Sunday, September 8, 2024

Book Review: Eight Perfect Murders


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?

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson was published in March 3, 2020, by William Morrow.

This title recently came out in a mass-market paperback and thus was my choice for our library branch's monthly mystery book discussion for October of 2024. As someone who enjoys books, it sounded like an interesting plot.

This was the first of Swanson's books that I have read, and I liked his approach to the story. It starts off with a casual, conversational way about it that makes it an easy read that pulls you along. As a librarian, all the references to books and poetry are nice layers. When the book throws out a solid twist within the first third, I was completely on-board.

I can see why this is either a book folks will enjoy or dislike. It definitely appeals to certain readers over others. I am hoping my discussion group (who are very avid mystery readers for decades) will appreciate this love letter to the genre and certain titles within it. That was certainly Swanson's intention here.

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