by Peter Swanson
SYNOPSIS
Several years ago, mystery bookshop owner Malcolm Kershaw wrote a blog post with a list of what he believed were the eight perfect murders in crime fiction. At the beginning of the story Malcolm is visited by FBI Agent Gwen Mulvey, who believes that this list could be linked to a string of unsolved murders, and asks for help with the investigation. As the pair look closer at the plots of the novels, and begin to find links between Malcolm and the victims, it becomes clear that there's more to his involvement in the case than meets the eye.
MY THOUGHTS
For as long as I can remember I have loved crime fiction, so I jumped at the chance to read this book and I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better plot. After reading a lot of books lately that follow the same formula with similar types of characters, this story felt fresh and innovative but also nostalgic at the same time, referencing many of the classic crime and thriller books that I have read and loved in the past. The book is also a great source of inspiration – I had to stop reading several times to note down the names of books I will now need to read or re-read after they were mentioned in the story! There are spoilers for all of the books on the ‘Eight perfect murders’ list, so I would suggest reading them first if any of them are on your TBR lists but I would highly recommend as a must read for all crime and mystery fans. My copy of this book was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review it.