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Nine Lives: 'I loved this.' Ann Cleeves

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MY THOUGHTS: Gripping and fascinating. An avid Christie fan, I have to admit that I greatly prefer Swanson's Nine Lives to Christie's And Then There Were None, which is made reference to often. 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. And *sighs* Both the reveal of the killer (just not enough clues) and the why were such an underwhelming let down! I didn't like the reasoning, the how, the why, the justification. Just urgh! I appreciate how the author keeps trying to do new things, experimenting with new concepts and styles, as it makes opening each of his books a bit of a mystery in itself, but a number of things didn't work for me in this one. Many POVs, slow pacing and a disappointing reveal are the main reasons. I feel like Peter Swanson really outdid himself with this one. It's thoroughly entertaining and a marvelous homage to one of the most famous mysteries of all time.

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. In Peter Swanson’s latest mystery/thriller, nine people each receive a list of names in the mail. It’s their names. None of them know each other. They all assume it’s junk mail…that is, until the people on the list start dying in various fashions. Wow! I had so much fun with Nine Lives. I found it unputdownable and pretty much devoured it in one go. First off- anyone that knows me...will know that Peter Swanson is in fact my favorite author. There is something almost magical about getting lost in his books. They are always fast, twisted and oh so entertaining. His latest being Nine Lives is no different. Perfection! Oh so clever! I did like how Detective Hamilton’s knowledge of Christie’s books-delivered us the answers in the end.P.S. I love idioms and hardly a review escapes me without using one. So just for fun, an alternate title with a nod to the chapter numerations and familiar sayings: Each individual is completely different from the next, so what’s the link? FBI agent Jessica Winslow is determined to find out…even more so since her name is on the list too. The chapters were really short which helped to keep the pace up! I loved the nods to popular culture and books! Even though I adore Agatha Christie, I haven’t actually read And Then There Were None yet, but I have now been inspired to grab it from my tbr pile as soon as possible! I did find things slowed for me at the end, but I really enjoyed one final twist that I just did not see coming. I felt this was a very inventive and enticing book, I can’t wait to read more by this author. I enjoyed the many literary references, the most prominent being Christie’s And Then There Were None. There is also some enjoyable tongue-in-cheek commentary. The characters didn’t do much for me, but the mystery held my interest--I was determined to solve it, but sadly I failed as I overlooked some key clues.

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. It must not be easy to write a book that riffs off of such a famous work. You have to appeal to two different audiences, those who have already read the original work and those who haven't. I think Swanson does a good job balancing the two and appealing to both. This is a wholly self-contained story if you haven't read the original (although, what are you waiting for?) but it's still surprising and fun if you have.

Since I found 3 things I really liked and 3 I didn’t, I settled on middle of the road at 3 stars. My regret is not reading ‘And Then There We’re None’ first or listening to this in audiobook form. Is there any connection between the victims? Is this the work of a serial killer? Will they be able to catch the perpetrator before he/she is successful in accomplishing what he/she has set out to do or will it be too late? 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!

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? One by one, they go down.I was greatly entertained and intrigued by Nine Lives, which kept me guessing and theorizing throughout. I enjoyed the ending.

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