The talent of killing

The Talent of Killing by Peter Swanson ... "Martha Ratcliffe had long since given up the idea of eternal singleness. It didn't bother her; she found happiness in her solitary world, motivated by her work as an archivist, always surrounded by ideas that sharpen her mind, and books she loved. But she met Alan, a divorced, charming, and kind man, whose job required traveling for half the year. When he asked for her hand in marriage, she agreed, despite feeling that he was still somewhat a stranger to her. The marriage went on smoothly for a year, until that strange bloodstain on the back of one of the shirts he wore at a conference in Denver. Martha's suspicions shifted from curiosity to certainty, and she began investigating the cities Alan visited over the past year, discovering a horrifying pattern: five unresolved cases of women murdered under mysterious circumstances. Did she marry a serial killer? Or was it just coincidence? Confused, Martha contacted an old friend from school for advice. Lily Kintner had once extended her helping hand to Martha to free her from the clutches of a harmful lover, and perhaps she could shed light on the matter. Driven by curiosity, Lily agreed to interview Alan to discover what kind of man he was... but what Lily uncovered was more complicated and evil than they had ever expected. The authors: Peter Swanson. Translation: Norhan Kamal El-Din Amara. Classification: Short story and novel. Pages: 328. Year of publication: 2025. Format: Paperback."