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A review by justinkhchen
Nine Lives by Peter Swanson
4.0
4 stars
Nothing extraordinary, if you like murder mystery with a classic 'countdown' mechanic, this is very much comforting in its familiarity. I find myself preferring the Peter Swanson outputs when he really leans into 'fan-boy mode' with regard to his passion for classic mystery thrillers; in Eight Perfect Murders (still my favorite) he references eight murder schemes from popular literature, and Nine Lives is essentially an explicit homage to And Then There Were None.
The downside of following a tried and true formula is that it's all very expected and not particularity shocking, and can easily be interpreted as dated and boring by readers who seek surprise and twist. But I happen to be in the mood for easy entertainment and the tropey-ness of Nine Lives registers as 'cozy' for me. The experience is further enhanced by efficient writing, short chapters, and characters being relatively distinct and interesting. Still, I can admit the final revelation is slightly underwhelming, making the overall scheme a bit too elaborate for its true worth.
For me, Nine Lives is a definite step up from his previous effort, Every Vow You Break, but I can also see people finding it too old-school to be anything worth getting excited about. Going in with a managed expectation is the best way to go.
**The Book Troop Book Club April 2022 Selection**
Nothing extraordinary, if you like murder mystery with a classic 'countdown' mechanic, this is very much comforting in its familiarity. I find myself preferring the Peter Swanson outputs when he really leans into 'fan-boy mode' with regard to his passion for classic mystery thrillers; in Eight Perfect Murders (still my favorite) he references eight murder schemes from popular literature, and Nine Lives is essentially an explicit homage to And Then There Were None.
The downside of following a tried and true formula is that it's all very expected and not particularity shocking, and can easily be interpreted as dated and boring by readers who seek surprise and twist. But I happen to be in the mood for easy entertainment and the tropey-ness of Nine Lives registers as 'cozy' for me. The experience is further enhanced by efficient writing, short chapters, and characters being relatively distinct and interesting. Still, I can admit the final revelation is slightly underwhelming, making the overall scheme a bit too elaborate for its true worth.
For me, Nine Lives is a definite step up from his previous effort, Every Vow You Break, but I can also see people finding it too old-school to be anything worth getting excited about. Going in with a managed expectation is the best way to go.
**The Book Troop Book Club April 2022 Selection**