Rules for perfect murders - Peter Swanson

A RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK

'Fiendish good fun' ANTHONY HOROWITZ

If you want to get away with murder, play by the rules

Years ago Malcolm Kershaw wrote a list of his 'Eight Favourite Murders' for his Old Devils mystery bookshop blog. Among others, it included those from Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders, Patricia Highsmith's Strangers on a Train and Donna Tartt's The Secret History.

Now, just before Christmas, Malcolm finds himself at the heart of an investigation - as an FBI agent believes someone may be re-enacting each of the murders on his list.

Can the killer be stopped before they get away with eight perfect murders?

'An ingenious game of cat-and-mouse' The Times

'Never less than enthralling' Daily Mail

'Tremendously enjoyable' Sunday Mirror

Peter Swanson's novels include The Girl With a Clock for a Heart, nominated for an LA Times book award, The Kind Worth Killing, a Richard and Judy pick and the iBooks store's thriller of the year in 2015; Rules for Perfect Murders, the 2020 Richard and Judy Pick; and most recently Nine Lives. He lives with his wife and cat on the north coast of Massachusetts.

Swanson's pacing is exemplary. He knows how to ration his twists and where in the narrative to place them... the way he does it is so smart and exciting that you're just happy to get swept along.
The Herald

In trademark style, Swanson's ingenious plotting throws up tantalising clues and then slowly unravels them through a series of shocking revelations, leaving readers confused, bemused and racing to the last page. Compelling, creepy, and psychologically astute, this is stylish thriller writing at its very best.
Lancashire Evening Post on BEFORE SHE KNEW HIM

Fiendish good fun.
Anthony Horowitz