Reviews with content warning for Pedophilia - 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!

Content Warnings

amirahazhar's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

oz2021's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings

tanukino's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark fast-paced

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

2.5

The only thing I was satisfied reading about was the criticism of law in a capitalist world. I also admit that while the first plot twist was super predictable, I wasn't expecting the second or third. So that was fun to read!

I also appreciated this sort of slipppery slope approach to trauma and PTSD. There's a lot to be said about the lack of real support for people who have experienced trauma.

Overall, too many silly coincidences and too little research on how NYC actually is kind of took me out of it. That being said, I zipped through it pretty quickly, and it was certainly fast-paced and engaging. The ending was very unsatisfactory to me personally, but what can you do?

Content Warnings

morethanmylupus's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

This one starts out like [book:Strangers on a Train|25622296], but it goes in a different direction quickly. I liked it ok, but I thought the plot was dragged out in places and I predicted the twists well ahead of their reveals. Not my favorite, but I'm the outlier here.

Content Warnings

nadiamasood's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

If fast-paced, dark, twisty, and completely unhinged psychological thrillers are your thing, pick this book up STAT.

“Amanda White lifted the lid from the electric baby-bottle steriliser and stared inside at the .22 caliber revolver.”

Yep, that's the opening line, and I knew that I was going to love this book!

Persevere. The story takes off at an incredible speed after the first quarter, taking you on a wild, twisty ride. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, brace yourself because you don't. The twists are twisting!

I lost track of the "NO WAY!" moments while reading this book, and it kept me up way past my bedtime because I couldn't put the book down!

Do NOT give in to the temptation to read the spoilers unless you want to ruin your reading experience. I just wanted to share my thoughts on certain scenes and characters.

The opening scene at the subway. So Amanda's plan to shoot and murder Wallace Crone is thwarted, and she "dropped the gun, unnoticed, into the half-open golf umbrella of the businessman beside her." The police intervene and issue her a restraining order. But I kept wondering why the businessman didn’t report the gun when he found it in his umbrella. If the police had known about the gun and her intent to kill, they might have charged her with more than just assault.

Amanda trying to murder Quinn. I was surprised by how incredibly intense and graphic this particular scene was! “She felt like her eyeballs were going to pop right out of her skull. Even the skin on her cheeks burned – as if the tiny blood vessels in her face were rupturing under the strain. Her sight darkened.” And yet she had the strength to stick a screwdriver into Quinn's (a much bigger and stronger man) bicep and BURIED AN AXE IN QUINN'S CHEST!

Billy turned out to be the biggest surprise twist for me! I never expected him to be Mr. Blue Eyes, the man who attacked Ruth! Even though his character was introduced later in the book, his cover was so convincing and his story so believable that I never suspected him as a killer. Plus, he seemed genuinely kind to Amanda! But why did he attack Ruth in the first place?

Billy's letter to Amanda. In the letter, he hints at killing Wallace Crone as a return favor for her help in finding Ruth. His tone is polite and grateful, almost portraying him as a good guy! It's confusing—is he a serial killer with a kind heart? And he never gets caught, so he's still out there, possibly targeting the next unsuspecting woman to kill?

Overall, I had a blast with this book and would totally recommend it to anyone in the mood for a crazy, page-turning thriller with writing that hits all the right notes!

Content Warnings

More...