Rules for Perfect Murders was my second Peter Swanson novel, my first being Before She Knew Him. Rules for Perfect Murders was much different, in the best way possible. I could not put this book down - it was so much fun to read! Fans of mysteries and thrillers will absolutely love this book. Highly recommend!

As someone who reads a lot of crime fiction, the idea behind this book is so appealing - a killer reimaging some of the most famous whodunits in fiction. Because, while I haven't read all the books on Malcolm Kershaw's list, I completely understand that moment when you finish a book and think 'wow!, I never saw that coming.' It's no wonder he chose it as a topic for a blog post (I may steal it myself!), or that an enterprising killer decided to use that list to have a little deadly fun.

Of course, the question for Malcolm is why his list (his blog wasn't that popular after all)? And why him? Because the killer definitely seems to have a connection to Malcolm, he just isn't sure what it is. And this is where the fun starts, turning Rules for Perfect Murders into a whodunit of its own. I really enjoyed this part of the book - there were plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested and lots of red herrings to keep me guessing.

Then there was Malcolm. At first, he seems perfectly straight-forward, a good man caught up in circumstances he can't control. Knowing Peter Swanson, though, I should have known better. There was so much more to Malcolm than there first appeared. This added to the book as the novelty of 'killing by the book' started to wear thin (for me at least), and left me just where I wanted to be - thinking 'wow! I never saw that coming'.
Enjoy!

I’m a big Swanson fan so I was extremely excited when Netgalley and Faber & Faber Ltd. sent me his new book early to review, so a huge thank you to them. And it’s a really, really good book!

Malcolm Kershaw is a bookseller & mystery aficionado at Old Devils Bookshop. Years ago he wrote a list for the stores blog “Eight Perfect Murders” a list comprising not of his favourite mysteries but of the ones he thinks are good examples of “the perfect crime.” One stormy night an FBI agent comes to the store looking for Mal, she has a theory that someone is using his list as a template to commit seemingly unrelated murders, killing people as they were killed in all eight books. Now he’s pulled into helping with the investigation but is the killer more connected to him than he knows?

I enjoy Swanson’s writing so much. I first picked up his previous novel The Kind Worth Killing a few years ago & it made me an instant fan. I’ve read all his books since then. This one is a taut, less than 300 page, thrill ride. It’s perfect for mystery novel & movie fans, as it references a lot of well known ones (and maybe even some to add to your TBR piles.) I always love his books because they feel like old movies, Hitchcock or film noirs but still with a modern, fresh feeling. He has a wonderful knack for bridging the two. And his characters always have the best hidden secrets, no one is who they appear to be. Malcolm is a complex character, a loner who I both feel for & am frustrated with (in a good way) when he makes certain choices. It’s got loads of twists & when I thought I had it all figured out, who the culprit was & their motive, Swanson dodged me & it was someone completely different! If you love mysteries, and more importantly mysteries that are about loving to read mysteries, than this book is for you. After that do yourself a favour & go out & get Peter Swanson’s other books too!

I've loved Peter Swanson's previous books. This one just did not do it for me. I was bored most of the time. It would help if i'd read any of the books on the list, but I just was not interested at all. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity!

I found this book, just okay. It didn't thrill me, nor was it terrible.
It just didn't grip me unfortunately

This book had such a great premise and was a lot of fun to read. Part thriller and part homage to mystery books classic through to the more obscure. It was handy to have the GoodReads page to hand to check out any books mentioned that I wasn't familiar with.

The owner, Malcolm Kershaw, of the mystery book shop "Old Devils" writes blogs for the shop's blog. The blog entry that this book relates to is the list of "Perfect Murders" where he gives examples of books with what he considers to be perfect murders in them. When an FBI agent turns up on the doorstep theorising someone is using his list as a guide, Malcolm can't help but get himself involved in the investigation.

I read this under what I presume is the UK title: "Rules for Perfect Murders" and loved all the book name drops; for an avid mystery/thriller reader it was a great kick. The ending was slightly anticlimactic for me but the story itself is a quick exciting read with plenty of nice little twists.

I started reading this late afternoon and finished it by eleven this evening .An entertaining read, by Peter Swanson. This is the first novel I have read by this author, but it certainly won’t be the last.

Malcolm Kershaw owns or half owns should I say a bookshop known as Old Devils. His partner doesn’t really get involved in the running or business of the shop, as he is a writer and an alcoholic. Malcolm has been interested in crime novels since he was a young lad. He had been married, but his wife Claire had died in a car accident five years earlier. Before he had met her Claire had at one stage been a drug addict, but had managed to get herself clean and back on her feet. For Malcolm it was love at first sight. But for Claire it had been different. Just before her death she had become addicted to cocaine again, after mixing with the wrong crowd. Malcolm had said he was waiting for her to come back to him. That he would forgive her. The ironic thing was his mother had said the same thing about his father who had been an alcoholic.

But how much can we believe is the truth, as Malcolm is the narrator of this story is he telling the truth? Malcolm gets a visit at the book store from an FBI Special Agent Gwen Mulvey, she is looking into a spate of murders which she thinks is linked to a blog post Malcolm had put on the book stores website some years ago, it contains a list of ‘Eight Perfect Murders’ all taken from books such as A Stranger on the Train, The ABC Murders and six other crime books.

One of the people murdered was a regular visitor to Old Devils, she wasn’t an overly nice person according to Malcolm. But she had died of a heart attack.

As the story progresses the reader gets to learn more and more about Malcolm and his life. This is quite an engaging read, comparing the stories in the books, to crimes that have happened. How much does Malcolm really know? Is he involved?

I enjoyed the way this was written something slightly different, I didn’t see the end coming, although I did have a slight inkling to where some of the story was going. You actually felt sorry for Malcolm in a way, he had been an only child, seems a little socially awkward, never knowing what to say. A bit of a loner.

I did like how the author described the smell of the books, as every avid reader knows that the smell and feel of a book is like nothing else.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #Faber&Faber for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Excellent!!!
Brilliant plotting, exceptionally well written, pays homage to murder mystery classics
Possibly the best contemporary murder mystery that I have read.
I'm not familiar with other works of this author, though I now plan on reading more.
I would very strongly recommend to any fans of classic crime.

Years ago, Malcolm had compiled a list of mystery books’ most unsolvable murders. He never thought much about it until one day the FBI is at his door. There has been some unsolved murdered that have similarities with the books on Malcolm’s list. Having attracted the attention of the FBI, Malcolm begins to believe he needs to protect himself. There is a killer out there watching him and Malcolm, the owner of a mystery Bookshop, has his own secrets that he wants to keep.
I’ve read this book in one sitting. Being a huge fan of mystery books I thoroughly enjoyed the connection with other novels and the fact that this book was all about my favourite genre books just made it perfect. I also love lists of recommended books so this book premises ticked all the boxes for me. I was worried that I was creating high expectations and would then be disappointed. I was definitely not.
There is only one narrator - which has been a great change, as lately I’ve been reading a lot of books with more than one - and although you have to keep wondering if you can trust his account of the events, the story he tells is fabulous.
If you haven’t read, and would like to read, any books from Malcolm’s list, I would advise you read them before this book as there will be spoilers.
For me it was simply fantastic. The plot is really imaginative, the writing and narrative is compelling. I didn’t expect some plot twists although I had my suspicions of who the murderer was going to me. This didn’t make the book less compelling as, more than knowing who the killer was, I needed to know the reasons behind it.
Rules for Perfect Murders - also known as Eight Perfect Murders - is a homage to mystery books and it was an absolute page turner. There is mention of so many great books within it! I absolutely loved it and would recommend it to all the mystery book aficionados.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Malcolm Kershaw owns a bookshop. It's a bookshop that reminded me of the record shop in High Fidelity with its eclectic mix of staff and customers but that's by the by! It does however also rely on lists for its plot. This time a list of mystery books which contain the most unsolvable murders. Be warned, if you want to read any of the books on the list (and you'll find that in the blurb) be aware that reading this book contains spoilers from them within this story. Anyway, one day an FBI agent braves the weather to call on Mal. She's tentatively made connections between a bunch of deaths that seem familiar to those in the books on the list. Mal goes back and revisits the blog where he posted the list originally and is shocked to find a new comment... A comment that has him running scared, especially when he realises that he too could be a target... At the very least, his deepest secrets could be uncovered as he becomes more and more embroiled in the investigations.
I am familiar with some of the books on the list and I think my tbr has grown since I finished this book as some of the ones I had never read do look rather enticing now. I'll leave it a wee while though so I can forget the spoilers! It's hard to give much ore detail about what happens in the book as it is all deliciously woven around and interconnected that to do so might give something away. Suffice to say that I hung on every deliciously dark word and followed blindly as I was powerless to try to second guess what in the heck was going on. I will however give special mention to the wonderful bookstore cat Nero who kept me amused...
It's also a book where the destination isn't the be all and end all, there is a delightful journey to be had throughout, with a rather intriguing narrator. There are hints along the way about certain elements but I'll leave you to discover all those as the author intended. I will just say that as I turned the final page I sat back and applauded the author for a job very well done. They age of the classic mystery novel is not over yet...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Bookstore owner Malcolm Kershaw once made a list of what he considered perfect murders in mystery novels for a mostly unread blog several years ago. Now, years later, he's contacted by FBI agent Gwen Mulvey who believes that someone is using his list as a guide for murder. He is able to provide an alibi for some of the murders but she asks him to look at other crimes to see if any of them resemble others on his list. He is willing to help mostly to try to keep his own secrets hidden. However, when he is forced to admit he knows at least one of the victims, the stakes are quickly raised for Malcolm and he sets out to find the real murderer to save himself.

Rules for Perfect Murders is the latest novel by author Peter Swanson and it is the perfect novel for fans of classic mysteries. Sure it's implausible and no doubt it asks a great deal of your willing suspension of disbelief but, damn, it's a whole lot of fun. Malcolm makes for a sympathetic protagonist despite being a clearly unreliable narrator and I was kept glued to the page guessing right up to the end and I gotta say I loved every minute of it.

4.5

<i> Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

I really enjoyed The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson and everything I liked about his writing was missing in this one. Don't get me wrong, the premise sounds amazing, perfect for any crime reader. However in reality, if you have read at least one fine crime novel, this book will fall short.
Other than a great concept turning out to be a disappointment, the characters were bland and one-dimensional. In The Kind Worth Killing I felt like I knew the characters and I could root for them even though they were very messed up. Because they were well-written, dynamic and felt real, the reader could care about them, that's what made the stakes high. In Rules For Perfect Murders this part was missing, the characters were underdeveloped and I didn't care about what happened to them, therefore there was no suspense and the enjoyment wasn't there.
Another thing a reader should note before picking this up is MAJOR spoilers for other mystery books, some I haven't heard of before and some extremely popular ones like a couple Agatha Christie's book or The Secret History.
I am still open to trying out other books by Peter Swanson because there are elements to his writing I do enjoy, however this book was a miss.

A very clever crime mystery. The books starts a little slow but stick with us it as it’s one of those slow burners that really comes alive. This is not a book you can talk about because it would be so easy to give away the plot. I suggest not reading to many reviews, just jump straight in and see how it goes for you!

Peter Swanson always writes very clever thrillers that twist and turn in ways you don't expect. This one was just as clever. Not much more I can say without giving the plot away.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the writing just flows and moves you along seamlessly. It is a mystery story in every sense of the word and unusually for me I had no inkling as to the path it would take until close to the end.
The book is narrated by Malcolm who sets the scenes and characters so well and the story builds steadily. A delightful, well executed book.

This is a murder mystery book with a difference as the focus is pretty much on the investigation as narrated by Malcolm Kershaw a bookseller specialising in crime fiction. Malcolm has been contacted by the FBI for help as a number of unsolved murders seem to be related to eight murder mystery books that Malcolm previously published in a blog as being Rules for a Perfect Murder.

The fashion for modern thrillers is usually high energy suspense novels with lots of twists and turns and sub plots and although this one isn’t it doesn’t make this book boring, far from it, instead the story is built up in a slow and steady way building the suspense slowly and picking up pace near the end, with a few unexpected turns as the story unravels cleverly interweaving with eight other very well known murder novels.

One of the books referenced is Strangers on a Train by Patricia High-Smith and having recently read this book I think it’s quite similar in style in that the focus of the story is on the central character and getting to know him and what makes him tick rather than on the actual murders or investigation.

I enjoyed this book...although at times it felt a bit odd but given the first person narrator, I think it was meant to.

Cleverly written and a good story!

This book reads in the style of a classic Agatha Christie or Ed McBain novel, the style is very readable but has echoes of so many famous detective novels. I was kept guessing throughout and although I worked out part of what was going on, there were other twists that were totally unexpected. A very satisfying novel and I will look out for more by this author.

This was a great story about a man who owned a book shop and wrote a blog about 8 great literary murders that are then carried out but a killer but is there more to this than the narrator is letting on...

This was my first Peter Swanson book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Whenever I put it down I found myself thinking about it and wanting to get back to it. The plot was very crime typical and I had predicted a lot it before it happened but the captivating way it was written meant that this did not detract from the story at all, in fact I think it added to it as it felt that I was moving along in pace with the narrator.

A definite must for Crime loves of Agatha Christie and Patricia Highsmith.

I have added a few of the 8 books mentioned to my TBR (although the book does contain MAJOR spoilers on all of them so if you don't like to know whats happened then maybe read the ones you want to read first!)

This book is a booksellers and an avid readers dream, I loved the references to all the classics and authors. The plots, the tales that link the books to the narrative.
Malcolm is a bookstore owner and a reader of classic crime. He once listed his 8 favourite tales with what he thought were the perfect murders. Murders that are impossible to solve, on the bookstores blog page. Now someone is copying the murders, following Christie, Highsmith, Cain as they murder people in the same way as the characters were murdered in the books. Malcolm with the help of an FBI agent, work to solve the cases as the killer seems to be trying to get Malcolm’s attention.
If the reader has been paying attention to the 8 classic novels they will work out who the murderer is. Great stuff
#netgalley #rulesforperfectmurders.