About the Whodunit Book Club

Whodunit Book Club has met in its present location for almost seventeen years! If you would like to join us, our meetings are held on the last Tuesday of every month (except December).
We meet at the Chapters Store located at 41 MicMac Blvd., Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Phone (902) 466-1640

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Whodunit Book Club - August 30, 2016

As we didn't meet in July, it was great to see the familiar faces of Whodunit members this evening. Our book this time was "The kind worth killing" by Peter Swanson.


Ten members present and one absentee member rated this psychological thriller 7.1 points out of 10.

The publisher's blurb states:
A devious tale of psychological suspense, soon to be a major movie directed by Agnieszka Holland. In a tantalizing set-up reminiscent of Patricia Highsmith's classic story "Strangers on a train"... On a night flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the stunning and mysterious Lily Kintner.  Sharing one too many martinis, the strangers begin to play a game of truth, revealing very intimate details about themselves. Ted talks about his marriage that's going stale and his wife Miranda, who he is sure is cheating on him. Ted and his wife were a mismatch from the start - he the rich businessman, she the artistic free spirit - a contrast that once inflamed their passion, bu has now become a cliché. But their game turns a little darker when Ted jokes that he could kill Miranda for what she's done. Lily, with missing a beat, says calmly, "I'd like to help". After all, some people are the kind worth killing, like a lying stinking, cheating spouse...
Back in Boston, Ted and Lily's twisted bond grows stronger as they begin to plot Miranda's demise. But there are a few things about Lily's past that she hasn't shared with Ted, namely her experience in the art and craft of murder, a journey that began in her very precocious youth.
Suddenly these co-conspirators are embroiled in a chilling game of cat-and-mouses, one they both cannot survive... with a shrewd and determined detective on their tale.


  • With short chapters told by different points of view, the consensus was that this novel was a fast-paced, page-turner.  
  • The title made perfect sense and connected well with the plot. 
  • The characters were manipulative, especially the women.  
  • The readers found most of the characters unsympathetic.
  • Lily's character was clever and crafty verging on the sociopathic.  
  • The writing had a Hitchcockian feel which made perfect sense once we learned that the author has also written a sequence of 53 sonnets, one for each of Alfred Hitchcock's films. 
  • Some disliked the way Ted and Lily met, feeling that it was too contrived. Others felt that they could completely understand that the anonymity could engender such a meeting.
  • Some found the novel to be humorous in places, a satirical kind of humor.
  • All the members liked the various settings included in the novel and stated it would make a great movie.
  • Most agreed that this was an entertaining thriller and that they would read another novel by this author.
  • The ending was satisfying for those readers who crave for justice to be done.
The four lucky winners of the book giveaways this month were:
  1. Cathy
  2. Nancy
  3. Marlene
  4. Jean
Next month we will meet again on September 27th to discuss the novel "Thin Ice" by Nick Wilkshire.

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