Besides the connections to the other Matthiessen works that have already been noted, the novel's investigation of "evil" and its focus on the individual and community response to that evil echo themes explored in At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1965). In technique, Matthiessen continues the fragmentation of voices and points of view found in Far Tortuga (1975). Yet in spite of these similarities, Killing Mister Watson is a major advance for Matthiessen; in complexity and maturity, both thematic and formal, the novel goes far beyond his previous work and is an achievement of great originality. Perhaps the most pertinent connection to his previous work lies simply in the recurrence of Matthiessen's boldness of vision.