Nine Lives

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I was expecting some fireworks, some clever and amazing twist that would make the struggle of getting through the story worth it. And *sighs* Both the reveal of the killer (just not enough clues) and the why were such an underwhelming let down!

The author is once again making links between popular mystery books and his story (like Eight Perfect Murders) which is fine but I wouldn't want it to become a thing. With classics such as Ted Hughes's The Iron Man and award-winners including Emma Carroll's Letters from the Lighthouse, Faber Children's Books brings you the best in picture books, young reads and classics. The author makes each character distinct enough to remember them, plus one by one they die, so as you read, there are less people to remember 😉 Each person gets a POV, and the short chapters keep things moving along at a brisk pace. There are nine characters to keep track of, but no worries as they are quickly eliminated as the chapters help you countdown. i'll dig into this one more as soon as i can, but it's disappointing when a book starts out fun and then poops its pants at the end.Although the book was fast-paced and I tore through it, I did get a little bored with the lists, and here’s another murder.

Swanson creates whole worlds for his characters which we become invested in very quickly, and even though I knew that each of these people were going to be killed as the book continued I found myself feeling a real connection to them. One thing to note: if you haven't read And Then There Were None, this spoils it thoroughly, which would be a crying shame. 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.It's thoroughly entertaining and a marvelous homage to one of the most famous mysteries of all time.