Told in a memoir style, Malcolm narrates this story as he recounts what happened after FBI agent Gwen Mulvey turns up at his bookshop to discuss a connection between a series of murders and a blog post he had written on his eight favourite fictional murders. This plot had instant hook-ability because the concept had such shock factor and my brain was immediately wondering could this actually happen in real life?!
Malcolm and Gwen agree that the killer is working his way through Malcolm’s list of eight, but eight murders have not yet been identified. Have they missed cases or is the killer looking for his next victim?
As the plot pans out, I realised I was dealing with an unreliable narrator, Malcolm was choosing what to share and what he wanted to keep close to his chest. Is what he’s hiding connected to the murders or is something else going on?
I loved seeing how this plot unfolded, there was so much going on behind the scenes at the start of the story, and the details only begin to reveal themselves slowly and further into this book.
Swanson has created another masterpiece for his readers, that packs the usual punch of tantalising twists and gripping suspense that he brings to all his books. Rules for Perfect Murders has a plot that I will never forget, the uniqueness of it is… astonishing, combined with Swanson’s impeccable writing style that oozes wit, knowledge and pace – and you’ve got yourself a winner!
Rules for Perfect Murders is out now in hardback and eBook versions from Faber & Faber.
Until next time, stay safe, Chloé x
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Reviews by Chloé 