A Book A Week

When I was a freshman in high school, I was really struggling to find suitable reading material. While I loved the Harry Potter series, I was less enthusiastic about other fantasy options. The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings just wasn't for me. At that point, I really stopped reading outside of school assignments. Then one day my mom brought be a tattered paperback copy of James Patterson's Mary Mary. I devoured that book and many of his other Alex Cross novels. Enthusiastic about the genre, I quickly latched onto John Grisham, Patricia Cornwell, John Sandford, etc. I was hooked!

If you follow my reviews, you no doubt see that I continue to be a huge fan of the mystery/thriller genre to this day. One author who has recently joined the ranks of must-read authors for me is Peter Swanson. His standalone thrillers consistently entertain each year. His most recent release serves as an homage to the kind of classic mysteries that have inspired countless readers to be sucked into the mystique of the genre. I graciously accepted a copy of Eight Perfect Murders from his publisher, and eagerly dove in.

Bookseller Malcolm Kershaw is surprised when an FBI agent pays a visit to his shop. It appears as if a serial killer is using famous mystery novels to inform his kills. The murders all happen to follow the writing of the likes of Highsmith, Tart, Christie, etc, but that doesn't explain why the FBI wants to talk to Malcolm. It turns out that he wrote a blog post years ago that listed the eight perfect murders in mystery fiction. The killer is systematically checking off Malcolm's list with each new crime. As the unwilling expert of the matter, Malcolm is invited to join in the investigation. Along the way, he'll try to find out how this murderer latched onto his list and try to hold tight a few secrets of his own.

It seems like clockwork each year that a new Peter Swanson novel drops, full of thrills, a strong hook, empathetic characters, and plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing. Eight Perfect Murders is no exception. Bibliophiles and casual readers alike should find something to latch onto in this one. If you are familiar with the eight novels employed by Swanson to inspire his crimes, you'll revel in seeing the way they are used here. If you're less familiar, you'll have eight new novels to add to your reading list. Be warned, though, that the crux of this novel lies in revealing the means of the criminal in those classics. If you're wanting to read those with fresh eyes, you may want to do that before embarking on this journey. Eight Perfect Murders sees Peter Swanson harken back to the classic stories that this genre was built on. While it doesn't add much to the contemporary genre in the same way some of his others have, it still serves as a great escape into an engaging and twisty read. In these unprecedented times of uncertainty, it was great to settle in to comfort and familiarity of a classic whodunnit.

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2020, 12)