I got this book from a ‘Blind Date with a Book’ (where you buy a book completely wrapped in brown paper, with the book chosen solely based on the short description written on the front of the paper) that I purchased a few months ago. I bought it as I haven’t read a mystery novel in a while, and, despite my slightly low rating, I can’t say I completely regret my purchase.

“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.” 

Premise of the book:

A Boston bookstore owner, Malcolm Kershaw, is shaken from his normal life when an FBI agent talks to him about a list he constructed years ago, one called “Eight Perfect Murders”. It is in this list that Malcolm listed eight fictional murders that he thought were perfectly thought out. It seems someone is trying to recreate each of these murders one by one, and Malcolm can’t help but think that he is no longer safe. With a secret he’d rather stay buried, Malcolm hopes to find this killer before the killer decides to find him.

“I ran my thumb along the edge of the book, riffling the pages, and that musty, prickly smell of an old paperback reached my nostrils. I’ve always loved that smell, even though the book collector side of me knew that it was a sign of a book that had been improperly maintained over the years,” 

Pros/positives:

*Writing style*

While in the beginning, the writing style didn’t stick out to me, by the end, I came to appreciate it. I loved the format that the author chose. He made the book feel as though it were like a diary Malcolm wrote for the readers to go through. You don’t really notice the diary-like writing until the very end, like when Malcolm told us there was one more thing he “ought to record” (269), giving the readers a sense that he was writing the very story we just read.

*Ending*

Alongside the fact that I enjoyed the chapter lengths being a good size, the ending of the novel was also a solid part of the plot for me. The plot twists were well done and not too easy to guess, although the readers did get quite a few hints towards the time of the reveal. 

*Great premise*

The premise of the book was also very gripping. Taking eight fictional murders that one man deemed perfect and trying to recreate them is a unique goal, to say the least. All of the books mentioned in the list are real, published novels, which adds to the story. It shows that the author did his research.

*Setting*

While the setting wasn’t anything unique, I do enjoy a good New England location. I respected that the author describes the cold, snowy weather as annoying, compared to romanticizing it.

“All poems- all works of art, really, seem like cries of help to me, but especially poetry. When they are good, and I do believe there are very few good poems, reading them is like having a long-dead stranger whisper in your ear, trying to be heard.” 

In between/neutral:

*Pacing*

I realized halfway through the book that, while I wanted to know who was committing these murders, I wasn’t ‘on the edge of my seat’, per se. When it comes to a mystery, this book felt more like a ‘slow burn’ than an action-packed story.

“I’ve always felt that being with people, as opposed to being alone, can make you feel loneliness more acutely.” 

Cons/negatives: 

*Characters*

As much as I hate to say it, I couldn’t find myself connecting to the main character. I wasn’t rooting for him to die or anything, but I can’t say I was too invested in him living either… He was just there, in his own novel, nonetheless. His lack of reaction to most of the events occurring in this book definitely didn’t help brighten my opinion on him.

I felt similar to the side characters. They were hollow to me. I knew enough about them for them to be human beings, but they were never expanded past that. For example, Gwen, the FBI agent, left too soon for me to actually care about her later on in the novel when she reappears. Brian was nice, but never really in the book. Emily didn’t seem to love Malcolm or his company, but it was never explained why. The list goes on… The characters just fell flat for me.

*Plot*

While I enjoyed pieces of the plot, there were some points in time where the book was walking in circles. The story wasn’t progressing, even though more and more chapters were being read. Malcolm didn’t seem like he was ever actually doing anything; he was sort of just hopping from place to place. 

“Her life was messy, but the most important thing for her was to avoid confrontation, to not upset people, to take on all the blame herself. Hurting herself was fine, but she would go out of her way to not hurt anyone else.” 

Conclusion: 

Pros – Writing style, ending, great premise, setting

In between – Pacing

Cons – Characters, plot

Overall – 3 out of 5 stars

“Didn’t feel a thing except the remainder of my pride leaving my body. But, apparently, it’s broken in two places, and you’d be surprised how hard it is to be a one-handed drunk at my age.”