This book was irresistible to me when I heard what it was about. It’s a crime thriller where all the murders committed are copycats of murders from famous works of fiction! (I actually looked up what the books were before I started reading so I could make sure I’d read them so as not to get any spoilers!). Bookshop owner Malcom posted a blog post a few years ago entitled Eight Perfect Murders and now it seems someone is using that post as a blueprint for serial murder. The FBI are soon knocking on Malcom’s door wanting to know what he knows and he is shocked at the thought someone could do this. He soon finds himself embroiled in the investigation and what follows is a rollercoaster ride as we slowly learn the truth about the murders! I’m a huge Peter Swanson fan and this book met all my expectations for it. I recommend this one!

A killer is killing people based on a bookshop owner's old blog list of favourite murders. So Malcom teams up with a FBI agent who has noticed a link and they have to solve the case before Malcolm gets possibly killed.
I enjoyed this book as it had a good mystery element about it.

I really liked the beginning of this book. Intriguing premise, cozy feels... unfortunately I wasn't a fan of the ending.

Personally it was a let down but I'll keep raving about The Kind Worth Killing!

This modern murder mystery pays homage to the genre and references many famous murder mysteries with its twists and red herrings.
Years ago Malcolm Kershaw wrote a blog post about the '8 perfect murders' in his favourite murder mysteries for his Boston bookstore, the Old Devil. Now it seems that someone is committing brutal murders trying to mirror the plots of the books in Mal's blog post. FBI agent Gwen notices the connection, contacts Mal and together they try to figure out whether and which recent unsolved murders mirror the plot of the books, hoping to prevent the next murders. When it turns out that one of the victims was a regular patron at the Old Devil’s bookstore, the connection to Mal becomes undeniable. Soon Mal starts investigating on his own, suspecting everyone from the co-owner of his bookstore and his wife, to patrons at the bookstore. But it turns out Mal is somewhat of an unreliable narrator and has had an interesting past in which he has not shied away from violence himself.

At the beginning the plot is a bit slow, as several other reviews have pointed out, but it did pick up and get more interesting and more complex. I enjoyed the mostly unexpected twists. The reveal of the murderer, as well as the ending were completely unexpected, mostly due to a very well-placed red herring. Obviously the cat, Nero, sounds adorable!

This was a disappointing read. The main character was not interesting or intriguing at all. Same with the supporting FBI investigator. The plot was predictable. This was not up to par with the Kind Worth Killing by the same author, which I highly recommend.

This is my first book that I have ever read by Peter Swanson. For sure it won't be the last as I highly enjoyed his writing pace and the plot of this murder book

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 Malcolm Kershaw after she discovers an article he wrote titled 'My Eight Favourite Murders', all of which bearing distinct similarities to the murders. Can the killer be stopped before all eight of these perfect murders have been re-enacted?

This novel was a lot of fun, filled with twists and turns galore which will keep you reading into the wee hours. This novel will be engrossing for book lovers, as Malcolm reverts back to his favourite list of murder mysteries to help him solve the mystery. As a note of warning, stay clear if you are worried about potentially being spoiled for some of the giants of this genre - there are certainly lots.

Malcolm is a great protagonist - witty with more than a hint of unreliable narration. I was gripped by his perspective throughout with each page gradually revealing another facet to the mystery. This read like a classic in the genre and a true crowd-pleaser.

Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for the ARC of this book.

I think Peter Swanson must be one of the best crime/thriller writers currently writing. I have thoroughly enjoyed all three of his books that I have read.

This book is the story of man who owns a bookshop which specialises in crime books. He is visited by the FBI when it seems a murderer is killing people based on a blog list he wrote about the best murders in crime fiction. It is fun and twisty with a classic unreliable narrator. I also really enjoyed the celebration of books within the book.

I sped through this book and found it compelling and unpredictable. I highly recommend it and ‘The Kind Worth Killing’ and ‘The Girl with a Clock for her Heart’ if you haven’t read them.

I'm not really sure I have the words to do this book justice!

Having not read a book by the author before, I didn't have any preconceptions of what to expect but this book was what every thriller should be, pacy, addictive with twists galore.

I felt myself pulled in all sorts of directions as I tried to follow and second guess where I was heading but the author was clearly 10 steps ahead at all times.

Very enjoyable!

A crime fiction lover's crime novel, with references to well-known classic crime books (some readers have complained about spoilers - but really, those books are so well known that any reader of crime fiction will be familiar with their plots). Really enjoyed the gradual reveal of yet another layer of unreliability about the narrator or the situation. Tremendous fun to read, a quick and pleasant diversion especially at a time like the present!

Peter Swanson is my favorite author and this book was no exception!! I love the throwbacks to all the old Murder mysteries of the past. I thought it was so clever! In true Swanson fashion his twists were truly A+

I got about halfway through this book and had to call it quits. As a huge fan of Swanson's The Kind Worth Killing, and the thriller genre, I felt like this book was more in the mystery genre, and it just wasn't for me. Also worth mentioning, during this time of quarantine from Covid-19, I have been very distracted and I'm having a difficult time concentrating on books. I may go back to it at some point because I am curious as to how it ends. If you like mysteries, and books that have a slower build-up, you may like this one.

The owner of a bookshop specialising in mysteries writes a blog identifying his eight perfect murder stories; selected because the murders are never solved. Several years later an FBI agent tells him she suspects that someone is carrying out murders based on the blog. These victims also have links, sometimes tenuous, to him. The story is told first person by the blogger and explores these two aspects. Are the suspicions true? Is there only one killer, or several? Is the blogger complicit? Is he deluded or amnesiac? The pace is quite fast, flashbacks are necessary but don’t slow it down. The characters are believable although the narrator is a bit fuzzy – perhaps for the story to unfold completely he has to be. The ending is more ‘fade to black’ rather than ‘go out with a bang’, but all is revealed satisfactorily if somewhat predictably.

Rather different to my usual read. Was intrigued from the outset. Loved the way the author made me sympathise with the protagonist to a point. Would like to of heard more of Claire’s story, I finished in two days, was a good read, kept my interest and gave me a thrill in a classic way.

Thank you to the author by Peter Swanson and the publisher Faber and Faber Ltd for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited to read this one by Peter Swanson - an author relatively new to me, but I have loved his books! This one was very enjoyable!

I have to admit, I requested this on a whim. Mostly because I found the cover intriguing, murder mystery novels aren't my normal go to, however this left me pleasantly surprised! The narrative voice has a wonderfully witty tone and the mystery elements were well constructed. It's a real book lovers tale with loads of overt and covert references to the genre that I think make it even more enjoyable to read. Almost like you are hunting for your own literary clues!
I wouldn't call it the most original or groundbreaking novel but it is exactly as advertised, really good (grizzly) fun.

Rules for Perfect Murders is a fast paced, cleverly plotted murder mystery. I am a huge fan of Peter Swanson and his latest novel met all my expectations of a riveting read.

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. Disclaimer: so far I have loved every Peter Swanson book I have read, but I don't let former reads influence my feelings about a current read. That being said this was yet another of his books that I loved. Such a great plot! Malcolm a bookseller compiles a list of 8 perfect unsolved murders from years ago based on books he has read. Then copy cat murders start happening and a FBI agent starts talking to Malcolm about the murders. Is Malcolm finally putting his own list of 8 perfect murders into action? I struggled to put this book down between chapters. Well worth reading this and Peter's other books as well they do not disappoint. Suspense writing at its best. #eightperfectmurders #peterswanson #netgalley #goodreads #litsy #tea_sipping_bookworm #bookstagram #bookqueen #greatreads #amazon#kindle

On a quiet day in his second hand bookstore Malcolm “Mal” Kershaw is visited by an FBI Agent. Agent Gwen Mulvey is investigating a series of murders and wants to discuss her theory with Mal. Seeking outside help is not normal FBI practice but Gwen’s theory is not one which has been accepted by her colleagues so she has come to Mal to discuss her idea with the man responsible for creating a list of perfect murders.

Several years prior to events in the story, Mal was preparing a blog post which detailed eight “perfect” murders. These were eight deaths from crime fiction which Mal felt should have been unsolvable. He hardly remembers writing the list and seems to quite enjoy being reminded of the selection. However, FBI agents don’t travel miles to sleepy second hand bookshops to discuss crime novels and Mal realises that the FBI must have linked his blog post to an active investigation. Is he a suspect? Has he given a “playbook” to a murderer? Is Mal possibly in danger too?

The great thing about a Peter Swanson book is that nothing can be taken at face value. He writes wonderfully twisty stories which will have readers second-guessing and even third-guessing everything they believe they understand about the characters and their motives or objectives.

In a market where publishers proclaim a book has a “twist you won’t see coming” Faber and Faber do not need to go there with Swanson. Perhaps “nothing is as it seems” should promote his writing. As such this makes each of his books a joy to spend time with – Rules For Perfect Murders being a great addition to the library.

Some great nods to classic murder tales and lots of unexpected surprises makes this a highly recommended read.

Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson is my favorite mystery this year so far. This is a book lover’s dream book. Years ago, Malcolm Kershaw, owner of mystery bookstore Old Devils in Boston, wrote a blog listing eight books that he thought best represented unsolvable murders. The books were written by some of the most renowned mystery writers: Agatha Christie, Patricia Highsmith, Ira Levin, etc. Years later, Malcolm is notified by the FBI that they are conducting an investigation into murders that are being committed by someone who appears to be using his list of famous authors and books. It soon becomes apparent to Malcolm that the perpetrator must be someone he knows and he begins to suspect almost everyone in his life. This book will have you guessing all the way through. If you like old murder mysteries, you will love this new one. Highly recommended. Thank you to Faber and Faber Ltd. and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.