poster for Eight Perfect Murders

Eight Perfect Murders

by Peter Swanson

I've read this book 1 time and given it an average score of 3 (out of 4).

2024-10-05

A fun concept (blog post of famous literary murders that are happening in real life) but struggles to live up to its promise. Characters are flat and story ultimately feels unresolved. The mystery itself is underwhelming. It takes some big swings at the psychology of killing, but it mostly misses. Is clearly a love letter to detective fiction, but doesn't feel like it has the spark that made its inspiration great. Also, it spoils a ton of other famous mystery fiction (some Christie, strangers on a train, etc), so proceed with caution.