The cold facts and nothing more: NINE LIVES.

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nine strangers receive a list in the mail. Nothing is on the list except nine names. None of the people seem to know one another. They don't think much of it, until bad things start happening to people on the list. The first is an old man, a resort owner, who is drowned on a beach. FBI Agent Jessica Winslow--whose name is on the list--is determined to find out how all these names are related. Can she do it before her time is up?

"A horrible thought went through Caroline's mind: It is a list of death. Someone has marked us for death."

This book moves quickly thanks to its short chapters told from multiple points of view. We hear from everyone on the list. At first it is hard to keep everyone straight (a list in the beginning really helps), but as the book progresses, it gets easier. LIVES keeps a descending countdown of people alive, starting at nine, and it really leads to a complete sense of impending doom. I truly would have loved this book if everyone was not dying; you grow attached to these random people and boom, they're dead!

Still, this is a very good and twisty read. Swanson's books are sometimes hit or miss for me, but this one kept me captivated. I felt like I was not on my game while reading, because the mystery really took me by surprise! It was incredibly interesting deciphering the linkage between the names, even it was a bit depressing too.

Overall, this is a fast and puzzling read and filled with a sense of pending disaster. 3.5 stars (only because it made me sad!), rounded up to 4 here.

I received a copy of this book from William Morrow / Customer and Netgalley via Scene of the Crime.

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