Nine Lives - Peter Swanson

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...

Blurb taken from Goodreads.

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I was provided with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a couple of Swanson's books before, and Eight Perfect Murders was a real highlight for me only last year. I was very keen to get stuck into this one and see if it was as good as I was hoping for.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed by this one. Although the idea was interesting and had a lot of potential, I just felt the execution was nowhere near the same standard as some of Swanson's previous novels. There could have been so much more depth that would have connected me to the characters a lot more easily. It's a shame, but this one wasn't for me at all.

Rating: ✫✫

My Thoughts

The idea for this story really stood out for me. I thought it had so much potential for a lot of intensity, and I was very ready to get swept up in the story. 

Unfortunately, that never happened. 

I think part of the problem is that there are so many characters that we are expected to keep track of, but there was very little care given to helping us do so. The story jumped around quite quickly - something I usually don't mind - but it had no logic to it, and I spent more time than I would have liked going back to try and remember who was who. 

Then there was the story itself. The idea was sound, but I think the execution was quite poor. There isn't a lot of detail given about the characters, or even the story as it is progressing, and by the time we got to the climax of the story I wasn't invested enough to be more than mildly interested in the way things were going. 

The Verdict

I just wish there had been more oomph. Compared to some of Swanson's novels, this one felt a bit patched together. It's a shame, but it just wasn't for me.