alan’s visits. Is she married to a serial killer? She needs to run all this by someone she can trust and decides to share her suspicions with an old friend from graduate school, Lily Kintner.

Lily is intrigued by Martha’s findings and offers to meet Alan at his next convention to see what she can discover about him. While shadowing Alan, Lily realizes that she isn’t the only person following him. This is when things take a turn. Lily finds herself in danger and needs the help of her friend Henry, a private investigator. A twisty cat-and-mouse game ensues that brings readers to a thrilling climax.

This novel was entertaining and held my interest all the way through. The suspense picked up when Lily became involved in the investigation of a wicked, dangerous killer. She is a unique, shrewd character with her own rules. The previous two books featuring Lily and Henry are recommended by readers also. Peter Swanson continues to prove himself to be a talented writer of mystery and suspense.

The other two books by Peter Swanson, featuring Lily Kintner and Henry Kimball are: “The Kind Worth Killing” and “The Kind Worth Saving.”