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A review by bethreadsandnaps
Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson
3.5
3.5 ⭐️
Peter Swanson tends to write character-driven, slow-burn crime fiction. And he typically has a different narrative hook in each of his books.
In this book, Swanson shows a marriage in reverse, from its murderous demise and progresses all the way backward to its origin story. I wouldn’t say it’s a truly unique concept like some of his other novels. I did enjoy it well enough though.
Wendy and Thom are unlikeable (I don’t need to like main characters). If you’re one who does like to root for your main characters, then definitely stay away from this novel.
If you read the first chapter thoroughly, there won’t be too many surprises for you within the novel. It’s told in reverse, as I said, so you know how it ends early on. There are no twists; there’s a clever detail that is in the last chapter, but it’s not a twist. The novel is really seeing how these characters got to the final moment. I was interested. I was invested. Did I want more of a thriller or at least more plot twists? Not necessarily. It just felt blander than I wanted.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
It publishes June 10, 2025.
Peter Swanson tends to write character-driven, slow-burn crime fiction. And he typically has a different narrative hook in each of his books.
In this book, Swanson shows a marriage in reverse, from its murderous demise and progresses all the way backward to its origin story. I wouldn’t say it’s a truly unique concept like some of his other novels. I did enjoy it well enough though.
Wendy and Thom are unlikeable (I don’t need to like main characters). If you’re one who does like to root for your main characters, then definitely stay away from this novel.
If you read the first chapter thoroughly, there won’t be too many surprises for you within the novel. It’s told in reverse, as I said, so you know how it ends early on. There are no twists; there’s a clever detail that is in the last chapter, but it’s not a twist. The novel is really seeing how these characters got to the final moment. I was interested. I was invested. Did I want more of a thriller or at least more plot twists? Not necessarily. It just felt blander than I wanted.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
It publishes June 10, 2025.