Malcolm Kershaw part owns a bookshop in Boston and years back wrote a blog listing eight perfect murders. Now he is visited by an FBI agent who seems to think the murders are being re-enacted and there might be a connection to him.

This is a well constructed celebration of some classic crime novels (some more familiar to me than others) and the second Peter Swanson novel I have read with more than a passing nod to Strangers on a Train.

The mystery becomes increasingly clear and is wound around us discovering more about the premature death of Kershaw’s wife. 

An enjoyable celebration of classic crime - just a bit surprised at the end as to why the book is listed as Malcolm Kershaw #1 Unclear why there would be a #2 - the mystery continues .... or does it?

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for a fair review

This is my first Peter Swanson novel.  I could appreciate the cleverness of drawing on the murders in a number of classic crime novels as the basis for the plot, and Swanson draws together the strands neatly to reach a satisfying ending.  

Overall though I didn't really enjoy reading it.  It was perhaps just too clever and contrived and I found the main character rather unpleasant so wasn't drawn into the first person narrative.  I don't want to give any spoilers but just to say that it was clear from very early on that things wouldn't be as they first appeared, whereas I prefer it when an unreliable narrator is revealed more slowly.  

So thanks for the review copy but not for me.

2,5 stars

Now that I've read three books by Peter Swanson, some things are clear to me:
The Narrator is never as innocent as they first seem, so nothing that is revealed about them surprises me anymore.
I never seem to be able to connect with any of the characters.

I don't think I will be reading any more of this author's books, they manage to entertain me for a while but it all ends in a cloud of "meh".

I’m a big fan of the author so couldn’t wait to read this and it certainly didn’t disappoint. This is an absolute treat for book lovers, especially for fans the murder genre, as the storyline draws on lots of classic murder mysteries which the killer replicates. This is fantastic news as you’re treated to lots of complex storylines within one and are positively spoiled. The only bad news is I have now got an even longer reading list as I’m keen to read the original books, despite having had spoilers. An inventive and highly enjoyable read, I definitely recommend.

#RulesForPerfectMurders #NetGalley 
A good memoir. 
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 
I quite liked it but it would be better in a story form. 
Narration was good although. 
Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for giving me an advanced copy of this memoir.

An intriguing murder mystery where nothing is quite as it seems. A bookshop owner compiles a list of what he considers to be the 'perfect fictional murders' and posts it online., Years later, a police officer comes calling as it appears that the list has sparked some real life murders, can they catch the murderer before he reaches the end of the list?

I liked that the plot paid homage to a number of classic murder mysteries, though some of the elements were a bit too convenient at times. 

Well worth a read though

I didn't start to read/review this book until Christmas 2020 so any comments will most likely stay unread. So much has happened to us since the early March publication date that it seems as if the book was written years ago.
To summarise I absolutely loved the book and I totally recommend it to any fan of murder/mystery books.
After reading the first few pages my primary thought was ' why is this taking place in the USA when the author is British and writes books based in Brighton in the UK?  After a Kindle search I realised I had mixed up Peter Swanson and Peter James!  Carrying on regardless.....
After reading some 25% of the book I thought to myself this reminds me of one of my all-time favourite books "The Kind Worth Killing" in subject matter and style.  A major theme in both was Strangers On A Train by Patricia Highsmith.  I've never read this book nor have I seen the film.  Another quick Kindle search resulted in my embarrassingly realising they are by the same author.  This increased my interest.
When I had progressed beyond 50% of the book I used all my detective skills and worked out the guilty party and why.  As usual though I was hopelessly wrong!  The revelations at the end are very clever and do make sense.  However my only criticism is I expected a last paragraph twist/revelation in the 'wow didn't expect that category'. Sadly it didn't happen.  Still, a superb book

I enjoyed the twists and turns of this very much, although I’m unsure if I loved the ending (although this is just a personal preference thing). Clever plot that made me wish I’d read or reread all the books mentioned in this one.

This book was different! 
Malcolm owned a book store and he  previously written a blog about eight perfect murders, and it seems that someone is trying to emulate this list.
Malcolm has depth and seems to a tormented character. The writing flows along nicely and I love the inclusion of the older genre of murder mystery books which are intrinsic to the story.
I find the book is written more in the older style of the murder mystery than today’s modern writing and this added to the overall experience.

Overall I found this novel a satisfying , enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for this copy .

Wow - I didn’t know what to expect from this book, except I was drawn in by the premise of someone copycat-ing murders from a listicle blog.

I finished this in a day, and loved how the pieces of the puzzle came together through the perspective of the narrator.

An addictive page turner.  I really liked this story - well thought-out and written.  Very clever plot.  Definitely recommended..  Thanks Peter - I will look up some of your other titles now.

4/5 starts from me for this great book by Peter Swanson. 

Malcom, owner of a second-hand book store, used to keep a blog where he published lists of his favourite crime books. His first post was a list of fictional perfect murders, and now someone is using that list to kill 'deserving' people, and so far got away with it. That's until the FBI gets involved and contacts Malcom for help with the investigation.

The story had all I loved. Mystery, a book-loving main character surrounded by book-loving people, a book-filled setting, and several book-inspired murders. I did not guess the killer, and did not guess the ending either, so I was pleasantly surprised. 

The only negative I can find is that it was a bit slow, I would have liked a bit more action. Also, the story spoils many great books, so don't read it if you are planning to read any of them or you'll be disappointed.

A fascinating synopsis where a series of unsolved murders have one thing in common, each of the deaths resemblances a crime depicted in classic mystery novels. FBI Agent Gwen Mulvey is investigating the deaths and goes to see Malcolm Kershaw, the owner of a mystery bookshop Old Devils. 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. The race is on to stop the killer before he completes all eight murders.

I enjoyed this novel and it had an added interest as I could relate to most of the eight novels on the list as I had previously remembered them. Classics such as Agatha Christies ‘ABC Murders’, Patricia Highsmith’s ‘Strangers on a Train’, Francis Iles ‘Malice aforethought’ and other well known murder scenarios are re enacted.

This is like a tribute to all classic thrillers and numerous other authors and books are mentioned throughout. Although it is not crucial to the enjoyment of the novel it does make it more fun if you do remember the other books. Interesting characters and fascinating plot make this a certainty to be a well read book in 2021.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Faber and Faber for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

FBI Agent Gwen Mulvey is investigating several unsolved murders that have all taken place within the last year in Boston and which she believes are somehow connected to really famous crime fiction novels.

There is this mystery bookshop 'Old Devils Bookshop' run by Malcolm Kershaw who loves a good murder mystery book and he has written his top 8 books of this genre. She thinks there is a connection.

Whilst all seemed to have the makings of a good read I struggled early on with so many book titles thrown at me, and some possible spoilers of other crime novels he loves. Not for me , I'm afraid.

Thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read and review.

This is a novel for everyone who has ever called themself a crime fiction buff. Peter Swanson's plot pays tribute to a batch of crime novels spanning more than half a century from The Murder of Roger Ackroyd to The Secret History.
Malcolm Kershaw is a bookstore owner who delves deep into his favourite crime novels to help the FBI catch a killer, but is he a reliable narrator or does he have a secret history of his own?
Absorbing, engaging, clever, stylish, entertaining and complex. Be careful the next time you talk to a stranger on a train.

'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?'

This was a gripping read that kept my interest throughout. FBI Special Agent Gwen Mulvey visits Malcolm Kershaw the owner of Old Devils Bookstore to discuss a piece he wrote on the Eight Perfect Murders I was invested in the characters and the development of the plot I would recommend and would read other books by this author

Rules for Perfect Murders cleverly references some classic murder plots from legendary authors and iconic movies. We’re not quite sure how reliable a narrator Malcolm is and at points I questioned the physical existence of some of the other characters. In the footsteps of Anthony Horowitz the clues are laid. The whole novel itself turns out to be homage to one of the most famous plots of all time.

Rules for Perfect murders by Peter Swanson is the first book in the Malcom Kershaw series and I have only read one other book from this author so, I was curious to see how this pans out.

The story is told Malcom Kershaw a bookseller and part owner of The Old devil’s bookstore which is situated in Boston. When he is visited by FBI agent Gwen Mulvey who needs his advice. A few years back Malcolm wrote a blog to drum up business for the store. In this blog there was a list of eight perfect murders that were referenced in eight books. It comes to light that lately that they have been some murders in the vicinity that who ever is killing these people are referring to the list that he made on the blog. Agent Mulvey also reckons that it is either someone that Malcom knows or even himself is in the frame for being the killer of these murders. But Malcom has an alibi. But who is committing these murders and what is the link to himself?
I thank Faber and Faber for copy of this book. I didn’t realise it has already been published when I requested it on NetGalley. This is a real slow burner of a story that I struggled at first to get into. It is only halfway through that I got into the story. This has a cleverly written plot, with lots of different characters to keep you guessing. For me though I found it to be too slow and I was losing interest until the last quarter. 3 stars from me.

This is the first book I’ve read by Peter Swanson but it certainly won’t be the last. It’s the sort of book you can’t wait to find out who the protagonist it while, at the same time, not wanting the narrative to end. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers, mysteries and who dunnits.

I liked the fact that the book was an easy read and I felt well engaged with the author and characters in a few pages. With the twists and turns of well developed characters it kept me guessing until the end.

This was my first book from this author and will be looking out for more.