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Kill Your Darlings

'A dazzlingly clever murder mystery, told backwards.' Gillian McAllister

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Kill Your Darlings

By: Peter Swanson
Narrated by: Steven Weber
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SOON TO BE A MAJOR FILM STARRING JULIA ROBERTS FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2025
'A dazzlingly clever murder mystery, told backwards.' GILLIAN McALLISTER
'Deliciously dark.' JOHN MARRS
'Exhilarating' DANYA KUKAFKA
'Ingenious' LAURA LIPPMAN

What if the only way to bury the truth is to bury your husband?
The first attempt at killing her husband was the night of the dinner party.

After forty years, Thom Graves has become an incredible disappointment to his wife, Wendy - he drinks too much, flirts with other women, and worst of all, is in danger of revealing their dark secret. But how far is Wendy willing to go to stop him?

Starting at the end, and ending at the beginning, Kill Your Darlings is an ingenious mystery about two people's life together, and the secrets which fatally bind them.

PRAISE FOR PETER SWANSON:
'A killer read with twist after twist.' JANICE HALLETT (on A Talent for Murder)
'One of the world's best crime writers. Nobody writes psychopaths like Swanson.' MARK EDWARDS
'Delicious . . . I defy you to stop reading once you begin.' New York Times (on The Christmas Guest)©2025 Peter Swanson (P)2025 Faber & Faber Crime Thrillers Suspense Thriller & Suspense Marriage
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I really like Peter Swanson. This was not his best but very enjoyable. A good production.

Enjoyable

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Unlike some reviewers, I think this really is one of Swanson's best. The narrative trick of moving back in time means you're compelled to pay attention like a detective piecing together the evidence, recomposing the narrative in your mind. And you care about the characters more the less they know, which creates a moving kind of irony. In plot this has some enjoyable twists and reveals, but the ultimately thought-provoking aspect - which I know will stay with me - is its essentially chilling lack of romanticism. Characters who believe themselves soulmates, and bind themselves to each other indelibly, nonetheless ... fall out of love. It's a lightly-worn study of ethics, too, asking whether it is ever possible to get away with something terrible.

Gripping and mesmerising

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Swanson never fails! Yet again a really great novel, gradually unwinding the story of Thom and Wendy. I must admit I rushed through the first time and missed some crucial moments, but a leisurely second listening was well worth it. The backwards storyline will irritate some but it’s worth hanging in.


The narration is excellent as well.

Another gem from Peter Swanson.

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Really liked the theme of secrets and how they change us, particularly some of the reveals that come in this story. Maybe because I've read better books from this author, I got a bit fed up when we strayed too far away from murder mystery elements. Still, a good read though

A murder mystery in reverse

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I liked the reversed love story but I found towards the end I was just waiting for it to finish.

Ok I see you

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