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I’ve had this book on my to-read list for the longest time and yet again booklikes-opoly swooped in and did its job, knocking it off my ever-growing TBR.

The Kind Worth Killing plays homage to Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train. I’ve read Highsmith, but not that one, something which I hope to rectify soon.

So, Ted and Lily meet on a night flight from London to Boston. They both have a few drinks and Ted ends up pouring his heart out to Lily and telling her how his wife, Miranda, is cheating on him with the guy who’s overseeing the renovation of his new home. He's ludicrously rich, which usually puts me off a novel, but I decided to stick with it. Anyway, Lily suggests that Ted take his revenge on Miranda by killing her and, of course, she will help out. Sounds a little out there, but I was able to suspend my disbelief and take it at face value.

Throughout the novel we learn about Lily and why she is the way she is. While I enjoyed learning about her past, I didn’t find the reason that she became a murderer very compelling. It helped explain things, yes, but I felt it could have been done a bit better. There was just enough to sustain the narrative for both the characters in their alternative chapters, though.

Usually I find it hard to enjoy a book if I don’t connect with one or more characters, but in this case I was in just the right sort of mood that it didn’t matter that everyone was unlikeable. The narrative was so consuming that I didn’t get too distracted by it.

The story was great, but there was one thing that bothered me. How does a person who’s been murdered narrate in past tense? I was mystified at that one and surprised I didn’t see it mentioned anywhere else. If someone can give me their thoughts I’d be very grateful.

People have mentioned their problem with the ending. While I did find it flat, I didn’t have too much of a problem with it. I was hoping for something a little more explosive, but it was okay. Not great, but okay.

A short and consuming read that I thought was one of the better psychological thrillers I’ve read.

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