Kill for Me, Kill for You

Starred review from January 29, 2024
Cavanagh (the Eddie Flynn series) keeps readers on their toes in this tense and tricky revenge thriller about grieving women in New York City. Amanda White’s stalking of Wallace Crone, a well-connected sex offender she is sure has gotten off the hook for assaulting and murdering her six year-old-daughter and driving her husband to suicide, lands her a restraining order and a mandate to attend a grief support group on the Upper West Side. Drunken conversations with fellow group member Wendy lead the pair to concoct a Strangers on a Train–style pact in which Wendy will kill Crone and Amanda will kill the man Wendy claims raped and murdered her daughter three years earlier. In a parallel narrative, 39-year-old Manhattan real estate agent Ruth Gelman survives a home invasion during which she’s stabbed multiple times. Unable to give the NYPD more than a thin description of her attacker, she’s left dependent on her husband, Scott, for her safety, and mired in a state of near-constant paranoia. The initial link between the stories is Det. Andrew Farrow (nicknamed St. Jude for his habit of pursuing hopeless cases), but as the plot gathers steam, the overlaps become more and more substantial and startling. Cavanagh seeds the narrative with a series of explosive, game-changing reveals that, combined with an uncommon attunement to the central characters’ emotional arcs, make for a wild, deliciously satisfying ride. Even seasoned genre fans will find themselves white-knuckling this roller coaster. Agent: Jon Wood, RCW.

September 13, 2024

Cavanagh's ("Eddie Flynn" series) latest riffs on Patricia Highsmith's classic Strangers on a Train with deliciously different results. Two strangers who met at a grief support group agree to murder someone for the other. Wendy wants the teacher who raped and murdered her teenage daughter killed. Amanda wants someone to murder the wealthy sex offender who she is certain abducted and killed her young daughter and spurred her husband to kill himself. They make a pact to do the deed. Amanda fulfills her side of the pact and then things go terribly awry. A third woman plays a major role in this riveting story; after a violent home invasion, Ruth is trapped in her apartment, seeing her attacker in every man she encounters. Detective Andrew Farrow investigates the cases, unaware of the connection between all three women. Amanda's growing confusion, panic, and guilt carry listeners along on a growing tide of suspense. Stephanie Cannon narrates and deftly differentiates among the women. Cannon occasionally elongates her pronunciation of words, which takes some getting used to. VERDICT Tension builds steadily, and while some may guess the central mystery in this tale of many mysteries, they'll enjoy the ride nonetheless.--B. Allison Gray

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