Book Review: The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a historical fiction novel that spans many years and tells of the friendship between former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. I don't know if I would have picked up this book if it hadn't been the August selection for one of the book clubs I belong to in my area because I don't read a lot of historical fiction. However, I am so glad that I read it and was able to learn many things I hadn't learned about in any of my history classes.  I don't recall learning anything about Mary McLeod Bethune, and she is an important part of American history. The things she helped spearhead to provide African American people equal rights is quite impressive. One of the things I was horrified to learn about is Franklin D. Roosevelt's resistance to stop lynchings because he was afraid of losing the Southern Democrats backing for his New Deal Bill. Another thing that I fo...
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Book Review: Eight Perfect Murders (Malcolm Kershaw, #1) by Peter Swanson

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book review eight perfect murders peter swanson

Eight Perfect Murders (Malcolm Kershaw, #1) by Peter Swanson takes place in Boston, Massachusetts and features Malcolm Kershaw, a bookseller who compiled a list of eight books where the person committed near perfect crimes. Now, someone is copying the murders in those eight books, and the FBI suspects Malcolm.

This is the first book I've read by Peter Swanson, and I wasn't sure what to expect. Where as I enjoyed the writing, and it held my interest, I felt like the author was just throwing out lists of his favorite books. He even gave away the ending to The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie. Had I not already read these particular books, I would have been upset that the ending had been revealed.

As far as knowing who the culprit was in Eight Perfect Murders, I suspected two different people from the get go. I especially was trying to think like Agatha Christie since Peter Swanson mentions several of her books. However, I didn't correctly guess who the main culprit was. I didn't think there were too many clues though . . . only one came to mind, and I promptly dismissed it.

I love the fact that the story takes place in Boston, Massachusetts as it's one of my favorite cities to visit. I enjoy hearing about places and areas that I've been being mentioned and knowing what they look like. When Swanson mentions that there are restaurants that serve better food than Cheers, he's right when he says that, but they do have really good bar food. And, their cheeseburgers are delicious.

All in all, I enjoyed Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson, and I gave it four stars out of five stars. If you enjoyed this book, I recommend The Turn of the Key and One by One by Ruth Ware.

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