If you want to get away with murder, play by the rules.A series of unsolved murders with one thing in common: each of the deaths bears an eerie resemblance to the crimes depicted in classic mystery novels.The deaths lead FBI Agent Gwen Mulvey to mystery bookshop Old Devils. Owner Malcolm Kershaw had once posted online an article titled 'My Eight Favourite Murders,' and there seems to be a deadly link between the deaths and his list - which includes Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders, Patricia Highsmith's Strangers on a Train and Donna Tartt's The Secret History.Can the killer be stopped before all eight of these perfect murders have been re-enacted?
Blurb taken from Goodreads.
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My dad was the person who originally brought this book to my attention, and as soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I had to read the whole thing.
Rules for Perfect Murders (also known as Eight Perfect Murders) filled me with such nostalgia, because it's almost like an appreciation of some of the most wonderful crime stories in history. I'm really glad I'd already read a lot of the books that are referenced in this novel, because it really helped to bring such joy to my reading experience, but it also circled around a really fun and interesting crime fiction idea.
From start to finish, it was an absolute pleasure to read as a crime fan.
Rating: ✫✫✫✫✫
Let me just start off by saying that there are slight spoilers for the books that are referenced in this book's fictional list of 'perfect murder mysteries'. These are:
- The Red House Mystery (1922)- A.A. Milne
- Malice Aforethought (1931)- Francis Iles
- The A.B.C. Murders (1936)- Agatha Christie
- Double Indemnity (1943)- James Cain
- Strangers on a Train (1950)- Patricia Highsmith
- The Drowner (1963)- John MacDonald
- Deathtrap (1978)- Ira Levin
- The Secret History (1992)- Donna Tartt
I was quite fortunate that I'd read four of these books previously (books 1, 3, 5 and 8), so I knew a little about what made them so special (and to read the two reviews I've posted to my blog, you can click through the links). I do think it helped that I was already so familiar with the motifs that were included in the stories, and I'm not sure if it would be quite so delightful for a reader who wasn't.
Nonetheless, I'm definitely going to discuss the book on my own personal experience.
As soon as I started reading, I was hooked. Considering the amount of references that are made to different books, it was surprisingly easy to keep up! I think this is down to the fact that this novel is written very well, with just the right amount of detail and a continued murder mystery that really makes the reader want to unravel it.
The actual plot is also genius - absolutely genius. It is crafted by taking together elements from some of the very best crime fiction spanning many decades. As a crime fiction lover, I really appreciated the intricacies of the story, and the way all of the different stories, both past and present, come together to unravel. It was a fast-paced plot with a slow burn of a narrative all wrapped into one, which was incredibly effective. I especially loved the Strangers On a Train played such a crucial part of the plot, because I think that is one of the most unique, original and genius plots of crime fiction history. I won't spoil it, but if you're going to read this book, it's worth familiarising yourself with that one in particular first!
One thing that I thought was particularly great was the way the characters were written to be morally grey. Very few characters in this book were entirely innocent, but you still wanted to root for them. Because ultimately, that's the real beauty of crime fiction: everybody is a suspect, and nobody is above suspicion. I thought Rules for Perfect Murders did a great job of introducing those morally grey areas, and making the reader question who they really wanted to root for.
The Verdict
I think this book is going to be loved by a very niche audience in particular. If you love classic crime fiction, this is definitely for you, because it reads as an appreciation of some of the finest plots in history.
If you're not such a crime buff, you'd probably still enjoy this novel, but I'm not sure it would hold such a huge place in your heart.
Fundamentally, the book is insanely clever, sharp and very exciting, and it reminded me of why I find such excitement in the genre as a whole. I think it's absolute treasure of a story.
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