Wednesday, September 2, 2020

A bookish thriller...



Malcolm Kershaw owns The Old Devils Bookstore, a bookstore in Boston specializing in mysteries, even though he no longer likes to read mysteries. These days he prefers history and poetry. Not that he tells his customers that. Or Agent Mulvey, the FBI agent who enlists his help looking into a string of murders tied to a list he once wrote: a list of eight perfect murders drawn from eight classic mysteries that includes Strangers on a Train, The A.B.C. Murders, and Deathtrap.  Malcolm's not a murder suspect, yet, but he does have some terrible secrets he wants to keep hidden. And if these murders are truly tied to that list he wrote, then the killer might be targeting Malcolm next.

There's a lot to like about Peter Swanson's Eight Perfect Murders. The mystery itself is clever, with good suspense and some unexpected twists along the way. And it revolves around books, something I always like. I'd read several of the mystery novels mentioned in this one, which made it even more fun. There's an awesome bookstore cat named Nero. And Malcolm is a likable narrator and, with all his flaws, felt very human. I knew he was hiding something, but I wasn't sure what. It made me not quite trust him, and the reveal at the end left me feeling a little cold, but I still really liked this one. In fact, I thought it was as enjoyable as the Agatha Christie mysteries it references.

Happy Reading!


39 comments:

  1. Love the sound of this one. And, you know... a book about crime books, what's not to like? :-D

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    1. Right? I think you'd like this one a lot. :)

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    2. I got a copy for my Kindle. :-D

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    3. You have to let me know what you think of that ending! :)

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  2. Hi Lark! Glad you enjoyed this one. I really liked it. I thought it was a fun read and I liked all the twist and turns. I'd like to read some of the books mentioned in the story - they sound so good! :)

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    1. It was a fun twisty read. And I know what you mean about wanting to read the other mysteries he references! :)

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  3. I'm not a big classic mystery fan, so this book made me feel seriously under-read! It's an interesting story - clever and twisty. I didn't absolutely love this one, but I liked it. I've heard it's the first in a series, so I'm curious what the sequels will be all about ...

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    1. I'd be curious to see how the author manages a sequel after the way he ended this one!

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  4. :) I liked it, too. It was fun and surprising.

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    1. Yeah, I was not expecting some of those surprises at the end! :)

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  5. The fact that revolves around books is a big plus for me. And a bookstore cat! :-) I enjoyed another of Swanson's novels and want to read this one as well. I am glad you enjoyed it!

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    1. Swanson is definitely an author I'd read again! :)

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  6. I'm thinking it might be fun for our mystery group to read this one and also each select one of the classic mysteries to read as well. I'll think about that...

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    1. That would be a fun thing to do with your mystery group! :)

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  7. I love Agatha Christie mysteries even though it's been a long time since I picked one up. I really need to read them again. I've read almost all of them at least twice, but like I said, it's been a long time. I love that this features some good old classic mysteries! I'm wondering about his secret, though...

    Fab review, Lark!

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    1. Thanks, Rachel! I'm a big Agatha Christie fan, too. Reading this book made me want to read some more of hers. :)

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  8. I've got this one lurking in the depths of my e-reader and I don't know when I'll get to it, but it sounds good. I hope not being into Agatha Christie won't be an issue...

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    1. Nope. This mystery stands on its own. It references one of Christie's novels, but gives you all the details about it that you need to know.

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  9. I enjoyed this book! In fact I've enjoyed most of Swanson's books! His books are a must-read to me. :)

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    1. I'm looking forward to reading some of his other books. :)

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  10. It sounds like I need to add this one to my TBR list. I love books like this one. :)

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  11. I like that this references classic mysteries. How fun! Adding this to my ever growing list of thrillers haha!

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    1. You have one of those ever growing lists, too? ;D

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  12. Sounds really good. Some of my very favorite books are books "about books." It's always fun to get all the little "inside jokes" that only avid readers are likely to understand. :-)

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    1. I so agree! I love books about books, too. :D

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  13. I've read some mixed reviews about this one but I think given that it revolves around a bookstore, you can't go too wrong :)

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    1. It's well-written, and while I didn't love the ending, I liked the book overall.

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  14. I really enjoyed this book so much--and I agree with you about the ending...except, I noticed on GoodReads that the book is listed as Eight Perfect Murders (Malcolm Kershaw #1), which more than implies that it is the first in a series...which means the ending isn't the end. Right?

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    1. I noticed that, too, and wondered how the author was going to do a sequel. It'll be interesting to see! :)

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    2. I asked the author about this on GoodReads, and he said the #1 was a mistake that Amazon introduced into the listing and hasn't corrected. He said he has no intention, at this point, of doing another Malcolm Kershaw book.

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    3. That does make a lot more sense with the way he ended the first one! I bet he gets asked that question a lot. :)

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  15. I enjoyed this one immensely and was impressed with the ending so much!

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  16. I have a copy of this and I did a little mini-project and read all eight mysteries it references. Now I just have to get to it! :D It sounds like it will be fun and if the 8 classic mystery novels is just a ploy, well, it worked 'cause I bought it. LOL

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    1. Fun! There were several mysteries mentioned in this one that I wouldn't mind reading. :)

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