I have read several of Peter Swanson's books and while I have enjoyed several of his other books more, this was a quality novel. On a spinoff of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, nine strangers receive a list of names in the mail, of which their name is included. The race is to figure out how they are connected as the killer slowly picks them off one by one. I appreciated the story telling and layout of the different chapters, though I could have done with some more character development and a quicker outline of the plot. There didn't seem to be a clear investigator in the story which made it difficult to determine if someone was truly trying to find the killer. All in all, it was a quick read, and a decent mystery.

Thank you to William Morrow Books for the opportunity to read and review.

I received an ARC, of Nine Lives, by Peter Swanson. This was an ok book, pretty dark and out of order.

Nine Lives has openly followed the theme, if not plotline, to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. The similarities to the crimes committed within Nine Lives were remarked upon within the book by various characters connecting it to Christie's book. Nine individuals receive a note bearing nine names with seemingly no connection. When the individuals start to die, the FBI becomes involved in solving the crime. Interestingly enough, one of the names is also a FBI agent.
Not all of those named on the list are fleshed out for the reader and feel non-necessary to the story outside of the body count.
If you've read And Then There Was None, you pretty much know how it will work out but it's always fun to read a new take on a successful idea. I gave this rework 3.5 stars as the characters were uneven in their importance and confusing with so many POVs that didn't really matter or propel the story. The book was made more interesting to realize that no one was actually safe and that the reader might lose a favorite character. That said, the ending was just a bit too tidy.
Thank you to William Morrow & Co. and Scene of the Crime Facebook Group for access to an early copy . All opinions are mine.

This book was OK but I had a bit of trouble keeping track with so many characters. Some of the characters were likable and others not so much. The connection between them all was only revealed near the end. The reason for the multiple murders was a bit implausible.

SUPER FANTASTIC!!! I loved this book and read it in two sittings and I couldn't get enough. Amazing characters and twisty storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat. If you’re on the list, someone wants you dead. it was very Hitchcock which I loved. The suspense was perfect and the pace fast and it makes you think !

Thank you to the publisher for my copy all thoughts are my own!

3.75 stars, rounded up.

I've been in like/love with Peter Swanson's books since I first read The Kind Worth Killing. Sadly, none of his other books have been as great IMO, but a few have come close. And every year around this time, I get excited to read his newest novel. He's an automatic buy for me.

Onto Nine Lives: If you like stories with multiple POVs, you'll be happy with this one. And that's the challenge of the book, caring about 9 strangers who find themselves on a death list. With so many POVs in a 300+ page book, you find yourself happy when a few of them are quickly eliminated. Still, I like Peter Swanson's style and found myself enjoying the read, was curious to how it would play out and trying to figure it out before the reveal (I couldn't).

The big reveal was a bit of a letdown, there wasn't much backstory given to guess the killer's identity and the ending was entirely free of drama.

Do I recommend Nine Lives? Yes. It's an easy and quick read. And in March of 2023, I'll be excited for Peter Swanson's newest release!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scene of the Crime for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First line: Jonathan Grant, unless he let her know ahead of time that he couldn’t make it, always visited on Wednesday evening.

Summary: Nine people have received a letter in the mail with no return postmark and inside is a list of nine names. None of the names seem familiar to the people on the list. Many of them assume that it is some technical error until one of them is found murdered. Coincidence? Maybe. Until another of the people on the list is found shot in the back while out on his morning run. Detective Winslow is also on the list and she is determined to find out what the connection is and who is hunting them.

My Thoughts: I love Peter Swanson’s books. This is my third one but I need to go back and read his older stuff soon too. The way he incorporates classic mysteries into his stories also give me more books to read but adds an extra layer of intrigue into the plot. In this one he uses the similarities with And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

Each of the chapters were really short and they were organized into how many people are left on the list. As it counted down the suspense continued to build as I waited for the next death or a big reveal. And just before Swanson gave the reader a big hint of who was behind the deaths, I figured it out. It was genius. As a reader, and one that has read a lot of Agatha Christie lately, I can see he enjoys her work and draws inspiration from it too.

But I think my favorite part of Swanson’s newest book was the relationships in it. The characters that lived longer into the story were given interesting storylines that made me want to read just for their interactions. It made their impending doom much more heartbreaking.

FYI: Lots of death.

⭐⭐⭐.5/5

• multiple POV
• more mystery than thriller
• not a fan of the reveal

This one was just okay for me. Lots of names and lots going on, but because of that I feel like the characters didn't fully shine. It does make you want to keep reading to find out how all of our characters are connected. This is my first book by this author and I will be reading more!

🗣️ Thank you to Scene of the Crime and William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review this book via advanced copy through NetGalley! All opinions are honest and my own.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early read of Nine Lives by Peter Swanson.

Nine people receive a list in the mail – it is a plain envelope and a plain piece of paper with nine names on it, including their own. Each of them dismisses it, though with varying degrees of success. One of the people on the list is an FBI agent, and she is more than a little curious (and worried) about the list. Then they learn that one of the people on the list has been murdered on a beach up in Maine, with the list still clutched in his hand. Suddenly the letter takes a more sinister turn. The book goes back and forth between each of the people on the list – we learn something about their lives, and we see them come to bad ends. Along with the FBI, we try to figure out why nine seemingly unconnected people have been targeted by a killer. If this sounds a bit like Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, it was intended to – but that doesn’t stop the fun of trying to figure out who has been judge and jury to these nine people. I do like Peter Swanson – his last book was not his best, so I was glad to see him back to form in this latest.

I would like to thank Harpers Collins and Scene of the Crime Facebook group for this ARC, I don’t write many reviews, but appreciate the opportunity to read/review this book.
I would give this rating an actual 3.75 which I rounded up to 4, unfortunately Goodreads doesn’t allow fraction ratings. Ever since I read The Kind Worth Killing, I was hooked by the author and continued to read most of his other books. I admittedly don’t think this newest book was on the level of TKWK, but it had moments. First of all it was a short, fast read. My kindle said I had less than 4 hours to read, so that was a plus.
I was immediately intrigued by the premise of 9 people who were mysteriously on this “list” and I especially enjoyed how the format of the book matched the order of how the victims were killed off, counting down each chapter/section as they were killed off, which I thought was pretty clever. But for me as much as that was an interesting aspect of the book, it was also confusing to have to keep up with the list. I had to bookmark that section where he identified the list of characters to remember “now who is this again” but that could just be me and how my brain operates. It would have been cool to keep showing the list at the beginning of each section as each person got killed off.
I will applaud the author for bringing in a little more diversity with some of the characters than his previous works. I’m conflicted, on the one hand, we all can appreciate diversity in characters and not be bombarded with their skin color and how obvious it is, this person of color can “just be” another character in a story, but then if you do decide to write about a person of color, let’s dig into that a little and see how that impacts the story. For me, it was slightly refreshing but done in a way where it really didn’t have much impact in the story. I actually had to read a certain section over again because I was thinking “oh this character isn’t white?” How did I miss this?
In true Peter Swanson form, he does leave you with a little cliffhanger much like The Kind Worth Killing, leaving you a little shocked…little, not majorly shocked.
Overall, Nine Lives was a quick, short-ish read and kept me entertained, it had the thrill of watching an episode of a limited series show on Netflix that hasn’t been created yet ….hint hint

Nine Lives

Peter Swanson

HarperCollinsPublishers


Nine strangers receive an envelope with a list of nine names, including their own. No one recognizes any of the other names on the list and they are curious about who sent it and what it means. One of the nine reads the list and is instantly murdered on the beach. And then there were eight.

Swanson’s thriller is well written, using multiple points of view, and short to-the-point chapters. I found it a quick read with well developed characters. I especially enjoyed the literary mentions including Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” and even “Peter Pan.” But, it was the more obscure references that impressed me.

75% into the book the author drops this mention into the story. It refers to Jay’s wannabe actor life and it’s unattainability. He’s sitting in a speakeasy bar in downtown LA. Her quote, “He got a corner booth, drank vodka and soda water with two limes, and watched the girls come and go, talking of Leonardo Caprio.” Love it! From "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," the lines "women come and go / talking of Michelangelo" symbolize the contrast between the idle chatter of Prufrock's everyday life and the unattainable magnificence for which he longs. Just like Jay.

Sense and Sensibility reference: “It is not time or opportunity that is to determine intimacy—it is disposition alone.” About Ethan and Caroline planning to meet in Illinois.

Philip Larkin’s poem:
We met at the end of the party
When all the drinks were dead
And all the glasses dirty:
’Have this that’s left’, you said.
We walked through the last of summer,
When shadows reached long and blue
Across days that were growing shorter:
You said: ‘There’s autumn too’.
Always for you what’s finished
Is nothing, and what survives
Cancels the failed, the famished,
As if we had fresh lives
From that night on, and just living
Could make me unaware
Of June, and the guests arriving,
And I not there.

This book held so much promise, but unfortunately, the ending disappointed me.
Three stars

Thank to #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsPublishers for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the advance copy of Nine Lives in exchange for my honest review.

3 solid stars. In true Swanson style, this story starts as a slow burn and picks up the pace about half way through. Swanson is known for dropping big twists right up to the very last pages of his books and this one does not disappoint.

3.5
Nine strangers marked for death!

The "List-of-Nine case" as the Detective Sam Hamilton refers to it, wants to learn how nine names on a list are related and why the list is dwindling.

The author injects Agatha Christie throughout, which had me comparing this tale to And Then There Were None and added entertainment. There are also other books mentioned that pleased this bookworm. I love seeing characters bookshelves!

There are nine characters to keep track of, but no worries as they are quickly eliminated as the chapters help you countdown. And then there were .....8,7,6,5,etc...

An entertaining read, but as the characters were being killed off, I wanted more clues, more bread crumbs, a trail to follow. I like to play armchair detective.

I wasn't a fan of the conclusion/reveal. Boo!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Wm. Morrow publishing for an e-arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this mystery/thriller. Peter Swanson writes a good thriller and I especially enjoyed the way he incorporated various book titles into the novel.

I did find a few parts a little slow or unnecessary but all in all a good read.

I keep reading Swanson trying to find the magic that was in The Kind Worth Killing! These books sound so much like my thing on paper, but just like [book:Eight Perfect Murders|52225186], don't end up executing well. None of the characters have enough pages to become fully fleshed out and the killings themselves feel random, sporadic, and uneventful.

Full disclosure: I have yet to read an Agatha Christie (I know!). It seems that this book is heavily influenced by And Then There Were None? Is that novel as uneventful as this?

When Nine Lives came up as an option for the Scene of the Crime Book Club, I was thrilled--I've heard so many good things about this author, who, like Christie, I had not yet gotten to. And the premise sounded exciting: nine people, with seemingly no connections, receive a list of their names in the mail. The letter says nothing more, but soon, terrible things begin to happen to each person.

The best part? It was incredibly quick (I think in part because I began to skim late in the game).

Unfortunately, I was completely underwhelmed by this novel. It has about 1,000 (alright, I exaggerate) POVs, which switch so often, I not only could keep no one straight, but I was not invested in anyone's lives to care when they began to die. There was no tension, no suspense, and no characters are memorable (but they sure were generic and cliché: gay man with a Fox News-loving father who disowns him? Check). It was simply a bunch of snippets of day to day activities and then...oh, a gunshot. Which, as I saw another reviewer mention, at least it cut down on a POV. The big reveal was also underwhelming and dare I say, anticlimactic. On one level I could understand the motivation of the killer, but I also just didn't find it believable to be causing the misery of these people.

Very grateful to William Morrow to have given me an opportunity to read this book. I most likely will try this author again, because, as I mentioned, I've heard so many good things, so I'm hoping this was just a case of a subjective miss for me.

Nine people had each received a list of nine names printed on it, with theirs being one of them. The last name was Jessica Winslow, an FBI agent. When she received hers, she immediately began a search of the names, as none were familiar to her. Then one from the list was found murdered, Detective Sam Hamilton was called in but before he could get started, the state police took over. He still continued to follow the case and when two more died, the FBI now had a serial killer but what was the motive, since none of them knew each other.
A fast paced intense thriller that moved forward as told through each of the people on the list.
Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for this e-galley of "Nine Lives".

This book kept me guessing until the end. Nine complete strangers each receive a mysterious list of 9 names including their own, as the people on the list start to die, the FBI begins an investigation into the letters and its recipients. Swanson tells the story in a unique and interesting way, with a different character's perspective in each chapter as the book counts down the list. There aren't many clues in the story until the middle/end, so you are along for the ride for most of the story. It was a little difficult to keep track of the timeline throughout the story since it does hop around between the characters, while they are labeled and noted, it was difficult to visualize and follow.

While the premise of a mysterious list of people marked for death being sent to those people sounded cool, I DNF'd this at 20%. The first quarter of this book is all the people on the list getting the letter, and nothing happening. I can't keep the characters straight, and it seems like they were created with some sort of auto-generator like "actor who drives BMW and is an asshole," "English teacher with a lot of cats." I started to skip pages, which may be more of a reflection of my own horrible attention span, but I just couldn't find it in me to care.

This was pretty good. I was enthralled and I enjoyed the pacing but it wasn’t the authors best effort.