Title: Nine Lives
Author: Peter Swanson
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Synopsis:
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….
my review:
Nine Lives is just the sort of thriller/ mystery I love. Nine strangers receive a list with their name on and the names of eight others – they recognise their own name but none of the rest. Then one of the people on the list is killed. Then another… Is there any connection between them, and if so -what? FBI Agent, whose name is also on the list, starts investigating, but we certainly don’t spend all of the book with her – we switch between various characters.
I loved the multiple points of view in this story – I always enjoy this in a novel. We get to know various people on the list and, with each person, you feel like you get to know them (although some are much more likeable than others) but death is always lurking – will they be killed too, and if so… when? The threat is ever-present in this novel!
Though there are quite a few characters, because people start dying pretty early on, you don’t have to keep track of too many…
The plot is great – really intriguing, fast-paced, and it kept me racing through it from start to end. It’s very, very readable – as is always the case with Peter Swanson’s books! I’m a huge fan. I would have perhaps liked some more clues at times so I could try to guess, and I thought the motive was strange in many ways, but it’s very entertaining!
Nine Lives is a really enjoyable, tense read that, if you love your mystery novels, you’ll devour in just a few sittings!
My rating: 4/5
Many thanks to the publisher, Faber and Faber, for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest review.
I’m a big fan of Peter Swanson too. I must get round to this one! He’s been writing fabulous crime fiction since his first book.
He does write such good books, I know I’ll never be disappointed! This was pure entertainment ☺️