Book Review: EIGHT PERFECT MURDERS by Peter Swanson

Title: EIGHT PERFECT MURDERS

Author: Peter Swanson
Publisher: William Morrow Books
Read: December 2019

Expected publication: 3 March 2020

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

“I’ve always felt that being with people, as opposed to being alone, can make you feel loneliness more acutely.” (Peter Swanson just “gets” us introverts!)

Book Description:

From a master of suspense...

Eight classic murders.
A single crime obsessive.
Countless thrilling twists.

A series of unsolved murders with one thing in common: each of the deaths bears an eerie resemblance to the crimes depicted in classic mystery novels.

The deaths lead FBI Agent Gwen Mulvey to mystery bookshop Old Devils. Owner Malcolm Kershaw had once posted online an article titled 'My Eight Favourite Murders,' and there seems to be a deadly link between the deaths and his list - which includes Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders, Patricia Highsmith's Strangers on a Train and Donna Tartt's The Secret History.

Can the killer be stopped before all eight of these perfect murders have been re-enacted?

My musings:

The thing I love most about Peter Swanson’s novels is that they are so wicked! Even though most of his main characters lack a “normal” moral compass, they always remain somewhat likeable. What does that say about me as a reader? I’m not sure if I want to delve too deeply into this, but his stories are always immensely entertaining.

Every book lover will agree that stories whose plotline revolve around books are simply irresistible! Swanson pulls out all the stops with his latest book, because not only is his main protagonist Malcolm Kershaw the owner of a mystery bookstore, but all-time classic crime books like Agatha Christie, Ira Levin and Patricia Highsmith feature prominently in the plot. There is even a resident cat in Old Devil’s bookshop – oh, someone teleport me there right now!

With this cosy scene set and every booklover swooning over the books’ fictional bookshop, Swanson lures his readers into a false sense of comfort. Because remember, readers, this is the king of wicked! It’s not long until a whiff of murderous activity drifts into the idyllic scene, as it becomes apparent that one of Malcolm’s blog posts featuring  a list of books that describe the “perfect murder” is being used as a template for a murder spree across Boston. And it’s not only the police who are interested in finding the culprit, but Mal himself is very keen to track down the murderer, for reasons all of his own.

As is his hallmark, Swanson delivers twists and turns aplenty, and you cannot trust anyone – if you have believed yourself to be a decent armchair detective, I challenge you to work out this one!

Summary:

For lovers of mysteries in general, or those who have become a bit jaded with predictable thrillers or those with ridiculous “killer twists”, EIGHT PERFECT MURDERS will inject some refreshed enthusiasm into the genre. Multi-layered, intelligent and utterly unpredictable, this wicked book should be on every crime-lover’s list this year. Whilst the infamous Lily from Swanson’s earlier book THE KIND WORTH KILLING is still my favourite creation by this author, Malcolm Kershaw almost lives up to her. Enough said. The book comes out on 3 March, so make sure you pre-order your copy now. You won’t be disappointed!

Thank you to Edelweiss and William Morrow Books for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.