New England crime writer Peter Swanson has shown a deep appreciation for the history of the mystery genre in his past novels, with nods to Highsmith and Hitchcock in some of his set-ups, before twisting things in new and exciting directions. He even set his puzzling Eight Perfect Murders in a mystery bookshop: each killing was an ode to a classic novel.
In his latest book, Nine Lives, Swanson provides a thrilling modern take on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, as a group of strangers are progressively killed off by an unseen perpetrator. This time, though, they’re not gathered together in close proximity on an inescapable island but spread across the entire United States.
FBI agent Jessica Winslow receives a letter that contains a list of nine names: her own, plus eight strangers. Elsewhere, an aspiring actor, an oncology nurse, a stressed father, a singer-songwriter, resort owner, retired businessman, millionaire’s mistress, and English professor receive the same. Then one of them is drowned. Another is shot. What’s going on? Swanson spins a deliciously tense tale that honours Christie while being its very own thing. He’s a master at twisting a set-up beyond expectations, crafting a careening tale that’ll have you tearing through the pages then rushing to read his backlist.
Reviewed by Craig Sisterson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter is the Sunday Times and New York Times best selling author of eight novels, including The Kind Worth Killing, winner of the New England Society Book Award, and finalist for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, Her Every Fear, an NPR book of the year; and his most recent, The Kind Worth Saving. His books have been translated into over 30 languages, and his stories, poetry, and features have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Atlantic Monthly, Measure, The Guardian, The Strand Magazine, and Yankee Magazine.
A graduate of Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College, he lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts with his wife and cat.
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