Malcolm Kershaw, a middle-aged widow managing a semi-famous Boston bookshop called Old Devils, discovers that a years-old listicle he wrote for his shop’s blog about eight perfect literary murders has become the inspiration for a serial killer, who is now working their way through the list, enacting each murder out. But is Mal more involved than he thinks - does the killer know him… and could he be a future target…?

Peter Swanson’s Rules For Perfect Murders (published as Eight Perfect Murders in the States - no idea why it got retitled for the UK market as Eight Perfect Murders is a much better title) is a pretty decent thriller. The premise is intriguing and the first half of the book flies by effortlessly, as Mal and FBI Agent Gwen Mulvey investigate the crimes and start joining the dots.

The second half is where the book loses momentum, in part because Mulvey moves out of the picture and it’s clear she was the driving force behind a lot of the plot development. The second half doesn’t have quite the surprises of the first and it’s mostly just Mal puttering about waiting for “Charlie” (the nickname for their blog post killer) to make a move.

I like that Swanson made Mal a protagonist of dubious alignment - that he wasn’t some innocent caught up in something terrible - and the reveals of his involvement added spice to the story. The flashbacks were kept to a minimum and didn’t drag. That said, any plot that requires me to believe someone planned to literally scare someone to death by wearing a spooky mask is going to take me out of the narrative because that’s just too damn silly to take seriously. And, while the killer’s reveal was unpredictable, the ending itself was uninspired and somewhat anticlimactic.

Still, Rules For Perfect Murders takes a kinda daffy concept and develops it into a fun story that’s fairly entertaining - not a bad read!

As this book is based on the main character’s list of his ‘8 Perfect Murders’ it seems only fitting that I review this book using my own list!

**************

8 THINGS I ENJOYED
1. Swansons’ style of writing is just like water. It flows so well and you can’t help but be swept up in his words.

2. The concept of a story that is based on 8 others or rather, the endings of 8 others will lead to the truth of 1.

3. It has a touch of nostalgia to its style of writing which is refreshing to read.

4. The totally bookishness of the main character. Who doesn’t relate to a book lover than loves nothing more than to get lost in the thrill of others words?

5. That you’re never quite sure of the why’s and the how’s. A whole lot of clues all muddled together and like ‘The ABC Murders’ only one of them is the main focus.

6. The pace of the novel was mostly break-neck (excuse the pun!) speed. It kept me engaged and on my toes. I read nearly half in just one sitting.

7. The relationship between his mum and dad vs his relationship with Claire. I felt so sorry for Mal knowing he was pretty much rein-acting what he had witnessed as a child. It kind of sets the scene for Mal’s character in that he, himself is nothing but a blank canvass in which he replicates others’ stories. This is both a plus and minus point for me (see disliked point 2)

8. The concept! Just brilliant.

**************

8 THINGS I DISLIKED
1. First and foremost this book references 8 crime novels and is spoiler-tastic! Having not read many of these books, I was actually looking forward to reading them afterwards to experience why Mal thought they were perfect. Alas, now there is no point as Mal tells you all the plot spoilers.

2. None of the characters are truly developed enough for the reader to connect with them. I don’t feel I ever got to grips with who the main character was nor that of the FBI agent. I wanted Mal to be more than well read, I wanted to know him and what made him tick. Not just his reaction to others.

3. The concept of ‘Strangers on a Train’ was covered already by Swanson in his ‘Kind Worth Killing’. I felt he was covering well trodden ground with this plot.

4. The story was a little predictable. I guessed very early on who the killer might be.

5. I didn’t like the sudden appearance of a love interest. It felt a bit jarring and pointless.

6. The FBI agent hadn’t looked for any other links between the victims other than Mal and his list. She was completely winging it based on her gut. I think it would’ve helped to at least explore what connected (other than the books) the ones that she knew of.

7. The ending was a bit lack lustre. I wanted a bit more ‘explosive’.

8. I thought it was unfair to reveal the ‘truths’ at the end. I prefer to have all the information and figure it out as I read along.

************

Thank you to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Whilst I read I read this book i thought it was similar to the Agatha Christie novels which seemed to be a deliberate strategy. Whilst it was easy to read and well written, I just didn’t particularly like it and found it tedious and old fashioned. Other readers may disagree completely.

So many books in this genre follow a similar formulaic style of writing. Not this one though. Very unique in its style, the narrator of this story, delves into 8 fictional murders taken from classic books, to find out what you need to do to get away with the perfect murder. Be warned, there are spoilers of some classic books in here. Thank goodness that all the books mentioned, I'd already read.

Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC for which I have given my voluntary and unbiased review.

This book was a slow burning thriller, and an intelligent tickle. I am a huge Agatha Christie fan, so I naturally loved this one, even though it, of cause is nothing like a classic Agatha mystery. The ending will for sure be a real divider.

I have read most, but not all the books on Malcolm's list. This is really a book for mystery book lovers. And I really enjoyed it. And I can recommend it to any for a good time and a half.

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.