Blue Monday

Frieda Klein, Book 1

By: Nicci French

Narrated by: Beth Chalmers

The stunning first book in a new series of psychological thrillers introducing an unforgettable London psychotherapist.

Frieda Klein is a solitary, incisive psychotherapist who spends her sleepless nights walking along the ancient rivers that have been forced underground in modern London. She believes that the world is a messy, uncontrollable place, but what we can control is what is inside our heads. This attitude is reflected in her own life, which is an austere one of refuge, personal integrity, and order.

The abduction of five-year-old Matthew Farraday provokes a national outcry and a desperate police hunt. And when his face is splashed over the newspapers, Frieda cannot ignore the coincidence: one of her patients has been having dreams in which he has a hunger for a child. A red-haired child he can describe in perfect detail, a child the spitting image of Matthew. She finds herself in the center of the investigation, serving as the reluctant sidekick of the chief inspector.

Drawing listeners into a haunting world in which the terrors of the mind have spilled over into real life, Blue Monday introduces a compelling protagonist and a chilling mystery that will appeal to listeners of dark crime fiction and fans of In Treatment and The Killing.

©2012 Nicci French (P)2012 Penguin

Critic reviews

“Fast-paced and spooky…it leaves readers with the promise of intriguing tales to come.” (People)

“A neat puzzle with a satisfying resolution and a terrific twist at the end.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“A superb psychological thriller…With its brooding atmosphere, sustained suspense, last-minute plot twist, and memorable cast of characters, this series debut will leave readers eager to discover what color Tuesday will be.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Seriously , we are to believe this

Well first there a lot of characters. Sometimes mentioned almost in passing. When you hear their name again you are like 'wait, who was that?" now in a hard book you could easily thumb back through quickly until you spotted the name on a page. You cant do that on an audiobook. Then we Have Freida who seems pretty clever, she uses her therapist intuition wisely throughout, until the end! Seriously we are supposed to believe she 'figured' all the other stuff out and missed the most important aspect. Come on... really. It was so obviously, for a really long time what was going to happen, 'it' had happened before, to her, there is no way she should missed that. And then there's the Karlsson (sp?) he's hot, he's cold, he's hot, he cold. He thinks Freida is mumbo jumbo, then he sees a positive result, praises her. Then its mumbo jumbo again, more praise. again and again. either he has turned a believer or he hasn't.

The story was entertaining. the narrator was AWESOME. I am not too fond of female narrators. But Beth Chalmers hits the mark. She transitions perfectly between the characters and is easily recognizable from one to the next. I would choose to listen to a book based on her alone.

I will read the 2nd in series just to see where the authors go with Freida, and Joseph too. I wasn't sure why he was introduced in the story at all, I think if he weren't in the story he wouldn't be missed, I don't think he added anything. But he did grow on me as just a nice guy,

Very good story with an excellent narrator

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and can’t say enough about Beth Charmers’ performance. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars for story is because I found there to be a lot of names to keep track of. I found myself confused sometimes about who characters where...especially for those only mentioned in the book a few times. Otherwise, it was excellent!

Nicci French has become my “go to” author!

Riveting story with many unexpected twists! It will keep you guessing up to the end!

Somewhat drawn out child abduction story

What did you like best about Blue Monday? What did you like least?

I think child abduction is a difficult topic. Its difficult to read about children suffering. The plot takes far too long to develop. The last hour seems to be rushed to tidy up all the loose ends. I like the Dr Frieda Klein character. realistic portrait of a psychiatrist. The Ukrainian handyman seems to be lightweight , sort of a mildly humorous insert to all the tension in this story.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

it should have faster pacing. Some of the characters are superfluous.

Which scene was your favorite?

ending and the Doctors pivotal role is entertaining

Was Blue Monday worth the listening time?

not my favorite. the topic is difficult IMO. I wanted to give the story a good listen since the author(s) are excellent. In retrospect, I would not have bought it

Excellent

An intelligent book. Interesting lead characters and an intriguing circle of sidekicks. Full of surprises without gimmicks.

Captivating storytelling

The Character development is very thorough and ever changing. Just when I thought I had it figured out, there was a new twist!

The most unlikeable protagonist in the history of crime fiction

I actually listened to all the books in this series because, well, that’s what crime fiction junkies do when they find something that’s passable. But I find myself coming back to write this review literally years later because the protagonist of these books annoyed me so much that I sometimes still think about it and it bothers me. Yikes! Perhaps it will work for you, but it didn’t for me!

Excellent all the way around.

I love how this story progresses. It was exciting to anticipate how each character would add to the plot. The unexpected twists and turns kept me on full alert. And who doesn't love London? The narration was ON POINT; each scene distinguished by style and inflection, made it like watching your favorite TV series. A fantastic read all around.

Frieda Kein

What did you like best about this story?

I just like all the Frieda Klein series. They can't write them fast enough!

Interesting Read. The beginning of a new series.

Would you try another book from Nicci French and/or Beth Chalmers?

I liked it enough to read another book by the author.

Would you recommend Blue Monday to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes. It was interesting enough and there was enough storyline to interest me.