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The Perfect Murder (Quick Reads)
by
Peter James
Victor Smiley and his wife Joan have been married for nearly twenty years, but each barely recognises the person they wake up with every morning. Victor is so fed up with his job at the local egg-box factory -as well as distracted by his visits to his favourite prostitute, Kamila- that he hardly notices his wife's constant ridicule. Joan has resigned herself to the fact th...more
Paperback, 128 pages
Published
by Pan Publishing
(first published March 4th 2010)
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Victor Smiley and his wife Joan have been married for almost 20 years and hate everything about each other. Victor’s seeing a young prostitute and dreams of being with her, whilst Joan has started an affair with a builder. Both of them wants the other dead and it appears Joan gets there first. Briskly told, with a fine streak of dark humour and some smart little jumps, this is a well written version of an old tale (even down to the “it wasn’t me guv” statement that sees the co-conspirator go dow...more
I received a copy of this little book (100 pages) because I had entered in some prizedrawing. It was my first acquaintance with this writer.
A few chapters into the book I was already quite sure how the tale would end (and yes I was right), so there were little surprises. However the journey to get there was well enough written and kept my attention. The characters were all a bit unpleasant which was kinda of nice and you hoped they would get what was coming to them.
It has made me curious about...more
A few chapters into the book I was already quite sure how the tale would end (and yes I was right), so there were little surprises. However the journey to get there was well enough written and kept my attention. The characters were all a bit unpleasant which was kinda of nice and you hoped they would get what was coming to them.
It has made me curious about...more
A married couple, Victor and Joan, have grown apart over the years. They have become bored with each other and have sought, and found, extra-marital stimuli. Each plans to murder the other so that they can begin new lives with their respective lovers. The planning is meticulous. It has to be to fall in line with the book's title, The Perfect Murder.
The big question, right from the very beginning, is who will succeed in murdering the other first? Or will the murders be so perfect that they occur...more
The big question, right from the very beginning, is who will succeed in murdering the other first? Or will the murders be so perfect that they occur...more
I think this is part of a series for British people who don't read books. If you've never read a book before, it might be okay. If you have read books before, you will probably be disappointed and should stick with what it's trying to copy - Therese Raquin by Emile Zola, which is a thousand times more interesting and just as easy to read. Actually easier, as good books are easier to read.
A very quick read indeed, I read this book in just over an hour.
The two main characters are a husband and wife who are, unbeknown to each other, planning to murder the other and you know exactly how it is going to happen and its not to hard to guess how it ends either. Very amusing quick read for a train trip.
The two main characters are a husband and wife who are, unbeknown to each other, planning to murder the other and you know exactly how it is going to happen and its not to hard to guess how it ends either. Very amusing quick read for a train trip.
This is like something written by an amateur in a creative writing class. That's not to say it's bad per se, but its main characters are poorly fleshed out, one-dimensional bores, and the ending is depressingly predictable - almost from the first page. It's a "quick read", but not an overly entertaining one.
I love Peter James "Roy Grace" series - so this title from this author held great promise - however I only finished it because it was just an afternoon's read. It was suspenseful and in the end you really didn't care who lived or who died.
Nothing close to the standard of his (Peter James) other work; however it’s a refreshingly simple read, with an easy plot. ‘Bit by bit by bit’, the main characters (Victor and Joan) change from sounding like they were eighty, to ending up acting like teenagers. A lesson to all men can be learnt, don’t snore in bed. A lesson to all women, don’t ask your husband to decorate.... A little unrealistic in places; no married woman in her forties would stop giving her husband blow jobs...
I really enjoyed this book. Read it in a day. Quick read with good pacing. Perhaps somewhat predictable at the end, but it had that kind of 'Midsomer Murders' element to it. Nasty death but a cosy setting. Enjoyable.
A great quick read. The story of a couple that have been married for nearly 20 years and cannot stand to be around the other. They each plan to kill the other off and this is the story of the ups and downs to this plan.
Enjoyable read in typical Peter James fashion. Short/sweet novelette that can be read in one sitting. Fairly predictable ending. But it is a short story and no time to build up suspense etc.
Hackneyed premise that falls flat before it builds up. Protagonists seem too surreal to make a real connection with. Ending can be easily deduced by genre savvy readers a third of the way. But this did make for a good read on my commute back home. Finished it before I had time to dwell on the clichés.
Very enjoyable book from the quick reads series, with lots of twists to keep you guessing. Would definitely recommend to anyone who likes a good short story :)
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10483823
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10483823
Don't normally like short stories, as they don't have enough pages to build up a good plot. But this one was a good read, fun in places but maybe a little predictable.
The Perfect Murder, the perfect book written by the perfect author. Peter James always delivers and I highly recommend this quick read.
Excellent short story so easy to read and very compelling in the second half!
Loved the ending too :) perfect because although I liked and was siding with Joan, until she whacked Victor over the head, I ended up thinking that they both deserved what they got in life and death!
Loved the ending too :) perfect because although I liked and was siding with Joan, until she whacked Victor over the head, I ended up thinking that they both deserved what they got in life and death!
Really enjoyed this quick read, but guessed the ending. Thought there would be more twists. Still an enjoyable read.
It certainly is a quick read! Just read it while waiting for a plane. An OK way to spend an hour or so.
I'm not sure what this says about me, but I did find myself giggling most of the way through this.......
Aug 03, 2011
Ronda
added it
Excellent quick read...Sweet and to the point.. Would love to know what w happen after thou...
bit by bit by bit. for a new reader of crime novella. not too bad. not too bad at all.
Another novella, only £1.99 from the ebook store. Enjoyable!
I love anything by Peter James, the man can do no wrong :)
Short story, funny in places but a bit stupid really.
The Perfect Murder, the perfect quick read book written by the perfect author.
A Short story that has a predictable end
Bit of an odd one, this.
Sep 04, 2011
Kristy
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
novellas-essays-short-stories
I only finished this book because it was short, and in hopes that it may get better. It didn't.
Peter James is a genius.
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Peter James has been a screenwriter and film producer, and is now the author of best selling crime novels. James has written 25 books, the most recent of which feature Brighton-based Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. His books have been translated into 29 languages. In England they are published by Pan Books and in the US by Carroll & Graf Publishers. James has written supernatural thrillers...more
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