i'm not gonna talk about the plot, i'm just gonna talk about my reaction to the motive, and i'm going to be as courteous as possible, so i don't spill too many beans.

Thank you to William Morrow and Scene of the Crime for a widget of the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 3/15/22. Most of the people are likable, though flawed, although one clearly would leave the world a better place if he wasn't on it. There is even a FBI agent on the list so she is involved in the investigation of the murders. Once the pattern of deaths to members on the list becomes clear, the remaining list members are provided protection but that doesn't stop the murders. Whoever is committing the murders seems to be a fan of Agatha Christie and if you are familiar with her work, especially one of her most famous stories, you know all nine of these people are doomed. But why does the list have just nine people, why not a nice round number of ten, like her book? seriously, we're going with ████████? first of all, the math on that doesn't wash: how does murdering nine innocent people ████████████? is this inflation? 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. I really enjoyed Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson, which was an homage to classic mysteries. By a killer, haha. But also by Swanson, and I love that he is inspired by the greats. I was not as much of a fan of his Every Vow You Break, which got a pretty weird at the end. My Spoiler Review of Every Vow You Break is here.Wow! I had so much fun with Nine Lives. I found it unputdownable and pretty much devoured it in one go.

Part of the reason I probably liked this book was because I really didn't like his previous book and I thought this one was much better in comparison. Another reason was that it is a semi-homage to And Then There Were None which I consider to be one of the most brilliantly written mysteries ever. As more of the people on the list begin to be murdered, it soon becomes clear that everyone is in danger, but not everyone on the kill list can be identified. The remaining people are offered police protection, although that does not prevent more deaths. The list has a diverse range of individuals, of different ages, working in numerous professions, including an oncology nurse, a wannabe actor, a college professor, and a musician, a singer-songwriter. We are given an intriguing glimpse into their characters, their lives, marriages, families, professions, and relationships, right up to the point of their demise. Two of them strike up a significant relationship because they are on the list, their feelings lent an urgency and growing passion with the shadow of death hanging over them. For what reason would anyone want this group of strangers dead? Thank you so much to Peter Swanson, William Morrow, and NetGalley for my electronic copy publishing on March 15, 2022. Overall, it’s another winner for me from an author who style of writing is one I especially enjoy and I always look forward to reading what he comes up with next.Synopsis: 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.