Blue Monday

Frieda Klein, Book 1

By: Nicci French

Narrated by: Beth Chalmers

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

Predictable & a little boring

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It was very predictable. The protagonist & detective relatively boring. Pace too slow and no real suspense.

What three words best describe Beth Chalmers’s voice?

One-note but workmanlike

Was Blue Monday worth the listening time?

Barely.

Two twists I wasn't expecting!

At first, it seemed like she was introducing too many characters at first, and maybe a couple were a little unnecessary, but the ending took me by surprise in a few ways, which I like. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.

Good story but hard to love

Love the story and ongoing twists, which kept my interest. Not sure why the author chose to make the lead character a therapist who constantly crosses boundaries and goes against her patient's best interests. I only found one character to be truly likeable - the Ukrainian born handy man who crashes through the ceiling into her space from the office above hers. The narrator's sparky delivery of Carlson and some other voices didn't help.

First Nicci French Book, but Not the Last!

Outstanding on many levels! The story line was unexpected, the characters were different (not caricatured), the plot pulled me in and held me throughout. The narrator was superb!! I hope the future books by the Nicci French writing team (with Dr. Frieda Klein as the main character) are narrated by Beth Chalmers as well. Highly recommend.

Good listen

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the narrator did a great job keeping the characters separate. The story was predictable, but interesting. It was a shame so much of the story was used setting up the series and not concentrating on the story itself. I would still recommend it tho.

Loved this book!!

I loved the narrator, loved the clever storyline and loved that I couldn't figure out the mystery! Can't wait to listen to the next in the series!

Dragged out Too Long

What would have made Blue Monday better?

The last hour of the book was the only interesting part of the whole book. It took forever to get to the point. Because the end was interesting, I am going to seek out the next in the "series'.... The narration was fun to listen to as I am American. I liked the accent.

What could Nicci French have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Move it along quicker....less cursing. I want to read a story, not have to censor it.

What about Beth Chalmers’s performance did you like?

If she read the whole thing by herself, she did amazing at the different voices and keeping them the same throughout.

What character would you cut from Blue Monday?

The mom.....that whole part was a waste and too much cursing. I want to read a story, not censor it.

Don't be Fooled

After completing Tana French's Broken Harbor, Recorded Books suggested that, "If you liked this book, we recommend that you read "Blue Monday" by Nicci French."

Well, seeing as Broken Harbor was an exceptionally well written book and a great listen, I decided to take the advice of Recorded Books and give Blue Monday a try.

I am usually very careful when researching a book and, as a result, I am rarely disappointed. However, disappointment is one way to describe Blue Monday. Although the writing wasn't awful, I thought of giving the story a "1". It was so inferior to the the brilliant writing of Tana French (no relation), that it seemed to be outright deception for Recorded Books to suggest that, if I liked Broken Harbor, I should give Blue Monday a try!

Not only is the writing sub-par, but the story line and character development are so superficial, that I thought of quitting the book altogether two or three times.

The best that I can say about the book is that it was just good enough to put up with until the end and,at the end, it was a relief to have it be over.

After Blue Monday ended, Recorded Books announced that Blue Monday was "the first book in an exciting new series."

Lesson learned.....don't listen to the false and self-serving recommendations at the end of good books. Instead, do your homework or else you to will end-up with a "Blue Monday."

Great suspense

This story held many twists and turns that you never expected. Even to the very end you were surprised. I'm ready to try the next in this series.

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!