Peter Swanson is one of those authors whose books I will always pick up, ever since the first book of his I read, The Kind Worth Killing. They are always very dark and twisty and I do enjoy dark and twisty. In Nine Lives, nine people receive a letter with a list of nine names on it. And one by one, they begin to die.
I really had no idea where this book was going and I found it a bit confusing at times. The reveal wasn’t quite worth it but it’s still a fun read.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Nine people receive a list of names. Their own name is on it. One by one, they die. But who is killing them and why?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was cleverly written and I found it unputdownable. I was interested in the characters and I was always left wanting just a touch more. I had a hunch who our protagonist was, but I didn’t spot the twist regarding WHO he was and I very much enjoyed it! Only a couple of niggles regarding plot (and I’m going to be careful as I HATE SPOILERS) ; I didn’t think the last chapter rang true bearing in mind the circumstances that landed her there and I wasn’t completely convinced about our baddie’s motive. Seemed to me that they’d blame themselves and be eaten by guilt rather than embark on this years later. Absolutely did not spoil the book for me though! I will look out other books by this author and I’m certain I’ll read this one again- I bet there are clues I missed! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

What a joy this was to read. I must admit to approaching this book with a certain amount of reluctance because, having been wowed by “ The Kind Worth Killing” and disappointed in a couple of his others, I really didn't think this would be up to much. Boy, was I wrong.

Take nine names printed on a plain sheet of white paper, with no other information, send this list to each of those names which by the way, are seemingly random with nothing linking them, and so begins the mystery. Noe of the recipients of this mysterious list pays it uch attention, some chuck it in the bin and don't give it another thought. Until one of them dies, then another and...

Local police officer Sam Hamilton, lover of books, particularly Agatha Christie, begins to dig a little. The FBI steps in, but only because one of the names is on the list.

Swanson has written an intriguing page turner here, with believable characters in believable settings. The story is told from different points of view which, in some hands can be confusing, but here it isn't. It's mainly down-to-earth matter-of-fact narrative with little dialogue between characters, but again, this works because the writing is so sharp and often sprinkled with dark humour. I read a lot of thrillers and can usually spot the Who-Dunnit-and-Why quite early on but this one had me guessing right through to the reveal.

Well done Mr Swanson – I loved this. I think I'll get stuck into Eight Perfect Murders now.

Nine Lives is another clever novel by Peter Swanson. I love the fact that he doesn't hide that he finds inspiration from other authors and even reference them throughout his books.

I enjoyed all the characters and felt very invested in them which made an even bigger impact when they were killed off by our "baddie"
Highly recommend

Loved this!! This is only my second Peter Swanson novel and I really need to read more. A brilliant page turner that keeps you riveted, eager to find out what happens next. Highly recommend.

A simple premise, already used by Agatha Christie in And Then There Were None, but cleverly referenced in the story. 9 strangers each get a a letter delivered that just contains a list of 9 names, with each recipients name on it. Most just carry on but one decides to look into it further. It helps that she’s an FBI agent.

I liked the fact that we get a pen portrait of each of the named people, so we know just enough about them but not everything. Some were likeable, some not, and some downright nasty, just like in life, The story moved at a nice pace, and kept just enough back to make me keep reading. I did eventually guess who the murderer was but there were some good red herrings and a nice twist at the end. I would like to think that the FBI in real life would do a lot better job of tracing the victims and killer than they did in the book, however, it is fiction, so can be excused. Worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed reading this book, for me it was a real page turner It was fast paced, with great characters, and I loved it .I did eventually work out who the killer was but it didn't spoil my enjoyment, I was rather proud of myself for guessing correctly. Cracking book.

Nine strangers receive an anonymous letter with nine names on it, including their own. And then they start dying! Coincidence? Not if you’re in a bad novel! But why them - and can Generic FBI Agent Character stop the killer before everyone on the list is moiderized?!

I’d hoped last year’s Every Vow You Break was an unfortunate blip but, after Nine Lives, I think Peter Swanson is just a hack writer. This novel is hot trash.

To be fair, it’s a fine premise and, in the hands of a talented storyteller, potentially great. The way Swanson writes it though is so dull. Each chapter features a different character, all of whom are written in such a flat, unmemorable way that it takes a while to remember who they are. Not that it matters either because they’re all just treading water until they get picked off.

And that’s most of the book too: reading about their boring lives. One of them is having an affair, one of them is… I’m honestly struggling to recall. Oh, I know, one of them’s a bitter wannabe actor, another one’s a small-time singer-songwriter, one of them’s a literary professor (these last two have a doomed romance). Yawn, yawn, yawn.

There’s no tension in the story. The dreary characters putter about their unremarkable lives until they don’t. There are no clues so there’s no way anyone could figure out who the killer is if you wanted to. The reveal of the killer is so underwhelming and the motivation is even more disappointing.

Old Guy’s got dain bramage from sickness and that’s why he’s killing! Also, he’s rich so that’s why he’s able to skip past law enforcement because he just bribes everyone and has access to hi-tech surveillance and hitmen. And he’s doing it because over half a century before his lil sis drowned because he and his fellow kids played a silly game that accidentally killed her. He’s not even killing the people involved - except one - he’s going after the descendants of those people for warped moral reasons that only make sense because dain bramage. Yeah, that makes total sense. Contrived/pointless much?

Swanson keeps referencing Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, which this novel bears only the loosest, most feebly derivative of similarities to, but Nine Lives suffers for the comparison. And Then There Were None is a masterpiece of mystery crime writing and Nine Lives is nowhere close to that level of greatness.

Rules for Perfect Murders was an ok book but everything else I’ve tried by Peter Swanson has been a dud. I abandoned All the Beautiful Lies and, after Every Vow You Break and now Nine Lives? Nah. No more, that’s it. This writer’s not for me. Nine Lives has a great idea for what could have been a fun novel but turned out to be the dumbest, most unsatisfying examples of disposable airport reads - don’t bother with this instantly forgettable rubbish.

I'm happy to say that, after the disappointment of Every Vow You Break, Peter Swanson's latest release totally convinced me. Nine Lives was a fast-paced and thrilling read. I finished it in just a couple of sitting, I was so invested in the story and I just had to know what would happen.

The plot was extremely fast-paced, the chapters were short and the point of view shifted between the nine strangers and the detectives who were investigating the deaths. While it's true that the chapters and point of views shifted frequently, Swanson also did a good job with characterization, so that it was easy to memorize the characters from the beginning. They were all different and interesting, and I became quite attached to some of them.

Another thing I loved was the fact that not only the plot resembled Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, but the book was also directly quoted and "studied" by one of the detectives. It was very cool.

There was a twist around halfway through which I totally didn't see coming, and the final reveal was also very clever. I only found the motive a little far fetched, although it still worked. And the very last reveal was also a great surprise.

Overall, a great mystery I would highly recommend.

The premise of this book sounded interesting. 9 complete strangers receive a letter with just nine names on it and then one by one they get murdered.
I liked that the author didn't shy away from the obvious comparison to Agatha Christie's And then There were None but embraced it and even referenced it in the mystery.
There are a lot of POV's and not enough time is given to each for the reader to get more invested in the characters but some of the POV's stories (especially the relationship among two of the lists potential victims) worked well and helped the pace of the book.
The mystery is pretty straightforward though and not enough clues are revealed for the reader to investigate.
Also the detective work was pretty poor (especially since the FBI is also involved) and you'd think that should have made a better job at connecting the dots.
All in all it was a quick and easy read but the under-developed characters and the flat mystery left me wanting for more.
Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for providing the eARC for this book.

Would have read this in one sitting if I could! Best Peter Swanson murder mystery I’ve read. so far. I really needed to know what happened to these nine strangers linked by being included on a murder list. As one by one they start being killed, their real connection is revealed.

'Nine Lives' was a compelling and intriguing crime read. Nine strangers receive a list in the post with their names on it. One by one, the strangers on the list are killed. Hard to say anymore without spoilers, but suffice to say the strangers eventually realise they are linked. I was guessing until the end who was the culprit, and it is a pretty satisfying conclusion. Overall, it was a good fast-paced crime book.

I received a free e-book from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Nine strangers receive a letter with a list of names – puzzled, they continue on with their lives, until one by one they begin to die in mysterious circumstances.

Nine Lives is told from alternating perspectives and each character has such a unique voice, lifestyle and relationship to others which allows you to really connect with them (rooting for some and really not rooting for others… Jay, I’m looking at you!)

The inclusion of texts and emails also adds insight into the characters and their feelings about being part of the mystery.

I was intrigued by what connected the nine names on the list and was getting strong ‘And Then There Were None’ vibes but on a more open plan scale, so was delighted when one of the characters mentioned the book as part of the story.

The author allows the reader to play at investigating, using the information that we gradually learn to narrow down a list of suspects to ultimately find who was responsible and why.

This story is so readable – one that you can dive into and devour in a single sitting. An engrossing, thrilling mystery for a winter’s day!

Questo è il terzo romanzo che leggo di Peter Swanson, e il primo che mi abbia convinto totalmente, tenendomi incollata alle pagine.
Capitoli brevi, personaggi ben delineati, ritmo serrato, e una strizzata d’occhio a Dieci piccoli indiani: cosa desiderare di più?

I am pretty sure I have read all of Peter Swanson’s books and they are all page turning good reads.
When nine seemingly random people receive a type written note with just nine names on it including their own, they don’t know what to think. Some just put it aside, some throw it away. Soon however the names on the list start turning up dead and the police scramble to piece together how these people are connected. We learn a bit about each person and are with them till the end of their lives.
Great storytelling as always and a book you want to read in one sitting. Nice twist at the end too. Highly recommend.

#ninelives #Netgalley

This was so much fun to read and such a relief that I loved it after reading Every Vow You Break. It was fast-paced and packed with intrigue and speculation. I really enjoyed following each POV and seeing how each POV reacted to receiving the cryptic letter with nine names on it. What an absolutely wild ride.

Nine complete strangers each receive a plain sheet of paper in the post, with a list of nine names on it, including their own. The people on the list have never met and appear to have no connection whatsoever.
Gradually the people on the list die. One man is drowned on a beach in Maine. The next man is shot in the back while running through a quiet area of Massachusetts. The FBI offer protection to people on the list, including FBI officer Jessica, who is one of those named. Jessica is determined to find out the connection - but will she survive long enough to do so?
An interesting storyline, but for me it was a little flat. People are getting murdered but this was almost an aside, an incidental event. I prefer more depth to this type of thriller. An enjoyable read, but not my favourite.

Having read most of Peter Swanson’s other books and enjoyed them, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. I’m pleased to say that it’s another knockout winner.

Nine strangers receive a copy of the same letter, consisting of a list of names, including their own. There doesn’t seem to be a connection between them - until the murders begin. One of the names on the list is that of FBI agent Jessica Winslow, who starts investigating in a race against time to find the killer before the killer gets to the rest of the list.

A tribute to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, the story follows a group of strangers picked out by a killer. The clever modern update has them scattered around the US rather than grouped into one location. There are twists and turns, and changes of pace, making it not just a series of people getting bumped off one by one.

The author does a great job giving a rounded insight into each of the nine recipients’ lives. The individualisation is really strong and as the fatal hammer began to fall, I was rooting for certain characters and hoping we’d get more time with them. I liked the realism of this - in real life, bad things happen while someone is simply getting on with their life, wrapped up in their own preoccupations.

This book is crazy readable. Everything worked for me - concept, characters, pacing, nods to Agatha Christie, the ending. I read an interview with Peter Swanson today (crimereads.com) where he’s quoted as saying that he doesn’t have a shortage of ideas - excellent news for readers!

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback. Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the loan of this book.
This is the first book I've read by this author, and I'm sure it wont be the last.
9 seemingly random people receive a note with 9 names listed on it, and begin being murdered one by one. The author tells the story from each of the 9 victim's prospective and we learn how they cope with the knowledge that they may be the next one to die. But who is murdering each person, and why?
It's an intriguing book, one which kept my interest throughout, but the ending fell a little flat for me. I felt the story didn't warrant the kind of retribution each person received, and I struggled to understand why the perpetrator suddenly decided years after the even that caused such revenge, to begin to enact his own justice.
Despite this, I would definitely read another book by this author, as it retained my interest and enticed me to reach the conclusion.
A satisfactory read.

Iwas so happy to have received an ARC of Peter Swanson's newest book because everyone who has ever read one of his stories knows that he rocks every thriller!!!!
Basically it is about nine people who end up on a death-list without even having the faintest idea why. They don't even know each other. But this is no joke it is deadly serious. But why???
Just embark on this crazy ride and enjoy it, you will not be disappointed!!!
Thanks #Netgalley #Faber and Faber Ltd for the ARC of this book