What a great cover! This storyline had me gripped and I raced through it...well worth reading :) I can't wait to read more from this author!

A very clever premise that was pleasingly well- executed too. Enjoyed the way the chapters cross-crossed between the characters with a killer surprise in the middle. Definitely recommend this one!

Nine complete strangers each get a list of the same nine names through the post, with no other information. They dont recognise any of the names other than their own - and some of the nine ignore the list, others have an idle curiosity, some look into the names more but cant find much information.
Until one of the names on the list is found dead - but that could still be coincidence and it could have been a freak accident, surely? Then the second name on the list is found murdered, and there's no way this can be a coincidence. Can the other names on the list be kept safe until the police find out who is behind it all?

I tore through 'Nine Lives' - it is very readable and utterly gripping. With more than a nod - and in fact several explicit references to Agatha Christie's works - there were twists and turns a-plenty, with red herrings and hidden clues throughout.

The nine characters are distinct enough to keep track of, and the story moves at a fast pace, with short snappy chapters leaving me keen to read on to find out more, Highly recommended!

Nine people receive a letter, a piece of paper containing nothing but a list of nine names, their own included. No-one recognises the other names, no-one can work out a connection, and no-one can can establish a relationship between the names. The only thing for sure is that if you are on the list, then you are marked for death...
Good entertaining quick read. I liked how the individual stories of each character were like mini tales within the book.
Bit of an unconvincing connection for me, however, that did not take away from the overall build up to the story.
A good summer read

I loved this book - it had an Agatha Christie feel to it (as referenced throughout the book) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A refreshingly quick and satisfying read. Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. This is the first novel I have read by Peter Swanson but will make a point of catching up with some of his others. Nine Lives has aa Agatha Christie-esque "And Then There Were None" premise - nine dissimilar individuals, six men & three women receive a list, mostly through the post. On this list are nine names including their own., there seems to be nothing in common between them but one by one they are murdered. So there are two main questions running through the book - what is the link between them and who is bumping them off? The author manages the difficult task of juggling nine characters very well, even though we do not get a really in depth feel for any of them they are memorable individuals. A good fast read - recommended.

Another great book by one of my favourite authors!! Huge fan of Peter Swanson since I first read The Kind Worth Killing which til this day remains one of my favourite thrillers! Enjoyed this book too! Definitely recommend for anyone who loves a good murder mystery!

I loved this book, despite being from at least 9 perspectives its easy to follow and you know exactly who you are with at which chapter - something I really appreciate!

Its a homage to a previous Agatha Christie book but even not knowing the original I really enjoyed.

The last chapter has irritated me just a little but I do often find that happens with murder mysteries!

Nine unconnected characters each receiving a note. Lots of characters to learn about which made a very interesting read. I enjoyed enjoyed page

A complex mystery that challenges readers to solve it, written from multiple points of views, short chapters where no one is safe, an insane twist at the end makes this a great read

Nine people, with no apparent link between them, each receive a typed letter, listing themselves and 8 other people, then, one by one, these folks are murdered. I really enjoyed this, a cracking little murder mystery with echoes of Agatha Christine's And Then There Were None. I'm a big fan of Peter Swanson and I read this in a couple of sittings, his writing is sooo easy to sink into. There's a large cast of characters to get to grips with, but I had no trouble distinguishing them from each other, each had a very distinct voice. I even got to really like some of them, and I found myself dreading their inevitable demise, no mean feat considering the relatively low number of pages devoted to each one. The motive behind the murders was maybe not the strongest, but it was satisfying, and the ride was great so I could roll with it, definitely a very tidy 4.5 stars.

He does it again! This is the reason Swanson is an auto buy for me, great storytelling, superb twist. All the stars!

I'm a big Peter Swanson fan, and couldn't wait to read this one. This book was an entertaining read with short chapters that kept the pace going. I usually struggle with multiple points of view, but in this case I think the short chapters and description of the characters at the start of the book helped me stay with it.

This thriller begins with nine people receiving an apparently random list of names, that includes their own name on it. It quickly becomes clear that if your name is on the list you are in very real danger. The list includes FBI agent Jessica Winslow, who takes an active interest when she discovers somebody on the list has been murdered. She tries to figure out what is linking all nine people together before the next person is murdered!

I gave this book 4 stars as it was fast paced, intriguing, and generally an easy read considering the multiple points of view. As always I can't wait for the next Peter Swanson book already!

Thanks to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for sending me this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

There was a list. There were nine names on it. The nine people listed didn’t know each other, and didn’t seem to know why they were on it. The only common thing they had was that they received the list in the mail. Then, they started being targeted one by one.

Peter Swanston’s thrillers always have intriguing premises, and this one was no exception. The only downside with having nine main characters was that the first 20% of the book had to be spent introducing them. Not going to lie, I dozed off a bit.

Having said that, I liked the way each part of the book was organised, based on the killings. The mystery itself was an homage to Agatha Christie - I lost count on how many times her name was mentioned.

The book also had some creepy defining moments, even though I felt the killer’s motivation was a bit weak for my liking. I also wished that Sam, the small town detective, had a bigger part to play, because his point of view as an outsider to the list was quite interesting. I didn’t hate the ending though. It was a fun thriller at the end of the day.

The premise is straightforward. Nine people are sent a letter with a list of names that includes theirs… Soon they start dying one by one.

I love perfect murders, you have no idea how much. The last book I was super into it with was For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing. I love rooting for the “bad guy” and making sense of why people are getting murdered as if there was an excuse to kill people.

This was no different, I was head on rooting for everything to go perfect. Getting your name on an anonymous list can’t be a good thing, when some start dying and you can’t run, even worse. I loved every single one of the murders, and only one wasn’t done personally and I was still rooting for it to happen. I also really liked to see the reason in the end and understand the main character.

It kept me intrigued, entertained and excited, plus it’s a super fast read! I also really enjoyed the connections with Agatha Christie, I know it might not be for everyone but for a fan of Agatha Christie like me, it was just the cherry on top.

Overall this was a thrilling read from start to finish and I would definitely recommend it if you like rooting for the murderer

This was my first Peter Swanson book and I’m so happy to have discovered this author, I really enjoyed this story. I enjoyed the idea of the plot and how similar it was to an Agatha Christie storyline.
All we have is a list of nine names with no apparent connection and they are slowly being killed by someone unknown.
I enjoyed each of the characters backstories and how everything tied up at the end and just the whole book was a great read.

Thank you to The publishers for the advance copy

This is the first Peter Swanson book I have read and it’s unlikely to be the last!

I enjoyed it more than I thought I would - as a new author to me, I had no real expectations but anticipated a gripping murder mystery. It fit the bill exactly and i really loved his writing style. It’s also quite a feat to pull off nine ‘main’ characters without the reader becoming completely confused! I thought Peter Swanson handled this with aplomb and the narrative was nicely distributed amongst the characters which must have taken some work.

Although there was foreshadowing of the killer’s motivation, it wasn’t until towards the end of the book that one could piece together who was responsible and exactly why. This is always a plus, as so often the killer’s identity and/or motive can be guessed too early for the intrigue to be sustained.

There were a few small niggles about the plot that didn’t quite add up to me, but overall I’d say the author played fair in rounding off the story in a satisfactory way. I wasn’t too enamoured with the final chapter / epilogue - this seems to be what a lot of authors do lately and just seems too clichéd- superfluous to the plot and an idealised ‘fairy tale’ ending.

Overall though I rate this book highly and will definitely give some of his other work a try.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

With shades of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, this story opens with nine people receiving a list of names without an explanation. It soon becomes obvious what the list means as they start to die, one by one, in mysterious circumstances. If you haven't read Christie's book, there is a spoiler towards the end of Nine Lives, so be aware.

The people on the list do not know each other and there is no obvious link between them. One is a member of the FBI but their detective work is limited as they go into hiding as a potential victim themselves. So there are nine rather mundane people going about their lives and the reader gets a snapshot before they are bumped off.

The book is clearly written with short chapters from the point of view each of the nine characters. Given this, it is a little difficult to remember some of those who are unremarkable and thus it is hard have empathy for any character really. The brevity of the chapters keeps the pace and works well in this way.

A quick mystery whodunnit, perhaps a little tenuous in the motivation, but a fairly good read for fans of Swanson, even if this isn't one of his better novels.

Interesting premis and engaging style typical of Swanson as we are introduced to a group of people who’ve received a list of names and have no idea what the list means, Gripping, grisly and loved twist at the end!

I went into this knowing how much i loved Peter Swanson's last book and this one did not disappoint. I liked how this story was unwrapped and how the more you learned as to why the people were on the list, the more you learned about them. The writing was fast-paced and this kept me motivated to carry on as I needed to know what happened next. The ending was a little bit silly in my opinion but the way it was explained was done so well, it didn't cause too many issues for me.