8 x 8

On our road trip up to Buffalo today, we did what we have done countless times before: Buckled in, punched play on an audiobook, and ventured forth. The book of this trip was Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson. To be honest, I am not sure where I read about this mystery written in a twisty classic whodunit style, but wen I saw it in my library, I knew it was the story for us.

The premise of the novel is that the narrator, Malcolm Kershaw, owns a mystery book store in Boston. Several years ago, writing for the store's blog, he published a list of 8 perfect literary murders. In the opening pages, an FBI agent shows up in the middle of a blizzard with the theory that a serial killer is using his list.

These eight mysteries are real books:

A.A. Milne’s The Red House Mystery,
Anthony Berkley Cox’s Malice Aforethought,
Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders,
James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity,
Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train,
John D. MacDonald’s The Drowner,
Ira Levin’s Deathtrap,
and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History,

and their plots and themes are woven into this story, too, offering lots of layers, especially to those who are already familiar with the eight original texts.

Near the beginning of the story, Malcolm muses on all the lists he has made as a reader, starting with those he created as a boy and working through those he has published on the blog over the years. He decides that they give him an identity beyond his own, one of authority. They are also quick and easy topics.

Hmm, he might be on to something. With that latter rationale in mind, I have challenged myself to 8 days of lists of 8.

Tune in tomorrow to see how that goes.