Nine Lives by Peter Swanson

 Imagine getting a list of nine names, one being your own. Just names. Nothing else. You might toss it. You might set it aside. But you might not jump to the conclusion that these are Nine Lives to be ended. The latest psychological thriller by Peter Swanson includes one FBI agent on the list, Jessica Winslow, and before long, she starts putting clues together.

The first to die is an old man who retains an aging family inn, which he uses as his personal watering hole. Once a heralded vacation spot for families, the inn is a shell of what it used to be, but it is on the beach in the small town of Kennewick, Maine, which is handy for the killer who drowns the first victim.

Since the list of nine is found near the body, the investigation begins, with the FBI getting involved, deeply involved since one of their own is on the list. Meanwhile, another person on the list is shot in the back. So far, investigators have learned from the listees that none of them even  know each other.

What is the connection then? Is it a perfectly random list? Is there some connecting thread all the detectives are missing? Are they looking for a crazed serial killer? Per usual, the author keeps everyone guessing before planting the twist he has come to be known for.

Peter Swanson writes novels, short stories, poetry, and features. His work has been printed in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Atlantic Monthly, Measure, The Guardian, The Strand Magazine, and Yankee Magazine. The Girl with a Clock for a Heart, his debut novel, is still my personal favorite. Swanson lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, with his wife and their cat.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting December 10, 2021.

I’d like to thank William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.