I would describe this more as the type of "fun" crime fiction novel than anything else. It is trying to pay ode to Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None", but it just didn't have the same feel. Not Swanson's best work, but still an easy read.

The premise of this book drew me in immediately, so I was so intrigued to pick it up! Nine people get a random envelope with no return address on it with a list of 9 names inside, and one by one they end up dead - what’s not to love? I thought this was a very clever premise and plot with some great twists throughout and all in all a brilliant thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. The premise of this book had me intrigued. 9 strangers receive a list of 9 names in the mail, their names are each on the list. One by one the people from this list start dying in mysterious circumstances....why are these unconnected people all on this list and who if anyone is killing them? One of the people on the list is a member of the FBI investigating this case ....it was a mesmerising read for me. I was trying to find links between the characters and solve the case myself, but as usual Peter Swanson had me guessing up until the very end. Dark characters, people with secrets, and twists that unravel slowly, I was here for it all. Another great read from this author.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #peterswanson #ninelives #tea_sipping_bookworm #netgalley #goodreads #litsy #thestorygraph #amazonaustralia #bookqueen #bookstagram #thriller

i loved this story, once i got my head around the characters, who they were and where they played their part. Great twists in the plots, i guessed a few twists but there were good few surpriases along the way

I really love Peter Swanson but this wasn't one of my favourites. I found this had way too many narratives going on for me to feel invested. It follows a huge amount of characters that I had to refer to notes constantly to understand what was even going on. It kind of fell flat for me sadly.

Nine Lives is another fiendishly clever murder mystery from Peter Swanson, who clearly knows his classic crime literature and is also able to craft his own enthralling and complex mysteries. The story is intriguing from the outset, as nine disparate individuals receive a list of names in the mail. When the people on the list start dying in the order in which they are listed, it becomes apparent that being on the list means being marked for death. But why? And why these nine people? And who could want all the member of such a strange group of people dead? Swanson has crafted an indicate puzzle of a mystery that is populated by an eclectic bunch of characters (some of whom do perhaps serve to die a little more than others) as well as more than a few red herrings. It is possible to crack the case alongside the police, although it’s tricky to pull all the strands of the story together, and there’s a delightful sting in the tale too.

This was my first Peter Swanson book. I would say that it was quite a good storyline with perhaps too many characters. I will, however, give Peter a second chance if I see another one of his books.
Thank you Netgalley and Faber and Faber for giving me te opportunity to give my unbiased opinion

Ok ok ..I got the the Peter Swanson party late and he has become one of my favourite authors. So when I saw this one was available I hoped it lived up to Her Every Fear . Nine lives what was there not to like !? Intriguing title , great synopsise. What I love is Peters easy writing style after a hard day at work I just want to pick up@a book and get stuck in and this book was no exception.i was drawn in to the plot after the first few pages ( always a good sign , I can usually tell after the first few pages if I like it and it’s going to be one of those that I can’t put down ).Nine Lives is centred around Nine people whose names appear on a list that they each receive in an unmarked envelope. Each strangers to each other. When the first person is murdered in Maine with the list in his hand and then a second person, FBI agent Jessica Winslow, who herself is one of the nine on the list is trying to catch the killer but time is running out…..The book alternates between characters and their story, that’s nine characters at the beginning as opposed to the normal two or three POV, it would take me a couple of minutes of reading for my brain to remember what had happened so far to them. This modern day murder mystery gave me my Peter Swanson Fix.

Having loved Peter Swanson's last novel, 'Rules for Perfect Murders', I was thrilled to get the chance to read his latest. Unfortunately, 'Nine Lives' just didn't land for me. It's a fantastic premise - nine complete strangers receive an envelope that contains a list of names, then start dropping dead one by one - but I didn't find myself engaging or empathising with any of the characters.

The whole lot are rather an unpleasant bunch and, whilst Agatha Christie did something very similar in 'And Then There Were None', I think she managed to create unlikeable characters that were still somehow empathetic or sympathetic. Christie also largely kept to one viewpoint whereas being gradually introduced to all nine of the protagonists made the opening of 'Nine Lives' rather plodding at times.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. Although it's not a long book, I just couldn't find enough of an 'in' to keep me going through it. It's by no means badly written though and I'm sure others will find much to enjoy.

Another absolutely gripping read by Peter Swanson, the master of the red herring and expertly crafted twists and turns. The body count is high and you'll never guess whodunnit! Add to your tbr immediately.

I have enjoyed previous books by this author so was excited to recieve an ARC for his new "nine lives" book.

However the book was clunky and slow with very few redeeming characters. The stroy is told through way too many POVs making it incredibly hard to follow any train of thought or build any momentum

Almost a DNF but I skipped a big part of the second half to get to the end for the “twist/reveal” - shouldn’t have bothered 😕

sadly too many characters so struggled with this and gave up. I do not leave a public review for a def

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Having previously loved The Kind Worth Killing, I was excited to have received an ARC of Nine Lives. While it wasn't as good as my all time favorite, it was still pretty good.

First I must say that I mostly like the way Peter Swanson writes, but unfortunately this one just left me with mixed thoughts.
I definitely was hooked from the start, I liked the main idea of the book because like always it combines Agatha with something modern.. It's like walking through your old neighborhood, it's familiar but in the same time it's different.
I must admit that it was slightly boring in some spots, but mostly I was disappointed from the ending.. I just couldn't figure out how it supposed to be good ending.. Why in the end specifically she served? I just don't get it 🙄 Why kill the children when most parents don't have any connection with them and why now when almost nobody remembers nothing? I get the story with the diagnosis but still it just doesn't cover it. We never learn if they acknowledge why this happened or enney emotions at all from them. And why write haracters that are not developed or doesn't deliver something specific to the main plot..
Maybe just maybe he would try to write a series.. It would give more time to develop characters and stories..

A solidly enjoyable thriller if one that felt a little slow to start, due to the number of protagonists the reader was introduced to. Not my favourite Swanson read but I can still always trust him to deliver a good time.

This was such a gripping storyline – nine apparent strangers all receiving a list with nothing more than their names on it. As the storyline progresses, we learnt more about each character as one by one they meet their demise. Amongst the listees is FBI agent, Jessica Winslow, who is certain there must be a connection to all nine and sets out to track down the others before it’s too late.

This was a fast paced mystery, which had me gripped from the start. Told from multiple points of view, this was a quick read and one that I would highly recommend.

Many thanks to Faber and Faber Ltd and NetGalley UK for the review copy.

Completely hooked by this from page 1 and I really liked the different POVs for each of the names. I don’t think the ending was really much of a mystery- all the clues were there
Peter Swanson’s writing style is easy to immerse yourself into and you feel right there with the characters

Nine strangers receive a list with their names on it in the mail. Nothing else, just a list of names on a single sheet of paper. None of the nine people know or have ever met the others on the list. They dismiss it as junk mail, a fluke - until very, very bad things begin happening to people on the list.
This was such a intense read, i really could not put it down and found myself reading it within 24 hours.
With the end cinclusion been very fresh and i abosolutely loved it.

What A Read!!!! Completely unputdownable I devoured this in one sitting!

Nine random people each recieve a mysterious piece of mail. A single sheet of paper with a list of nine names, theirs included. No other information. No one recognises any of the other names on the lost so basically ignore ot.

But.. One of the names on the list is FBI Agent Jessica Winslow who as expected feels the need to investigate, even more so when a name on that list is then murdered. When a second on the list is then murdered the plot thickens as she races to try and connect these people and herself together. There must be some connection, some common thread so matter how tenuous *no spoilers*

Each name on the list gets to give their own POV and the short chapters keep the plot moving at a fast pace. Don't get discouraged by the list of characters within the book as each one is distinct enough to stand alone and as the murders keep happening there are less to remember 😉

If I'm being totally honest the ending wasn't as big and shocking as I'd hoped but this doesn't take away from the brilliant storyline.

An extremely well thought out and plotted storyline that has you gripped from start to finish.

Huge thanks to netgalley and Faber & Faber Ltd for the ARC.

I think I'd read too much about this book and although it was a good storyline I was slightly disappointed. I liked the characters, I liked the story, but there was something which didn't gel for me. As I said I think I read too much about it before reading it.