Thank you NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for the advanced copy in exchange of an honest review.

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 neighbourhood in suburban Massachusetts. A frightening pattern is emerging, but what do these nine people have in common and with their days numbered, can the figure it out before it's too late?

The blurb really roped me in for this one and I was looking forward to immersing myself into a thriller I wouldn't be able to put down. Unfortunately, it really failed to deliver. With nine backstories to cover, I found it was difficult to relate to the characters and feel for them, we got a basic insight into their lives which didn't do much for me. I didn't care where they ended up. There had to be a spark somewhere, for example, even in Killing Eve, viewers can root for Villanelle because she's enigmatic. Unfortunately, this opportunity was missed with the victims and the killer too, there were no clues for the reader to guess who was behind it all again, a huge disadvantage for such a premise.

The plot progression was slow, there was no real investigation ongoing which became quite frustrating when it was teased and suppressed again within a few pages. Instead, I found myself getting lost as we jumped from the different POVs and not getting anywhere. The writing itself wasn't enticing and was unmemorable and at one point, I wasn't taking anything in just focusing on getting to the conclusion.

Speaking of the conclusion, it felt the head and tail were poles apart and inconsequential. I think because I finished the book, I have given it this rating, but I really felt I was spoken at the whole way through, rather than engaging and figuring the read out for myself.

I couldn’t put this book down!
It draws you in right from the start when the first person receives a letter with nine names on it. We meet each of the nine people that are on the list in their own chapters. It is quite a lot of people to get to know, and there is also a police detective, Sam and another fellow, Fisher, who get their own chapters. It was quite challenging to remember who each character was. I found myself quickly reminding myself before getting immersed in each chapter, had they been contacted by the FBI? Had they told anyone? What had they done with the list etc.?
As the list of people diminishes, so does the need to remember all characters.
I loved how the deaths came out of nowhere, and they shocked me every time; you never knew when starting a character’s chapter that their time would be up by the end of it. So it really kept you on your toes.
There is no way to guess what is happening and why throughout the book, and the reveal is quite shocking.
I rushed through the book, wanting to know what was going on; however, I found the ending a bitter disappointment. I think the author was going for the shock factor, which was successful, but it just fell flat also. Everything gets explained in the end by way of a letter, and this felt like a bit of a cop-out and wasn’t as cleverly executed as the story deserved. As another reviewer said, it would be better to be shown rather than just told. It was a massive let-down.
The very end as well just didn’t make sense. We just had to accept what we were reading with no explanation given. I was glad of this outcome, but it wasn’t needed as I’d already come to terms with it being how it was.
So a tough book to rate as it was superb until the end and would have definitely received five stars. However, the writing and the big reveal at the end were lazy and not what I would expect from such an inspired author. So this gets just four stars from me.

I really enjoyed this book. Across the country 9 people receive a letter containing a sheet of paper with a list of 9 names, one of them being their own. There seems to be no connection between the 9 people. Then when someone is murdered on a beach with the letter in his hand, the police believe it could be a clue. Then a second person is murdered........ This is a real page turner which will keep you guessing to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

When an envelope arrive at the home of nine different people they are puzzled to open it and see a list of names inside including their own.
When things start to happen to the people on the list the authorities begin to take it seriously.
A story that kept me interested with some good characters. I really enjoyed this book it kept me guessing until the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is an intriguing idea, expertly developed. Nine people receive the same unmarked letter with nothing in it but a list of nine names. None of them recognise anyone else on the list so what is the connection? Then they start to be killed one by one. One of the names is an FBI officer which engages the commitment of that organisation. There is also a police officer called Sam who tries to find the connection. Then he gets the idea that the connection might be through their parents not the names on the list. The reader must pay attention because there is a lot of separate detail about each name on the list. Then the connection is revealed as the book comes to a very satisfying end. This is a good book because it is unusual and it is also well written, I recommend it.

This reads like an Agatha Christie novel full of suspense. How can nine strangers be connected and who wants to hurt them? Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

This is my first novel that I have read by author Peter Swanson and I loved it. It really captured my attention and I found that I had to know what was happening and why so kept reading until the early hours.

The premise of the book is so totally different to what I normally read and I am so glad I read this novel.

The book is told from multiple character point of views and I love this about this book. Nine individuals receive a list with their names on it and they are basically marked for death....wow what a plot and a really super intriguing one at that.

All the characters are great in their own right and I loved the diverse set of nine strangers. As the reader I seriously wanted to know why these nine individuals were on this list and how they had come together.

If you love a great mystery/thriller/who is doing this then this novel will not disappoint.

Thanks to NetGalley, Peter Swanson and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

When 9 seemingly random people get a note with 9 names on , including their own , no one takes much notice really until suddenly 2 of the names end up dead in suspicious circumstances , Jessica and FBI agent starts an investigation as unfortunately hers is one of the names . This was a very fast paced and exciting book to read and i raced through it , really hoping that some of the names on the list would escape their fate .
It had a good twist but I was a tiny bit disappointed with the ending , however this did not detract from my overall enjoyment .

Having given 5 stars to my last Peter Swanson read (8 Perfect Murders) and loving the blurb for this book, I was so excited to start reading Nine Lives. Nine strangers receiving a list with their names on before starting to die one by one? Sign me up!

Unfortunately, one of the issues with a plot point of a list with nine names on it is that we have to get to know nine characters. Although the list goes down as they get murdered, it is still a lot of names and backstories to get into your head and becomes a little overwhelming, especially at the beginning. Even further into the book I got Ethan and Jay (the younger male creative types) mixed up many times. As you only get a chapter or two from some of them as well before they die it also dilutes the impact of their deaths. I also think the very end conclusion for one of the characters was a little unrealistic and seem to be written to try and stop the book from just being depressing.

Peter Swanson is well read on murder mysteries which is very apparent in 8 Perfect Murders which is based on famous books. Some of these books, such as ‘And Then There Were None’ by Agatha Christie also make an appearance here and some parts of the book felt very similar because of this. I spent the whole book trying to find the connection between the characters and I must say I was a disappointed when the ending was revealed. Although one element can easily be guessed, the whole backstory and reasoning behind the murders cannot possibly be worked out as it isn’t even hinted at before the reveal comes. This left me feeling a little cheated and I felt some hidden hints to the motive would have been more enjoyable. The motive is just spelt out in a letter which always makes for a dull conclusion – if the author has to physically tell you the backstory you can’t possibly have known beforehand it can’t be that great an ending or a twist! I prefer to be shown, not told!

Overall, Nine Lives is a great premise but with too many characters and a bit of a cop-out ending it left me feeling disappointed. Thank you to NetGalley & Faber and Faber for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nine envelopes. Nine names on a list. Names of people with no connection, from all walks of life. An oncology nurse, an FBI agent, a retired author, a wannabe killer. One by one they'll die. But why?

I have a hit or miss relationship with Peter Swanson, and I find personally that he's at his best when writing stories rooted in classic mysteries, such as in his novels Eight Perfect Murders and The Kind Worth Killing. He has an obvious love for the genre, and it makes the story that little but more engaging. Thankfully, Nine Lives follows this formula, and is almost a love letter to Agatha Christie and perhaps her most famous novel, And Then There Were None and to a lesser extent, The ABC Murders (note: there's spoilers within Nine Lives for The ABC Murders). He is able to incorporate the stories into his own novel, in such a way as to embellish his own mystery and I found that to be a really cleverly done. It's almost like a nod to those readers who will try and work out the ending.

As with other Swanson books I've read this is fast paced with an easy to read writing style filled with action and tense scenes. With nine people on the list, that's a large cast of characters to develop and, inevitably, kill off but I think the writing manages to juggle all of the different narratives well without being too overwhelming. I never had any trouble remembering who was who and felt that I managed to feel a connection to most of these characters - which made their deaths all the more shocking. I also liked the overall set up for this. To have an intentional hit list throws up a whole heap of problems for the killer as those left alive scramble for protection and become increasingly paranoid. It lead to more imaginative ways of killing, and more forward planning. However, I did think the ending was a little disappointing. As the list is whittled down I expected some kind of epic finale, and this doesn't really happen. It's more of a quiet resolve, with a lot of reflection on some rather obvious plot holes that the reader will pick up on and are quickly explained away.

Overall I really enjoyed this and I loved the homage to classic murder mysteries. I'll continue to pick up anything Peter Swanson writes, as his stories are incredibly addictive to read.

There is no doubting Peter Swanson's love of the crime fiction genre. His books bristle with references to old crime novels and movies, and he enjoys taking old mystery tropes and playing with them and updating them.
This passion is once again evident in Nines Lives. With frequent references to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and other books, Nine Lives revolves around a list of nine names, which has been sent to each person on the list. The nine people on the list, including FBI agent Jessica Winslow, are complete strangers with no apparent connection. Most of them throw the list away until the first two names on the list are killed. It then becomes a race to stop the count down to the last name.
The nine people on the list are diverse group of different ages, different circumstances and working in a variety of professions from college professor to wannabe actor to the owner of decaying resort hotel. Swanson has good fun in creating the backgrounds for each of them and then killing them off. The book proceeds in a predictable fashion, but there are some good shocks along the way and the reason behind the killings remains tantalizingly out of reach for most of the book. Not surprisingly, the ending stretches belief, but there is a neat twist in the tail.
This a cleverly plotted and enjoyable novel, that holds attention throughout. The book's sense of melancholy is nicely offset by some witty dialogue and amusing reflections, and the references to classic crime novels will delight aficionados.

An anonymous envelope sent to nine people. Each containing a single sheet of paper with the same nine names on it. As one by one the people named are targeted the question is who is after them and why?

I’m not sure when the tide turned for me on this book, but for much of it I was really intrigued, only to feel my interest fall off a cliff in the final stretch.

It’s quite a steadily paced book. The idea of nine strangers being targeted with no obvious reason why should make for a thrilling and tense read. But, actually the book is quite moderately paced, focussing more on the personalities of the nine than the plot. This was probably partly because although there were a couple of police detectives involved none of them had a huge role, one kept out of the investigation as a local cop when the FBI took over, and one because they appeared on the list. It’s not a traditional detective story in that it never felt like either of them were going to face off with the killer.

I enjoyed the steady plotting and getting to know the characters at first. But, it needed more to really deliver. Instead of getting more invested as the story headed to the conclusion I switched off more. It did deliver a reasonable ending, but I could have done with a bit more pace and jeopardy.

Nine strangers receive a letter in the mail, upon opening the letter they notice that the only thing on the piece of paper inside is a list of nine names including their own; Matthew Beaumont, Jay Coates, Ethan Dart, Caroline Geddes, Frank Hopkins, Allison Horne, Arthur Kruse, Jack Radebaugh and Jessica Winslow. It turns out that one of the names on the list is an FBI Agent – Jessica Winslow. She starts to track down the people on the list and has some luck finding them. Something fishy is definitely going on when one of the names on the list turns up murdered with the list in his hand. We are left thinking is this a coincidence or is something more sinister at play. No one on the list recognises the other names. What do these nine people have in common?

The story is told in multiple points of view, some good characters and some down right terrible. I was hooked from chapter one of this book and did not want to put it down. You really need to go in to this book blind and go along with the crazy ride.

Thank you Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Nine people receive an envelope. Inside is a plain piece of paper. On that paper is a list of nine names - eight strangers, and themselves.

Where did it come from? Why have they received it?

Soon, it becomes clear that it's a hit list, as, one by one, they die....

Well this book kept me on my toes trying to keep up with who was who of the nine people whose life’s we are following.
Some lives I felt more invested in than others - Caroline and Ethan being two of them.
I thought the ending of this book was brilliantly executed, really brought all the strands together.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for the advance read.

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson is another cleverly written book from the author. The story starts with Nine random people receiving a list with nine names on it. Which one of them names are their own. There is no connection to the names on the list. And at first each person is not really bothered about it until one of them ends up dead. One person on the list is FBI agent Jessica Wilmslow who starts investigating the list after the first body is found.
This story has several points of views of each person on the list. We discover their lives and how each one is killed. Which kept me turning the pages. The story also has many references to Agatha Christie’s classic books. It is an intriguing whodunnit which I really enjoyed with and a great, satisfying ending. 4 stars from me.

Thank you so much for the chance to read Nine Lives early! I absolutely loved it. So easy to read and wiz through.

This was my first book by Peter Swanson but I’ll be looking for more for definite.
Very cleverly written, an author that doesn’t have to tell you everything that’s happening, but by introducing you to the characters and through what they say and do, you realise for yourself what’s happening.
Perfect amount of tension and shock. Brilliant plot and ending.
I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and all of the shocks and revelations along the way.

Knowing how much I love Agatha Cristie's novels, especially And Then There Were None, as soon as I saw that Peter Swanson had a book coming with similar plot, I added it to my TBR and was watching out for it at NetGalley. I was quite lucky to get approved with the NetGalley e-arc, for what I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley itself.

Regardless that the book is out in March, I wanted to dive into it earlier and to be honest I couldn't put it down, however I can't say that it is full of twists. I was just hooked by the story and wanted to get to its ending and see who and why. It is a classical mystery novel in style of Agatha Cristie's And Then There Were None, but which takes place in 21st century.

I didn't guess in advance the main guilty one. Only when the mystery started unfolding did I guess what was going on (put I don't count it for saying that the book was predictable, for me personally up until the last chapters it wasn't at all).

I truly enjoyed short chapters (this is the thing I adore in books) and also the pace, I was just flying through the pages (and I like fast pace in thrillers/mysteries a lot)! I have read several books by Peter Swanson and I can honestly say that this one is definitely my favourite one, however I still haven't read The Kind Worth KIlling.

Overall, it is a great mystery read and I definitely recommend to read this one if you would like to start getting to know Peter Swanson's books and/or the mystery genre.

Again, huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the e-arc in exchange for honest review.

Peter Swanson's latest offering is a tightly plotted piece of crime fiction that draws on and plays homage to the classic golden age mystery, Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, it is referenced through a reread for Detective Sam Hamilton of Kennewick PD, cwhilst charting its history and title changes through time. 9 people with no obvious connections are sent a list with 9 names on it, including their own, with some of them dismissing it as of no importance. One of the recipients is Jessica Winslow, an FBI agent in Albany, New York, who can't let it go, she knows none of the other people, but she tries to locate and find what could possibly link them, a task that is rendered more urgent with the drowning in a tidal pool of the elderly Frank Hopkins in Maine who is on the list, a murder that local detective Hamilton investigates.

As more of the people on the list begin to be murdered, it soon becomes clear that everyone is in danger, but not everyone on the kill list can be identified. The remaining people are offered police protection, although that does not prevent more deaths. The list has a diverse range of individuals, of different ages, working in numerous professions, including an oncology nurse, a wannabe actor, a college professor, and a musician, a singer-songwriter. We are given an intriguing glimpse into their characters, their lives, marriages, families, professions, and relationships, right up to the point of their demise. Two of them strike up a significant relationship because they are on the list, their feelings lent an urgency and growing passion with the shadow of death hanging over them. For what reason would anyone want this group of strangers dead?

Swanson writes a compulsive murder mystery, creating a range of characters, both likeable and dislikeable, that have the reader begin to invest in them, until their lives are cruelly cut short. Given the plot of Christie's And Then There Were None, I found myself paying close attention to each person on the list, wondering about each of them. This is an entertaining and engaging read that kept me glued to the pages, packed as it is with suspense and tension, and trying to identify the killer and why they have embarked on this murderous path. The author can always be relied on to come up with the kind of crime fiction that will garner a huge audience, and I have no doubt that this will be a big success on publication. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One list 9 names each person on the list has received a copy of the list and then shortly after they are murdered.

This was such an easy read I love Peter Swansons style of writing. I was hooked from the first chapter it kept me guessing and that ending I didn’t see that coming!.

The story was intriguing but unfortunately it lacked that emotional investment I had with a kind worth killing. The story was told through the POV of each of the nine individuals on the list and members of the FBI, because of this you got to know each character but not too well. I didn’t get that connection I usually get with one or two POV’s.

Definitely worth a read 3.5 stars upgraded to 4