Nine Lives

Product Information

There were too many references to And Then There Were None. I loved that book, and get it, the author's a fan, but I started to roll my eyes at how many times it was mentioned, plus spoilers for those who've not yet read that! This is the reason I haven't yet read Eight Perfect Murders, because I was warned that there are so many spoilers for other mysteries, if you're planning on reading them! At first I thought this book was a bit tedious because we were going through each of the nine people when they get the letter, and stories about their lives, etc. Yet once it got going, I was intrigued to find out what the connection was and why this was happening. I was pleased by the way things came together and the twist toward the end that I probably should have seen coming, but didn't. I love to be surprised so it elevated the book for me. When nine strangers receive an anonymous letter listing nine seemingly random names, some recipients are alarmed, whereas others choose to ignore it…until they start being killed off, one by one. Things that didn’t work: (some of these sound a bit critical I’m sure but, I would be more lenient had this been an ARC. These are rough draft mistakes.)

i'm not gonna talk about the plot, i'm just gonna talk about my reaction to the motive, and i'm going to be as courteous as possible, so i don't spill too many beans. The story is told via the points of view of all nine people on the list, plus the investigating officers. Sam is an absolute honey. THE AUTHOR: A graduate of Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College, Peter Swanson lives in Somerville, Massachusetts with his wife and cat.When nine people receive a printed list with their name among the other eight, they’re understandably perplexed. There’s no explanation and no tie to the others listed. A few wonder but carelessly toss the paper in the waste. It's probably bad when you feel relief over a character's death because at least it means you get to cut down on some of the jumping between perspectives. It was tiring, dull, and the major problem I almost always find with more than 2-3 perspectives is that it becomes impossible to really get to know any of them or become absorbed in any of the characters' stories. There's not a single memorable character in here. Overall, it’s another winner for me from an author who style of writing is one I especially enjoy and I always look forward to reading what he comes up with next. All random. No one knows who the other names belong to. Or for that matter, why their own name is on that list. And trust me folks…this is one list you don’t want to be on!

One of the named people who received the list is FBI agent Jessica Winslow, who has a distinctly bad feeling about it, and she begins a search trying to identify the others, trying to find some connection, some common thread, no matter how tenuous, but she comes up with nothing. However, when one of the names meets an untimely death, Jessica realises that the bad feeling she had, has been confirmed. As a couple more deaths follow, the hunt is on to find a killer, but with nothing to go on, no connection, no motive, it’s looking increasingly impossible! Nine people receive a list of nine names, including theirs, in the mail. No other information, just the list. The temptation is to ignore it as a prank or junk mail. Then, one person on the list is murdered. Coincidence or by design? When the second murder occurs, it’s clear there’s a diabolical plot in play. Who is next? On Very unique characters who all seem different which is impressive for how many characters are in this book.

I liked trying to figure out why these strangers were on this list, who would survive, and wanted to know who the killer was, it really puzzled me! Another fun buddy read and engaging banter with MaryBeth, Pat, DeAnn, Marilyn and Jayme. The analysis and who sussed it out in advance of the conclusion (which I rarely do) is always a good time. The next section is EIGHT- The FBI gets the case when one of their own, Jessica Winslow from the Albany field office finds out she is one of the NINE…what are the others doing when they are told?