In the following review, Kelly examines the use of suspense in the short story collection Someone Like You, in which "Lamb to the Slaughter" appeared.

At disconcertingly long intervals, the compleat short-story writer comes along who knows exactly how to blend and season four notable talents: an antic imagination, an eye for the anecdotal predicament with a twist at the end, a savage sense of humor suitable for stabbing or cutting, and an economical, precise writing style. No worshiper of Chekhov, he. You'll find him marching with solid plotters like Saki and O. Henry, Maupassant and Maugham. He doesn't really like people, but he is interested in them (to paraphrase the author of "Cakes and Ale"); the reader looking for sweetness, light and subtle characterization will have to try another address. Tension is his business; give him a surprise denouement and he'll give you a story leading...