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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
It took me quite a long time to get into this. I couldn’t keep track of the characters and found the short chapters meant that I didn’t really care about any of them for a good portion of the book. I got there in the end, though, and was quite hooked by the story. The author is clearly an Agatha Christie fan and I enjoyed the references to And Then There Were None that were peppered through the book.
Unlike And Then There Were None, though, the twist at the end wasn’t quite as ingenious as I’d hoped for. I think the references to Christie left me expecting more. It was still a neat and well thought out conclusion, it just didn’t make me gasp when I read it.
In short, this is a good and paced thriller type mystery. Perfect for a holiday or a long train journey.
Unlike And Then There Were None, though, the twist at the end wasn’t quite as ingenious as I’d hoped for. I think the references to Christie left me expecting more. It was still a neat and well thought out conclusion, it just didn’t make me gasp when I read it.
In short, this is a good and paced thriller type mystery. Perfect for a holiday or a long train journey.
There’s a lot of exposition in this. A lot a lot. And like. Why keep it at one? In fact, why any of it?
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Nine Lives is a fast-paced, entertaining story that kept me turning the pages well into the night to find out who was responsible for the deaths of nine strangers who all show up on a seemingly random list. There are a lot of characters to keep up with – we get the POV from more than just the nine characters on the list – but as more people are “checked off” the list, the cast list gets shorter and more manageable. I appreciated the “cast list” at the beginning of the book but I do wish each chapter had some sort of notation as to whose POV we were getting. The chapters were very short which helped keep the story moving quickly.
Overall, I really enjoyed immersing myself in this mystery and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. There were definitely some clues along the way, but I didn’t figure things out until close to the end, which added to my enjoyment. I flew through this and finished it in a day, which hasn't happened to me in awhile.
I just recently started reading Swanson’s books but I found this to be similar in style and pace to Eight Perfect Murders, which I really enjoyed. The book takes its premise from the classic Agatha Christie novel And Then There Were None as the FBI races to figure out how these strangers could be connected and who could be targeting them. I like how Swanson reimagines classic mystery novels and I think Christie fans as well as mystery fans will enjoy this book.
Overall, I really enjoyed immersing myself in this mystery and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. There were definitely some clues along the way, but I didn’t figure things out until close to the end, which added to my enjoyment. I flew through this and finished it in a day, which hasn't happened to me in awhile.
I just recently started reading Swanson’s books but I found this to be similar in style and pace to Eight Perfect Murders, which I really enjoyed. The book takes its premise from the classic Agatha Christie novel And Then There Were None as the FBI races to figure out how these strangers could be connected and who could be targeting them. I like how Swanson reimagines classic mystery novels and I think Christie fans as well as mystery fans will enjoy this book.
a modern day and then there were none, not least of all because all the characters kept mentioning it. reasoning behind the murders was slightly more convoluted than the original but the methods of murder were a fresh take. The victims being the children of the killers real enemies though... Eh. and overall a few too many names to remember
In the vein of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, Nine Lives kicks off with nine people each receiving a letter in a blank envelope with nine names. None of the names are familiar to each person, but when people from the list start dying, the FBI is in a hurry to figure out the connections.
I read the book in one sitting, and stayed fairly engaged, but I felt like overall the book was just okay. There was nothing largely unique or different about the story that will make it stand out to me in the future, so for that reason I rated the book 3.5 stars.
The reveals really didn't come until the end of the book, so it felt like things wrapped up pretty neatly there, with the exception of the last chapter, which felt a little out of place. I liked the concept of what happened in the final chapter, but felt like there could have been a few loose ends tied up more nicely to make it more meaningful.
Additionally, I felt like the why behind the murders could have been stronger.
Overall, while this wasn't my favorite book of his, I still really enjoy Peter Swanson's work and can't wait to see what he writes next!
Trigger warning about racial content (not a spoiler):
I read the book in one sitting, and stayed fairly engaged, but I felt like overall the book was just okay. There was nothing largely unique or different about the story that will make it stand out to me in the future, so for that reason I rated the book 3.5 stars.
The reveals really didn't come until the end of the book, so it felt like things wrapped up pretty neatly there, with the exception of the last chapter, which felt a little out of place. I liked the concept of what happened in the final chapter, but felt like there could have been a few loose ends tied up more nicely to make it more meaningful.
Additionally, I felt like the why behind the murders could have been stronger.
Spoiler
if the goal is to send a message to specific people, I wish the killer would have made it more clear to the people the message was meant for - essentially telling them who was responsible and why. Without that component, it felt like the intention/message behind the murders wasn't really coming across very wellOverall, while this wasn't my favorite book of his, I still really enjoy Peter Swanson's work and can't wait to see what he writes next!
Trigger warning about racial content (not a spoiler):