What a clever mystery! There was so many twists and turns I didn't see coming, which is rare, to be honest, since I read so much in this genre. Recommended!

There are mysteries within mysteries within mysteries in Alex Pavesi’s The Eighth Detective. We as readers have no idea about any of this at the outset of the novel. All we know at the beginning is that Julia Hart is visiting reclusive author Grant McAllister on a sunny Mediterranean island. McAllister’s book of stories—based on his theories of mathematical rules for detective stories—is being considered for a reprint. Julia quizzes Grant about those theories and his past, but when she starts to ask strange questions that Grant evades or replies to with claims of a bad memory, it becomes clear that something else is going on. This is no simple visit between an editor and a writer.

Sometime in the 1940s, Grant McAllister published a collection of seven stories and one essay. The essay outlines mathematical definitions for mystery stories. English majors will recognize the work as genre analysis, but the math is an interesting touch. McAllister reduces genre conventions to Venn diagrams and the smallest feasible number of characters that a story has to have. The stories illustrate different variations on this mathematical model, usually by showing how categories of victim, suspect, detective, and killer can be combined. Mystery readers will recognize some of these in stories where the detective is the killer or where everyone who is a suspect also turns out to be a killer. Even readers who haven’t read Christie’s greatest hits will probably recognize one story that is a retelling of And Then There Were None.

Julia’s very close reading of the collection brings up a series of inconsistencies. One story constantly substitutes the word black for white. In another, a dog is mentioned and never reappears. Others have logical issues that a good editor will clear up before the book is sent for printing. Julia has a theory that these inconsistencies are really a confession to a long-unsolved murder—a murder that oddly shares the same name as McAllister’s collection. McAllister blames his memory when questioned about them, or insists that they’re little jokes he put into the text.

The Eighth Detective is written in alternating chapters. Julia reads the stories from the collection to McAllister then, in the next chapter, she’ll ask him about his thought process or why he left Scotland all those years ago and never returned. Julia’s close reading is a powerful clue to readers that we need to pay attention to everything. Thus we have the pleasure of not only trying to work out the solution to each of the seven stories; we’re also asked to figure out what the hell is going on with Julia and Grant. I loved every chapter. Readers who like challenging reads where there are constant twists and turns will relish The Eighth Detective.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not what I was expecting, and mostly in a bad way. The book alternates between short murder mystery stories written by one of the protagonists and chapters where the woman wanting to republish the stories grills the author about said stories. I liked some of the short murder stories, but this format got old after a while, and nothing really happens in the main story until basically 85% of the way in.

Grant McAllister, professor of mathematics, knows there are rules for murder mysteries. Victims, suspects, and detectives must always be part of the mathematical sequence and he had the formula figured out when he self-published 100 copies of his seven-story collection of mysteries, The White Murders, 30 years ago.

Editor Julia Hart finds McAllister living on a remote island where she arrives in hopes of republishing his book. Julia has a sharp eye and is quick to notice inconsistencies in his stories that all seem to point to facts in the real-life murder of Elizabeth White. When pressed, Grant claims he doesn’t remember his stories so well now that 30 years have passed and they have nothing to do with Elizabeth White, whom he never met.

Has Grant McAllister hidden clues in his stories that could solve a real murder?

The Eighth Detective is a clever novel. Author Alex Pavesi gives readers a murder mystery set within seven mini murder mysteries. Julia reads each story and then follows it up with questions for Grant about his successful formula. She points out the mistakes she noticed, which Grant is quick to shrug off. These mistakes culminate into suspicion about Grant’s motives and even his identity, creating an eighth and final mystery to solve.

I wasn’t particularly invested in the seven short stories; they weren’t suspenseful and became somewhat tedious as I realized there was a mystery involving Grant McAllister to solve. In the end, that mystery didn’t satisfy either with the lack of character development as it only took place in short chapters after a story was completed. I did enjoy seeing how well the murder mystery formula worked with interchangeable sequences.

Thanks to Henry Holt & Co and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Eighth Detective is scheduled for release on August 4, 2020.

The idea of a frame story containing a bunch of short mystery stories was intriguing, but I didn’t enjoy the framing device or the mysteries. The short stories were plodding and not very suspenseful. The frame of the novel was even more tedious - with the character listing rules for mysteries like there must be a victim or there must be a suspect. Maybe I’m missing something, but these rules were revealed as if they were a great and powerful secret when they just seemed like common sense observations.

This is a title I chose not to finish reading. It's just a bit too Noel Coward-ish for me with badinage taking the place of plotting. I think there are lots of people who will like this title, especially those who enjoy some comedy of manner with their mysteries, but it wasn't for me.

One of the most engaging, most intriguing, most beguiling, intricately plotted novel I have enjoyed for years; twists upon twists within twists -- a veritable mobius strip of plotlines! Very well done! I will certainly look for more from this author! Thanks to Henry Holt & Company and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honests review.

I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book, but the premise was intriguing enough that I decided to give it a try. And I couldn’t be happier that I did! Very Agatha Christie with 7 shorts nestled into one larger mystery that then had a mystery! I also enjoyed the mathematical portions of the story; I may be terrible with sums, but it made this a bit of a Agatha Christie meets Umberto Eco/Katherine Neville for me. If this is only the author’s first novel, I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

WOW! This is my first book I've read by Alex Pavesi.
The Eight Detective was a fabulous, well written, clever, twisty, thrilling, brilliant book!
Thank You NetGalley And Publisher for this compilatory ARC
A young editor travels to a remote village in the Mediterranean in the hopes of convincing a reclusive writer to republish his collection of detective stories, only to realize that there are greater mysteries beyond the pages of books.

Wow!! I could not put this book down. This was a great old school detective story with twisty whodunit for you to try and solve. I definitely would give this book 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️’s.

Julie Hart is a very detailed, read between the lines, smart editor. She set out to meet with Grant McAllsiter, who is a professor of mathematics, and author of White Murders. Grants book has 7 detective stories, which Julie has noticed has some inconsistencies to them. She then realizes she is the eighth detective to help solves these mysteries that Grant has laid out for her. Will she be able to solve the biggest secret that Grant has?

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this advanced copy!!

You'll be running figure eights in your mind before this one concludes. An ingeniously constructed series of mysteries, rather like a matryoshka or Russian nesting doll. And what a doll, more Chuckie than Barbie! This is a book that actually deconstructs the murder mystery while building a new model. The beauty is that it can be enjoyed a number of ways, as bountiful as the murder weapons, motives, suspects and accomplices themselves. Whodunit? Who cares?

I was torn between 3 and 3.5 stars for this one. Probably closer to 3 than 3.5.

The premise is definitely very interesting though the comparisons to "7 1/2 death of Evelyn Hardcastle" are unfair as they are not at all alike in premise or the story structure or even the execution.

However, taking the book on it's own merits, the story of a conversation with a writer (Grant McAllister) who published an obscure book of murder mysteries based on mathematical permutations of possible murder mystery ingredients, interspersed with 7 actual stories from the book held great promise. The eighth mystery is about the conversation with the writer.

The 7 stories vary in complexity and execution. Some are inspired from famous works of other authors (it is acknowledged as such) whereas some are ridiculously simple. Given that the author had to fit 8 murder mysteries in one book, the stories don't get much time to be fleshed out. And they could have gone either way by changing a few words/sentences/paragraphs. For me, it takes away from the mystery if it can be solved with multiple conclusions based on facts that were not presented elsewhere.

Some of the 7 stories felt very tedious and it was a chore to get through them just to get to the main thread of the writer. I could take a guess at the ending though it was not possible to guess it all the way as the facts were only presented with the reveal which made the eighth story of the author (Grant) felt a little forced as well.

I would read the future works from the author as there is promise in the setup.

While I found the central theme regarding the murder rules a bit far fetched, this was an enjoyable novel. The characters were fleshed out nicely and given backstories.

I received a complimentary copy of The Eight Detective from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This was a slow burn mystery, with the premise of other mysteries. I was taken off-guard by the turn of events as they were mostly completely unpredictable. A very cleverly written novel, this book is on my recommended reading list for surprise endings!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Book editor Julia Hart works at a crime-fiction publishing house that plans to reissue The White Murders, a story collection published some years ago in limited edition. Julia has come to an unnamed Mediterranean island to visit with the reclusive author, Grant McAllister, to discuss the new edition.

Julia is intrigued by Grant’s proposition that there is a mathematical formula for murder mysteries, involving sets, subsets and permutations. Julia’s method for working with Grant is to read a story, then discuss it with him, particularly how each story fits into the formula.

In alternating chapters, we read a McAllister story, then Julia and Grant’s discussion. Creepiness sets in early, as the stories are psychologically tense and increasingly gruesome. Grant himself describes some of them as sordid and distasteful. Then, with each story, eagle-eyed Julia notes inconsistencies, and Grant’s assertion that they are mistakes or meant to test the reader is less and less believable. Grant’s refusal to talk about his personal history raises questions too.

While the book is inventive, it’s not like an Agatha Christie novel, as some reviewers suggest. She avoided gruesomeness, her characters were lively personalities, and she usually played fair with the reader, so that the reader had a chance to figure out the whodunnit. Here, the ick factor is high, the characters are two-dimensional, and the whodunnit in the stories often depends on facts not revealed to the reader.

This is a clever and inventive novel, with many twists and turns. I see it as an effort to play with the form and conventions of crime fiction. It succeeds on that level, but I prefer more character development in my crime fiction. For me, the novel gave me a lot to think about, but not much to feel about.

Best book I've read in a long time. Brims with energy and the characters are richly drawn and put into a superb plot. I wish all books could be this good.

I loved this book for its inventive nature! They mysteries are very much in the style of Agatha Christie style. Each short story was engaging and intriguing, and adding a mathematical element to the mysteries made it even more interesting and unique.

I am a slow reader and I only read when going to bed, but this is one of those very few novels that I also read during the (weekend) days!

A big thanks to the publishers and Net Galley for providing me with an advance copy. It's certainly a book I will be recommending! And looking forward to what the author comes up with next!

Alex Pavesi's "The Eighth Detective" is a well-plotted tribute to vintage murder mysteries and detective fiction from the Golden Age of that genre. The reader will notice the overt influence of Agatha Christie's work in several of the sub-plots. The meta-mystery keeps the story moving along at a quick pace, with a number of those vintage conventions well-placed for good measure. And the ending, as for all the best of those Golden Age mysteries, was just right.

The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi is such a fun book. It mixes mystery and math. The format of this book is engaging, with seven short stories coming together to uncover a bigger mystery. This is definitely a book I will be recommending.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Special thanks to Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

I gave this book a big 4.5 stars! I really did love it. It was very original, and I can't wait to see what Alex Pavesi writes next! I also read this book with a great friend which made it extra fun. A n EXCELLENT book for book clubs to discuss.

I would encourage everyone to try this author!!!