Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson was a soft read for me. I don’t know a better word to use. I kept reading because I was enjoying it and finished it quickly, but I wasn’t rushing to find out what was going to happen next like in some suspense and a lot of thrillers. In a way this felt like an ode to Swanson’s love for mysteries. I think if people are also fans of the classic mysteries and authors that Swanson includes in his list then the mystery in Eight Perfect Murders should be easy for them to figure out early on. I felt like Swanson had joined me with a glass of brandy next to a roaring fire and he was telling me a story of his past, not worried about the consequences when the reveal happened. He does give away the endings to the mysteries in his list, so if you haven’t read them and are planning to do so, you may want to read them before Eight Perfect Murders. This didn’t bother me too much because I had read most of them already and the ones that I hadn’t, I already knew the endings either because I had watched the movie or I was told the endings before because people refer to them so much while making lists and writing articles. The one thing that really stuck out to me and I felt was odd, not really needing to be in the book, was the way his partner’s wife was coming on to him at the end. It just felt like it was meant for a different story. I don’t see how it added anything and it didn’t need to happen for the reveal. I was a bit sad that it wasn’t a situation where he was being messed with by one of the other characters. I really thought it would have been a cool hook and I do love a female serial killer. This is the first book I’ve read by Peter Swanson, but I’ve heard great things about his other books so someday I’ll get to some of them. Life is too short and there are way too many books! (read less)

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson was a soft read for me. I don’t know a better word to use. I kept reading because I was enjoying it and finished it quickly, but I wasn’t rushing to find out what was going to happen next like in some suspense and a lot of thrillers. In a way this felt like an ode to Swanson’s love for mysteries. I think if people are also fans of the classic mysteries (read more)

The voice of Malcolm Kershaw in Peter Swanson's Eight Perfect Murders won me over immediately even though it's crystal clear within the first few sentences that he's an unreliable narrator. (He even admits it.) Furthermore, he's the owner of a bookstore specializing in mysteries, and he doesn't read the genre. Interesting, eh? So the more readers fall under Mal's spell, the more they wonder just how much they can trust what he's telling them. The city of Boston came alive for me as I read, and I loved all the literary and mystery allusions. By about the halfway mark, if readers stop and think about it, the identity of the killer is rather obvious, but I found myself not wanting to think about it and just let the story take me along for a very enjoyable ride. One of my favorite passages in the book is this: "Books are time travel. True readers all know this. But books don't just take you back to the time in which they were written; they can take you back to different versions of yourself." I've found this to be true. If you're in the mood for a damaged main character with a compelling voice who will draw you into the world of books and mysteries and killers on the loose, pick up a copy of Eight Perfect Murders. It's a good'un, and I'm hoping to hear from Mal Kershaw again. (read less)

The voice of Malcolm Kershaw in Peter Swanson's Eight Perfect Murders won me over immediately even though it's crystal clear within the first few sentences that he's an unreliable narrator. (He even admits it.) Furthermore, he's the owner of a bookstore specializing in mysteries, and he doesn't read the genre. Interesting, eh? So the more readers fall under Mal's spell, the more they wonder (read more)