Oh I enjoyed this book. Kept me guessing from the start and a lovely unexpected twist right at the end. Yes there was the usual thing of the weakest bit of the story being the conclusion but it didn’t spoil any of the pleasure for me.

Thank you for accepting my request to review this book.
I have read several Peter Swanson books and absolutely loved them. This was had great potential but for me it fell slightly short of my expectations. I think I have read too many books which gave a similar plot line, but I found parts predictable.
However, I was still entertained throughout, and I would always pick up another Swanson book in the future

The synopsis intrigued me. I had high hopes for this. Sadly it didn't live up to those hopes. Although I did enjoy it, I just had a couple of issues that let it down.

The main issue being I felt we spend majority of the time without any clues to who is behind this or why. We spend time with each character in the moment but we don't get any connections. Its hard to build any theory. Unless I just missed every clue. But with how the book is set out we don't see much of an investigation.

The other issue was the amount of POVs. This is a me thing. I just sometimes struggle to remember each person and not confuse them. Here we had maybe 10 or 11 different POVs. Its hard to keep track. I understand why so many was needed.
With the book being under 300 pages we don't spend enough time with each POV to build the characters.

There was so much potential here and I did get gripped by the story. I wanted to see if the person was caught before the end or not. I just wish it was set out differently.

9 strangers receive a letter with just 9 names on them including their own. One by one they are killed.
The story is set up as shortish chapters from each of the names' point of view as they worry or ignore this letter.
I was confused a few times as there were so many characters to keep track of.
I liked that I assumed particular characters' fates and was often wrong. it kept me interested until the end.
A very enjoyable read.

When a letter arrives with nine different names on it and one of them is your own. What would you do? Well for the nine recipients of the letters, seeing their names on a random list doesn't necessarily alarm them or bother them. Just a prank maybe or something that has been mistakenly mailed. One of the recipients works for the FBI, she is intrigued by this list and seems to think one of the names sounds familiar.

This is a slower-paced story and one where the author introduces the nine letter recipients and gives the basics about them. Nothing seems to link them and they all seem like random strangers. The author gradually ups the suspense throughout this story and it isn't until the final 20% of the book that things suddenly become clear.

Given that the characters are unknown to each other, there is something that obviously links them. This is the letter with their names on it. One death doesn't really mean anything, but when a second and then a third person on the list turns up dead, well there is something obviously more going on.

I did like this slower pace, it is one of those stories that feels like nothing is really linking or moving but in subtle ways, things are developing. The author lays down the foundation and then builds them, adding more details to the remaining characters until the end of the book.

This is a crime based story but it felt more like a crime mystery than a crime thriller. Discovering the reasons, the motives and the underlying cause of the list made this a quite addictive read. It is one I would be happy to recommend.

Nine people receive a list I'm the post. It's just a list of nine names including their own. Soon they start dying off and the Police and FBI try to figure out why? Is there a connection and can they be saved in time.

This was an interesting story. The plot is steady and the ending was well written. I liked the final twist at the end but I did find his motive not quite as strong as I'd hoped. I wanted a little more and I had figured out why they were likely to be targeted though not the full story. The writing is good and it does leave you unsure who the killer is until close to the end which I liked. It was hard to like the characters as the story jumps around so much, you don't get to know them well. I did like the bond developing between Caroline and Ethan though. A good mystery, thriller.

This was a very quick read with a not very original plot. Agatha Christie is a very famous example and there was a good Nick Perry radio drama several years ago using the 'kill list' idea. I liked the short chapters and the separation of each character. Thanks to Netgalley.

A list of 9 names Is sent to 9 strangers. Each one of them are included on the list. What do they have in common? And are they in danger?
When the bodies start piling up one by one, the list gets shorter and shorter. The race to survive is on.

This is my second novel by Peter Swanson. I love the fast pace of his stories, it makes them super easy to read and keeps you relatively interested throughout.
Unfortunately this particular novel didn’t capture my attention fully. I had no interest in any of the characters and I think partially that was due to the pace of the book. There wasn’t much time to delve into each character and what makes them, them. I felt I only saw surface level characteristics and nothing more.
The story also seemed a little disjointed and didn’t flow for me personally.
The ending was enjoyable, so points for the big reveal and the general storyline but overall it wasn’t for me.

This book is addictive. Such an intriguing concept.

Nine people receive an anonymous list. Nine names. Their own included. With no apparent links between them.

And then people start dying. Or rather they start being murdered.

The clock is ticking to find out who these people are and why their names are on the list.

Is Nine Lives dramatic and far-fetched?
Absolutely.
Does that take away from its brilliance?
Absolutely not.

If you want a book to keep you up reading on to the small hours, this is the one for you.

Nine Lives is just the sort of thriller/ mystery I love. Nine strangers receive a list with their name on and the names of eight others - they recognise their own name but none of the rest. Then one of the people on the list is killed. Then another... Is there any connection between them, and if so -what? FBI Agent, whose name is also on the list, starts investigating, but we certainly don't spend all of the book with her - we switch between various characters.

I loved the multiple points of view in this story - I always enjoy this in a novel. We get to know various people on the list and, with each person, you feel like you get to know them (although some are much more likeable than others) but death is always lurking - will they be killed too, and if so... when? The threat is ever-present in this novel!

Though there are quite a few characters, because people start dying pretty early on, you don't have to keep track of too many...

The plot is great - really intriguing, fast-paced, and it kept me racing through it from start to end. It's very, very readable - as is always the case with Peter Swanson's books! I'm a huge fan. I would have perhaps liked some more clues at times so I could try to guess, and I thought the motive was strange in many ways, but it's very entertaining!

A really enjoyable, tense read that, if you love your mystery novels, you'll devour in just a few sittings!

Peter Swanson's latest novel pays homage to the classic, Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. Detective Sam Hamilton of Kennewick Police Department, Maine references it charting its history. Nine people - Matthew Beaumont, Jay Coates, Ethan Dart, Caroline Geddes, Frank Hopkins, Alison Horne, Arthur Kruse, Jack Radebaugh and Jessica Winslow - receive a single piece of paper, computer printed and most dismiss the strange note but one of the recipients, Jessica Winslow, an FBI agent in Albany, New York, can't let it go. She attempts to find what links them, a task that becomes urgent when the elderly Frank Hopkins, in Maine, drowns; a murder that Hamilton investigates. As more of the named people on the list are murdered, it soon becomes clear that everyone is in danger...

A compulsive murder mystery, the list of chosen people is made up of a diverse range of individuals, all of different ages and professions, including a songwriter, an oncology nurse at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton and a college professor. The reader is rewarded with an intriguing glimpse into their lives, marriages, families, jobs, and relationships, until the point of their demise. Rich in suspense and tension, this entertaining and engaging read kept me glued to the pages as I attempted to identify the killer and motive. This is bound to be a winner from Peter Swanson.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Faber and Faber via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Nine Lives is another great read from Peter Swanson. A fast paced thriller, full of surprises that will leave you wanting more.

Nine individual's unknown to each other receive a hand addressed envelope to them in the mail. Inside is a single piece of paper with a list containing nine names, including theirs.

But what does it mean?

At first the recipients believe it's a simple administrative error - a mail shot gone wrong perhaps. As they are unaware that there are nine identical letters out there including their own.

When one person from the list dies unexpectedly, the local police believe it was an accident. Then they find a scrunched up list of nine people in the victims hand, including the name of the victim, and they wonder if the two things are connected.

FBI Agent Jessica Winslow is one the first to hear about Frank Hopkins' death, and is immediately on alert. She recognises his name from a list she recieved in the mail, unexpectedly with her own on it and eight strangers.

She thought her detectives mind was working overtime when she immediately placed it into an evidence bag, thought she was overreacting when she considered the list 'suspicious' and possibly a list of names that someone wanted dead.

Now she knows for sure that she was right. But as there is only one victim so far, who will believe her?

Jessica knows that she must keep herself safe to try and keep the others on the list safe, so begins to try and track them down. Some of them don't want to be found, and some of them are already in danger...

If you're on the list you're marked for death...
The envelope is unremarkable. There is no return address. It contains a single, folded, sheet of white paper.
The envelope drops through the mail slot like any other piece of post. But for the nine complete strangers who receive it - each of them recognising just one name, their own, on the enclosed list - it will be the most life altering letter they ever receive. It could also be the last, as one by one, they start to meet their end.
But why?

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own hone\st voluntary review.

My thanks to Faber and Faber for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Nine Lives’ by Peter Swanson in exchange for an honest review.

I found this a brilliant whodunnit with an ingenious twisty plot that had me glued to my e-reader for the duration.

Nine people receive an envelope with no return address. Inside is a single, folded sheet of white paper listing nine names. Each of them recognise just one name - their own. What does it mean? Then one by one, they meet their ends.

Local police forces along with the FBI become involved seeking to protect the dwindling members of the list, which includes FBI agent Jessica Winslow.

Another key character is Detective Sam Hamilton of the Kennewick P.D, Maine where the first murder occurs. As a child his grandmother had introduced him to the writings of classic Golden Age mystery writers, including Agatha Christie. As more deaths occur he utilises his specialist knowledge to assist in solving the case with particular reference to ‘And Then There Were None’.

Christie also pops up in a telephone conversation between two of the list members as they discuss that their situation sounds like the plot of a Christie novel: “I read all the Agatha Christies as a kid too. But then I discovered Jane Austen.” “Well, at least we have Agatha Christie in common.” ….

Overall, I felt that ‘Nine Lives’ was a well-plotted mystery that cleverly counts down the survivors chapter by chapter. Of course, as readers we get to know them, become found of them - then Zap! Another one bites the dust.

Highly recommended for lovers of murder mysteries both classic and contemporary.

A letter received by 9 people,with each of their names are on a list. A thrilling fast paced read of psychological proportions...lots of characters to keep track of but doesn't mar the story at all. Great read from Peter Swanson.

An original idea where nine people all receive a letter in the post then they start to get killed off.

Are they connected or is this random?

Fast paced and easy to ready.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.
I've been on a journey with Peter Swanson reading his previous publications and in the main have found him to be an author that is more than capable of telling a decent tale.
I really liked a idea of this book, nine apparently unconnected individuals all receiveing a letter in the post , the content of which is a list of nine names and one by one they start to be killed off.
You just know that somehow they just have to be connected, but how ?
This provides the crux of the story trying to ascertain the connection.
As per usual with Mr Swanson, expect a few twists and turns along the way.
I enjoyed this read, although I wouldn't say it was my absolute favourrite by him.Marks wise, probably a 3 1/2 but given the credit in the bank he has with me for previous books, I'll up it to four stars.
Thanks again

I loved this book, it totally drew me in from the start with the list of nine names. Well written and made me feel like I was watching a good TV drama. I know it's wrong but I kept wanting the next person to die to get more clues! I would definitely recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Another brilliant thriller from Peter Swanson, if you liked 'Rules For Perfect murders' then I think you will like this one. Plenty of twists and turns, great plot, fast pace and a good smattering of both likeable and unlikeable characters. Didn't guess how it was going to turn out (always a plus in my opinion) some twists I didn't see coming and plenty of references to Agatha Christie. All in all, brilliant and highly recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was very well written with a good premise. A lot of characters to get to grips with but still an enjoyable read!