Personally, Peter Swanson is one of my “auto-buy” authors (meaning that when I find out he has a new book coming out, I order it right away). I don’t need to know a title, I don’t need to know the details, I just know I am going to pre-order it. Until his newest release, I had not rated any of his books as highly as Swanson’s bestseller The Kind Worth Killing (one of my all-time favourites), but I sped through Nine Lives in one day because I was hooked immediately and was completely unable to stop and put the book down until I had finished.
Nine Lives is an intense thriller that, while completely modern, is also a tribute to classic mystery stories. Chapters rotate through the lives and perspectives of the main characters—nine total strangers who have each received a list of the names of these nine people. No other information, no letter, no explanation, just a list. The characters themselves are all so unique and fascinating that when the narrative does rotate and changes from one to another, there is never a moment of being “let down” because you wanted to get back to someone else’s story. Every character’s part in the big picture is suspenseful, entertaining, and brilliantly crafted.
One name on the list is an FBI agent, and she is determined to solve the puzzle of who these people are (to someone) and what they have in common. This can’t be dismissed as a prank, or as a computer glitch that just tossed nine names out, because one of the men on the list is drowned on the beach in Maine with the list still clutched in his hand. Terrible things start to happen to the people on this list…but why?
In hindsight, there are clues along the way for the astute reader to pick up on, but this is not going to be one of those books where the reader can say, “I had it all figured out before I got to page 50!” Swanson waits to unfold the final answers in classic mystery style. Just like the “Here’s what happened…” moments of great television mysteries like Murder, She Wrote, Columbo, or Monk, Swanson builds the suspense to the boiling point before giving the reader the answers they have been searching for.
Undoubtedly one of my favourite books of 2022 so far, and highly recommended for fans of Peter Swanson’s previous thrillers, fans of classic mysteries, and readers looking for an outstanding page-turner to get sucked in to.
Nine Lives is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up Nine Lives? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
The story of nine strangers who receive a cryptic list with their names on it – and then begin to die in highly unusual circumstances.
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 neighborhood in suburban Massachusetts. A frightening pattern is emerging, but what do these nine people have in common? Their professions range from oncology nurse to aspiring actor.
FBI agent Jessica Winslow, who is on the list herself, is determined to find out. Could there be some dark secret that binds them all together? Or is this the work of a murderous madman? As the mysterious sender stalks these nine strangers, they find themselves constantly looking over their shoulders, wondering who will be crossed off next….
I’ve seen this one floating around and it sounds like a pretty good read. Thanks to your review, I also checked out The Kind Worth Killing too and, wow, it sounds just as fantastic!
Thanks so much for sharing, I can’t wait to get my hands on these!