The Kind Worth Killing: A Novel

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes references to the source text’s description of sexual assault and molestation of a minor.

Ted Severson sits waiting for his flight in a Heathrow Airport bar. A young woman named Lily sits with him. Ted tells Lily that he works as an advisor for internet companies, and Lily tells Ted that she works as an archivist at Winslow College. Ted confides in Lily that he and his wife Miranda live in Boston, and that they bought property in Kennewick, Maine, recently. Miranda advises the building of their house on their property in Maine with their contractor, Brad Daggett. Ted tells Lily that he recently discovered that Miranda and Brad are having an affair. Ted confesses that he feels so angry he wants to kill Miranda. Lily agrees that he should kill her. Before Ted can respond, a gate agent announces that their flight to Boston is boarding.

Lily has a flashback to when she was 13 years old and her mother invited a painter named Chet to stay with them at Monk’s House, in Connecticut. Lily’s parents were constantly inviting houseguests to stay with them to keep up with their partying lifestyle.