Interesting premis and engaging style typical of Swanson as we are introduced to a group of people who’ve received a list of names and have no idea what the list means, Gripping, grisly and loved twist at the end!

I went into this knowing how much i loved Peter Swanson's last book and this one did not disappoint. I liked how this story was unwrapped and how the more you learned as to why the people were on the list, the more you learned about them. The writing was fast-paced and this kept me motivated to carry on as I needed to know what happened next. The ending was a little bit silly in my opinion but the way it was explained was done so well, it didn't cause too many issues for me.

Nine different people all receive the same letter. A sheet of paper containing nine names, their own name plus eight strangers names. What does the letter mean ? Who sent it ?

Suddenly nine complete strangers lives change after the arrival of a letter with their name on it. The letter contains nine names but they only know their own. Suddenly the police are contacting them asking if they received the letter ……. do they want police protection ? What is happening and what does the letter mean ? Who sent the letter ?

This is a great whodunnit style thriller that will keep you guessing throughout. Some great characters and a great plot. Definitely one to read !!

Thank you to Faber and Faber Ltd and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

'Nine Lives' is a psychological thriller that follows nine strangers after they receive a mysterious letter that lists nine names, including their own. They don't know who sent the letter nor do they recognise the other names on the list. At least, that's what they thought. When one by one the people who's names on the list start dropping like lies, it's a race against time to figure out who is behind the letter and the murders.

This was a pretty solid thriller for the most part. I was gripped from the very beginning and eager to find out how this story ends. The writing was good and I liked how the chapters were split up into every character's POV. This prolonged the suspense and kept readers guessing what will happen next. However, some parts were definitely slower than others, and I found myself caring less for other characters. With nine different characters, it does feel like a chore to keep up with their stories. That being said, once the deaths started happening it meant less characters to keep up with! (lol)

The ending was a bit disappointing and I felt like it seemed a little too rushed and unsatisfactory— but that's just me wanting more punishment for the perpetrator.

It's a good thriller if you prefer a quick read, some suspense and the idea of a hit-list mystery.

3 stars.

Rating system:
5 stars — Loved everything about this book. Will most likely re-read and would highly recommend to others
4 stars— This book was good. I didn’t love it but I still liked it enough to still rate it highly. I would still recommend this book; it just wasn’t a favourite of mine.
3 stars — I didn’t love it and I didn’t dislike it. There maybe have been a few things that bothered me while reading this book but for the most parts the likes outweigh the dislikes.
2 stars — There might be some things that were lacking in some areas—writing, characterisation, plot etc, but there may have been a few moments that I liked.
1 star — I disliked this book and had lots of issues with it.

The ever entertaining Peter Swanson pays tribute to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None amongst other crime classics in this lively novel. Nine people across the country each receive a list containing their name along with eight others, none of which they recognise. Reactions to it vary with some assuming it’s automated junk mail, one using it as the inspiration for a song and others momentarily perturbed. For FBI agent Jessica Winslow, whose name is on the list and receives a copy at her Albany office, curiosity is her business. Identifying the eight other recipients isn’t quite as simple as it might sound given they are distributed countrywide with differing economic circumstances and professions, although most seem to be in their thirties or early forties. Despite Jessica having a vague recollection of her father mentioning an Art Kruse, she knows it can’t possibly be the thirty-something oncology nurse, Arthur Kruse, whose copy of the letter is retrieved by his local field office. The task takes on a new sense of urgency when seventy-two-year-old Frank Hopkins, longtime resident of Maine and owner of the Windward Resort, is discovered having been forcibly drowned and with a scrunched up copy of the letter in his hand. And when a second death follows, and then a third, the list of nine names starts to look ominously like a death list with the connection between the remaining individuals staying worrying elusive as the body count rises.

Mystery enthusiast and detective, Sam Hamilton, of Kennewick Police Department is savvy enough to know the list is no coincidence and given that Frank’s letter looks to have been hand-delivered immediately prior to his murder he can’t help but think that the answers might lie in his crumbling hotel. Between the FBI’s probing questions about the parents of those of the list following on from Jessica’s vague memory of her father, and Sam’s obsession with And Then There Were None, the race is on to uncover who and what lies behind the list of nine. In a lesser writers hands I am not sure this novel would have worked quite as well, firstly because it involves introducing nine characters and despite the readers access to them being pretty limited they all spring to life and feel real. Swanson also manages to combine a multi-perspective narrative that intuitively reads and flows well with short chapters and spare prose. Despite quite a few allusions to the likely connection between the disparate nine, the reader isn’t given enough information to work out every detail prior to the reveal, even when the identity of the murderer becomes evident. I normally feel cheated with a mystery that doesn’t play completely fair but Swanson’s cryptic plot, compulsively readable prose and interesting characters combined to make for a fun and suspenseful read.

I found this a very readable book and appreciated the Agatha Christie references. It was well written and pacey but I found the characters difficult to care for. I will be exploring more of Peter Swanson's work though.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to access an arc.

Nine lives attracted me because of its classic murder mystery ethos. It features a list with nine names sent to nine people. There appears to be no connection between them, and the need to find out why they are on the list intensifies as they start to die.

As a contemporary interpretation of a classic concept, it works well with false leads, many deaths and numerous suspects. Clever characterisation and life details make each person on the list believable, investing the reader in their lives.

I like the clever plotting, fast pace and unexpected twists of this story.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

I'm a bit lost for words after reading this! I'll be honest I was expecting standard thriller fare but this just gripped me! It's brutal, but the good kind..

This was another great book by Peter Swanson - he's definitely becoming one of those authors who I'll pick up a book by without reading the blurb as everything I've read of his so far has been great and this was no exception!
9 strangers receive a letter with a list of names on - unsure what connects them and what the letter means. Until one-by-one, the names on the list start being murdered and it's a scramble to figure out how they're all connected before they're all gone.
We get to hear from multiple POV of all the names on the list and a detective who discovered the first body - this was a great way to get to know all the characters and see their demise come about, which was done in quite a few different ways! Although I did really enjoy the story, I didn't find myself being hooked to it and found it wasn't a 'grabbing' read.
I'd still recommend picking this up!

Get ready for a rollercoaster read.
Nine people on a list. There is nothing to connect them other than they will die. The book swiftly moves through the untimely deaths of the people on the list. Both male and female. No one is going to escape. But why has the murderer chosen them.
I like the premise of the book. however as you've got to get through nine people it loses some of the character development. Also the ending is wrapped up pretty swiftly,
On the whole a decent read though.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC

Another great thriller from Peter Swanson.

A modern take on a classic mystery, nine lives was a gripping, engaging and intriguing thriller.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book and found myself guessing till the very end.

The writing was great. It was a very easy to read and engaging story.

The characters were also interesting. I was very intrigued how they all connected together. I definitely did not see the ending coming.

A very fun, enjoyable and suspenseful thriller, which is difficult to put down.

I highly recommend to all thriller and mystery lovers!

First of all this is the first Peter Swanson book I have read and will read more. What a great book. I finished it in record time for me and feel I probably read it too fast as desperate to find out what happened in the end. I can read it again more slowly next time. Nine people get a letter – just a list of names of which they are one on that list. Some on the list ignore it some think it is weird but one of the names is a agent with the FBI and does a little digging especially when the first one on the list is killed. He has the list in his hand on a beach where he died whereas the others received them by post. First of all they felt it was an accident until the others start to die. We get to know each person on the list but there is no clue how they are related either by blood or indeed friendship, not even school friends. The story unfolds in great depth and I did not have a clue who was the murderer or indeed why these people had to die. The FBI decide to try and keep the ones on the list alive but the murderer was too clever even for them and one after the other they are murdered. The first of the deaths happens in a rural area and the Police Detective decides to try and solve the mystery and without giving anything he seems to be on the right path but too late. He pops up in the book mixed with the people on the list. Interesting plot. He decides that the person who is committing these murders is a fan of Agatha Christie as he is himself and decides to follow this thought through. I think I will have to read the Agatha Christie book he alluded to just out of interest. As I have already said a great book and so easy to recommend to others

A very easy read.
Nine strangers receive a list with nine names and nothing else then one by one they are murdered, cn the police find out the connection?

I found it a bit slow to get into as you don`t know how and why it`s happening then the story starts to come together and keeps you reading till the end.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Nine Lives is a fast paced thriller that tells the story of nine strangers who each receive a list in the post with nine names on, including their own. None of them knows the other people on the list and nothing appears to connect them, until they start to be killed, one by one.

This book could easily be over complicated, as the story flits between the nine people on the list as well as police detectives, however I found that I was easily able to keep track of who everyone was. There is no great character depth, but it really isn't needed in this kind of book and there is just enough to keep it interesting.

Overall, this was a super quick read that I enjoyed, although the ending could have been better.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers in for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

I love how all of this author’s books reference other classic books. This one starts with nine names on a list and one by one they start dying. I really enjoyed it.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension - impossible to put it down

Nine people receive a list with their name on it, nothing else. Paying homage to detective novels, particularly Agatha Christie's And then there were none, Nine Lives is a sharply written murder mystery. Beguiling characters, a swift moving plot and credibly interlaced characters. I loved it.

I should prefix this review by saying that Peter Swanson wrote one of my all time favourite thrillers; “The Kind Worth Killing”. I’ve read quite a few of his novels after that but am yet to find one I love as much. I keep trying though!

Step in “Nine Lives”.

Nine strangers receive identical letters in the post. All nine of their names are listed in the letter, but no other information is provided.

One by one they are found murdered, in some cases even with a police presence guarding them.

One of the names on the list is Jessica Winslow; an FBI agent determined to find the link between all of them before it’s too late.

Firstly, what I liked; the very blatant homage to Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None”. It’s one of my personal faves and while plenty of authors are influenced by Christie, those books rarely acknowledge the inspiration as openly as this where it feels more like a tribute to the great AC. I was also keen to get to the ending to solve the mystery so it definitely kept me reading.

Things I didn’t like; I felt the pace was uneven. There’s lots of detail about each characters mundane lives, with an unexpected death every few chapters, then back to the everyday stuff again. I never really got to the edge of my seat with it. Having nine characters slated to die also meant it wasn’t possible to give a full backstory to each of them, so understandably, I didn’t always connect with the victims and wasn’t always that affected by their deaths.

Lastly, if you paid attention to “And Then There Were None”, you’ll no doubt have a good guess as to who the murderer is, and the motive once revealed, fell a bit flat for me.

I gave this 3 stars because it was a grand, easy read, but not my favourite Swanson; I’m already looking forward to reading his next book though!

With thanks to @netgalley and @faberbooks for the chance to read an ARC of #NineLives

Probably not really a fair review as I read this spread over at least a fortnight and due to the amount of characters got lost a few times.

Only really warmed or cared about 1 of the 9 people on the list and nearly didn't finish the book.

Like I say though, I read it over quite a long period, reading it in one or two sittings may have helped but I wasn't really hooked enough to do that.

Well I have flown through this book! I have devoured this in just one sitting. I can honestly say I have been completely unable and unwilling to put this one down.

This whole plot is based around a list of names which instantly raises the intrigue. We see the events pan out as we question why! Swanson doesn’t reveal until the very end.

There is tension and mystery throughout this one. I have been completely unable to predict where this may go. Swanson writes in a way that you feel as though you are watching the events play out.

This is addictive and moves at the perfect pace. I have raced through the pages of this one with desperation to find out where this may go. This is definitely a book I will be recommending.