Jeffery Deaver, Ninth & Nowhere

Ninth & Nowhere is an Amazon Original story by Jeffrey Deaver, a quick read, told in two parts. In the first, Deaver introduces seven very different characters who seem to have nothing to do with one another, from a gangbanger to a woman who's sneaking off to meet a man who's not her husband to a policeman on patrol and nearing retirement.

In the second part, the lives of the characters intersect in a violent incident, and our preconceptions about them are in some cases proved wrong.

Reading the first part, it's hard to keep the characters straight, with so many separate lives introduced one after another. But by the end their roles have clarified, and we know more about them than we did from the introductory vignettes.

This is a good read, the first time I've read anything by Deaver, and worth the small investment in time (and money).