Eight Perfect Murders - by Peter Swanson (Paperback)

About the Book

Includes excerpt from 'Every vow you break'.

Book Synopsis

New York Times bestseller

"Swanson rips us from one startling plot twist to the next... A true tour de force." --Lisa Gardner

"[A] multilayered mystery that brims with duplicity, betrayal and revenge." --USA Today

From the hugely talented author of The Kind Worth Killing comes a chilling tale of psychological suspense and an homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the center of an FBI investigation because a very clever killer has started using his list of fiction's most ingenious murders.

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 Deathtrap, A. A. Milne's The 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 The 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.

Review Quotes

"A wicked thriller that does not disappoint... Another gem that pulls the reader in and never lets go, even as the story comes to a close. This is a book that will keep you up at night and haunt your thoughts. A fun, chilling read." - Manhattan Book Review on Before She Knew Him
"Mr. Swanson unfolds this creepy story with the assurance and economy of a master. Surprises follow one another with inevitability, until the final electrifying jolt." - Wall Street Journal on Before She Knew Him
"[A] neatly knotted suspense story." - New York Times Book Review on Before She Knew Him
"Plenty of suspense and surprises... This intense and sinister thriller builds to a shocking conclusion as the bizarre relationship between a woman and her killer neighbor plays out." - ShelfAwareness.com on Before She Knew Him
"[Swanson] knows how to ration his twists and where in the narrative to place them, devoting just the right amount of time to exploring the ramifications of each new development before spinning the story off in an ominous new direction... De Palma, or Hitchcock...would kill for the film rights." - The National (UK) on Before She Knew Him
"In trademark style, Swanson's ingenious plotting throws up tantalising clues and then slowly unravels them through a series of shocking revelations, leaving readers confused, bemused and racing to the last page. Compelling, creepy, and psychologically astute, this is stylish thriller writing at its very best." - The Guardian (UK) on Before She Knew Him
"Eight Perfect Murders is pretty much perfect itself. There are plenty of twists and turns, and secrets galore... We owe Swanson a debt of gratitude... You also owe it to yourself to read Eight Perfect Murders." - BookReporter.com
"Eight Perfect Murders is an ever-unfolding puzzle... Mal frequently confides in the reader, showing that he knows more than he is letting the FBI believe. But what exactly does Mal know, and what might he be guilty of? These questions will plague readers and follow them throughout the book." - San Francisco Chronicle
"Engagingly original... This [is a] multilayered mystery that brims with duplicity, betrayal and revenge--all bubbling slowly to the surface... Swanson has a bent for revenge and murder. Fans won't be disappointed." - USA Today
"Intelligent, twisty, stylish, startling... No matter how well you know someone, you can never fully know what's in their heart and mind. Eight Perfect Murders proves the point. Which is what makes it perfectly creepy." - New York Journal of Books
"An homage to classic mystery stories that offers both the charms of a puzzle mystery and the bleak atmosphere of a noir... The flawed main characters are well developed, the New England settings are vividly drawn, and the twists keep coming in this suspenseful, ingeniously plotted tale." - St. Louis Post Dispatch
"Eight Perfect Murders creates expectations it then subverts, presents suspects only to eliminate them, and in general has its own way with the tropes of the mystery thriller--including that genre mainstay, the unreliable narrator." - Wall Street Journal
"Fiendishly clever catnip for any lover of classic crime fiction." - Seattle Times
"A devious whodunit" - New York Times Book Review
"The meta thriller fans of the genre have been waiting for." - Popsugar
"Fiendish good fun." - Anthony Horowitz