bibliogramma | Nicci French: the Frieda Klein murder mysteries (Reply)

Nicci French is the pen name of British duo Nicci Gerrard and Sean French; together, they have written four mystery novels featuring psychiatrist Frieda Klein, as well as a number of stand-alone thrillers. Being a sucker for mystery/thrillers featuring female protagonists, and having a certain ibterest in the psychology of crime, this seemed a likely series to feed my addiction. And so it was - I ended up reading the three volumes I was able to acquire in two days.

I love the complexity of this series, the way the protagonist's personal and professional lives are changed by the circumstances that keep drawing her into the lives of people committing and dealing with the aftermath of violent crimes - as police, as perpetrators, as victims, as family and friends of all three. These are more than just murder mysteries. Can't wait to find an ebook of number four in the series.

Blue Monday

First in this series of mystery novels, I found it quite an enjoyable ride. At first I was put off by the rather choppy writing stule, but before long the story and the characters got to me wnd pulled me in, particularly the lead character, who I found myself liking quite a lot.

In this first novel, Klein begins to suspect that a middle-aged patient she is yreating for panic attacks is connected with two child abductions 22 years apart. She brings her cincerns to the attention of the investigaing detective, DCI Malcolm Karlsson, who is at first reluctant to work with her but conrs to appreciate the insights she brings to the case. And while I won't spoil the ending, I have to say that the last key reveal sent shivers down my spine. I should have seen it coming, but I didn't. I liked that.

Tuesday's Gone

A visiting social worker on her rounds finds a woman on her case list calmly feeding tea and biscuits to a corpse, the case falls to DCI Karlsson, and the curious psychological aspects of the case cause him to turn to Frieda Klein for insight. Meanwhile, Klein is facing questions about her professionalism, she's facing hostile media attention over her involvement in another case, her niece Chloe is becoming too much for Klein's sister to deal with - and she has the strage feeling that she is being stalked. Another compelling read.

Waiting for Wednesday

A middle-aged mother of three is found savagely murdered in her home. DCI Karlsson would like to bring in Frieda Klein to consult, but the department insists that instead he work with one of Klein's professional rivals, Hal Bradshaw - who turns out to be a pompous ass who goes for the quick and easy explanations. Karlsson soon enough discovers that the victim had secrets which point in quite a different direction than Bradshaw's pufferies.

Klein is still dealing with the fallout from a case she worked on where an apparently innocent man was imprisoned, to say nothing of recovering from an assault suffered the last time she worked on a case with Karlsson. Another complex mystery that moves on multiple fronts and holds onr fascinated through to the end.