Trying to write a review without saying you hated it while hating it is very difficult. So I’ll just say it was not for me.

Another fantastic book by Peter Swanson! I’ve loved every book I’ve read of his and this was no exception. I was hooked from start to finish.
Written from different POV, with many different characters (who were all brilliant!), I was kept guessing until the very end.
Fast paced with short chapters, cleverly written as always and utterly gripping.
I can’t rate this highly enough.

Peter Swanson’s <i>Nine Lives<i> is an impressive read that left me pondering long after I had turned the final page.
Not merely a whodunnit but a cleverly constructed mystery that offers up a mirror to Christie’s masterpiece <i>And Then There Were None<i> (the second book I have reviewed this year to have done so, curiously enough). It’s a page-turner that threw up enough ringers to keep me guessing right through to its astounding climax. The pace is relentless, like a runaway train that will never stop however much you may want it to.
The narrative writing style kept me gripped (and perplexed) throughout. Character authenticity was achieved through a perceptive portrayal of ‘real’/everyday people, which made the final chilling revelations even more indelible.
I plan to seek out more works by this author.
My thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The synopsis had me hooked straight away and I had super high expectations for this book! I loved the concept of a list of people who are being picked off one after the other and initially this was a total page turner.

However frequent references to 'And Then There Were None' began to give away the plot for me. Maybe it was more obvious because I loved that novel! It was also slightly confusing that the list of names were re-listed after each death - having the names of those who had died crossed out would've made it easier to follow. I also would've enjoyed a bit more focus/detail on the actual murders!

This novel had great pacing and I sped through it in less than two days. Despite my thoughts above I still enjoyed the story and would recommend it to others.

Loosely based on Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None, Swanson has created a well planned and well executed novel which is the perfect thrilling read!

Normally I love novels like this but for some reason I couldn’t get into it. I picked it up and put it down so many times that it left me frustrated.

The synopsis was well written and had me excited for get cracking but it was a slog to the plot twist and then once that happened I was left a little deflated. Was that really it? Just that.

Nine Lives is an excellent thriller with an exciting plot. Nine strangers are named on a typewritten letter which is carefully delivered to each person on the list. The people are then picked off and killed one by one as the FBI race to solve the cryptic puzzle and protect the dwindling survivors, which includes an FBI agent herself.

These nine people have nothing in common and no reason for them to be targetted by a serial killer - or do they?

A fun, fast recommended read.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

Another exciting and well written page turner from Peter Swanson. Nine people receive a list of nine names and each one only recognises their own name. This is a modern take on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, but on mainland USA. The chapters switch between the police and the characters on the list and the murderer.
Intriguing to find out what connects these people and will the police or the FBI catch the killer before they are all murdered. Many thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for the ARC.

Nine perfect strangers... each receiving an envelope with a list of names... their name is one of them. Whatever could go wrong? Well, a lot, clearly.

While I have been seeing Peter Swanson's books everywhere, this is the first one I read and it did not disappoint. It took a little while before I got straight who was who in this book, but that's to be expected with some 9+ MCs. While never super thrillery (yes there is murder, but somehow it isn't eerie), the book managed to keep a steady pace and wouldn't let me put it down. It's a great mystery, and for once I didn't quite see the end coming. There's a clear homage to Agatha Christie, and several of her books play the role of 'helpful aid' in Nine Lives.

While I am not sure I needed the last chapter, Swanson gives us a host of perfectly flawed characters in a fast-paced, well written and ultimately chilling murder mystery.

I seem to be in the minority of people who struggled to get into this book! I normally love murder mystery thrillers but I just couldn't seem to make myself care about this list or about the characters. I actually ended up stopping and moving on to a few other books before I went back to it. And I am actually very glad I did. Its not the most suspenseful, there isn't any bloody murder scenes and it won't keep you up at night. As a mystery story though, it is actually quite good. You certainly won't guess who is behind it and I loved the fact that you can see both sides and its not quite so black and white as villain and victim. The characters were all really written and for a book with so many central characters, I thought it did a really good job of developing each of them individually and didn't just resort to stereotypes or clichés. I didn't find it the fastest paced but it does keep ticking along and there certainly aren't any paragraphs or chapters that feel like they're just pointless filler to add to the word count. Overall, a really enjoyable mystery story and I actually quite liked that it wasn't all about shock value or seeing how gory and dramatic the storyline can get.

Following on from Peter Swanson's 8 Perfect Murders comes the story of a list containing 9 seemingly random names of strangers but are being murdered one by one. What is their connection and can the culprit be found before all of the 9 are dead?

I love the seemingly random list of victims element of the novel as I'm a massive fan of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and the parallels were there and then the novel was mentioned too which I loved. As the list grew smaller I was completely hooked and wanted to know more about the connection between the characters and ultimately who was behind this and I wasn't disappointed; I was gripped until the very end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

Nine people, seemingly chosen at random, get the same letter: no sender or return address and in the envelope just a sheet of paper with nine names. One of them is theirs. They have no idea what this is supposed to mean and react quite differently to it. Some of them are worried, others just throw it away. But when the first person listed is murdered, mood shifts a bit. When the second body is discovered, they get nervous as it becomes more and more obvious: this is a kill list. And the strangers will all be dead just a short time after. FBI agent Jessica is among them and she is the first to discover a possible connection: the reason for the murderer lies in the past, many decades ago, there must have been an event that links them.

“Nine Lives” is only the second novel I read by Peter Swanson after “Before She Knew Him” which I also thoroughly enjoyed. His newest novel, too, keeps you long in the dark, just like the police, you wonder what the characters might have brought on the list, how nine – why nine and not ten? – people spread all over the country might be linked. What I liked especially and what came to my mind immediately after starting to read, was Agatha Christie’s crime mystery “And Then There Were None” which is referred to several times throughout the novel. A tricky puzzle where the pieces do not seem to fit for quite a long time and while you still ponder about the reason behind it all, you can only watch how one after the other is killed.

“It wasn’t simply revenge. It felt like something much more than that. Karma, maybe. I had the money, and I had the will, to do what the natural world would never do. I could set the world to rights, in one small way.”

What I appreciated most was how the people reacted to their death announcement. Swanson created quite diverse characters who cope with this challenging situation in very different ways. Ethan and Caroline’s way of bonding over the shared fate was for me the most loveable story as I could relate to this most - just having the feeling of not being alone in it, of having somebody to share the fears and thoughts with, and somehow accepting fate or whatever it is.

There are some noteworthy minor characters – a wannabe victim, a contract killer – whose motives and points of view bring some new spin to the plot, too. However, what is most remarkable is the personality of the character who is behind it all. Normally, you come to hate a serial killer who takes himself for God, emotionally, I found it not that easy here, which alone already makes it a great read since life is never just black and white, good or bad.

A very cleverly composed plot which is not totally nerve-wrecking but full of suspense and also thought-provoking: what would you do if you were on such a list?

Completely blown away! I am a huge Peter Swanson fan so I was eager to read an advance copy of Nine Lives and it didn't disapoint. Based on Agatha Christie 'And Then There Were None' this was a highly skilled plot with good pace and a excellent conclusion. I am always excited and equally nervous when I read new material of one of my favourite authors, incase I don't love it as much as their previous work. Luckily I did love it and would highly recommend to others.

Another exciting read from Peter Swanson. This one is loosely based on the Agatha Christie book, And Then There Were None. Nine total strangers receive a letter in the post. the letter comprises just a list of their names and nothing else. Then one by one they are murdered.
As always with Peter Swanson's books, this is a well planned and fast paced story. The initial set up is brilliant, full of suspense and mystery. So good I read it in one sitting.

I've read and reviewed several of Swanson's books on my website debbish.com. I recall thinking Rules For Perfect Murders / Eight Perfect Murders was very clever and a wonderful homage to crime fiction.

Agatha Christie gets another shout-out here as the cop who is involved in investigating the first death finds himself reminded of a couple of Christie classics and thinks they'll offer him some insight into the person who's threatened the lives of nine seemingly unrelated strangers. (And why they've received a note warning them in advance.)

I liked (and struggled with) the fact that Swanson goes full <i>Game of Thrones</i> here and bumps our list off with little concern about any connection we were establishing with the 'nine'. I also liked that he gets straight into it. Cleverly counting down as the list of nine dwindles.

So yes, spoiler alert... all nine do not survive. In fact... well, I won't go there.

But I will say I was quite shocked at the ease and speed with which Swanson's killer acts but it means the book's fast-paced and hard to put down.

I didn't guess the 'who' and I'm tempted to go back to ensure there were no discrepancies or holes in the plot that allowed us to be duped, but far too lazy.

Again this is a clever idea from Swanson. I think ultimately I was a little disappointed in the result. I'm unsure though whether that's actually because I disagree with the morality or logic of the murderer's actions rather than having issues with the plot or narrative. It just seemed wrong. Which I suspect means it'd be a good bookclub book as there's a lot to discuss and debate about guilt, blame, revenge and retribution.

3.5 stars

Nine Lives, by Peter Swanson, is a mystery thriller with a very intriguing premise that absolutely delivers everything it promises.

I had previously read one book by the author (Every bow you break) and while I enjoyed it, I felt like the premise was better than the execution. I also wasn't blown away by the ending, which usually makes it or breaks it in this genre.
With Nine Lives, I felt the complete opposite. It grabbed my attention from the very beginning with a fantastic structure that makes the book impossible to put down. The story felt fresh and I found myself gasping at certain revelations. That's usually a good sign.
I enjoyed the way the cast of characters was so well developed and how their stories were told. The way it was linked to the final reveal made a lot of sense. Sure, it's fiction and the author can take liberties, but I like it when things make sense.

I kind of saw the ending coming, but not completely and I loved that. The "motive" for the killer in this book might not be the most original, since it follows a well-known trope, but I enjoyed how it was done. I rather have something that has been done before than lots of nonsensical twists just to try too hard to be original.
If I have to find one flaw, it would be the little "epilogue" (it wasn't really called that but it felt like one). I don't think it added anything to the story and I honestly will pretend it isn't part of the book.

I highly recommend this book to any mystery thriller lovers.

A clever take on the 'And Then There Were None' premise - I loved the characters and the way this unfolded. Nicely paced and nicely tied up at the end.

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.

I loved this book, I was totally smitten from beginning to end. The pace was fast and I just devoured the story as it progressed, very much like Agatha Christie's and Then There Were None" which was one of my favourite books when I was young. I enjoyed the characters and thought they were well thought out and had depth to each and every one of them. The plot held my attention throughout and this is another book I read in one sitting. I always things this says a lot about a book if you do not wish to do anything more than keep reading until the last page. Thanky ou to Pewter Swanson, NetGalley and the author for providing me with such a wonderful afternoons entertainment. Five stars!

This was my first Peter Swanson book and I was blown away!

Nine lives is about nine characters who all receive a letter int he post with a list of all their nine names on it. None of them know each other but then they start to die! It’s super twisty and I couldn’t even guess at the killer 😂 . It’s a quick read too . I read it in two days and couldn’t put it down. Will definitely recommend and read from this author again

Oh and I really loved all the nods to Agatha Christie !

This author just goes from strength to strength and absolutely does not disappoint. It does have shades of Agatha Christie and that whole well rounded storytelling ease. Absolutely blooming great MORE!