Nine Lives

 

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson

Fiction - Suspense/Thriller

2022

Finished on February 21, 2024

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Eight Perfect Murders comes the heart-pounding story of nine strangers who receive a cryptic list with their names on it--and then begin to die under 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 loved this book! I started it one night and quickly read the first 100 pages, completely hooked, eager to see how the mystery would unfold. I know some readers have complained about the multiple points-of-view, but I never felt that the multi-character narrative became tedious. And, for once, I didn't have any trouble keeping track of the individual characters' personal stories. I kept telling my husband that it would make a great TV series. I've read two of Peter Swanson's earlier works (Her Every Fear and The Kind Worth Killing), and while I enjoyed those two, Nine Lives is my favorite. I was going to give it a 4.5 rating, but the final chapter, which was completely unnecessary and ridiculous, forced me to knock my rating down half a point. Looks like there are six more books by Swanson that I have yet to read. All I need to do is decide which one to choose next. Highly recommend.