It all began the summer of Joan's sophomore year in high school when her family spent a month by the beach in Maine. After a new friend, Duane, tries to force her into making out she flees back to the safety of the Windward Resort where both are staying. Bored by her parent's activities Joan visits the hotel's library the next night looking for something to read. There she meets Richard Seddon, a fellow student at Dartford-Middleham High School. They never before crossed paths though. Richard was a loner who was the subject of much ridicule while Joan was a popular gymnast.
The two strike up a long conversation wherein Joan talks about a jerk she met the previous evening. Richard already knew about it because he shared a room at the hotel with Duane, who was his cousin. He told her that Duane said she had slept with him. Continuing, Richard said he would like to kill Duane because he was a bad person. Possibly a rapist. He spent the next hour talking about ways to do it. Feeling that he was joking, Joan made suggestions in jest.
Fast forward twenty years and Joan turns up at private investigator Henry Kimball’s office asking him to investigate her realtor husband whom she believes is cheating. Joan makes him feel ill at ease. The sight of her stirs up a chilling memory. He knew Joan in his previous life as a high school English teacher at Dartford-Middleham High School, when he was at the center of a tragedy. What should be a simple investigation of infidelity becomes much more complicated when Kimball finds two bodies in an uninhabited suburban home with a for sale sign out front. Suddenly it feels like the past is repeating itself, and Henry must go back to one of the worst days of his life to uncover the truth. He wonders whether Joan knew anything about that day, something she’s hidden all these years. Henry is determined to find out, enlisting help from his old nemesis Lily Kintner.
The Kind Worth Saving is a sequel to The Kind Worth Killing, which I did not read. I understand that the relationship between Henry and Lily is explained in the earlier book. It didn't seem to make any difference though because the current story doesn't involve Lily that much, at least not until the final third of the book.
The chapters alternate between multiple points of view and always ended with more and more questions concerning what happened between the characters in the past. This was what made the book suspenseful. I hated for each chapter to end but as the next chapter began I was immediately drawn into it as the continuation of a different character's story was so gripping.
All of the characters had grudges and obsessions from the past that were slowly revealed. Henry instinctively feels that he should stay away from Joan but he doesn't. Henry wants to follow through on his doubts about Joan to whatever end it takes him. It is the first time in his life that he follows anything through. He has had jobs as a teacher, policeman and a private detective. Each time he had conflict in those jobs he quit the jobs.
Richard Seddon does not have much contact with Joan but thinks about her every day. They have a special bond, though, from what they shared at the Windward Resort. Joan is the villain. On the surface she is the perfect housewife who falls victim to her husband's infidelity. However, deep down her uncontrollable anger gets her into trouble over and over.
The Kind Worth Saving was a pleasurable read. Mystery lovers will want to read it. 5 out of 5 stars.
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