A Kirkus Best Fiction Book of the year“Swanson rips us from one startling plot twist to the next… A true tour de force.” —Lisa Gardner“Fiendish good fun.” —Anthony HorowitzFrom the hugely talented author of Before She Knew Him comes a chilling tale of psychological suspense and an homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the center of an … and an homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the center of an FBI investigation because a very clever killer has started using his list of fiction’s most ingenious murders.
Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack—which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders”—chosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christie’s A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, Ira Levin’s Deathtrap, A. A. Milne’s The Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox’s Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity, John D. MacDonald’s The Drowner, and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History.
But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookstore in Boston, when an FBI agent comes knocking on his door one snowy day in February. She’s looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. The killer is out there, watching his every move—a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history, especially the secrets he’s never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.
To protect himself, Mal begins looking into possible suspects . . . and sees a killer in everyone around him. But Mal doesn’t count on the investigation leaving a trail of death in its wake. Suddenly, a series of shocking twists leaves more victims dead—and the noose around Mal’s neck grows so tight he might never escape.
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Malcolm Kershaw is the owner of Old Devils Bookshop in Boston. One day, an FBI agent shows up to ask for his help on a recent murder case. She thinks Malcolm can help because he once wrote a list of what he considered the 8 best unsolved murders from mystery books. The killer seems to be using the list to commit murders in the same way. Worried that a killer is targeting him, Malcolm sets out to do some of his own investigating into the case. Another thrilling mystery book from Peter Swanson.
Not great literature, but good plot — entertaining.
This author tends to be a hit and miss with me. Some books draw me right in, some books are slower to win me over. This one is in-between the two.
The uniqueness and mystery of this story drew me right in. I loved the fist part of the book. I was turning the pages waiting for the next shoe to drop. It’s such a unique story, I thought for sure I was in for a mysterious ride.
At some point, the book started to slow down. The uniqueness wore off. I was just wanting to get to the end just so the book would end. I know that’s a bit harsh, but that’s how I felt. I put pieces together pretty quickly. Sure, some of how the pieces fit was a surprise, but the end result wasn’t shocking at all.
I felt like the author did a good job at bringing the reader in, but the follow through was his toughest feat. I was disappointed in how the book came to an end. I felt off. I felt a little ripped off. It happens from time to time. An author can’t write a complete winner all of the time. For me, this one was just eh. I liked it overall. But when it comes to a thriller and mystery, I felt it was lacking the important elements of mystery and suspense.
This was an okay, mildly entertaining read, although I didn’t find the characters likable. It was a bit dark and not the “cozy” murder mystery that I had anticipated.
Catnip for the classic mystery fan, Peter Swanson’s sixth book Eight Perfect Murders pays homage to some treasured works from the genre by incorporating them into his tale of a copycat killer. Swanson employs the main character Malcom Krenshaw as a guide to the original stories and as the singular point-of-view into a few mysteries of his own. As a niche bookstore owner whose intelligence and knowledge of the literature are extensive, Malcolm is approached by an FBI agent who is following a hunch about some recent murders. In one of his blogs, Malcolm had written about some famous fictional murders so cleverly crafted that they would be virtually unsolvable if they were to be committed in real life. Agent Gwen Mulvey discovered Malcolm’s list during her investigation, and she wants to verify her hypothesis that his list was used as a serial killer’s guide. She also seeks to eliminate him as a suspect or potential next target. Together they retrace the evidence to figure out who might want to send Malcolm a macabre message. Meanwhile, the reader learns that Malcolm’s past is riddled with secrets that he is concealing from Mulvey as he trails along. These are slowly revealed as he narrates his past actions and hidden connections to the serial murders. Swanson does a good job portraying a multidimensional character who tantalizingly divulges the truth—but only on his own terms. The reader must rely on Krenshaw to relate the tale, and he is by turns charming and detestable as he admits his attempts at deception. Eight Perfect Murders is an intriguing story on its own, and Swanson’s inclusion of the most beloved stories from the mystery/suspense canon acts as both an enrichment and a detriment to his novel. Devotees will delight to be in on all the allusions and the esoteric knowledge they share. Those who have the titular books (and other well-known works described as well) still on their TBR lists will despair at having their major plot twists spoiled before experiencing them firsthand. Swanson’s heavy reliance on the merits of the masters also invites scrutiny of his own novel. Calling them to mind serves to demonstrate that, although it is a quite enjoyable read, Swanson’s own efforts cannot help but suffer from such a comparison.
Thanks to the author and William Morrow for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
Quick read! Zipped right through it.
Favorite Quotes:
Books are time travel. True readers all know this. But books don’t just take you back to the time in which they were written; they can take you back to different versions of yourself.
The thing is, and maybe I’m biased by all those years I’ve spent in fictional realms built on deceit, I don’t trust narrators any more than I trust the actual people in my life. We never get the whole truth, not from anybody. When we first meet someone, before words are ever spoken, there are already lies and half-truths. The clothes we wear cover the truth of our bodies, but they also present who we want to be to the world. They are fabrications, figuratively and literally.
Fiction is so much better than reality. I know. I’ve been alive a long time.
My Review:
Peter Swanson is a devilishly clever and diabolically talented evil genius. I feel comforted by the fact I live far, far away from his neck of the woods as he scares me, and more than just a bit. This multi-layered, complicated, absorbing, and smartly written book was laced with unforgettable and truly unlikable characters who were also inexplicably compelling and complex. The storylines were multifaceted, maddeningly paced, and deviously irresistible. I loved it and am eagerly looking forward to his next offering but would caution his neighbors to stay sharp and keep the noise down.
A lot of twists and turns. Great story.
I listened to all the reviews about this book from various authors. It was alright, but not as suspenseful as made out to be.
Eight Perfect Murders is a cleverly crafted murder mystery – but in my opinion, it is also a love letter to great murder mystery books. Peter Swanson weaves many of the classic murder mysteries into this novel, paying them tribute.
Malcolm Kershaw is a widower, who is a bookseller in Boston. He had compiled a list of “Eight Perfect Murders”, and now someone seems to be going through this list killing people. When the FBI comes to the bookstore to enlist his help, he is surprised by the link to him. He begins to investigate the murders, and becomes involved very deeply in the official investigation.
But Malcolm has a deep dark secret – and it will be revealed throughout the novel.
So clever — I loved it!
#EightPerfectMurders #PeterSwanson #Edelweiss
4 stars
Peter Swanson does it again; another winner from this brilliantly dark author. Eight Perfect Murders has all the makings of a classic murder mystery: An old bookstore, a list of books featuring 8 Perfect Murders, an unreliable narrator and book store cat.
This book was well-paced and the story unfolded at all the right moments. This was more of a “slow burn” because there aren’t any huge climatic events or reveals, but the story just starts to unfold before your eyes and you are sucked in. I read this book in just a few sittings, I was completely absorbed in the story. The biggest downfall for me was the number of characters, I occasionally found myself asking “who is that again?” and had to flip back to refresh my memory.
I highly recommend this book to all classic and contemporary mystery lovers.
Thank you to Harper Collins for my copy of this book via Edelweiss
This is totally on me. The book was recommended so highly by a friend I just had to get it. Had I payed attention to the author’s name, I wouldn’t have bothered.
PETER SWANSON wrote one of the worst books I’ve read, The Girl with a Clock for a Heart, or something like that, and I came away from that reading convinced he couldn’t write for beans. It wasn’t until I finished Eight Perfect Murders that I realized I had read another Slow-Swanson.
Never again! It makes for painful reading, very much like watching paint dry. It’s an arduous story, poorly conceived characters, (none likeable), and a plot that goes nowhere.
Just don’t!
Bookshop owner Malcolm Kershaw once wrote a blog titled “Eight Perfect Murders”– a compiled list of perfectly executed murders in crime fiction. Now it appears Malcolm’s list is being used as a killer’s playbook. Taut, suspenseful, and pays homage to some of the greats in crime fiction.
Is there such a thing as a perfect murder? Makes you wonder!!
Eight Perfect Murders is a fun book that plays tribute to murder mysteries , thrillers and to readers everywhere.
Malcolm who runs a mystery bookstore , The Old Devil ( how I wish I could go there and browse) writes a blog entitle My Eight Favourite Murders. What a list it is !
Someone is following that list and the FBI is investigating. It leads back to Malc. Twists and turns and not the ending I was guessing !!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t want to give anything away so get your copy !
I have written down all the books mentioned and off I go to read the ones I have missed.
Cant wait to get my hard copy of Eight Perfect Murders !!
Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Limited , Faber & Faber for an intriguing fun read !!
2 and ½ rounded up to a 3 for a good premise that went very wrong. Being a bookseller I always like books that take place in, about or around a bookstore.
O.K. finished this last night and I thought it was a big disappointment. It moved at a snail’s pace, at least for me. It was at 70% on my Kindle before I actually felt the plot was picking up some speed.
Unless you read a lot of Agatha Christi and older mysteries and love them, I think you will get very tired of the mention over and over again about the books that the killer was basing his method of murder on. There was a lot of needless repetition, and I feel I no longer need to read those books as he has told me the plot and the way the murderer committed the crimes for each of these books.
There are so many characters in this book that it will make your head spin. The one that I really enjoyed was Ms. Mulvaney, the FBI agent who gets in trouble for following her instincts and working along with Mal, but she had her own suspicions about what was going on.
I don’t understand this author. His first book had so many amoral and nasty things in it that I totally dislilked “All The Beautiful Lies” . The second one I read “Before She Knew Him” I enjoyed. I thought it was clever and fast paced. Now this one, ugh!!
I know I am already the outlier once again but I thought this book was boring. I didn’t feel any tension while reading it and I didn’t really care about Mal who seemed self absorbed and was not very quick to figure out what was going on. There are so many red herrings in this book I felt like I was in an aquarium!
I don’t want to turn anyone off from this book so read a variety of reviews, there are plenty of higher reviews out there, we’re all different. I can only give my honest opinion and my feelings of being disappointed in what I had hoped was going to be a great read.
I received an EARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
This book is set to publish in March of 2020.
This was a Traveling Sisters buddy read.