• Blue Monday

  • Frieda Klein, Book 1
  • By: Nicci French
  • Narrated by: Beth Chalmers
  • Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (1,699 ratings)

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Blue Monday  By  cover art

Blue Monday

By: Nicci French
Narrated by: Beth Chalmers
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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)

What listeners say about Blue Monday

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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Story
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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!

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Predictable

Too predictable, relationships felt forced. Story line tries to be too clever - it just didn’t work for me.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good twist at the end

Good story overall, there were several times throughout the book I thought it was going a bit cliche, but for the most part I was pleasantly surprised with how the plot progressed. And there was a good twist at the end. Definitely going to be digging into the series

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story and characters.

This is the first in a series. This series is ordered by days of the week beginning with Monday. I had purchased “Tuesdays gone” In an audible sale, not realizing that the book was part of a series until I began listening to “Tuesdays gone” and then purchased “blue Monday“.

The portion of Tuesday’s gone that I listen to was excellent with excellent plot twists and characters. Many of the characters in “blue Monday“ are also in “Tuesdays gone“.

Both of these books are with written so well that it is difficult not to listen to the entire book in as few times of listening asPossible.

Based on the first two days of the week I am assuming that the remainder of the books of days of the week are also well written and expect to listen to the entire series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

My first Nicci French book

Never read a Nicci French before and I loved their novel and the Psychiatrist 'detective'. The story was a real page turner and the narration was very good although I wished she'd been a little easier on the lead DCI. Can't wait to start the 2nd book in the series.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great intro to series

I like this world and its inhabitants. Great introduction to all the characters. Good story. Nice pacing, actually caused me to dive in and buy the next and the next...

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining series

I purchased Dark Saturday unaware that it was part of a series. Went back and purchased the rest. Entertaining series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Intriguing and Addictive

This is one of those books I think gets even better when read aloud. Beth Chalmers does an amazing job of making all the characters--and there are many--come to life. The main character, psychoanalyst (but really more like a psychotherapist, as there's no Freudian anything, thank goodness) Freida Klein, gets drawn into a mystery/thriller. That said, it's much more subtle a story than those terms can convey. I couldn't stop listening--and then I couldn't stop with the rest of the series, either.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

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

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Truly a Blue Monday

What made the experience of listening to Blue Monday the most enjoyable?

The experience of listening to Blue Monday was made most enjoyable by visualization of a truly rainy and chilly Monday in London and Dr. Frieda Klein loves to walk the streets of London after everyone else is inside wrapped in the warmth of the lamps and firelight. That is when Frieda does her best thinking because, after all, she is at heart a solitary creature.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Blue Monday?

The most memorable moments are the introduction of the characters that will eventually play very important roles woven through the rest of the series, the moments when we learn how Frieda's mind works and the moments she realizes how all the pieces of yarn come together to make a whole garment.

Which character – as performed by Beth Chalmers – was your favorite?

My favorite character as performed by Beth Chalmers was probably Frieda's friend Joseph. Ms Chalmers did a wonderful job of creating a warm, friendly, personable man who understands and respects Frieda and takes care of her.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I didn't have an extreme reaction to this book. It was a little slow at times and that annoyed me slightly but the story didn't have that much of an impact upon me.

Any additional comments?

The book held my interest enough that I looked forward to reading the next one and I am glad I did.

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