I have now read all of Peter Swanson's novels and for me some have been 5 star reads and some more mediocre. For me, Nine Lives falls into the former category and I found it to be a gripping read that I could not put down over the course of 24 hours.
9 people receive the same list , containing 9 names including their own. Is this junk mail or something more sinister and dangerous ? There is no apparent link between those on the list and Jessica Winslow an FBI agent , who is herself on the list is determined to discover what connects the 9.
Swanson writes so compellingly and has a real talent for characterisation and setting the scene so we are really drawn into the lives of each person on the list. There are nods towards Agatha Christie here and I loved the classic mystery plot of Nine Lives. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I absolutely raced through this book. Amazing. I went into this book blind as I am obsessed with Peter Swanson. I recommend you do the same. It's creepy and dark but absolutely non-stop. Highly recommended. I in fact highly recommend every single one of his books ☺️xx

An enjoyable read by author Peter Swanson with an intriguing premise.

Nine total strangers receive a single sheet of paper in the mail with a list of names on it including their own. All the people on the list have never met each other and it could easily be discarded and ignored as junk mail. But interest is heightened when things start happening to the recipients of the mail, One man is drowned on a beach in the small town of Kennewick, Maine and then a father is shot in the back while running through his quiet neighbourhood in suburban Massachusetts. The deaths are mounting up, but what do these nine people have in common? A wide range of professions and locations make it very difficult to see any sort of pattern or connection.

FBI agent Jessica Winslow is one of the names on the list making her very determined to find out the link and to discover who sent the letters out. She must discover the connection and who the killer is before all nine strangers are murdered including herself.

A page turner and an intriguing plot made this a very enjoyable read.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Faber and Faber for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

#NineLives #NetGalley
Peter is the King of suspense.
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. First, a well-liked old man is drowned on a beach in the small town of Kennewick, Maine. Then, a father is shot in the back while running through his quiet neighborhood in suburban Massachusetts. A frightening pattern is emerging, but what do these nine people have in common? Their professions range from oncology nurse to aspiring actor, and they’re located all over the country. So why are they all on the list, and who sent it? FBI agent Jessica Winslow, who is on the list herself, is determined to find out. Could there be some dark secret that binds them all together? Or is this the work of a murderous madman? As the mysterious sender stalks these nine strangers, they find themselves constantly looking over their shoulders, wondering who will be crossed off next.
I loved this book. It's really intense book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for giving me an advance copy.

Nine individuals receive a envelope containing a sheet of paper with nine names printed on it including that of the recipients. Each character has their own personal reaction to the list, some are worried whilst others just dismiss it and throw the letter into the trash. It is only after they start being murdered one at a time that they realise that they have received the list because they are the chosen victims of a very clever killer. No one is safe and the authorities find themselves in a race against time to uncover the identity of the killer, a task that is made more complicated by the apparent lack of a connection between the victims.

Why have the nine individuals been marked for death? Who is the killer and what are the motives behind their action? Will the authorities be able to figure out the truth before the killer reaches the final name on their list?

Nine Lives has a classic murder mystery vibe permeating the pages and the plot includes several nods to And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie incorporated into the plot. There was also references to other classic fictional.characters, even my all time favourite sleuth Nancy Drew got a mention. Each of this stories characters had their own unique,realistic personalities and character traits, they were a mixed bag of likeable and unlikable individuals and then was one character who (and I know I shouldn't say this) I hoped would meet a seriously nasty and painful death.

As the intricately plotted story unfolds and the author draws together the various strands of his story which keeps the reader guessing and glued to your kindle, there is some unexpected twists and turns. There was some seriously intense chapters at one stage of the story and a truly unexpected moment that made me gasp and think, OMG, did that really just happen!!!! The identity of the antagonist was ingeniously concealed and a unexpected revelation and as for the motive behind the murders, well, while their actions were morally wrong when you took their backstory into consideration, could their behaviour have been due to extenuating circumstances?

With this latest addictive story, Peter Swanson once again demonstrates his prowess as the talented author of gripping, mystery thrillers. Once I started reading this book, I found myself so captivated that I read the whole book in one sitting. Very very highly recommended to readers who enjoy enthralling thrillers and murder mysteries.

Nine Lives - Peter Swanson

Nine individuals each receive an envelope containing a list of nine names, including their own. One of the nine gets killed, then another.

Those who received the envelope are marked for death.

I'm a huge fan of Peter Swanson's novels, so this was an immediate 'asap drop everything must-read'.

The nine varied characters all react very differently to the letter and the news, some go running to the police, others ignore it. The characterisation, as always with Peter Swanson, is superb, and each of the sudden deaths comes as a shock.

The race is on to try to protect the Nine, work out the possible connections and stop the killer. The story flows very unpredictably and the plotting is intricate, expertly weaving together crime thriller and murder mystery. There are several nods to 'Then There Were None' which I'm sure Christie fans will appreciate.

My preference is for the thriller elements over the murder mystery, but this is a great book, hugely entertaining with a sweet balance of thinking and short sharp shocks.

Not my absolute favourite Peter Swanson book but definitely one of his better ones.

Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd.

He’s back, back, back again! It is not a secret that Peter Swanson is one of my favorite authors so when a couple of days ago I received a mail saying I had been approved for an eARC, I knew I was gonna put all my current reads on hold to read Nine Lives immediately. I was done with it in less than 24 hours so good it was!

Nine people receive a list with their names on it. None of them know each other, but when they start getting murdered one a time it is clear to the authorities that there must be some secret linking them all together.

Nine Lives had big Rules For Perfect Murders and The Kind Worth Killing vibes, so I was absolutely hooked right from the start. All the different POVs and short chapters kept propelling the story forward without a chance for you to catch your breath. No one was safe, and that uncertainty of not knowing who could die next, kept me on my toes the whole time. There was a chapter where I actually yelled at my Kindle “oh no, you didn’t! How dare you?!”, so shocking it was.

I absolutely adored all the parallels with And then there were none (favorite book ever). Some history was provided about that book and its title changes throughout the years. Although as a huge Agatha Christie fan I already knew about it, I loved seeing it there. In my book, if you reference the Queen of Crime in your story you have done your job well.

I liked how the nine characters were immediately introduced, what really helped to keep them straight as the story progressed. Sometimes, when there’re so many characters, they all start mixing together, but here they were all easily distinguished.

Towards the end there was another shocking moment with the villain reveal that I did not see coming. I’m a bit on the fence about the killer’s motivations, but hey, who knows what goes through a killer’s mind? The final chapter was another unexpected twist that made for the perfect ending (in hindsight I noticed there was a clue earlier on about it).

Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.