Rating: 5 🔪
Author: Peter Swanson
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Release Date: 5th March 2020
 
(Thank you Connor and Faber & Faber Publishing for the free early copy!)
 
Synopsis:
'Fiendish good fun' ANTHONY HOROWITZ
If you want to get away with murder, play by the rules 
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 Thoughts: 
Holy mother of Jack! Is this my second five start read of 2020? I think it might just be. And I can't think of a more worthy author or title to receive the honour! My goodness! This book is literally every crime fiction addicts dream. It's a mystery book about mystery books and a speciality mystery bookstore. A heavenly combination and when the books involved are some of the greatest books in the genre, it just makes it all the better. This is my first Peter Swanson book, and sign me up! I am a fan!
This is a quick read. The chapters are short and sharp and the book itself is not all that long. I read it quickly over a few hours and felt like it was drawing to it's conclusion much too soon. I wanted it to go on forever, I enjoyed it so much. It is a fun, interesting read. Now, there is though a lot of spoilers in the book for other books. This didn't at first seem an issue as I've read all but two of the books and didn't feel any issue with reading about said two books, but I've since noted that a lot of readers hate spoilers, and so for a person who hadn't read any or many of the books discussed in the book, they would find some pretty big spoilers. This by no means took away from the book for me, it wasn't an issue. But if you're a reader who hates spoilers than maybe this isn't a book you should read until you've exhausted the list of 8 perfect murders books.
I just really loved this book, and the writing and flow. I loved it nods to such great classic mystery books and authors and I loved dear Malcolm, the MC of the book, who happens to be a crime bookstore owner. It's like the book was written for me. It's amazing. I can't wait to read more Peter Swanson now.

EXCERPT: 'You think these murders are related to the book?'

'I do,' she said. 'It's too fantastical for it not to be.'

'Is it you think someone's copying the books in order to get away with a murder? That someone wanted to murder Robin Callahan, for example, but then murdered the other people to make it look like a serial killer obsessed with birds?'

'Maybe,' Agent Mulvey said, and she rubbed a finger along the edge of her nose, up near her left eye. Even her small hands were pale, the fingernails unpainted. She was quiet again. It was a strange interview, full of pauses. She was hoping I'd fill in the silence, I guess. I decided not to say anything.

Eventually she said, 'You must be wondering why I came to talk with you.'

'I am,' I said.

'Before I tell you, I'd like to ask you about one other recent case.'

'Okay.'

'You probably haven't heard of it. A man named Bill Manso. He was found near the train tracks in Norwalk, Connecticut, back in spring. He was a regular commuter on a particular train, and initially it looked as though he'd jumped, but now it looks as though he was killed elsewhere and brought to the tracks.'

'No,' I said, shaking my head. 'I didn't hear about it.'

'Does it remind you of anything?'

'Does what remind me of anything?'

'The nature of his death.'

'No,' I said, but that wasn't entirely true. It did remind me of something, but I couldn't remember exactly what it was. 'I don't think so,' I added.

She waited again, and I said, 'Do you want to tell me why you're questioning me?'

She unzipped her leather bag and removed a single sheet of paper. 'Do you remember a list you wrote for this store's blog, back in 2004? A list called 'Eight Perfect Murders?''

ABOUT THIS BOOK: If you want to get away with murder, play by the rules

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 THOUGHTS: I don't think my heart has ever lurched in my chest before. I have been breathless, actually stopped breathing, had marks in the palms of my hands from my fingernails, and had my heart pound, but never before has it actually lurched. It definitely did in Rules For Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson when the killer revealed himself. The circumstances in which he does so deserves to have a musical score written for it.

This is a clever book. It is not fast paced; instead the tension builds slowly, imperturbably. There is only one narrator, Mal, the owner of a bookshop specialising in mysteries. There is a lot of dialogue, something I don't usually enjoy, but it works well here. There is a lot about this book that is different - in the very best of ways. I loved every moment of this read.

The eight books Mal has listed for 'Eight Perfect Murders' are ones a lot of us are familiar with, but there were a few there I hadn't read (I will remedy that). Swanson continues to refer to other mysteries throughout the book - I have come away with a huge reading list! This is a bookish book, for bookish people, and one I will be buying a hard copy of. I expect to read it again. If I could nominate this as a modern classic murder mystery, I would. This deserves to be with the Agatha Christies, which is exactly where it will be being placed on my library shelves.

*****

'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 AUTHOR: Peter Swanson is the author of six 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 thriller, Eight Perfect Murders. 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.

A graduate of Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College, he lives in Somerville, Massachusetts with his wife and cat.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Faber & Faber via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Rules For A Perfect Murder by Peter Swanson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage

I'm not sure what I was expecting with this. But whatever I was thinking this was far darker and more twisted than I thought it was going to be.
It's one of the few books I've read recently that I've finished and just...sat and thought about. A definite recommend!

I really loved this thriller. I love all of Peter Swanson's books that I have read and this one is no exception.

It kept my interest the entire way throughout and it had me guessing what would happen. I loved the end and it definetly held up as one of my favourite Peter Swanson books.

Highly recommended.

I am a big Peter Swanson fan, and I was really excited for the opportunity to review Eight Perfect Murder's thanks to Netgalley and Faber & Faber. When I started reading, I immediately fell in love with the concept. A murder mystery connoisseur, is tangled up in a murder mystery? And it's up to him to figure out who is committing the murders, which are based off of a list HE wrote? Yes! This book did end up falling a little short for me, but I will start with the positives. This book grabs you right from the start, talking about different mystery classics, some in which I hadn't heard of. I found the unique - stories within the story. Even a little bit of a literary history lesson. This book had me guessing for 80% of the book. The negatives? The ending fell short for me. I was able to figure out the murderer fairly easy, about half way through. Also, the main character Malcolm started off strong, but by the middle of the book his narration bored me. His commentary is incredibly agonizing and bland at times. I feel like if he was a little more interesting, then the story would have came together a bit nicer.
This was a generous three star read for me - but again, the book has a great concept and other readers may not obsess over Malcolm's blandness like I did!

Who doesn’t enjoy a book about books? I adore them and if you add the suspense and the shocking revelations that you won’t see coming you have the new gripping novel by Peter Swanson.

How are a bookshop owner and a serial killer connected? The Old Devils is a mystery bookshop in Boston. One of its owners, Malcolm Kershaw is an expert on crime novels and a few years ago he published on a blog a list of novels depicting the perfect murder. The list included works from Agatha Christie, Donna Tart, James M. Cain, Patricia Highsmith and more. One day, a FBI agent knocks on his door because it seems that someone is using his list to commit the perfect murders. Soon, Malcolm finds himself deep in the investigation, chasing a killer before he strikes again.

The story is told in first person by the protagonist, Malcolm Kershaw. This is a brilliant character. It is well-developed, multi-layered, and as his past slowly unravels he takes you completely by surprise.

Every bookworm out there will love this novel. I already made a list of all the novels mentioned in the story that I want to read and there are many. The plot unravels slowly and it is twisty and unique. You never know what to expect and the surprises just keep coming and coming until the final shocking revelation that made me gasp in surprise and say a bit too aloud in a train full of people “OMG! REALLY?!?”

I found myself racing through the story and, even though I told myself to slow down and take a break, I couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know how it was going to end and that was quite an ending.

Would I recommend Rules for Perfect Murder? Of course I would, over and over again. It is thrilling, engaging, clever, and completely addictive, the perfect read for all crime readers out there.

I've been meaning to read Peter Swanson's books for a while and this is a perfect introduction to his clever plotting and unique writing style. Each of his books are stand alone stories so you can start with any book.

Malcolm Kershaw owns a bookshop called Old Devils which specialises in crime and mystery novels. He loves classic crime and he once listed his eight favourite murders on the bookshop's website, ones he thought were impossible to solve. It seems there is a link between some recent deaths and the perfect murders listed by Malcolm.

This is a cleverly plotted whodunnit style crime novel. It's written in first person which I really like, it gets you inside the head of the character, and I found the whole book to be gripping, fast moving and very entertaining.

Another great Peter Swanson book! This book had me constantly guessing and I loved the characters. This book definitely had a slow pace but I could not put it down and read it in one day. This book is a very quick read. I haven't read a Peter Swanson book I didn't like. If you a fan of murder mysteries this is your book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

It all started with an innocent blogpost – a post about eight novels containing perfect murders. But years later, the post comes back to haunt the author. FBI Agent Gwen Mulvey is convinced that two recent murders are copycats of The ABC Murders and Double Indemnity. Kershaw is quickly convinced and begins to help the investigation.

But it seems that the story Kershaw is telling the reader is perhaps not the complete picture. He has his own reasons for believing the theory that a serial killer is using his list, and he needs to find the killer before the FBI – and before the killer finds him.

Well, how was I supposed to not want to look at a book like that? Especially with a glowing recommendation from Anthony (Magpie Murders) Horowitz.

This is a hard one to review as it’s a mash-up of a dip into the world of classic mysteries and our old friend the unreliable narrator. I really wanted this to be a clever classic-style mystery making full use of the author’s knowledge of the genre – like, for example, the aforementioned Magpie Murders – but instead, it’s a more standard modern thriller with, as I said, an unreliable narrator.

To be clear, it’s a very good example of that trope – the drip-feed of the secrets of the narrator is beautifully paced, and the link to the killer, and the theme of the tale is smart – and the tension cranks itself up to an exciting conclusion with a fitting finale. The narrator’s actions, including his unrevealed secrets, have a good sense of logic to them and the plot doesn’t just hinge on the unreliability, but has a life of its own, something not always the case in such thrillers.

However, if you’re looking for a mystery along the lines of The ABC Murders or another of the eight in the list – all of which are largely spoiled for the initiate to the classic mystery, along with The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd, and one, in hindsight, seems to have been chosen to service the plot – then best look elsewhere, as the identity of the killer, to me at least, seemed to come out of nowhere, and the thinking that puts Agent Mulvey on the right track at the start of the book is quite a leap of logic.

All niggles aside, this is a well-constructed page-turner of a thriller that is well worth your time. But you should probably read The ABC Murders and The Red House Mystery first.

Originally published in the US under the title Eight Perfect Murders (no idea why the title changed) this was is out now in the UK from Faber & Faber.

Malcolm Kershaw runs, ‘Old Devils Bookstore,’ in Boston – a specialist, mystery bookshop. One day he is visited by Special Agent Gwen Malvey, who asks about a blog he wrote some years ago – ‘Eight Perfect Murders.” It seems that someone has taken the crime novels listed by Mal, in that, long forgotten, blog, and has been carrying out murders based on these books.

Gwen Malvey asks for Mal’s help, in this clever crime novel, which is pitched perfectly at fans of the genre. Most of us will have read some, if not all, of the books listed – from A.A. Milne’s only foray into mystery writing, through Donna Tartt, Patricia Highsmith and Agatha Christie. If you haven’t, then beware of spoilers, but, for many of us, I expect we will be very familiar with most of the scenario’s in this book. Also, of the clever hints that Swanson gives us – those clues which suggest that Mal has much to hide.

This is told from the point of view of Mal himself, as we learn about his past and why his heart started beating just a little faster, when an FBI Agent turned up at his bookstore… A great tribute to the crime genre, which, if you haven’t read them already, might add to your ‘TBR’ list. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

Okay so I was swayed by the media storm hitting this book and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I don’t know about you but setting a book around a bookshop is one sure fired way of drawing me in. I also like crime fiction with an unusual premise and executing murders in a recipe-style killing spree and drawing on the works of other writers to boot, is pure class. The deadliest of combinations – unusual and enjoyable.

This was a great book, start to finish. A love letter to Crime fiction writing wrapped up in a crime fiction novel or is that the other way round?
The basis of and indeed the most interesting aspect of the book is the careful description of the plots of many genuine, classic crime fiction books. These plots are ‘reimagined’ and then used as a framework by which (we are led to believe) a serial killer may be carrying out his own murderous plans!

This is quite an unusual take on the mystery novel format but is still very much in the vein of a classic crime novel. Yes, characters die and sometimes quite shockingly but in the mode of the classic mystery, the reader is drawn along by the fast pace of the narrative and the puzzle with which we are faced, not by the description of the murders. This novel is genuinely about working out who committed the crimes and is certainly not based on the reality of murder.

The novel twist in this book is the use of real books to construct the basis of this title. However, there is no requirement to have any knowledge of the ‘classic’ novels that are referred to (although it is always nice to think back on a story that is being referenced) but the author’s description is so precise as to precisely give away the endings and plot twist for each of these titles! This of course means that anyone can come to this book and follow the plot and enjoy the story without intimately knowing the novels referred to.

The only person who is disadvantaged by this conceit is the crime fiction fan who is working their way through classic crime novels but has not quite read all of the stories referred to in this book, as now every story’s twist and ending is revealed... Yes, that is me! But I cannot hold this against the author as this novel is simply a great whodunit and such good fun!

Oh Peter Swanson, you cunning devil you.

Rules for Perfect Murders, the latest book from crime writer extraordinaire Peter Swanson is a read in one sitting kind of novel. It is gripping, compelling, pacey and intricately plotted. If you’ve read any of Peter Swanson’s previous novels then you’ll know just how clever he is, how things are never quite as they seem and how you can become utterly blindsided by a twist that you really, really should have seen coming but didn’t.
In this book, our protagonist is Malcolm Kershaw, owner of a book shop Old Devils, which sells mystery books. Years earlier he wrote a blog post titled, ‘My Eight Favourite Murders’ featuring eight murders from famous novels. Now, in the modern day, it appears that somebody is copying the murders and this leads the FBI to his door.

FBI Agent Gwen Mulvey has Malcolm in her sights, including him in her investigation to help fill in the gaps but as things develop Malcolm realises he is a suspect. The net tightens, the links to him become more pronounced and the tension ramps up. Did he do it? Well, obviously I won’t tell you that. What I will tell you is that it is brilliantly written and is such a fun read, I just couldn’t get enough of it.

Obviously, there’s a lot of discussion around the murders featured in the books in question so there are a few spoilers here and there. I had read some of the books, but not others and even though I know whodunnit and how theydunnit I still really, really want to read them. They’re written about so wonderfully and evocatively that I need to discover them for myself.

In fact, Rules For Perfect Murders is as much a crime novel as it is a love letter to books and reading. There are stirring descriptions of Old Devils, I could see Malcolm’s groaning bookshelves at home and adored the depiction of the joy of reading, to the feeling invoked by picking up 300 odd pages of paper and falling head first into another world – much like I did with this book. He writes so movingly about reading, describing re-reading as “…time travel. True readers all know this…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” that I had to pause and absorb. Reading this book just felt like an utter joy, it’s a real readers book, one that makes you fall in love with it all over again.

This is an utterly absorbing read and one of the best thrillers I have read recently. Peter Swanson is just so good at this, I never try and second guess him, it is far more fun to just be swept along with it. If you’ve never read one of his books before then this is a great place to start, then you can go back and read his back catalogue – you lucky thing.

Malcolm Kershaw is the proprietor of a Boston bookshop specialising in mystery titles. He is visited by FBI Agent Gwen Mulvey who has discovered a disturbing pattern in an otherwise seemingly unlinked series of homicides. They are very similar to the crimes listed on an old blog post written by Malcolm in which he lists eight of the most perfect murder plots in crime fiction. Mulvey thinks a killer is using the list as a guide to perpetrating the murders and asks Malcolm to help her investigate, drawing on his knowledge of the books.

I loved this - it zings along because the premise is intriguing, the characters are compelling and well-drawn, and the plotting is superb. I hadn't read any of Peter Swanson's work before but I've read two more of his books since. There are certainly similarities in the plots of each but I've enjoyed them all. I think this is the strongest of the ones I've read, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys crime fiction, brilliant plotting and a very accomplished, understated writing style, Perfect for either a long winter's evening or a poolside page-turner.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for review based upon my honest opinion.


Who doesn’t like a good list, who doesn’t like a good murder mystery, a list of books about perfect murders? I can’t resist. So, when I saw this book I knew that I had to read it. Was a very clever storyline, kept me guessing the whole time; and literally on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the identity of the murderer or murderers.

When an FBI agent shows up at Malcolm Kershaw’s bookstore one stormy winters eve, he is surprised when the agent tells him that she thinks someone is killing people based on a blog that Malcolm wrote many years ago. As agent Mulvey tells him about the murders, he starts to agree with her that maybe they are based on this list of books that he wrote a list of books of perfect murders. We follow Malcolm as he tries to put the pieces together, he leads a very bland life since the death of his wife years before. He works in the bookstore, a bookstore that has the most precious in-house cat Nero, he goes home to his apartment and he reads books, but he no longer reads murder mysteries he now reads poetry, I kept wondering why, the switch to poetry?

This book contained many surprises, lots of twists and turns, and lots of literary talk. One of the main settings, the bookstore, Old Devils, (what a clever name), was delightful I could picture it; the snow falling softly outside, the warm light glowing inside; lots of books piled up,
delightful.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I loved the storyline, I loved the list of books, and now I have added the ones I have not read to my TBR pile. Great book for a stormy windy night, so glad I had the chance to read this book I really liked it.

This was a fairly quick read and by the end my head was swimming with the names of crime authors titles of their books and the plots of the same. It felt as though the actual boo’ I had read had lost itself somewhere in the lists.
The concept is clever and I loved the way the story was narrated by Malcolm the main character but overall I wasn’t thrilled and was glad to finish it. Obviously Peter Swanson is an expert on the crime genre he writes about but it did seem a little bit like a lesson in old style who done its.

Utterly engrossing , and I was desperate to know who was commiting the murders the rogue FBI woman knew was there in Mal's crime list. Twists and turns as things get propitiously revealed by narrator. . Really fun too reviewing other famous mystery novels in order to strive this one . Lots of pleasures especially if you love crime novels ..

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review & opinion. This one will be a tough review, because I'm really not sure if I enjoyed it or didn't like it. If I could give half stars, I would say 3.5, because the ending completely surprised me, but I found the book a little boring.

Malcolm Kershaw is a bookseller who finds himself in the middle of an FBI investigation thanks to a blog he wrote years ago. 'Eight Perfect Murders' was the blog Malcolm published, outlining his favourite fiction murders that were unsolvable. When Malcolm thinks he's about to be a suspect, he takes matters into his own hands to find out who is copying his list of perfect murders.

It honestly took me about 70% of this book to really get into it. It was a slow burn, but it was a good concept. I didn't overly connect with Malcolm, so maybe that's why I had a hard time getting into this one. Throughout the first half of the novel, I didn't really find myself dying to know what was happening next, although when it finally started picking up, I decided that this one did have a bit of potential. While it wasn't super dramatic or thrilling for me, I hadn't figured out whodunit when it was revealed. As for the ending...it felt like it was the necessary ending, but it kind of fell flat for me. While I thoroughly enjoyed Her Every Fear, this one was a bit of a flop for me, but I'm excited to read more by Swanson.

Thank you to NetGalley, Peter Swanson and Faber & Faber for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a huge Swanson fan and was super excited to have my wish granted to read this one! This book seemed totally different from what Swanson usually writes and I found that for me, something seemed to be missing but I couldn’t really figure it out. There were so many positives about it though; I flew through it and I was interested all the way through. This story line was unlike most thrillers or murder mysteries that I’ve read and I enjoyed that. However, I didn’t enjoy any of the characters in this novel and I just felt like I couldn’t connect or feel for any of them. I did enjoy the many twists scattered throughout, but wasn’t a huge fan of the ending. I would still recommend giving this one a try because it was so different than your average mystery novel and I love a book about books!

I just love books about books and this one was amazing! I simply couldn't stop reading it. The story was very clever and the characters believable.
The murders carried out are based on several books that are amongst my favourites. The ones featured that I haven't read are definitely going on my wishlist at my bookstore. 
I love reading a murder mystery that has me stumped and this one did.
Thank you to Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for providing me with an arc of this book for my honest opinion.