Thanks to NetGalley and Faber Books for the advanced electronic copy. Rules for Perfect Murders (or ’Eight Perfect Murders’ as it will be published outside of Australia) is another stellar read from Peter Swanson. This book starts in a book store, and crosses paths with a murder investigation led by the FBI. For all crime readers, this has the makings of an engaging read and it did not disappoint! There are a number of twists and turns, some of which I did realise whilst I was reading, but the book will have you guessing right up until the end. I did find the main character a bit shallow at times, though not unlikeable. The way that the story is told from his viewpoint takes the reader alongside the mystery.

I really enjoyed this novel. It reminded me of Anthony Horowitz (in a good way). It is murder mystery narrated in the first person. There are nods to classic novels and authors and everything ties well together. I would highly recommend it.

I don’t think I have the literary training or refinement to have done this book justice. I felt completely out of my depth. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all and was very over heavy on classical references to books. There was an abundance of quotes, nods to authors, and I’m sure a lot more that I didn’t even notice or pick up on.
The plot seemed at points very overly complicated, and I did feel at times that the FBI agent and Mal were really trying to shoehorn the murders into the similarities they wanted to find between the books on the list of Mal’s ‘Eight Perfect Murders’. Some of their theories did seem a bit fanciful. However, toward the end, it did seem to be a little clearer. This isn’t a book that you can just read, though, and go with. You really need to concentrate and keep up with what is going on. You need to remember things that have been said no matter how small as they might be significant later on.
There were sections that I found incredibly dull, and I wondered whether to give up on the book entirely and then there were others that I felt drawn in by. I enjoyed Mal’s history with his wife, Claire, for example. This was quite fascinating, so when he started to narrate what actually happened to her, I felt glued to the book. Likewise, with the end of the book, when everything starts to come together. I thought I’d stop reading last night at around 70% and read the rest today, but I found myself unable to put it down as I needed to know the final outcome.
I’m not 100% sure I’m entirely understanding or following what even happened at the end of the book and it has left me a bit open-mouthed and confused. Was he, wasn’t he, huh? I have no idea so just go with Helen!
This was an ok read and kept my attention just enough to make it pleasant but not quite enough to take my mind off everything happening in my personal life at the moment, which is what I need. It also wasn’t quite what I expected and certainly wasn’t anywhere near as good as the other Peter Swanson book that I have read that prompted me to request this in the first place.

What an adventure this book was! There's no denying that Eight Perfect Murders was a good deal more meta than my usual thriller picks, but I thoroughly enjoyed this romp through the mystery/thriller/crime genre-- from the classics to the modern to the obscure.

This book scratched an itch I didn't even know I had, so to speak. See, I love love lists of books. When Goodreads or Buzzfeed or whatever posts a list of "50 Must-Read ____ Books" or "10 Most Anticipated Books of ____", then you can bet I'm clicking. I am such a sucker for those lists. I just didn't know I wanted to read a mystery about one until now!

There's a lot I can't say about Eight Perfect Murders, but I'll try to give you some idea what it's like. I've only read one other Swanson book so far (Before She Knew Him) and this one was very different.

The protagonist, Malcolm Kershaw, is the co-owner of the Old Devils Bookstore, a place specializing in mysteries. One day, an FBI agent enters the store and begins to question him about several murders, which may or may not be related. What has brought Malcolm to her attention is a blog post he wrote when he was first hired at Old Devils: "Eight Perfect Murders." It's a list of eight mystery/thriller novels that contain, in Malcolm's opinion, the most "perfect", unsolvable, uncatchably brilliant murders. Thing is, some of the recent murders seem oddly similar to several of the "perfect" murders in the novels listed.

Malcolm gets dragged into the investigation, part aid and part suspect, and it's not a spoiler to say we learn very quickly he has a lot of secrets of his own. And, wow, I just really loved the exploration of all these novels. Not just the eight at the centre of the story, but many great crime novels. Some I knew well; some I'd never heard of. Be warned: this book does spoil the plot of all eight novels mentioned in the blurb - The A.B.C. Murders, Strangers on a Train, The Red House Mystery, Malice Aforethought, Double Indemnity, The Drowner, The Secret History and Deathtrap - so you may want to read them first if they're still on your TBR.

To me, this book was a celebration of the mystery genre. A laugh at its conventions; a love letter to its best and underappreciated works. Following Malcolm as he tries to piece together the puzzle and come to terms with just how guilty he himself is... well, it's quite a ride.

I did figure out the "culprit", though, and I think a lot of mystery readers will. There are too few possibilities to make it truly challenging. But I honestly did not care. The fun is in the getting there, the thrill of the chase, and the uncertainty of the many small mysteries the book presents along the way. I'm just that kind of thriller reader, honestly. I do not care if you can pull out the shockiest shocker of a twist if I don’t enjoy the getting there. Give me a good ride and a protagonist who intrigues me over "twists" any day.

Also, I have about fifty new recommendations from this book. That's only a slight exaggeration 😳

Worth a read, especially if you've read the books on the list!

A bookseller has, years previously, written a list of books containing 'the perfect murder'. He is approached by an FBI agent who suspects that recent, seemingly unconnected murders, are all carried out by the same person who is copying them. Can't say more - spoilers!!.

Like all good murder stories there are plenty of red herrings.
Thank you - NetGalley and Faber&Faber for an advance copy.

3 stars

The premise of the book is undoubtedly great. A bookish theme, murder and mystery (what more can you ask for!) But the execution and the overall story fell flat for me. I previously read ‘Before She Knew Him’ which I loved and was a 5 star read. I was excited going into this book which by the way is titled ‘Rules for Perfect Murders’ in the UK. Peter Swanson knows how to pay attention to the most minute detail in his writing, and his style is very descriptive and draws you in as the reader. With this book however the focus was placed entirely too much on the mystery books featured instead of the characters and the overall story. At the end I finished knowing more about the history and authors of the eight books than I do of the characters in this book.

There wasn’t a lot of suspense and mystery and far too much dialogue and endless references to the Eight mystery books and their authors. The reveal at the end was also underwhelming. It felt more like a literary mystery rather than a suspenseful psychological thriller.

Having said that I will still read more of Peter Swanson’s work he is a talented author but unfortunately ‘Rules for Perfect Murder’ or ‘Eight Perfect Murder’ was not my cup of tea as we say here in London.

Thank you to Faber Books and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.

Several years ago, mystery bookshop owner Malcolm Kershaw wrote a blog post with a list of what he believed were the eight perfect murders in crime fiction. At the beginning of the story Malcolm is visited by FBI Agent Gwen Mulvey, who believes that this list could be linked to a string of unsolved murders, and asks for help with the investigation. As the pair look closer at the plots of the novels, and begin to find links between Malcolm and the victims, it becomes clear that there's more to his involvement in the case than meets the eye.

For as long as I can remember I have loved crime fiction, so I jumped at the chance to read this book and I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better plot. After reading a lot of books lately that follow the same formula with similar types of characters, this story felt fresh and innovative but also nostalgic at the same time, referencing may of the classic crime and thriller books that I have read and loved in the past. The book is also a great source of inspiration – I had to stop reading several times to note down the names of books I will now need to read or re-read after they were mentioned in the story!

There are spoilers for all of the books on the ‘Eight perfect murders’ list, so I would suggest reading them first if any of them are on your TBR lists but I would highly recommend as a must read for all crime and mystery fans.

My copy of this book was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review it.

Short review: This is a love letter to crime novels and it's brilliantly executed. In this instance, it's all about the journey, not the destination, this is something that I concluded in retrospect.

My advice:  In this book, there are massive spoilers for novels mentioned below. The information is randomly disseminated and can't be avoided as it pertains to the murders in the present story. If you plan on reading any of the following, do it before picking up this book.

- And then there were none

- The ABC murders

- The mysterious affair at stylesp

- The murder of Roger Ackroyd

- Strangers on a train

- Deathtrap

- The drowner

- Double indemnity

- The secret history

- The red house mystery

- Malice aforethought

Long review, no spoilers:

The plot is straightforward: Malcolm, a bookshop manager and crime novel expert has written a blog about his 8 favourite perfect murders from classic fiction, an FBI agent shows up and reveals that someone is potentially committing those exact murders in real life. He starts helping with the investigation, and we are taken on a personal journey of loss, paranoia and trauma.

The story is told in first person from Malcolm's pov. The pace is compelling, little details and reveals are continuously added, thus keeping the mystery and interest high. There are multiple characters, events and timelines crisscrossing, along with tidbits inserted from other crime novels.

Characters: Mal felt like he was running from reality the whole time, he often seemed to be a non-reliable narrator, withholding information from his peers, the FBI and us as well.

The other characters felt jagged somehow - not like caricatures, more like broken pieces of glass, we only got to see a piece of their lives. The writing was lovely, I can see a clear evolution in Peter Swanson's writing style. There were a few parts that were over-present such as drink and meal orders, some Boston related geography/driving instructions as well as repeating events multiple times (all 3 are typical for a Swanson novel).

Climax: The twist was not satisfactory for me, I won't spoil it, but I can honestly say it came from nowhere in my opinion. The actual ending dragged unnecessarily, as the story had ended for about 10 pages.

Overall, I enjoyed this thriller, it kept me reading for 2 days, introduced me to a lot of crime novels that sound fantastic. Just to manage expectations, I would add that this story has Mal at the center, not the murders/mystery.

Pet peeve/common concern: This spoils a lot of twists from the novels mentioned (to be fair, they've been published for decades). Again I caution fans of the genre, if you plan on reading any of them, either do it before reading this or go into it having accepted that the killers and twists will be revealed.

Rating: 4.25

In all honesty I wasn’t expecting to like Rules for Perfect Murders as much as I did. If asked I would say that the Mystery/Crime genre is my least favourite, but Peter Swanson has gained a fan with this book.

Rules for Perfect Murders was fast-paced and easy to read. It also had me almost gasping with shock on several occasions.

THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

Malcolm Kershaw, the owner of Old Devils mystery bookshop, is contacted one day by FBI agent Gwen Mulvey. Gwen wants his help to solve a series of seemingly unrelated murders which she believes may be based on a blog post he wrote years earlier.

The blog post in question was titled ‘My Eight Favourite Murders’ and contained a list of eight mystery books with what he considered to be perfect murders.

Can they stop the murderer before the list is completed?

The author warns us over and over that as a narrator he is highly unreliable, but I still didn’t get even one of the big twists. In fact, for much of the book I was convinced that Emily was the murderer.

“Disclaimer: while what you are about to read is largely true, I have re-created some events and conversations from memory. A few names and identifying characteristics have changed to protect the innocent.”

The above was on the very first page and was our first warning from the author and there were more to follow.

“If these words are ever read, then I am sure that the reader might have already guessed that I have more to do with these crimes than I’ve been letting on.”

“I don’t trust narrators any more than I trust the actual people in my life. We never get the whole truth, not from anybody.”

One big plus for the book for me is that it has a few lists of books in it and most of them were books I have never heard of. Even though they were Mystery books I would still consider reading some of them.

The main list in the book, the list of eight favourite murders was comprised entirely of books I hadn’t read and mostly of books I haven’t heard of. Some of the books I would like to read since reading this book.

The Red House Mystery – Agatha Christie
Malice Afterthought – Anthony Berkeley Cox
The A.B.C murders – Agatha Christie
Double Indemnity – James M Cain
Strangers on a Train – Patricia Highsmith
The Drowner – John D. Macdonald
Death Trap - Ira Levin
The Secret History – Donna Tartt
I loved how this book kept me guessing the entire time and I would definitely recommend it.

There is little I can add to other reviews detailing the classic murder plots played out here. I’ve read one or two of the books and seen some of the movies mentioned, all quite some time ago, and I was delighted to be reminded of them. I found this novel enormously entertaining. It is skilfully plotted, well paced with snippets of information and clues dropped in at just the right intervals and kept me guessing throughout, especially as to who was telling the truth. I enjoyed the characters, too, the narrator Malcolm of course, but also his co-workers, his customers and his cat. Highly recommended.

Peter Swanson created again an intriguing and complex suspense novel. Malcom Kershaw runs a bookstore. Years ago he wrote a blog post on his website listing eight perfect murders in crime fiction. One day a young FBI agent comes to his shop and tells him that somebody may commit murders like the ones in the books on his list. And one murdered person is linked to Malcolm.

This is as much as you should know about the plot. Malcolm is our narrator and be careful to trust him. He is a manipulative narrator. This is not so much about who is the killer. It is more about what Malcolm is telling us and when. I also liked how the eight classic murder stories were woven into the story. The plot itself is far-fetched but it is a fun read. Swanson’s stories are always unique, well told and very entertaining even when they are unrealistic. This was my fourth book from him and definitely not my last. I am always looking forward with what he will come up next.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars

👏🏻 Brilliant, brilliant thriller! I read it in two sittings and only paused to go out to lunch! I LOVED the atmosphere, the plot and the characters. I especially loved the bookish world that this thriller is set in!

👍🏻 While I did see a few twists coming, I loved the reveal and the ending! It’s a fast paced read that doesn’t ressemble anything else I’ve read recently.

👎🏻 Nothing bad that I would change!

First off I want to thank @netgalley, @harpercollins & @petermswanson for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
•
Wow ! I am in complete shock over this wonderful masterpiece. I am so sad I have not read a Swanson novel before this one, you can make sure I will read whatever he writes. This book has left me speechless.
•
The whole concept of this book is wonderfully thought out, it's so well detailed and written. Everything just flows perfectly from one piece of the puzzle onto the next, you have no choice but to be completely shocked after each revelation that comes. But wait you think you know where Swanson is headed ? Believe me you have no idea. This book grabbed me and threw me in a direction, picked me back up and threw me completely another way. I am completely in shock as to how an author can manage to mind blow me as much as this. This is a non stop thrill ride from page one, you'll be hooked believe me. The plot was so well constructed and felt so real, it brought so much realism to the book. I do believe there's stuff in this book that has actually really happened in real life (as I've seen mentioned on other reviews).
•
The ending what can I say, I am speechless! This book was clever, dark, twisty, suspensful, thrilling, what more do I have to say just go read it NOW !!

Is there such a thing as a perfect murder? Makes you wonder!!

Eight Perfect Murders is a fun book that plays tribute to murder mysteries , thrillers and to readers everywhere.

Malcolm who runs a mystery bookstore , The Old Devil ( how I wish I could go there and browse) writes a blog entitle My Eight Favourite Murders. What a list it is !

Someone is following that list and the FBI is investigating. It leads back to Malc. Twists and turns and not the ending I was guessing !!!!!!!!!!!

I don't want to give anything away so get your copy !

I have written down all the books mentioned and off I go to read the ones I have missed.

Cant wait to get my hard copy of Eight Perfect Murders !!

Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Limited , Faber & Faber for an intriguing fun read !!

This is my first Peter Swanson novel and it kept me on the edge of my seat.
Malcolm Kershaw runs a crime bookshop. Years earlier he wrote a blog post on the crime novels with the most perfect murders. Now an FBI agent has enlisted his help as it appears someone is using that blog as a blueprint for his or her own murders.
But Mal Kershaw is not a reliable narrator and we begin to doubt what and who we can trust.
I found this thriller ingenious and thoroughly enjoyed it
Yes, as others have said, the ending is perhaps a little weaker than the rest of the book, but this is really gripping and more than just a little creepy.
Recommended.

I am a huge fan of books about books so I was incredibly excited to read the newest novel from one of my favorites, Peter Swanson!

In this story, we follow Malcolm, a bookstore owner in Boston who, years ago, compiled a list of murders from popular mystery novels (ie. Agatha Christie, Patricia Highsmith, etc) which he believed to be the “perfect murders.” Now Malcolm is shocked to find out that someone has been copying the murders from his compiled list. The killer also appears to have the inside scoop on Malcolms own secrets. Now Malcolm is determined to find out what is happening in order to protect himself.

I really enjoyed the literary references in this book. I thought it was a very unique concept and was executed pretty well. The story kept me engaged for the most part. Overall, I found this to be a decent mystery on the lighter side. It would be great for anyone who is looking to dip their toes into this genre. Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy!

Peter Swanson writes the dream novel for crime and mystery fiction aficionados as he pays tribute to the genre, with the ideal unreliable narrator in bookseller Malcolm Kershaw who runs and part owns The Old Devil's Bookstore specialising in crime fiction, in Boston, Massachusetts. Many years ago Kershaw compiled in his blog a personal list of the eight perfect murders in crime fiction, it comprises of 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. In a wintry Boston in the present, FBI Special Agent Gwen Mulvey turns up at Kershaw's bookstore, convinced his list is bleeding from fiction into reality, with a killer working his way through it, guided into committing the perfect murders in real life.

Mulvey co-opts Kershaw into her investigation as they re-read and discuss the books on the list, he is aware he is a suspect, with more of his personal history slowly and skilfully revealed in the narrative. Malcolm is a loner, who struggles to connect with people beyond the initial developments of a relationship, the one and only exception being his beloved wife, Claire Mallory, a woman with her own past trauma and other issues. From childhood, his favourite genre has always been crime fiction although in more recent times he has not been able to read it, instead cribbing from reviews for current crime fiction to cover for his contemporary lack of knowledge. As he visits crime scenes with Mulvey, it becomes increasingly clear as more murders occur replicating those from the original list, that a killer is targeting those connected to him, getting ever closer to the bookseller himself, triggering Kershaw's urgent investigation to identify the killer.

Swanson litters this entire novel with other literary references to numerous well known crime novels, and I should warn readers who want to read from the blog list that they should do so prior to reading this as there are major spoilers included. The creation of the central protagonist, Malcolm Kershaw, and his development is done with skill and Swanson draws on classic well known tropes in the crime fiction genre with panache. This is the perfect multilayered read for crime fiction readers, and I have no doubt that this book will go down a storm on publication. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Faber and Faber for an ARC.

Initial thoughts
I requested this book because its description caught my attention. It seemed something new, something exciting. And I liked the cover too.

Description
A series of death, unsolved murders lead FBI agent Gwen Mulvey to a bookshop called Old Devils. Owner Malcolm Kershaw posted a blog about his eight favourite murders, 8 books which in his opinion are about perfect murders. Gwen thinks the murders have some connection with Kershaw’s list. Someone reenact the murders from those books. But who? And why? And what is their connection to Kershaw?

Main characters
The lead character is Malcolm Kershaw. He is one sneaky guy with so many secrets that I’ surprised he can keep track of them. He starts his own investigation and while he does he tells the reader about his past, about his wife and what happened to her. I didn’t exactly like him but didn’t dislike him either. He hides a lot of himself, doesn’t have many friends but doesn’t seem to mind. He is definitely smart but does stupid things from time to time. He is human after all. Okay, maybe I did like him. Because of his human-ness.

I would call the killer the other main character. Let’s just say that the killer is deranged and mad. The motive behind the murders is pure madness.

Supporting characters
There are some. FBI agent Gwen Mulvey is one of them. We get to know her a little, her past mostly but only because she has a connection to Malcolm's wife. I thought her investigation will get more part in the book because she is intelligent and driven and I very much like characters like that, like her but she only has some minor role.
Malcolm’s employees at the bookshop are Emily and Brandon. They are mentioned but just in passing, mostly their relationship with Malcolm. Emily is reserved, Brandon is her exact opposite.
Marty Kingship is a regular buyer at the bookstore, him and Malcolm became friends. He is an ex-cop, that is how he comes into the story.

Writing style
The story is written from the point of view of Malcolm, in the first person. I’ve always liked those books better, they make me feel more connected to the narrator.
The pacing is fast, no boring parts, twists all the way through the story. The book kept my attention, I wanted to know who the killer is, why he kills, what Malcolm hides.

Ending
Well...the ending is the reason why I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5. The way the killer’s identity is revealed didn’t leave me breathless. And what happens afterwards left me wanting.

All in all I enjoyed this book and I recommend it if you are a mystery and crime fan.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for my copy. All opinions are my own.

Peter Swanson has done it again! Rules for Perfect Murders is a solid, well-constructed thriller about eight murders resembling crimes depicted in classic mystery novels. Our main character Malcolm Kershaw gets caught up because of the blog post he once posted online featuring the very same eight murders these new unsolved murders resemble. Can the killer be stopped? Is Malcolm involved? Filled with plenty of twists and turns, readers will have a hard time putting this one down. Highly recommended if you enjoy classic mystery novels or if you're looking for a good, solid mystery to read.

Mr Swanson has done it again and written a fantastically clever thriller. As per usual there are several threads running throughout the story and half the fun is trying to figure out where it's going and who dunnit.

The only thing I would say is the book was too short! I always want to carry on reading his plots as they are so well thought out and presented to us.

Honestly one of his best books yet