Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Kill For Me Kill For You

“It takes a lot to kill someone. Human beings in crisis cannot think straight; their instinct to preserve life gets sidelined in the sea of their desperation. In the absence of a psychological disorder or crisis or the impairment to rational thinking brought about by drugs or alcohol, it is very hard to kill another living, breathing member of the human race.”

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Steve Cavanagh's writing, and I've been waiting impatiently for his newest book to be finally published outside the UK. I loved the sound of the premise of Kill For You, Kill For Me, although I confess I added it to my wishlist even before I learned what it was going to be about... His writing hasn't disappointed me yet, and Kill For Me, Kill For You turned out to be another absolutely fantastic and deviously clever read. This is one of those books where it's best to go in blind in order to feel the full impact of the plot twists... Trust me, you will most likely be picking up your jaw from the floor more than once before reaching that final page. His writing is always engaging, and I was already enjoying the ride from the beginning... But once the first major plot twist bomb dropped, I started to see just how clever and intricate this plot was. My mind is still in awe of what I have just read, and I have no doubt that this book will appear on my list of 2024 favorites. I particularly loved the Strangers On A Train vibe; not a copy of the classic, but rather an ingenious adaptation that will mislead you more than once. The story uses a multiple POV structure, which was perfect for the plot and helped creating maximum impact for certain twists. If you like your thrillers on the dark, twisted and engaging side, I can highly recommend Kill For Me, Kill For You!

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amirahazhar's review

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adventurous dark medium-paced

4.0

What a ride! So many twists and turns, I was completely enthralled. At times, some parts of the plot didn't seem realistic but still addictive regardless. This is my first Cavanagh book and he's a fantastic writer so I'm excited to read his other work.

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louisekf's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Hoo-boy - what a wild ride this book was! And I’m not sure how much to say to make sure I don’t give away any spoilers! Take the concept from Strangers On A Train, where basically two people who have been wronged decide to take revenge on the other person’s villain, ensuring that the obvious suspect would have a perfect alibi. Two women in New York City, both having suffered a terrible tragedy and no suspect has been arrested due to insufficient evidence, decide to do just that. Amanda will kill the culprit for Wendy and Wendy will kill the culprit for Amanda. We also get the story of Ruth, who suffered multiple stab wounds from a home invasion. How do these disparate stories come together?

I was sucked in from the first page. Detective Farrow was a great character and the New York City environment was spot-on. I don’t know how Steve Cavanagh writes so convincingly about NYC (in this book and his Eddie Flynn series) since I see that he was born and raised and still lives in Northern Ireland. Amazing.

The audiobook was narrated beautifully by Stephanie Cannon, both the female and male voices.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

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zyxtasaurus's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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khowick24's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

What kind of mind-f*ckery did I just read? lol. I had to stare at the wall for a while when I was done to contemplate it all lol. I loved and hated the same characters at different points in the book, I didn’t know until half way through what was going on but even then, more turns surprised me as I kept reading. I appreciate the distinct writing and the short chapters. Would definitely read more from this author.

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rochelleisreading's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

3.0

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pomoevareads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

What a thrill ride! I have been reading lots of character driven family stories lately (my go to genre) and needed a good thriller to give me a jump start. This one did the trick.

As the title implies, two people meet and agree to kill someone for the other. And then there is a hiccup that catches the breath of one of the characters and makes her see things differently. I won’t say more than that, just know that there are a few good twists, the pace is on point, and if you can let go of some less than realistic excitement and just fall into the fun, then this book will offer you a great escape.

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