The Kind Worth Saving - Peter Swanson

Reading Challenge Category: Free ARC from NetGalley

Official Blurb:

TWO'S COMPANY, THREE'S FATAL
'Do you remember me?' she asked, after stepping into my office.
When private detective and former teacher Henry Kimball is hired to investigate an ex-pupil's cheating husband, he senses all is not quite what it seems, and before he knows it he's gotten far too close to the other woman.
As the case gets ever stranger, he turns to the only person he can trust, Lily Kintner, someone with dark secrets of her own...

My Thoughts:

I hadn’t realised this was a follow-on to one of Swanson’s previous books. I’m grateful for the note he sent via NetGalley to explain the reasoning behind this book; otherwise, I would have been a bit lost with some of the character’s pasts. As it turns out, we are given a lot of background during this book, so much so that I don’t think I need to go back and read book one!
The book itself is a gripping thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. The main character, Kimball, is certainly an intriguing figure, and I can see why so many of Swanson’s fans wanted this character and that of Lily to be resurrected in a second book. However, I did feel that this reason led the book a little too much, and it ended up being more about Lily than the characters we had gotten to know at the beginning. I think I probably felt like this, having not read book one, so I felt no affiliation to Lily.
I was disappointed to find out the whole story by the middle of the book. While the plot twists and turns kept me engaged, I felt that the story lacked the suspense and surprise that I was hoping for. It seemed that the story was unravelling too quickly and predictably, especially as I had really enjoyed the flashbacks in time to Richard and Joan.
The ending was also a letdown for me. As someone who loves justice and seeing wrongs made right, I was disappointed that there was no recourse for the killer. I had hoped for a more satisfying conclusion, but instead, the story just sort of petered out. Again, I felt like we were just clearing the stage for Lily to take centre.
Overall, while "The Kind Worth Saving" had its moments, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I would recommend it to those who enjoy a good thriller with interesting characters but be prepared for a story that's not as thrilling as you might hope.