Eight Perfect Murders (Swanson) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
[E]ngagingly original.… [A] multilayered mystery that brims with duplicity, betrayal and revenge—all bubbling slowly to the surface in increasingly bloody pages.… Fans won’t be disappointed.… Swanson plants clues and misdirections throughout. Not only does he make many literary references, he analyzes the perfect murders’ storylines. While he’s spinning this compelling murder story that will keep you on edge and guessing, he’s also spoiling those eight classics for anyone who hasn’t read them. Swanson warns readers up front.… Some mystery lovers will savor how slow the suspense builds with Mal’s no-hurry, low-adrenaline narrative. Others, not so much. This is a cerebral mystery, more dialogue than action. Although the twisted finale isn’t all that unexpected or climactic, when it comes to perfect murders, it’s the process that matters, not so much the end, right?
USA Today


(Starred review) [O]utstanding.… The stakes rise when Kershaw admits he knew one of the victims but chose not to share that with Mulvey. Swanson will keep most readers guessing until the end. Classic whodunit fans will be in heaven.
Publishers Weekly


The wintry New England setting and eerily cool narration, together with trust-no-one twists and garish murders, will satisfy thriller readers…. While you may not warm to Malcolm, you'll stay to the finish of this one. —Liz French
Library Journal


(Starred review) A devilish premise combined with jaw-dropping execution.… Mystery fans will be salivating as the plot unfolds, trying to outsmart the confoundingly unreliable narrative…. Swanson hits every note in this homage to the old-school crime novel, and the turnabout ending will leave readers reeling in delight.
Booklist


(Starred review) [While] a triple helping of cleverness… might seem like a fatal overdose, the pleasures of following, and trying to anticipate, [the] narrator… intense. If the final revelations are anticlimactic, that's only because you wish the mounting complications… could go on forever.
Kirkus Reviews