""Fiendish good fun."" âAnthony Horowitz
From the hugely talented author of Before She Knew Him comes a chilling tale of psychological suspense and an homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the center of an FBI investigation because a very clever killer has started using his list of fictionâs most ingenious murders.
Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genreâs most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crackâwhich he titled âEight Perfect Murdersââchosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christieâs A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmithâs Strangers on a Train, Ira Levinâs Death Trap, A. A. Milne's Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox's Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain's Double Indemnity, John D. Macdonald's The Drowner, and Donna Tartt's A Secret History.
But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookstore in Boston, when an FBI agent comes knocking on his door one snowy day in February. Sheâs looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Malâs old list. And the FBI agent isnât the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. There is killer is out there, watching his every moveâa diabolical threat who knows way too much about Malâs personal history, especially the secrets heâs never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.
To protect himself, Mal begins looking into possible suspects . . . and sees a killer in everyone around him. But Mal doesnât count on the investigation leaving a trail of death in its wake. Suddenly, a series of shocking twists leaves more victims deadâand the noose around Malâs neck grows so tight he might never escape.