Reviews with content warning for Violence - هشت قتل حرفه ای

Not my favourite Peter Swanson read but it's likeable enough. It's based on a blog, written by book shop owner Malcom (Mal) Kersha, whereby he chooses 8 book "perfect murders". This book does contain spoilers for these 8 books if you haven't read them, but this is necessary for the storyline as it appears that there is a person copying these books and murdering. So, the ABC murders is used, but the killer uses bird themes as an example. Mal is not particularly likeable, but how the story develops is interesting. It's great,
cleverly plotted murder mystery, but unfortunately, not one of Swansons' finest.

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kateea7536's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Wow. Totally different to anything I’ve read before. Full of the most unexpected twists and turns and based on an interesting premise. Really enjoyed the read and raced through it, eager to find out where it went. It was packed with such unexpected and gripping twists. Lots of characters to keep track of, but very impactful.

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kbenavidez44's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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faerylullaby's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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hannah_0708's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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missgrangerr's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

LOVED this. Beyond excited that it’s listed as part of a series. This was almost as good as The Kind Worth Killing. Engaging page turner. I knew from the start what was happening with him but to me it didn’t matter and the ride was a lot of fun.

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fkshg8465's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Wish we could do partial stars, but some we can’t, I’ll round up to four. I generally like Peter Swanson’s books. And I enjoyed this one too. The main issue I had with it is the same one I have with most cat-and-mouse stories - there’s nowhere really to go after the reveal. So as much as I enjoy most of the book, the endings often feel forced and hackneyed. I did like the format of the book starting out as a memoir. Reminded me a bit of Humbert’s confession. And like Humbert, the protagonist was really hard to like, especially as he revealed more and more of himself. The more I disliked him, the more I looked the book, which is usually the opposite for me.

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ireadinbed's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

First book of 2024!

In many ways this book reminded me of Paul Tremblay's Pallbearers Club, but if it had been executed well.

I suppose that is because there is this untrustworthy, mostly unlikable, but somewhat sympathetic pov character. But somehow in this one I just had more fun reading.

If I'm honest I couldn't put it down! Very compelling mystery.

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