Malcolm Kershaw, a widowed bookstore owner in Boston, once wrote a blog post listing eight classic mystery novels featuring seemingly unsolvable, "perfect" crimes. His life unravels when an FBI agent arrives at his shop, revealing that a serial killer is currently re-enacting the specific methods used in books like Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders and Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train. As the body count rises, Malcolm must revisit these literary plots to predict the killer’s next move, all while local authorities begin to suspect he knows more than he admits.
This book targets mystery enthusiasts and bibliophiles who enjoy meta-fiction and the mechanics of the golden age of detective stories. Readers who appreciate psychological tension and unreliable narration will find value in the intricate cat-and-mouse game between the protagonist and the antagonist. The story provides a crash course in classic suspense tropes and leaves the reader with a cynical perspective on the morality of the genre. It functions as both a modern thriller and a tribute to the structural rules of traditional crime fiction.
Escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2020
- Language
- EN
