Nine Lives

by Peter Swanson

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Peter Swanson’s Eight Perfect Murders was a B&N Monthly Pick in 2021 and we’re STILL thinking about it. Swanson’s stories linger long after the last page is turned. Not one to rest on his laurels, this is his second book since Eight Perfect Murders. Which is great because now you can binge that, Every Vow You Break and then his latest, Nine Lives. Can your heart stand the suspense?

“[A] smartly entertaining reimagining of Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None… Swanson cunningly plays with readers’ heads as we hope so-and-so gets it next.”— Washington Post 

If you’re on the list, someone wants you dead.

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 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, and they’re located all over the country. So why are they all on the list, and who sent it?

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…

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062980076
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/15/2022
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	541,879
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Peter Swanson is the New York Times bestselling author of The Kind Worth Killing, winner of the New England Society Book Award and finalist for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger; Her Every Fear, an NPR book of the year; and Eight Perfect Murders, a New York Times bestseller, among others. His books have been translated into 30 languages, and his stories, poetry, and features have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Atlantic Monthly, Measure, The Guardian, The Strand Magazine, and Yankee Magazine. He lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts, where he is at work on his next novel.

Editorial Reviews

11/29/2021

Swanson (Every Vow You Break) neatly riffs on Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None in this taut thriller. Nine Americans from across the country—a stressed suburban father, an aspiring actor, a singer-songwriter, a resort owner, a retired businessman, a rich man’s mistress, an English professor, an oncology nurse, and FBI agent Jessica Winslow—each receives an envelope in the mail from an unknown sender containing only an identical list of nine names, including their own. The recipients, who don’t recognize the other names on the list, vary in their initial reactions; some are disturbed, while others barely pay attention to it. Then someone drowns one of the nine. Winslow, a federal investigator in Albany, N.Y., begins to probe whether the eight others, who have no apparent connections to one another, are all targets of a killer. Winslow’s mission becomes more urgent when another on the list is gunned down. Swanson makes the plotline plausible, despite radically transforming the setting from Christie’s isolated island with its closed circle of suspects, to the entire continental U.S. This is a well-crafted page-turner. Agent: Nat Sobel, Sobel Weber Assoc. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

The mysterious letters that arrive for the unlucky folks in Peter Swanson’s terrific Nine Lives are all identical… The plot is an ingenious puzzle… Forget trying to solve the mystery yourself. But be aware that if you look closely, you may spot the murderer… hiding in plain sight.” — New York Times Book Review

“[A] smartly entertaining reimagining of Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None… Swanson cunningly plays with readers’ heads as we hope so-and-so gets it next… In addition to the suspense — who’s doing this, and why? — there’s lots of literary wit.” — Washington Post on Nine Lives

“Swanson honors genre traditions by arousing expectations only to subvert them—and then subvert them again. Some of the surprises are so unexpected, readers may be doing mental backflips to keep up. The author of Nine Lives has surpassed his own high standards.” — Wall Street Journal

“Swanson again takes the idea of fiction as homage to deliriously vertiginous new heights… While the tension mounts deliciously as we wonder if there will be any survivors, the real fascination here is the explanation itself—and what it reveals about the cancerous effects of guilt and obsession.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Swanson (Every Vow You Break) neatly riffs on Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None in this taut thriller… [A] well-crafted page-turner.” — Publishers Weekly

“I loved Nine Lives. Swanson's sharp and insightful characterization brought to life a fascinating premise. The whole resolution is beautifully worked out.” — Ann Cleeves, author of The Heron’s Cry

“With economical strokes of his pen, Peter Swanson presents us with a clever homage to the Golden Age of Mystery and keeps us guessing right to the end.”  — Peter May, author of The Blackhouse

“Gosh, Nine Lives is good. Incredibly so." — Winnipeg Free Press

“Swanson is emerging as the king of the classic mystery revival. His last two books, Every Vow You Break and Eight Perfect Murders, were deservedly bestsellers and received many awards… Nine Lives lives up to all that and more. This is his best book yet. The premise is near perfection.” — Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“[Swanson] has earned a reputation for ingenious plotting and a clear, precise writing style — and “Nine Lives” is no exception. And this time, he tells readers just enough about the lives of the nine people on the hit list to make readers care what happens to them.” — Associated Press

“Swanson creates a rollercoaster for readers.” — BookPage

“Echoes of Agatha Christie reverberate through Nine Lives as Peter Swanson… brings a fresh, contemporary approach to the classic And Then There Were None. [Swanson’s] intense storytelling energizes Nine Lives. Swanson delivers a surprising but believable resolution that ties together all the characters in this solid thriller.” — Shelf Awareness

“Peter Swanson is one of my go-to authors, and he keeps getting better with each new book he writes. His latest effort, Nine Lives, is no exception. Not only is it a terrific mystery/thriller that keeps you guessing right up until the last page, it just happens to be inspired by one of my all-time favorite novels: Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.” — Bookreporter.com

“Swanson alternates points of view with alacrity, unleashing a varied and vibrant ensemble…Peter Swanson is the king of the high concept thriller, and Nine Lives marks yet another ambitious addition to his collected works. An ode to Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None, it expands on her premise by moving the killing grounds from an insular island setting to America at large.” — CriminalElement.com

"‘Deliciously ingenious… With twist upon twist, and false clue upon false clue, this is superb, elegant crime writing with more than a nod to the genre’s past.’" — Daily Mail (UK)

“Diving into the plot of a Peter Swanson novel is rather like getting involved, if not quite in a game of chess, then in a particularly sharp game of checkers. Swanson’s earlier bestselling “Eight Perfect Murders” qualified as a solid book of this type. “Nine Lives” is even better.”  — Toronto Star

“Hitchcockian chills and thrills abound in Swanson's latest mystery, a twisty tale of survival and deception. "  — O, the Oprah Magazine on Every Vow You Break

“Swanson specializes in writing mesmerizing thrillers that subvert readers’ expectations. The author works his particular magic once again with Every Vow You Break… Swanson’s shape-shifting saga is reminiscent, by turns, of such foreboding films as Vertigo [and] Fatal Attraction.” — Wall Street Journal

“Just when we think we have an idea of what Abigail is up against, Swanson pulls the rug away from under us. Strange events give way to sinister revelations... The last act cranks up tension to the breaking point. Sit back, suspend all disbelief, and watch those pages fly by.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune on Every Vow You Break

“With mounting tension and fraying nerves, it careens to the final stunning conclusion. A true tour de force.” — Lisa Gardner on Eight Perfect Murders

“Eight Perfect Murders creates expectations it then subverts, presents suspects only to eliminate them, and in general has its own way with the tropes of the mystery thriller—including that genre mainstay, the unreliable narrator.” — Wall Street Journal

“A devious whodunit” — New York Times Book Review on Eight Perfect Murders

“In Peter Swanson’s expert hands, one woman’s discerning observation at a quiet suburban dinner party unfolds into a gripping, twisty, psychologically complex thriller. I could not put it down.” — Alafair Burke on Before She Knew Him

“A fun read, full of switchbacks and double crosses… With classic misdirection, Swanson distracts us from the details - changing up murderers and victims fast enough to keep us reading. And, implausibly, rooting for the cold-blooded killer at this thriller’s core.” — Boston Globe on The Kind Worth Killing

“Chilling and hypnotically suspenseful … could be an instant classic.” — Lee Child on The Kind Worth Killing

The Kind Worth Killing is not your ordinary murder mystery; it is an extraordinarily well-written tale of deceit and revenge told by a very gifted writer. Peter Swanson takes us on a harrowing journey through the hearts and minds of a cast of characters who seem normal on the outside, but are deliciously abnormal on the inside. The twists are not just in the plot; they are also in the heads of the plotters.” — Nelson DeMille

From the Publisher

I loved Nine Lives. Swanson's sharp and insightful characterization brought to life a fascinating premise. The whole resolution is beautifully worked out.

Ann Cleeves

[A] smartly entertaining reimagining of Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None… Swanson cunningly plays with readers’ heads as we hope so-and-so gets it next… In addition to the suspense — who’s doing this, and why? — there’s lots of literary wit.

Washington Post on Nine Lives

Swanson honors genre traditions by arousing expectations only to subvert them—and then subvert them again. Some of the surprises are so unexpected, readers may be doing mental backflips to keep up. The author of Nine Lives has surpassed his own high standards.

Wall Street Journal

With economical strokes of his pen, Peter Swanson presents us with a clever homage to the Golden Age of Mystery and keeps us guessing right to the end.” 

Peter May

[Swanson] has earned a reputation for ingenious plotting and a clear, precise writing style — and “Nine Lives” is no exception. And this time, he tells readers just enough about the lives of the nine people on the hit list to make readers care what happens to them.

Associated Press

Swanson creates a rollercoaster for readers.

BookPage

Swanson honors genre traditions by arousing expectations only to subvert them—and then subvert them again. Some of the surprises are so unexpected, readers may be doing mental backflips to keep up. The author of Nine Lives has surpassed his own high standards.

Wall Street Journal

Just when we think we have an idea of what Abigail is up against, Swanson pulls the rug away from under us. Strange events give way to sinister revelations... The last act cranks up tension to the breaking point. Sit back, suspend all disbelief, and watch those pages fly by.

Minneapolis Star Tribune on Every Vow You Break

With mounting tension and fraying nerves, it careens to the final stunning conclusion. A true tour de force.

Lisa Gardner on Eight Perfect Murders

The Kind Worth Killing is not your ordinary murder mystery; it is an extraordinarily well-written tale of deceit and revenge told by a very gifted writer. Peter Swanson takes us on a harrowing journey through the hearts and minds of a cast of characters who seem normal on the outside, but are deliciously abnormal on the inside. The twists are not just in the plot; they are also in the heads of the plotters.

Nelson DeMille

Peter Swanson delivers another stellar thriller full of adrenaline inducing surprises and a plot that turns on a dime.

BookBub

Peter Swanson tells the engaging story of a woman battling severe anxiety who decides to radically change her life - and the horrifying results that follow - in Her Every Fear… An effective and compulsive thriller.

Lisa Ko

Just when we think we have an idea of what Abigail is up against, Swanson pulls the rug away from under us. Strange events give way to sinister revelations... The last act cranks up tension to the breaking point. Sit back, suspend all disbelief, and watch those pages fly by.

Minneapolis Star Tribune Every Vow You Break

Eight Perfect Murders is pretty much perfect itself. There are plenty of twists and turns, and secrets galore… We owe Swanson a debt of gratitude… You also owe it to yourself to read Eight Perfect Murders.

BookReporter.com

Fiendishly clever catnip for any lover of classic crime fiction.

Seattle Times

A wicked thriller that does not disappoint… Another gem that pulls the reader in and never lets go, even as the story comes to a close. This is a book that will keep you up at night and haunt your thoughts. A fun, chilling read.

Manhattan Book Review

In Peter Swanson’s expert hands, one woman’s discerning observation at a quiet suburban dinner party unfolds into a gripping, twisty, psychologically complex thriller.  I could not put it down.

Alafair Burke

Will give you major Fatal Attraction vibes…. A tantalizing plot, steamy scenes, and passionate relationships…

PopSugar on Every Vow You Break

The book has pace to burn. It feels like a throwback to Ross MacDonald’s flawed but relentless work . . . glimmers with bright and original moments.

USA Today

Chapter by chapter, the text peels back layers to reveal a pathological relationship between Kate’s cousin and a long-ago acquaintance that’s reminiscent of a folie à deux out of Patricia Highsmith... By then, readers, privy to much Kate doesn’t know, may be experiencing their own anxiety.

Wall Street Journal on Her Every Fear

10/01/2021

Nine strangers find their names on a list mailed anonymously, and soon bad things start happening to them, from a beloved older man's drowning at the beach to a young father's being shot while running in his quiet neighborhood. What links them? FBI agent Jessica Winslow would surely like to know, because she is on the list. Swanson sells brilliantly here and abroad, and a handful of his books have been optioned for film. With a 100,000-copy first printing.

Library Journal

This audiobook begins with a fascinating premise. Nine people receive an identical list of names of nine people, including themselves, with no other context provided. Then people start dying. Narrator Jacques Roy does an excellent job creating distinct personalities for all nine on the list, voicing their journeys from bewilderment to skepticism to introspection to fear. However, the audiobook isn't easy to listen to. Each section begins with a repeat of the list and ends with a murder—including date, time, and location details that are difficult to follow as a listener. Narrator Mark Bramhall makes a notable appearance at the end when the killer is revealed and seeks to justify his actions. A quick listen but may be better read in print. K.S.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

MAY 2022 - AudioFile

This audiobook begins with a fascinating premise. Nine people receive an identical list of names of nine people, including themselves, with no other context provided. Then people start dying. Narrator Jacques Roy does an excellent job creating distinct personalities for all nine on the list, voicing their journeys from bewilderment to skepticism to introspection to fear. However, the audiobook isn't easy to listen to. Each section begins with a repeat of the list and ends with a murder—including date, time, and location details that are difficult to follow as a listener. Narrator Mark Bramhall makes a notable appearance at the end when the killer is revealed and seeks to justify his actions. A quick listen but may be better read in print. K.S.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

MAY 2022 - AudioFile