Intricately plotted thriller referencing Agatha Christie novels. It had an intriguing premise and I enjoyed the references to various poets - love having the ability to branch off and discover new poems.
An easy read if a little unbelievable. The characters lacked enough depth to really draw me in.

I loved this book and especially the twist at the end which I was not expecting but it did make me smile. This is a really good murder mystery about nine people with no obvious connection apart from a list of names they get in the post which they are on. As the FBI get involved those named on the list start to be murdered and it’s a race against time to find out who it is and put a stop to it. This would be a great film.

Nine Lives is the first book that I have read by Peter Swanson, I’m now definitely looking at reading his previous novels as I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
In short, nine strangers receive an envelope in the post, inside a list of the same nine names and each of them recognising just one name, their own! Soon it becomes clear that it’s a hit list and the race is on to determine who and why someone wants these strangers dead.
“On 9/11 I remember watching the news after the first plane hit and the world thought it was a terrible accident. Then the second plane hit and everything changed. This is the second plane and now we need to get protection for everyone on that list!”
This is a great story with a cast of fascinating characters each detailed with their own backstory. It’s both clever and chilling, a riveting page turner pivoted on the study of a troubled mind stuffed with guilt, obsession and resolution.
If you enjoy a well written, clever whodunnit with the odd red herring (I thought I was super clever by thinking I realised a sneaky connection…but I was wrong!) and a thorough conclusion leaving no stone unturned, then read this book now. Peter Swanson is now on my radar and I look forward to reading more from him.
Big thanks to Peter Swanson, Fabor and Fabor and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

Nine Lives is the second book by Peter Swanson I read and, as for the previous novel, I was hooked from the first to the very last page. Fast-paced, twisty, and suspenseful, I was sold the moment I read the intriguing synopsis and I wasn’t disappointed.

Nine people. They don’t know each other, they come from different upbringing, different cities, states, jobs, but they have one thing in common: their name is on a list, a list each of them has received anonymously. The FBI tells them not to worry, they will have an agent protecting them, and yet, one by one, they start dying. Who is the killer? And why they have been chosen?

Oooh, this was very well done. The plot is full of twists and surprises that kept me guessing until the end. As each person is killed, a name is ticked off and the list is updated and I kept wondering what these nine people had done to end up on a killer list. The story is told from the perspective of each character so that we get glimpses into their lives hoping to figure out the mystery before it is revealed.

I really enjoyed reading this novel and not only because it reminded me of one of my favorite Agatha Christie’s novels while still remaining original and refreshing. I loved the pace which is fast and there is never a dull moment. I loved how you never know who is going to be the next victim. And I loved how there is a final twist that made me gasp in surprise.

Nine Lives is a novel I highly recommend. It is gripping, terrific and unpredictable and you won’t regret reading it one bit!

I enjoyed this take on a Christie story. An Interesting concept, with some good characters.
Some very ingenious ways with murder some rather more grisly than others. A good read

Nine people receive a list of names. Apart from their own they don't recognise anybody else. Maybe the fact one of them is an FBI agent alerts people quite early on that this may be somewhat sinister. One by one those on the list die- but why?

This is an homage to Agatha Christie's 'Then There Were None' as the list becomes shorter. The author gives a glimpse into the lives of those on the list & the reason for it is gradually revealed. It was an enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

thoroughly modern. Nine utter strangers receive a letter with all nine names printed and then they begin dying. Familiar, huh? Peter Swanson is a deft, spry developer of characters and he controls the brilliant plot with military precision. A mystery like this, even one with canny characterization, is clearly designed to be read fast to unravel the plot intricacies and twists, and as such I treated it as a fast, delicious snack rather than as a memorable meal. Of course I read Nine Lives in one transfixed sitting. Of course.

I was really looking forward to this as I'm a massive fan of Peter Swanson but this is probably the first book of his that I haven't loved.

The writing is familiar and inviting. The pacing is a little too slow for me. The premise is really interesting but it falls flat and contains one of my pet hates - way too many characters. There's so much going on in this book and it's hard to keep up with it all.

Writing style saved it for me slightly and I enjoyed the idea. Just not my type of book.

I have read and enjoyed books by this author before, finding them engaging and well written and this book was no exception.
His books are always original and worlds away from predictable run of the mill novels.
This book grabbed me from the start, it moved from person to person on the list and took me by surprise several times. I did not predict 'whodunnit' which is a big plus for me.
The pace was good, the characters believable and the writing was excellent.

Nine strangers receive a list in the post of nine names, that included their own name and one by one they start to die. Overall an absorbing read and I finished it quite quickly - every time I put it down I was looking forward to getting back to it, which is always a good sign. Good characters and the story kept a great pace. And then there were none, by Agatha Christie was referenced throughout the book, and definitely had a similar vein. I was gifted an advance copy of this book by the author, publisher and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Peter Swansons Nine Lives follows 9 different characters who all receive an anonymous letter with juts 9 names on it, including their own. We don't know why the list is sent or from whom, but when they all start being murdered the race is on to try and work out where this letter came from.

I wish I read this book a little quicker as there a so many characters I started to loose track of who was who. I don't feel each character was given enough time to build their storyline enough. It only touched on each one therefore not intriguing me to really connect with any of the characters.

It swapped and changed between the 9 different characters and the events leading up to their deaths. Some were barely given a storyline and were gone before you knew it. I also found that the book wrapped up quite quickly. It kept you guessing till the end up then simply finished.

Too much going on in such a small space unfortunately. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Nine Lives is a story that I felt sounded intriguing, but it just didn’t quite work. The structure made it seem rather repetitive and the actual motive for the crime at hand felt forced.
Our story begins with a fairly simple premise. Nine different people receive an unmarked envelope, containing a list of names (of which, their name is one). There seems to be no link between them.
One man on the list is then discovered, drowned, and the list is found in his hand. Suddenly it becomes more significant.
The story shifts focus regularly, showing us each of the characters on the list going about their daily lives. As we move through the story we see them dispatched, one by one.
I must say I found the pacing/focus of this book tricky. I assumed there’d be a link, but it took a long time coming. It also seemed quite odd to not give much away about the investigation or even to see the inner workings of the mastermind. There was a certain relief as bodies piled up since this was one less character to focus on!
By the end of the book we knew why and we guessed at who, but I felt it might have resonated more if we’d been given a little more background to the initial group. Time-wise this might have been tricky, and I’m not sure how you could do it without giving details away, but it really didn’t seem that important.
I’m grateful to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this before publication and though it wasn’t quite the favourite I was hoping for, it certainly offered food for thought.

𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 🌟🌟🌟
𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲: Peter Swanson 👥👥👤👥👥 🔫

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞: 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.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝: This is a story where you have no idea whats happening and why till the last 50 pages. The author created a maze filled with dubious unlikable characters, which makes you guessing till the end for the reason for their names on the list.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝: As there are a lot of characters, it takes time to know who is who. I felt the book needed an anchor, a central character as a reader I found it bit hard whose story I should follow and care about.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐈𝐭 | 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐩 𝐈𝐭: Peter Swanson is my go to author, as all his books are unique and I can see he tries really hard to bring something different to his stories. The stories he tells are inspired by famous classic books where he tried to bring his own twist while acknowledging the impact of those authors and their books on him. This book is very ambitious and daring which comes together in last 50 pages, and reason was quiet sad which takes some time to get your head around it.

Thanks Netgalley and Faber Books for an ARC of this one. The book is out now March, 2022.

Nine Lives is a murder mystery that kept me guessing right up until the final pages. It’s a solid plot and I like the author’s style of writing. My only criticism is that there’s not a main character as such and, for me, this meant I wasn’t completely invested in the investigation.

My thanks to the author, Peter Swanson, Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for the arc.

I was really close to enter into a reading slump but this book helped me from doing so. I didn't expect in a way to love it, maybe to like it yes, but not love it. Anyway, I loved it. I love the plot, the characters and even the motive because it's not one of the overused motives that can be found in so many books. It was a fast-paced reading but still I could connect with some characters.

Nine people received an identical list of names, but they only recognised their own. Initially they thought it was some kind of prank, but when a man is murdered on the beach whilst holding the list, the others become worried - none more so than FBI Agent Jessica who is on the list herself. As more and more die, it's a race to discover why these people are being killed, the link between them, and who the killer is

This is a very 'edge of your seat' thriller as the killer takes out a list of people, whilst trying to maintain that their deaths are not painful. The only problem is, there doesn't seem to be a link between any of the people, you are as much in the dark as the people investigating. A very enjoyable and clever book.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4601067006

After previously reading Every Vow You Break, I couldn’t wait to read another of Peter’s novels. I was immediately drawn to the modern-day feel of Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There We’re None’ and, although it’s ambitious to take this fantastic story on, in any shape or form, I felt that it really worked here.

The characters were unique and interesting. They all had their flaws but I enjoyed seeing how their stories developed and how they fit into the mystery. And what a mystery it was! I was hooked right from the start and still couldn’t decide Whodunit until the very end!

Brilliant writing, fantastic plot and great characters. I couldn’t put this down!

Nine people recieve an envelope with no return address, within it there is a single sheet of paper with a list of nine names and they only recognise their own name. It will be the most life altering letter they recieve as one by one they start to meet their end. Will the detectives work out who is behind the list before there are none left?

This was my first Swanson book, as he is a known thriller writer I was expecting a solid thriller. However, this more of a murder mystery (which I love) than a thriller. I loved that there were nods to Agatha Christies And Then There Were None as I absolutely love that book. This did fall slightly below my expectations but I still think it is a good mystery. I found that there were just a bit too many POVs in the book to keep up with each character and that we mostly picked up with them in the moment that their time had come. I would have liked it if we had had some chapters from the POV of the killer to see what their thought process was rather than getting the explanation at the end. I still think this is still an enjoyable murder mystery and would recommend for a quick read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Faber Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

A great whodunnit to take on holiday.

Nine random people have a list sent to them with their names on it. One by one they are murdered. What is the connection between them?

There is more than a nod to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, which adds to the story perfectly. It’s also mentioned throughout the story but doesn’t distract too much.

An enjoyable read, would recommended.

Oh I enjoyed this book. Kept me guessing from the start and a lovely unexpected twist right at the end. Yes there was the usual thing of the weakest bit of the story being the conclusion but it didn’t spoil any of the pleasure for me.