Brilliant twisty little thriller had me hooked from page one and the ending was not to be missed, will look out for more from the author!

Disappointed to say my least favourite Swanson so far. It was clear that what he was trying to do with this plot and that he was experimenting with more of an Christie style mystery but unfortunately it just didn’t work for me

𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙮 𝙋𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙣

This is the first of Swanson’s books I’ve read, although I’m keen to get my hands on RULES FOR PERFECT MURDERS. I am one of those people who likes to read reviews before picking up a book and I was surprised to see a lot of negative thoughts about this. Prefacing my review with the fact I didn’t hate this (I read it in a couple of hours which always says something) but I didn’t love it and I do think this was probably something to do with having just finished FIND YOU FIRST (another kill list/hunt thriller).

So we have a lot of characters introduced straight away (nine, obviously) and we follow those nine perspectives throughout the book. I thought this may be confusing but I got to grips quickly with each character and I do enjoy alternating and fast moving perspectives but I think nine was possibly pushing it. This is a VERY character focused plot but despite this there’s not much depth to the characters and I think this is due to the large amount of switching perspectives.

Having said this, it was a super quick and easy read that I flew through and I enjoy plots that bring seemingly unrelated people together and allows us to connect the dots. I’m excited to read some of his other work!

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 + 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂!

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

The list arrives in a plain white envelope. A list with nothing but nine names on it but one of them is yours.

One by one the people on the list are being killed off. Just what is the reason for the murders and what is the connection between the victims? As time starts running out for the remainder of the people on the lists can a joint effort of the FBI and local cops find the perpetrator before it's too late?

I really enjoyed this and towards the end I couldn't put it down. Once the pieces start falling into place and past events come to light events came to a head where it all began.

Another fab Peter Swanson read.

A quick and easy read and not complicated
about nine strangers receiving a letter with their names on
You just need to read it now to find out why

Thank you netgalley, Peter Swanson and Faber & Faber Ltd

Nine people receive a list of nine names, and then one by one those people start getting murdered. It's an idea that's been done before and it's an obvious homage to Agatha Christie, with "And Then There Were None" being repeatedly referenced. This is the third new book I've read recently that uses the same story as its inspiration, so it doesn't feel particularly fresh to me. There didn't seem to be much focus on working out who was committing the murders - it was just a series of people getting killed one after another, and most of them I didn't care much about because there was such a large cast of characters and so many points of view that I didn't get time to get to know most of them before they were bumped off. The mystery was neatly and abruptly solved and the killer gave a full written explanation at the end of why they did what they did. It was all a bit simple and unsatisfying.

This book moves at a meduim pace and centres around 9 characters. Hence the title. Nine lives. I had to find out what the connection was between them all. This book is based on revenge. The ending ties up all the connections and the storyline.

I cannot stop recommending this book to everyone I meet!

Brilliantly written, an excellent premise and full of intriguing characters.

Nah. That pretty much summarises it.
It's an okay book but nothing special. It didn't really hook me, and I had to use my willpower to finish it. However, it was not wasted time andi didn't dislike reading it. Heavily inspired by And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, it is original enough to leave the reader with something new to discover. And, just like that Agatha Christie's novel, I liked the ending.

I wouldn’t say this was a thriller as more like a suspense.
I liked it well enough, I wasn’t thrilled by it or it being nail bitingly anxious. It was alright.
It was tense, the plot was good, the tension built exactly right but…..I didn’t get the OMG feeling when something happens.

I think mostly based on the blurred. Sometimes blurbs can give away a little too much for me personally and I’m guessing as soon as I start as I know what it’s about.
Some publishers give tasters, in this one I sort of knew what to expect….
One by one there is going to be deaths, we just have to figure out who and why….

It’s a plot that’s been written about so many times in so many different ways.

An OK read for me

I first came across Peter Swanson when I picked up The Kind Worth Killing back in 2016 without really knowing anything about it other than people were saying it was a must read. It really was. I don’t know how many times I recommended it or bought a copy as part of a birthday book bag. Since then, I’ve read all his books faithfully, though – I will admit – with mixed results (though I think this might be more my problem than his because I expect great things every time and, sometimes, books are just good).

And so it was with some trepidation that I picked up Nine Lives. I couldn’t not read it, but would it be one of the ones I ended up loving or one that left me feeling a little flat? I am pleased to report, it was the former.

Based (very loosely) on And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, nine strangers all receive a letter with their name and eight others on it. They don’t know the other people and, despite one of them being an FBI agent, can’t find the link between themselves. Some get the letter and feel worried, some feel scared, and some don’t think anything at all until people on the list start turning up dead. Then it becomes a game – will the killer get to them before the FBI get to him (or her)?

What makes this such a good book is how many twists and turns it takes to get to the end. I was constantly second-guessing who it might be and why people were on the list. The characters definitely add to the appeal to. Even the ones that end up dead early on are fully formed, designed to make you love or hate them (is – you wonder – the killer doing the world a favour?).

One of the questions I always ask myself with this type of novel is ‘did I see it coming?’ The answer is, yes, but not till I was a good way through the book and when more than a few hints had been dropped (by which point I was probably supposed to have worked it out!). The next question, is would I recommend it? Again, the answer here is yes. It’s a well-written, fast-paced, clever read, one that any fan of mystery/thrillers will enjoy. 4.5/5 stars.

This is a really interesting premise for a book. 9 people receive the same letter, on the letter is a list of 9 names including their own. No one seems to think much of it, until they start dying. This might sound vaguely familiar, that’s because it is. It is unashamedly based on AND THEN THERE WERE NONE by Agatha Christie – a homage, I guess you’d call it.

The story is told from multiple viewpoints so you get to know the characters and start to think what the connection between them might be. Don’t worry if you don’t remember names as you start the book, the author makes each character stand out as you read on.

This is a solid mystery with an clever format. It lacked the twists and turns I like in a thriller and for that reason alone it drops a star.

4 stars

This was definitely a “book you can’t put down.” Nine strangers all receive the same letter. I was kept guessing until the end for the connection.
Not as many twists and turns as I was expecting but I fun read.

I’ve read Peter Swanson before, so I was not surprised to find a book with heavy references to Aghata Christie, and to be honest I was looking forward to them. So, although the plot was not very original (and the reference to And then there were none is fully acknowledged) I really enjoyed the book.

I didn’t find any of the characters particularly endearing and that probably spoilt it a bit for me as I didn’t care one way or the other. However I really liked the ending and thoughtit was very well thought.

Definitely a book I would recommend.

unfortunately this book bored me out of my mind.
It has billion POVs and it's honestly hard to keep track who's who here.
the plot progression is so slow it verges on standing still. There's no tension, noting to hold your interest. Characters are going through their mundane lives until the die and we move on. If there were less POVs (let's say 2-3, for the sake of argument) we'd have time to familiarise ourselves with the characters, begin to care about them. But here? Why should I care about some rando dying, I've read two pages about him.
The final reveal is absurd, to say it kindly.

A good book
Very much on lines of Agatha Christie
Had me hooked
Will read more from this author
Thanks NetGalley

I enjoyed this book and finished it within a few hours but all the way through I had a nagging feeling that I’d read it or something very similar before. I admit to being a lifelong fan of Agatha Christie and this book acknowledges the plot line similarities and uses them well, however it’s not a new concept and although by the end I realised that I hadn’t read this book previously, I was left with a shoulder shrugging whatever feeling.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I've read nothing from this author before, but I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for any upcoming books he releases. Nine Lives was just such an entertaining, unputdownable, fun, and fast-paced read. I loved how the author payed homage to Agatha Christie’s "And Then There Were None". I found the characters intriguing. The plot kept me guessing. The twist caught me off guard...this was just an excellent read and gets two solid thumbs up from yours truly!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

So nine random people receive a list of nine seemingly random names (including their own name). No one thinks much of it until one by one, the random people on the list start to become eliminated.

I’m a massive Swanson fan, I have enjoyed a few of his books. This one starts out fab, it’s well paced, easy to follow and I kept wanting to turn the page. At the beginning we have no idea what possible connection there could be.
As the story goes on, we start to get some bits and pieces of info. Without spoiling anything, there is a massive twist that I didn’t see coming. I thought it was brilliant! The book would have been a top read for me but the way the story ended for me wasn’t great. It had this big build up and then when I got to the end I felt a bit deflated.

*Many thanks to Peter Swanson, Faber and Faber Ltd, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
A so-so read, rather predictable, with an array of characters I could not relate to. Good writing is the biggest asset of this mystery. however, it did not make up for the general feel of the book in my case.