This is not the first time that Peter Swanson has given a tip of the cap to mystery writers of old. His 2020 novel, "Eight Perfect Murders," bases each murder on a plot from a classic old novel. In his newest, Swanson borrows boldly and openly from Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None," in which 10 people find themselves on a deserted island and then, one by one, are murdered.
In "Nine Lives," nine people receive a typewritten list of names in the mail, their own name among them. The list appears random — no one on the list recognizes anyone else — but of course it is not. And then, again, one by one each is murdered. Swanson might struggle a bit with the drama — if everyone is dead, where's the tension? — but there's enough mystery to keep you reading. And if you know the Christie novel, you'll enjoy observing how he follows her template almost exactly, but with his own spin.
Nine Lives
By: Peter Swanson.
Publisher: William Morrow, 336 pages, $27.99.
