From my blog: Always With a Book

Peter Swanson has become a must-read author for me when it comes to crime fiction and I love that his books are so thrilling and binge-worthy and this latest one is no exception – I read this one in a day! This newest one was a most-anticipated read for this month and it totally delivered!

Even though I have not read Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, which this book pays homage to, I absolutely loved Peter Swanson’s take on it and found myself hooked right from the get-go. I was so intrigued by the puzzle that he gave us, the list of nine seemingly random people on a list who start to get killed one by one. In fact, me being the geek that I am, I made my own list to keep track of who was who so I didn’t have to keep flipping back to the beginning – yes there is a character list in the front of the book that I found extremely helpful! – and as each character was knocked off, I made note of it on my list.

This book really kept me on my toes as I felt I was working just as hard as the detectives in trying to figure out just what was going here. I loved that the story is told from multiple points of view, allowing us to get to know everyone on the list, however briefly. It really does keep you hooked and the short chapters move the story along at a rather brisk pace. The twists were just right – not too many and not too over the top – but just enough to keep you engaged and on uneven footing, occurring when you least expected them, which is just how I like them. And that ending…I definitely did not see that coming!

I cannot recommend this book enough. It is entertaining, thrilling and just a great story. And now I cannot wait to pick up And Then There Were None to see how it compares! Peter Swanson continues to amaze me with just how clever and talented a writer he is and I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next!

3.5 stars. This is my 3rd Peter Swanson book and the one I liked the least. It’s about nine strangers whose names are on a “list” to die!

I liked that is was short chapters, a quick read, an interesting storyline!

I didn’t like SO MANY CHARACTERS. I kept forgetting who was who AND never really connected/liked/cared about them. I was surprised who the killer was but not shocked. And the extra ending was disappointing. Wished it hadn’t been put in. I really felt like this was a rough draft waiting for someone to take out what needed to be gone and put in what needed to enhance the story.

4.5 stars

What would you do if you received a cryptic envelope in the mail that contained nine names on it? What if your name was on that list? And what would you do if the other people on that list were being murdered one by one?

Nine Lives was a fast-paced thriller that kept my attention the entire time. I loved how the book was written in sections and each section ended with one of the people on the list being murdered. It was basically a countdown to see who would be murdered next which made me not want to put the book down.

I enjoyed trying to figure out what connection there was with each of the nine characters and why the killer was murdering them. I focused more on this and less on who actually was the killer throughout most of the book and was therefore surprised when the twist was revealed.

I don’t normally finish a book in one sitting, but I did with this one so that says a lot. I did have some small issues with the ending, but I don’t want to spoil anything so can’t say more. I would highly recommend this book though!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the short chapters and the writing style, and although there are a lot of characters, I did not find it too confusing. What I didn’t like was the Agatha Christie reliance and Eight Perfect Murders was similar in this way too. It isn’t very thrilling, but it’s an easy quick mysterious read.

Nine Lives is Peter Swanson's version of Agatha Christie's "And then there were none". Swanson is a favorite author and I loved reading it. Nine people receive a list with 9 names on it - including their own - None know each other and they aren't quite sure what to make of this list. - BUT as you can see from the tagline on the cover - if your on the list - someone wants you dead. This was so intriguing and I loved reading about each of the 9 characters and seeing how the story ultimately played out. I liked how the author wrapped the story up and I was pleased with the ending. Thank you to William Morrow and Scene of the Crime for a widget of the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

What a ride! This story kept me guessing whodunit all the way to the very last page.

Nine people receive a list with their name on it along with 8 other names and nothing else. None of the listed know one another nor do they know why they have received this cryptic list. But one of the names happens to be an agent with the FBI so when one person from the list is found dead, the FBI springs into action to contact the others on the list but for some it will be too late. There are multiple storylines going on and it’s easy to get tripped up in trying to find the connections and that’s what makes this book so great! The twists are amazing and even though I had my suspicions in a couple of places, I didn’t see the major twist coming!

Told from multiple POVs, Swanson’s writing makes it easy to keep track of the stories and different characters—something I’m always weary of when picking up a multiple POV read—but the different perspectives contribute to the intrigue.

This one reads more like a mystery than a thriller. I think I still enjoyed THE KIND WORTH KILLING more (I’ve only read two Swansons so far), but this one was still hard to put down. Written as a homage to Agatha Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, I want to acknowledge I haven’t read the book, but the history of the book title’s horrible past cannot be forgotten.

A list with nine names on it. How are they connected? What does this list mean? One name on the list is an FBI agent and seeks to find out the why and meaning of the list. So...we get nine POVs plus some others thrown in there. It's a lot to keep track of. Some of the POVs were more interesting than others. Some POVs I just didn't care about until the chapters leading up to their death. Because that's what happened. One by one, the people on the list end of up dead. (and we get one less POV!)

The reveal of the killer and the reasoning behind it was very underwhelming. The motive is also somewhat questionable and there aren't any clues given leading up to the reveal of who it could be. Quick read, short chapters.

Thank you to @bibliolifestyle @williammorrowbooks and @netgalley for my advanced readers copy and finished copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book, and always love when chapters alternate between characters. In this case nine characters. It was fun playing detective to try and figure out how all of these strangers were connected. The only one of the nine who came remotely close was the FBI Agent, but I won't spoil it.

This was on its way to being a 5 star read for me, but the ending bothered me. I didn’t like the reasoning behind some of what was happening, and it felt like the killer didn’t like it either, but was able to justify and move on.

Don’t worry, all your questions that pop up while reading will be answered and then some.

Nine people who have never met each other all receive a list with their names on it in the mail. Then they start dying, one-by-one.

This was a super-bingeable thriller. The little snippets you learn about each of the list members were just enough to make you hope they survived (or didn't). The ultimate explanation behind the list was kind of bonkers, but I didn't predict it, and the book was overall entertaining enough that I didn't really care that the ending was not my favorite. This is a perfect vacation/beach/pool book.

Nine people receive a list in the mail with their names on it. There is no other information. They are all strangers. They are not concerned at first, until people on the list begin to be murdered in different ways. One of the names on the list is Jessica Winslow, an FBI agent. She begins to investigate how the nine are connected, but then she is murdered as well.

The parallels to Agatha Christies' And Then There Were None are unmistakable. The book is fast-paced and can be read in one sitting. In the end, the reason for the murders is a let down for me. I would give it three out of five stars.

I enjoyed this suspenseful story. This is a newer author for me which I enjoiyed from beginning to end.. I enjoyed this author's writing style as well as their attention to details. This is a well writtien story about one cryptic list, nine names and unusal murders. The characters are strong, connectable and are supportive to each other. They kept the story engaging as well as had me coming back for more. The twists and turns they took me on had me sitting on the edge of my seat just waiting to see what would happen next. I really enjoyed what they brought to the story and made it easy and hard to put down. I also enjoyed the growth of the plot throughout the story that made it entertaining. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.

Wow. I devoured this book. I loved the alternating perspectives, the mystery of whodunit, and learning more about the diverse characters. I liked some character storylines more than others, but that made me keep reading because I needed to know what happened to my favorites! Overall, this was a highly entertaining read and I’m already looking forward to Swanson’s next book! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

I found the premise of Nine Lives to be very intriguing and the book was fast-paced with short chapters, which I love. It definitely kept me turning the pages and I finished in less than a day, however I found
the ending, particularly the motivation for the killings, to be pretty underwhelming. Also, there are a lot of characters to keep track of in this book, which made it hard to connect with them. Overall, I’d say this was a three star book for me. I liked it, but I didn’t love it.

I've been a great streak lately with books that just click for me and this was one of them! While there are a lot of perspectives in this book (more than just the nine), with each chapter there's fewer, and the short chapters from each perspective really kept this moving for me. I thought following along with the investigations and how each of these murders happened was fascinating, and finding out the connections and motivations was interesting. The author created a group of unique characters, and I'd grow nervous with each chapter wondering who was next, unintentionally growing attached to some of them despite knowing that wouldn't end well. I think Peter Swanson is really at his best drawing from classic mysteries for his stories, and this one shows that off.

A zippy, fast read about nine people who receive a single sheet of paper with nine names- theirs included-in the mail. But why? How are these fairly ordinary individuals connected? FBI Jessica Winslow is one of them and she's determined to find out what it is, especially when one of the people is found murdered at the shabby resort he owns in Maine. Each chapter focuses on one of the nine as well as on Detective Sam Hamilton, who makes the connection to his much loved Agatha Christie. This one will hook you with the short chapters and the sense of impending doom (who is next?) but the answer, when it comes, is less than rewarding because it doesn't entirely track or make sense. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Liked this one til the killer was revealed.

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson is a fast paced ride with similar vibes to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. A list with nine names on it is mailed to the nine people who are on the list. There are seemingly no connections between the nine people, but the FBI Agent who has been included on the list is determined to find out what the meaning behind it is, especially since the people on the list suddenly start dying/are murdered. I found myself flipping back through the book to find the original list so I took a photo of it, but then as the story unfolded I found myself not needing to reference it as much as I thought I would. I really enjoyed how Swanson unfolded this mystery somewhat slowly throughout the nine sections of the book and how he kept the drama unfurling. I didn’t absolutely love how the story ended. Admittedly, I have not read And Then There Were None, so I don’t know if this was an homage to that story, but I wasn’t in love with it. I did appreciate how the story wrapped up and thought it could have ended there.

Swanson will forever be an autobuy author for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, William Morrow and Scene of the Crime Reads for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was good but not a thriller that really stands out to me. Maybe I was thinking too much about And Then There Were None. I was interested the whole way through it , I think what made me down grade it a bit is when we found out the motive and who the killer was. But overall a decent thriller.

Nine Lives is my first Peter Swanson book. It was a quick read and grabbed me right away. When nine seemingly random people all receive a list with their name on it, the FBI must work to find the common link to try to save them all. The action kept me interested until the last third of the book or so when I just wanted it all to come together.

This was a great story! I’m a big fan of multiple POVs, so I liked the little glimpses into the lives of those on the list. It was a little easy to figure out what was going on, but I still enjoyed the journey there. While this was a slow build to learn everything, it really picked up about halfway through. I was hooked from the beginning and wasn’t disappointed!