I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Embedded within this mystery book are seven short mystery stories and discussions between the aging author and a woman who wants to edit and republish his work. The author wrote the stories years before in an attempt to analyze the elements for a true mystery: the number of suspects, victims, detectives, and killers. In each situation, the mathematical possibilities are revealed.

But, wait, nothing is quite the way it seems!! That is the beauty of this book.

What an ingenious, intelligent and totally inventive mystery. Be warned: do not read this book when you are in the mood for a mindless thriller. This book will make your brain WORK for the cookies. You’re gonna have to look for clues and details, interpret new theories about mysteries, and even do some math. But lord it is fun.

This book is about a mathematician who has a long-forgotten book of short mysteries rediscovered by a modern day publisher. Through their discussions, we learn he has a mathematical theory about the structure of mysteries. We also see that he may be dropping clues about a larger motive for writing these stories. This is a book within a book, and within both stories the reader is given a bunch of theories and clues to figure out. Some of the time I felt like I was reading Agatha Christie and other times I was put in mind of the Encyclopedia Brown books I loved as a kid. All the stories culminate in a larger mystery to solve. The structure of the book is unlike anything I’ve read before and I can’t imagine how tough it must have been to create.

I loved the characters, especially editor Julia Hart and mystery author Grant McAllister. I liked the theories very much although I had certain intellectual quibbles with them. (What about mysteries when you already know who the murderer is up front, but you’re just waiting to see him get caught, for example? Is that not a mystery too?) This book will make you want to race through to get to the ending, but you can’t really do that, because it’s so dense and intellectual and you might miss some clues. When you DO get to the ending though, it is a fantastic payoff. It’s the kind of book you may want to read again, now knowing what you know.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt and Alex Pavesi for this totally original and very smart mystery to read in exchange for my honest review.

Interesting concept that did not engage me in execution. An editor meets with the reclusive author of a book of murder mystery stories that illustrate the mathematical rules for the genre. As she works with the author on republishing the book, an underlying mystery emerges.

Some of the images are well-crafted and evocative, and some of the illustrative stories are interesting, particularly the account of a great detective who receives an ominous box of chocolates.

More often, the stories reminded me of dated mystery magazines - more puzzles than stories. One even employs the device of addressing the reader with a challenge to solve the crime. The mathematical rules articulated -- at great length -- seemed banal: there must be at least one killer; more than one suspect, etc. And the illustrative stories interrupted the development of the underlying mystery, which impaired the suspense.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the smartest, most creative novel I've read in quite a while. My favorite description of it is "an inventive nesting doll of a mystery." It is a story within a story within a story within a story, and every one of those stories is a delight.

Julia Hart is an editor who tracks down reclusive author Grant McAllister in a remote village somewhere in the Mediterranean. McAllister's only claim to fame is a long ago collection of seven short stories published as The White Murders, and Julia is interested in republishing it with annotations. McAllister was a math professor who equated writing mysteries to math, i.e. a successful mystery must have a minimum of two suspects, one or more killers, at least one victim, etc., and his seven stories illustrate these points. As others reviewers note, the short stories are very Agatha Christie-esque. The book is structured to alternate between the short stories and Julia's interviews of McAllister. At the conclusion of each story reading, Julia notes several discrepancies in the stories that she is curious about. I loved the structure and thought it enhanced the readability of the novel.

As noted at one point in The Eighth Detective: "If you read a crime novel now, it's impossible not to wonder how it will end." Well, good luck to everyone with that! I thought this was quite a brilliant debut novel and highly recommend it to all mystery lovers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for providing me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Eighth Detective will be published on August 4, 2020, and you should definitely have it on your "want to read" list.

Alex Pavesi has written a superb read with The Eighth Detective. Well worth the time and a true page turner!

A reclusive author, former professor of mathematics, is living in a small village on the Mediterranean. He is famous for his collection of sever perfect detective novels, written thirty years ago, stories based on his mathematic calculations on what would be a perfect murder. Julia is a young editor who wants to republish his books, and visits him with hopes of a collaboration on the new collection. They begin to go over each story individually, with discussions after each one, but for Julia it leads to more questions than answers! Nothing is what you believe it to be, and you will spend a great deal of time guessing! Well done ~

An author with failing eyesight is contacted by a publisher. He asks publishing rep to read the short stories to him so that she can question and he can answer as to the detectives and how the deal with the crime. You have one chapter of story and then another of conversation., and perhaps another chapter of an alternate ending.

It’s an interesting idea for a book but the storyline jumps around so much that it can be very hard to follow, enough so that I lost interest I would give the author credit for originality and maybe with some different editing the book would have been more readable.

Recalling Old Mysteries Can Be Problematic

Grant McAlister, former professor of mathematics, wrote a book many years ago. In it, he wrote seven short stories to demonstrate the mathematics of a perfect detective story. At the present time he lives alone on a remote island, enjoying his peaceful seclusion. Then a young, ambitious editor contacts him and wants to re-publish his book. But first, Julia wants to examine the short stories one by one with Grant to really understand his mathematical reasoning. As they sit together day by day, Julia reading the chapter out loud before they discuss it, Julia realizes that there are things that just don’t add up. Little inconsistencies that Grant shrugs off without explanation.

The format is interesting, read one of the short stories then follow it with a chapter of the two of them discussing it before going on to the next short story. Each time Grant explains the mathematical aspect of that story. But then there are those inconsistencies. The writing is flawless, Grant seems distant, some of his memory lost. Julia is sharp, thinking ahead and examining clues. The ending is terrific.

I found myself trying to analyze the short stories as I read them, looking for the inconsistencies Julia would find. Then Julia’s review had me going back to re-read what she describes. Unfortunately, this left me reading the book like a study course instead of a novel that I could just sit back, immerse myself into it, and enjoy the experience. To be honest, it was not very satisfying and failed to reach that “lose yourself in a book” feeling that makes me enjoy reading.

Thank you, NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company, and Alex Pavesi for an advance copy of this book for review.

Julia is an editor who meets up with an author to review a book of his stories prior to publication. As she goes through the stories one by one, she starts to notice inconsistencies and a possible connection to a real murder years earlier. I am having a hard time rating this one because I didn't particularly enjoy reading each of the 7 short stories but I liked the mystery woven throughout and the ending was great. It seems to point to the author's involvement in the previous murder through Julia's discoveries, but then at the end, there are layers upon layers of other things going on that I never saw coming. This is the first book in a while that I have felt like I wanted to sit down and talk to someone about it immediately after finishing it...but again, I didn't really enjoy the short story aspect which made up a good chunk of the book. On top of that, I have to give Pavesi a hand for the mathematical formala of murder mysteries. So how to rate it? 4.5 stars rounded to 4, although if I was more of a short story fan in general, I may have gone to 5.

I am on the fence about this. While I found the mathematical reasoning in regard to a murder mystery interesting, I didn't enjoy the "other narrative" between Julia and Grant. Honestly: it made me think too hard, so the enjoyment was lost. The murder mysteries were very "Agatha Christie" esque... which was good. The breakdown is where it lost me and, in the end, became a little too far fetched. Recommended, but with reservations.

The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi was an extremely well-written story. I was so taken with how the author phrased things and wrote sentences that I had to reread paragraphs because I was in awe of the writing.

The book features several chapters of brief mysteries, woven together with the premise that a young editor named Julia, is visiting the author of the stories, hoping to re-publish them. Each story is a murder mystery written with mathematic precision.

Julia has flown out to sit down with Grant, hoping to get to know him better and read each of the collection, known as The White Stories. Together on a remote Mediterranean island, they go over each story where Julia notices several inconsistencies and wonders about Grant…

There are rules for murder mysteries. There must be a victim. A suspect. A detective. The rest is just shuffling the sequence. Expanding the permutations. Grant McAllister, a professor of mathematics, once sat down and worked them all out – calculating the different orders and possibilities of a mystery into seven perfect detective stories he quietly published. But that was thirty years ago. Now Grant lives in seclusion on a remote Mediterranean island, counting the rest of his days.

Until Julia Hart, a sharp, ambitious editor knocks on his door. Julia wishes to republish his book, and together they must revisit those old stories: an author hiding from his past, and an editor, keen to understand it.

But there are things in the stories that don’t add up. Inconsistencies left by Grant that a sharp-eyed editor begins to suspect are more than mistakes. They may be clues, and Julia finds herself with a mystery of her own to solve.

Typically, I’m not a fan of short stories and prefer a longer, single story, but I was interested in the relationship between Julia and Grant plus each story is so well written that I enjoyed them all.

The last part of the book is where we find out all the secrets. I wish these secrets and reveals were written over the course of the book instead of towards the end. I won’t tell you what happens because I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I really liked the twists and turns!

Pre-order this book now, it comes out on August 4!

This is a very unique mystery book. I ended up with 3 stars - in the beginning I thought 'Wow, how interesting!", then by the middle I thought that I was bored with the repetition of the stories/explanations, then at the end there was a small payoff. IT's just not the right book for me - I prefer a mystery without all of the switches back and forth.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read this book - I can see how many people would enjoy this more than I did!

A highly original and enjoyable exploration of the classic mystery
The outline of The Eighth Detective is deceptively simple. Grant McAllister is living a reclusive life on a remote island when he is approached by Julia Hart, an editor at Blood Type Books, with a proposal to republish a book McAllister had written and privately published over twenty-five years earlier in the mid-twentieth century. McAllister is a former math professor and mystery fiction fan, and his book had defined a mathematical structure for the murder mystery genre and gave seven original short stories to illustrate his thesis. Julia and Grant proceed to read and discuss each of the stories and how they exemplify the elements contained in his theory. At that point, it becomes clear this is not a simple situation, and readers expecting an easy read should be warned to sit up and pay attention! The stories are all clever and twisty in the mode of the classic mystery, and most are worth reading for that reason alone, but that is only the beginning of the puzzles. As an attentive editor, Julia notes what appear to be small inconsistencies or errors in each of the stories, and Grant’s responses are not often satisfactory. Then there is the matter of the title, The White Murders. Why did McAllister pick that title, and did it have any relation to the real murder of a woman named Elizabeth White that occurred about the time McAllister wrote his book? Again, McAllister’s answers are unsatisfying. Julia’s questions about McAllister’s personal life, like why he moved to the remote island, receive equally uninformative responses, but then again, it is none of her business.
Murder mystery fans typically read them for entertainment and for the puzzles, and there is plenty of both in this book. In addition to solving the mystery, after a story or two the reader realizes there are going to be some apparent inconsistencies in each story and goes on alert to find them, but I admit I did not do as well as Julia did. But what about the big puzzle, Grant McAllister himself and the background of the book? Like McAllister, author Alex Pavesi also has a PhD in mathematics and loves puzzles, so does the overall book abide by the mathematical structure laid out in McAllister’s book? Does the book offer enough clues for the astute reader to figure out the answer? Is solving the mystery about logical deduction, or is it, as McAllister says at one point, simply “inspired guesswork”? I am not about to tell you, but I highly recommend you read The Eighth Detective and find out for yourself.
I received an advance review copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher.

A very tricky novel that illustrates th deconstruction of mystery fiction with several short stories that illustrate the principles of his thesis, all wrapped up in the relationship that develops between the author if The White Murders, this long or of print collection, and the editor who comes to his solitary home on a remote Mediterranean island, to ready the book for republication. the writer, This very carefully constructed book is like a kaleidoscope - indeed, it can only be read a section at a time before the reader gets dizzy and has to put it down. While the individual stories aren't particularly gripping, the analysis of each one, delivered intelligently by the editor to a somewhat detached writer who hardly remembers writing them, narrows the concentric circles of the mystery. The fabulous ending ties a complicated mystery together in ways that will surprise even the most astute reader.

The Eighth Detective is really a series of short locked room type mysteries tied to together with an overall story arc about the author. Starting with chapter one, every other chapter is a twisted short mystery with the even number chapters involving a discussion between the author of the stories and a representative of a publisher considering republishing the books. The author has a mathematical formula all figured out to write the perfect mysteries and is full of secrets and seems to have a bad memory but alas the story takes another twist. The short stories do have an old air to them like mysteries of the early twentieth century and if you love short stories you'll probably love this. For me it was just okay and not what I expected. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

304 pages

3 stars

This book is not at all what I expected.

Years earlier mathematician Grant McAllister wrote a series of short stories about murders. It was to prove his theory about constant and consistent rules to these kinds of stories.

Julia Hart, an editor wants to now republish McAllister's book and proceeds to go through the stories with their author. Her questions about the apparent inconsistencies in the stories set Julia off on a quest of her own to discover the truth behind the stories.

This is an interesting story with an attractive premise. I enjoyed reading it, but it is really not my favorite format. I will certainly take a look at the next Alex Pavesi novel.

I want to thank NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company/Henry Holt & Co for forwarding to me a copy of this good book for me to read, enjoy and review.

I was longing for some really good old fashioned mysteries. Where have they gone? Lately all I've been reading has been thrillers with a psychological edge. This book filled my craving for a solid retro mystery. It's a bunch of short stories with many riddles and twists throughout ...all of them connected because they are written by the same mysterious author. The editor who was to publish the mix of stories is picking through them and critiquing them while we read along. Alex Pavesi is a master at descriptive writing. I can heap tons of praise on this book. It is imaginative and unique and filled with twists. Thank you to net galley and publisher for the chance to read and review. 5 detective stars

What a fantastic read! This book has such a golden age/Agatha Christie feeling to it. I love that it is not just one crime story but several. The stories are all offered up together as an editor visits the reclusive author on a Mediterranean island as she wants to clean the book up and purchase it from the author. These short stories are all put together so intelligently that you really need to pay attention. The interesting thing is you don't find out the truth until the very end. Very, very cleverly done and involved that you really need to pay attention. You find yourself immersed in the book throughout the entire read.

This makes an exceptionally good crime novel by showcasing reach of the various sub genres of crime fiction. Each of the story explores an extremely twisty-turny narrative and how each one speaks to a much wider mystery. I love how it affects the reader and the author, it's is the key of the entire book.

I felt this book paid great homage to the Grand Dame of Mystery, Agatha Christie, (especially And Then There Were None) yet still being its own kind of Mystery. Extremely well-written with wonderfully in-depth characterization and each short stories so quirkily different. Bravo!

I would like to thank Alex Pavesi, Henry Holt and Co. and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and exchange for a fair and honest review.

DUUUUDEEEE. This is so good. I've always been a mystery fan but this? Some top tier stuff. Movie reuniting Ana de Armas and Christopher Plummer WHEN???? Thanks for the arc.

An engaging mystery with a clever premise.

The premise is Julia Hart works for a publisher that wants to reprint a collection of murder mystery stories that were self-published decades ago by mathematician Grant McAllister. Grant wrote a paper on the mathematics of murder mysteries, then wrote the seven stories, known as The White Murders, to illustrate the concepts in the paper. Julia travels to the Mediterranean island Grant has been living on to review the stories with Grant and prepare them for publication. The book has chapters that alternate between the full text of the murder mystery written by Grant, followed by a chapter of Julia and Grant discussing the story. I really enjoyed this format, though it did start to drag a bit by the end - fortunately just in time to get on with the eighth mystery.

Highly recommended for mystery fans.