We read Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson for our Mystery Book Club this month.
A chilling tale of psychological suspense and an homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the center of an FBI investigation because a very clever killer has started using his list of fiction’s most ingenious murders.
Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack—which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders”—chosen from among the best of the best including 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.
But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookstore in Boston, when an FBI agent comes knocking on his door one snowy day in February. She’s looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. The killer is out there, watching his every move—a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history, especially the secrets he’s never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.
To protect himself, Mal begins looking into possible suspects . . . and sees a killer in everyone around him. But Mal doesn’t count on the investigation leaving a trail of death in its wake. Suddenly, a series of shocking twists leaves more victims dead—and the noose around Mal’s neck grows so tight he might never escape."
The book is well written, definitely suspenseful. I liked reading about the books that were considered the eight perfect murders. I have only read the A.B.C. Murders and see the movie Strangers on a Train.(Have you seen the spoof movie on that? Throw Momma From the Train with Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito? Hilarious. One of my favorite movies.) The book did make me want to read the other books. It was a page turner. with a surprise ending. I did not love the characters.
All of the members of the book club liked it, some loved the book. Many commented on the characters also. (don't want spoilers).
In general, I would say it is worth reading.
I loved this book and made a point to jot down all the "perfect murders" and so far have read half of them I think. I've enjoyed all of Swanson's books except his new on Every Vow You Break, I found it too far-fetched for my taste.
ReplyDeleteIt did make me want to read all of the books also.
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