Rules for Perfect Murders: The 'fiendishly good' Richard and Judy Book Club pick

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There are a lot of things Malcolm Kershaw doesn’t want to talk about. Life has thrown him some unexpected curveballs. The biggest one being his wife dying in a car accident. There is plenty of blame to go around, but Malcolm knows who is most responsible for his wife’s death. Personally, I thought Swanson did a great job with weaving a mystery around the eight novels on Malcolm’s list, showcasing their magnificence, while supplying a sly dose of irony and satire that often made me smile. I LOVE crime fiction, so this could have been the perfect book for me. There are references to some of my favourite authors (though—via the characters—a smidge of disdain toward more contemporary novels). In fact I was even intrigued as to whether Mal’s business partner’s (an author) character was a female version of one of my fave gumshoes, Spenser (written by Robert B Parker). The novels were translated onto the small screen ( Spenser for Hire) in the mid 1980s and recently (though with little reverence to Parker’s work) via Spenser Confidential by Netflix.

I didn’t get rejected for this book but I couldn’t let it root at the NetGalley’s pending purgatory so this time I’m thanking myself and my husband’s credit card to buy this book and devour it at one sit! Highly recommending, one of the best thrillers of the year! Of course I should have had this! I was able to read it all in one day and it helped distract me from everything going on in the world right now Will Dean’s series about deaf Swedish reporter Tuva Moodyson is a must read – and this book is his best yet. As we follow Malcolm's narration, a tribute to mystery novels develops alongside the intriguing and puzzling plot, touching on many of the various representations of crime fiction over the years. I’ve listed them because if you have not read them, or seen the movies, and you read this book...the plots will be spoiled for you!

Swanson maintains the story’s unflagging momentum throughout, and by the time you reach the end, you realise yet another classic mystery is in play. I will let Kershaw himself tell you which it is. Kershaw playing amateur detective made for an interesting read, pulling in favours and following the clues. I liked the way he went about the investigation, particularly with his wariness of Mulvey. Kershaw knows he’s involved and the more I read, the more I understood why he didn’t want to incriminate himself and stay one step ahead of the FBI agent. Is there such a thing as a perfect murder? In real life, the answer is probably yes, though how would we know about it? Perfection demands that the murder be unsolvable, maybe even unrecorded – a victim disappearing off the face of the earth, a body never found, a killer never caught. In our world of forensic science and DNA evidence, the perfect murder must be as rare as a reclusive celebrity. There is something so very refreshing about the way this novel is written. None of the plot was filler. I hung onto every word and felt the tension and suspense in every chapter. The narration was one of my favourite parts of this novel - I adored Malcolm who guides us through the story. There was a secretive side to him that kept my curiosity building from start to finish. Malcolm was an extremely likeable character.

I’m not gonna talk more about the story because it’s so hard to write more about without giving spoilers and I’m not the most trustworthy person who likes to write the murderers’ identities in the middle of each Christie books and send them to my loved ones (You may guess I’m not the most lovable person!) Malcolm’s narration is a brilliant touch, as the reader finds themselves caught up in his saga, especially when it becomes clear that he’s gotten himself into a real jam, going from quiet bookstore owner to a man with his own secrets, with danger lurking around every corner... This was my first Peter Swanson book and I loved it! I connected with the writing, characters and storyline immediately and that connection remained strong throughout.Kershaw and Mulvey set up some rules for examining crimes that might link to them. First, should the murders be copied exactly, or only the idea behind the murders? They decide it’s the idea that matters. And they consider the possibility that the victims should be – Kershaw uses the odd word ‘deserving’. And, they’re pretty sure the killer is someone he knows, or who knows him. Because crime fiction is fun and entertaining in a way no other genre can match- and Peter Swanson pushed every one of those buttons- knowing his audience, knowing the elements we avid fans enjoy about crime fiction, and weaving them into this story in subtle, shrewd ways, just the way we like it.

Even if you are only moderately familiar with the books on this list, you can see how diverse the list is. The eight books listed range from whodunits to inverted mysteries- and of the three books I’ve read, all were absolutely genius! This book seemed to repeat itself over and over again. I was very disappointed. I didn't feel like the characters were well developed and there were a lot of characters. This book lost the thrill for me. It didn't have enough suspense for me. I put this book down many times. I did love the ending. I loved his books, The Kind Worth Killing and his book Before She Knew Him. I love this author and still can't wait to read his next book. I am in the minority of this book. Lots of others loved it. This book was more of a slow burning mystery to me, instead of a thriller. I am not a big Agatha Christie fan, so that is why I didn't love this one. I am more of a thriller fan. There were some parts MY THOUGHTS: I don't think my heart has ever lurched in my chest before. I have been breathless, actually stopped breathing, had marks in the palms of my hands from my fingernails, and had my heart pound, but never before has it actually lurched. It definitely did in Rules For Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson when the killer revealed himself. The circumstances in which he does so deserves to have a musical score written for it.

Rules for Perfect Murders

An everyman protagonist that invites the reader to both cosy up and yet not trust everything he is saying is always a interesting literary device to work with. Is the narrator being dangerously forthcoming, is he practicing self-preservation? Is he inviting trouble intentionally, or being naïve to think the eyes of suspicion will not soon be turned upon his efforts?

Very atmospheric, and if this book were a movie, I could picture it being made in “Autochrome Lumiere” (that muted color) as Boston was experiencing a very, snowy Winter throughout this story, and I could picture the cold nights and see the warm glow of lamps, as Mal, And Gwen reread the books on the list, and tried to figure out who the murderer could be... I loved the author's book, The Kind Worth Killing. This book has once again made me a fan of Peter Swanson. Mal ends up taking on some leads into the investigation himself. He has to for his own safety. Will this game of cat and mouse ever stop? As the book progresses go, his retelling of the present begins to take on a tinge of fear as he begins to put pieces together and realises just what is going on — and who is killing people he knows, and more importantly why.Malcolm realizes that the FBI suspects him of the murders that have occurred since he seems to have a blueprint in his blog, listing the murders and more that may happen, with his innocent list posted years ago. So Malcolm takes it upon himself to figure out who is committing the murders, why they are committing them, and why they may be trying to frame him for them. Malcolm has a sad history, with his wife dying in a car accident and with something happening to him in the past that has caused him to never read murder mysteries again. He seems so low energy, passively observing life, and rarely eating more than a few bites of food...is more bothering Malcolm than the death of his wife and this new situation of a murderer copying a list he made? Let me put it this way: if any one tells you that Rules for Perfect Murders– otherwise known as Eight Perfect Murders – has a brilliant twist you won’t see coming blah blah blah – don’t buy it. It’s so much better than that. This was a buddy read with my friend, Marialyce, and we enjoyed our discussion, especially of the ending.