Sep 5, 2023
“Books are time travel. True readers all know this. But books don’t just take you back to the time in which they were written; they can take you back to different versions of yourself.”
Peter Swanson, Eight Perfect Murders
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“Books are time travel. True readers all know this. But books don’t just take you back to the time in which they were written; they can take you back to different versions of yourself.”
Peter Swanson, Eight Perfect Murders
The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
Douglas Is Cancelled: Episode 2
books I’ve read in 2024 📖 no. 118
A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson
“I’d learned that being anonymous was far better than being noticed.”
eight perfect murders: book review (includes minor ? spoilers)
this book follows malcolm krenshaw, an owner of a bookstore by the name of 'old devils', who definitely has more than a story to tell. following the death of his wife, years later, an fbi agent comes to question him about a string of murders that seem to be happening, and they all seem to connected to a list he made with eight books he describes as the 'eight best ways to get away with murder'.
this is where the yellow brick gets a little bumpy. after realizing he might be considered a suspect for said murders, he begins his journey to find out who the real mastermind behind the crimes are. it makes you wonder, 'why would such an innocent and harmless list send poor old malcolm into a frenzy? is there more than what he is letting on?'
a lot of people believe this predicable, it wasn't as thrilling, it was slow paced, blah blah blah. to each their own, am i right? me personally, this book kept me on my toes. i was always wondering as time went on, would he get caught? would his secrets spill out? i mean, he did make some stupid decisions, especially including an old friend on the investigation, but he wanted to get there before the fbi did. he lived a somewhat normal and peaceful life, why should that end now? he's gotten far without the eye of the police on him, so why now? it's because of his companion.
in the book, a good friend of malcolm tells him, it's hard to commit a crime with another person, especially a stranger as you never know really know them. you don't know their thoughts, you don't know their feelings, you don't know if they're on the same wavelength as you, and it's obvious that's the play here. malcolm only wanted a spur of the moment 'get rid of the bad guy' kill whereas his unknown partner kept going. it was his pleasure. not only that, but he wanted to get closer with malcolm. he believed there was a connection due to the murders and he wanted that. he craved that. he needed it.
and the ending.. goodness, the ending. you think the partner was the plot twist? wait until you hear about his wife. i sat there in shock. it makes you look at him differently. you spend the entire book almost grieving with him, hurting every time his wife is mentioned, because it was a tragic ending, only to find out he's almost just as terrible as the man who strung his wife out on drugs. i understand him in a sense. i can see where his head was. i can see the mixture of emotions, the range of emotions he was going through, and i hate to say it, but i understand the impulse. it's something i wouldn't dare to see myself do, though.
overall, i'd give the book a four out of five. it is something that barely caught my attention in the beginning, but as the story progressed and i began to learn more and more about every detail, it drew me in. i recommend it for mystery / thriller / psychological readers!
books read in 2022: “nine lives” by peter swanson
“Our faces and bodies are only beautiful for a short time. Our bones outlast us.”
The Kind Worth Killing / Crooked House
The Kind Worth Killing / Crooked House
I really enjoyed Peter Swanson’s mystery thriller All The Beautiful Lies, and one of my favorite parts was when bookseller Bill recommends The Secret History, before dying in an “accident” that’s oddly similar to the “accident” in the novel. The Kind Worth Killing is another Swanson thriller with classic mysteries as foreshadowing. There’s a moment when Lily is reading the Agatha Christie…
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