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A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson

Book

A Talent for Murder

A Novel

Peter Swanson, Sophie Amoss, Stephen Graybill

HarperCollins · Print & ebook · May 27, 2025

Reading lane: Psychological Thrillers

"What a killer read!

At a Glance

Why This Clicks

Dark Momentum

Edgy crime fiction that keeps the pages moving and the nerves slightly frayed.

Come here for

  • dark, suspense-forward momentum
  • a procedural edge with amateur-sleuth friction

Expect

  • women-detective energy
  • a sustained, immersion-first read

Book Details

Authors
Peter Swanson, Sophie Amoss, Stephen Graybill
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
May 27, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Psychological Thrillers · Amateur Sleuths
Reading lane
Psychological Thrillers

Affinity

Publisher Categories

  • Literary Fiction

  • Women Detectives

  • Amateur Sleuths

  • Psychological Fiction

Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Suspense

  • Crime Fiction

  • Psychological Thrillers

  • Women's Fiction

About This Book

"What a killer read! A Talent For Murder is the thrilling tale of a woman who suspects her husband is a serial killer. As the bodies stack up, so does the paranoid tension until I was feverishly turning pages in the dark, desperate to know what happens next. A fast, exciting read with twist after twist." — Janice Hallett, Internationally bestselling author of The Appeal A newlywed librarian begins to suspect the man she married might be a murderer—in this spectacularly twist...

Read full description

"What a killer read! A Talent For Murder is the thrilling tale of a woman who suspects her husband is a serial killer. As the bodies stack up, so does the paranoid tension until I was feverishly turning pages in the dark, desperate to know what happens next. A fast, exciting read with twist after twist." — Janice Hallett, Internationally bestselling author of The Appeal A newlywed librarian begins to suspect the man she married might be a murderer—in this spectacularly twisty and deviously clever novel by Peter Swanson, New York Times bestselling author of The Kind Worth Killing and Eight Perfect Murders . Martha Ratliff conceded long ago that she’d likely spend her life alone. She was fine with it, happy with her solo existence, stimulated by her work as a librarian in Maine. But then she met Alan, a charming and sweet-natured salesman whose job took him on the road for half the year. When he asked her to marry him, she said yes, even though he still felt a little bit like a stranger. A year in and the marriage was good, except for that strange blood streak on the back of one of his shirts he’d worn to a conference in Denver. Her curiosity turning to suspicion, Martha investigates the cities Alan visited over the past year and uncovers a disturbing pattern—five unsolved cases of murdered women. Is she married to a serial killer? Or could it merely be a coincidence? Unsure what to think, Martha contacts an old friend from graduate school for advice. Lily Kintner once helped Martha out of a jam with an abusive boyfriend and may have some insight. Intrigued, Lily offers to meet Alan to find out what kind of man he really is . . .but what Lily uncovers is more perplexing and wicked than they ever could have expected.

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