Review of Eight Perfect Murders

I love books and I really love books about books. So I was very excited to try this one. Check out my review of Eight Perfect Murders!

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Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

Published on March 3, 2020 by William Morrow. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

Synopsis: Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders. Years later Mal is now the owner of the Old Devils Bookshop in Boston. One snowy day, an FBI agent comes knocking on his door, 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. The killer is out there, watching his every move. 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.

Review: Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

I’m a lifelong mystery reader and fan so I was super excited to try this book about the owner of a mystery bookstore who learns that an old blog post he’d written about books that he thinks feature Eight Perfect Murders was being used by a diabolical killer or killers as inspiration.

Mal is the narrator and … he’s an interesting character. He’s helping an FBI agent try to untangle the mystery of a killer who seems to be using Mal’s list to carry out a series of murders. As the story goes, he reveals more about himself and his past.

I liked hearing about Mal’s work at the bookstore. I was familiar with some of the books on his list, many of them classics by authors like Agatha Christie and Patricia Highsmith.

This book was short (a plus to me!), fast-paced and plot-driven, but a lot of fun and a great homage to book lovers and mystery fans!

Grab this one if you love mysteries and could use a fun page-turner!

And if you enjoyed this one, I think you’ll love the classic mystery feel of Swanson’s Christmas novella, The Christmas Guest! Get all the details on my post about Christmas Mysteries!