Eight Detectives

By: Alex Pavesi

Narrated by: Emilia Fox

All murder mysteries follow a simple set of rules. Grant McAllister, an author of crime fiction and professor of mathematics, once sat down and worked them all out.

But that was 30 years ago. Now he's living a life of seclusion on a quiet Mediterranean island - until Julia Hart, a sharp, ambitious editor, knocks on his door. His early work is being republished, and together the two of them must revisit those old stories: an author hiding from his past and an editor keen to understand it.

But as she reads, Julia is unsettled to realise that there are things in the stories that don't make sense. Intricate clues that seem to reference a real murder, one that's remained unsolved for 30 years.

Julia realises she's unwittingly entered a battle of wits where there can be only one winner. But Grant will soon realise that he underestimates her at his peril....

©2020 Alex Pavesi (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"When did you last read a genuinely original thriller? The wait is over." (A. J. Finn, best-selling author of The Woman in the Window)

Good in parts.

The first story is a real slog, I almost returned the book several times during the first 45 minutes. Only the fact I was driving stopped me. If you can make it to the one hour mark, things start to pick up. The end result feels somehow unsatisfying as a murder mystery.

Underwhelming

I had high hopes due to publicity around this book, but it left me a bit disappointed.
The murder mysteries that are part of the story, are interesting, but a tad bland. I was therefore hoping that the underlying story of White murder will bind them together to an unexpected or exciting end, it did not.
It was easy to see where this book was going, and it was not able to keep my interest up in many parts.
Is this an exciting murder mystery to keep you guessing and on your toes? No. Is this a book that you listen while cooking or something? Yeah, it's good for that.

clever book

Every murder mystery was a treat. It was crammed full of twists and turns. Very enjoyable