Eight Perfect Murders

Eight Perfect Murders

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2020-03-05 04:10:15
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Peter Swanson
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Editor Reviews

★ 01/06/2020

In 2004, Malcolm Kershaw, the narrator of this outstanding fair-play crime novel from Swanson (Before She Knew Him), began working at Boston’s Old Devils Bookstore, where he posted a list on the store’s blog of eight mysteries in which “the murderer comes closest to realizing that platonic ideal of a perfect murder.” Years later, FBI agent Gwen Mulvey tells him she’s investigating multiple killings that she believes may have been influenced by his blog post. For example, Mulvey is probing the deaths of three people apparently connected only by having a name related to birds, a setup similar to Agatha Christie’s The A.B.C. Murders, one of the books on the list. Mulvey is also looking into a murder that mirrors the circumstances of James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity and hopes that Kershaw can give her a lead as to who might be using his list for a campaign of bloodshed. The stakes rise when Kershaw admits he knew one of the victims but chose not to share that with Mulvey. Swanson will keep most readers guessing until the end. Classic whodunit fans will be in heaven. Agent: Nat Sobel, Sobel & Weber. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Reviews

ColoradoGirl71 ，

If you love mysteries and have read much of the genre, I think you will love this book. The featured narrator is a Boston bookstore owner, Malcom Kershaw. I did love the setting as I attended college in Boston, and I think Peter Swanson captured the atmosphere of it well. The book title refers to a blog post that Malcom wrote in his early days at the bookstore about eight perfect murders. I’ve only read one of those 8 books (ABC Murders), but Swanson definitely gives away plot details for each of the books, so if you don’t want to spoil the reads of those 8 titles, I’d steer clear of this one until you’ve had a chance to read the source books first. Malcolm is visited by an FBI agent who finds similarities between a string of murders and the murders detailed in his list of eight perfect murders. There are twists and surprises in this book and I will just add that Malcolm is not the most reliable of narrators. This one is a slow burn, but I did enjoy it. I might have loved it if I had read all 8 of the books. As Malcolm and the agent dig into the cases, the tension builds as to who the murderer is and where he will strike next.

suekitty13 ，

The "Perfect" Thriller! It starts out almost like a cozy mystery with an unassuming, likable bookseller being drawn into a murder case. The murderer seems to be recreating “perfect” murders from classic mysteries. The FBI agent investigating the case goes to our main character Malcolm as an expert on classic literary murders because he owns and works in a bookstore specializing in mystery and crime novels. In the past he even wrote a blog post for the bookstore titled “Eight Perfect Murders” which the murder seems to be following. The FBI going to Malcolm for help seemed a bit tenuous and unlikely but I was willing to go with it as it made for a great setup. Turns out the FBI has good reason to go to Malcolm and as they investigate further it becomes clear that some of the victims had a connection to Malcolm. This is where things get really juicy! Malcolm is entirely pleasant if a bit introverted. He loves his cat Nero who lives in the bookstore and has a nice, quiet life. It’s all a bit quaint and familiar but hold on to your hats because something is coming that upends everything. The story takes a sharp turn that had my mouth hanging open in shock. I won’t give even a hint about what happened but holy crow it blew my mind! For me this truly was the “perfect” thriller. The literary premise leading to an absolutely shocking twist was just so darn good. I was lulled by the benign, almost cozy beginning then the rug was pulled out from under my assumptions pretty early on and the story only got better from there. I could not have predicted where this story was going to go. From beginning to end, “Rules for “Perfect Murders” was a fantastic and brilliant book and I can’t recommend it highly enough! Thank you to Faber & Faber for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.