Title: Eight Perfect Murders
Author: Peter Swanson
Published: March 2020, William Morrow
Format: Hardcover, 270 pages
Source: Publisher via TLC Booktours
Summary:
From 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 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 Death Trap, A. A. Milne’s 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 A 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. There is 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.
My thoughts: I absolutely love picking up a novel by Peter Swanson…I love that they are all so different, yet so thrilling and completely binge-worthy. And this latest one is quite clever, yet a bit more slower-paced than his previous books.
I loved the way this book pays homage to so many beloved crime novels – some I’ve read and some I haven’t. Now if you are the type that is worried about spoilers, you probably should read all these books before reading this book, as you will find out murderer and the way the murder happened in each of the books.
I’m always a fan of books about books and when you add in that our narrator, Mal Kershaw, is the owner of a bookstore, it just ups the ante. But even better is that he is a little manipulative. He tells us things when he is ready to tell us and not a moment sooner. It’s clear he has secrets, but it’s also clear that he is not willing to part with these secrets until he is ready. And because he comes off as a somewhat likeable guy, you are given the sense that his secrets can’t be all that bad.
As I already mentioned, this book isn’t fast-paced, though I did find myself glued to the pages. The writing is very compelling and I really needed to know what was going to happen next. There were quite a few twists and turns, each subtle yet still having an impact on what was going on. I loved this and it kept the suspense up the entire time. Peter Swanson is definitely a master at his craft and I cannot wait to see what he writes next!
About the author:Peter Swanson is the author of five novels, including The Kind Worth Killing, winner of the New England Society Book Award, and finalist for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger; Her Every Fear, an NPR book of the year; and his most recent, Before She Knew Him. His books have been translated into 30 languages, and his stories, poetry, and features have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Atlantic Monthly, Measure, The Guardian, The Strand Magazine, and Yankee Magazine. He lives outside of Boston, where he is at work on his next novel.
Author links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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I'm so glad you enjoyed this one! Thank you for being on this tour! Sara @ TLC Book Tours