Author: Peter Swanson
Published: 3 March 2020
Publisher: William Morrow
Rating: 4/5
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.
I enjoyed the book it was a good book to listen to whilst I was doing my work.
I like how the book gave or talked about other crime books so there’s quite a few books to be included in my TBR pile.
Other than that, I quite enjoyed how the murders mimicked murders comitted in other books, it felt very Inception-ish and BRUH THE PLOT TWIST AT THE END!!!! I DID NOT SEE IT COMING!!! and I SHOULD HAVE! Because!!! Because I read the book The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie! I had thought that because Malcalm was so honest about everything and seemed like he genuinely wanted to help that I was lulled into the trap! THE PLOT TWIST TRAP!!!!
Overall, I highly enjoyed the book, was interesting enough to hold my attention for the whole day (it’s an audiobook) only qualm I have was the reveal of the antagonist which in itself another plot twist of its own but the why of it I feel disconnected to it.
Ezza Syuhada 