Waiting for Wednesday

A Frieda Klein Mystery

De: Nicci French

Narrado por: Beth Chalmers

The thrilling third novel starring London psychotherapist-turned-detective Frieda Klein - from internationally best-selling author Nicci French

Nicci French’s Blue Monday and Tuesday’s Gone introduced the brilliant yet reclusive psychotherapist Frieda Klein to widespread critical acclaim, but Waiting for Wednesday promises to be her most haunting case yet.

Ruth Lennox, housewife and mother of three, is found dead in a pool of her own blood. Detective Chief Inspector Karlsson can’t piece together a motive and calls in Frieda, hoping her talents will offer a new angle on the case.

When it emerges that the mother was hiding a scandalous secret, her family closes ranks. Frieda herself is distracted, still reeling from an attempt on her life, and struggling with her own rare feelings of vulnerability. Then a patient’s chance remark sends Frieda down a dangerous path that seems to lead to a serial killer who’s long escaped detection. Is Frieda getting closer to unraveling either case? Or is she just the victim of her own paranoid, fragile mind? Because, as Frieda knows, every step closer to a killer is one more step into a darkness from which there may be no return....

Flawlessly executed, Waiting for Wednesday is a penetrating, twisted novel of murder and neurosis with a jaw-dropping climax that will linger in listeners’ minds long after they have heard the last minute.

©2014 Nicci French (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Simultaneously interesting and infuriating

I did not enjoy this book as much I enjoyed the first two Frieda Klein books. In this particular story I found her to be far more annoying. The thread that sets her off on her "mystery tour" felt really weak. I just kept thinking "why are you doing this? Who cares?!". And then her being so closed off from everyone around her was just annoying. So much going unsaid was frustrating, but not enough to stop listening. I'll continue in the series, but man I hope she gets herself together. 😄

Great series!

Excellent series with wonderful character development. The narration is outstanding. She performs each character in a way that doesn't seem overdone, but still allows the character's personality to come through.

What Will We Do When We Finish the Week?

Will we lose Dr Frieda Klein's? Will she go away? Can't wait to get started on the books for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I read Thursday's book first. That was fortunate because the first two - Monday and Tuesday - were just a little slow so the good doctor seemed a bit ponderous. This one, Waiting for Wednesday, was t best of the four. Since it has been a while since I read Thursday's book I am going to read it again before I start Friday.

If you haven't met Dr Klein, her loyal friend, Joseph, and her strange menagerie of followers, I highly recommend you choose a rainy afternoon, a comfy armchair, some tasty snacks, and a glass or two of your favorite wine. Download the books and get started. You are in for a treat.

I always wonder how many books others read and if they read only one book at a time. As for myself, I read or listen to at least one book a day. I like to listen while I work.

Frieda does it again!

When the police fail to see the big picture, Frieda always seems to see all sides and figure out what is the truth.

Love this series! There aren't enough days in the week!

Great writing and a wonderful reader. The characters stay true and the twists and turns have me binge listening. Loved it!

It's gonna be a long week - same thing, new day

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

I don't know - this is the third in this series and it is clear that the books are a bit formulaic. Though Frieda and Carlson are moderately well developed characters, the secondary characters are fairly one dimensional and the background characters are ludicrously, predictably stock. They nearly all react with snide, snippy, self-defensive anger. The press is always twisting things around, is easily manipulated by the antagonists, and is always out to get poor, poor Frieda. Poor, poor Frieda is misunderstood, misrepresented, and falsely accused, ad nauseam. After book three, it's tiresome and cheap. In an effort to build drama, it's not fair to keep involving Frieda with characters whose actions and reactions follow the same pattern again and again and which are far, far from realistic - we're talking beyond soap opera.

Would you recommend Waiting for Wednesday to your friends? Why or why not?

No - for the above mentioned reasons. I was annoyed by the obvious character manipulations in the first book - and by book three it's just kinda silly, which sad, because otherwise the books could be good. If only they'd deal with the mystery in a much more straight forward manner and spend much less time trying to elicit sympathy for poor Frieda.

Have you listened to any of Beth Chalmers’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, for the other Frieda Klein books and perhaps for others, too. I think she does a very good job. I don't care for the voice she bestows on Carlson - but everyone else comes across OK.

Better than 2, not as good as 1. But I'm hooked.

If you could sum up Waiting for Wednesday in three words, what would they be?

Two great plots

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I wanted to see if/how the two plots would come together.

What about Beth Chalmers’s performance did you like?

Ms. Chalmers makes Frieda, Olivia, and Chloe come alive - other characters are good but these three especially stand out.

Any additional comments?

In book 1, Sandy went to Cornell. That's Ithaca, NY, 225 miles from Manhattan. In 2 it was mentioned he was in New Jersey. Now in book 3 he's in Brooklyn, just east of Manhattan. For all the incredible detail Ms. French goes into about London and its history, I wish she would've gotten these details right.

Liking Frieda Klein - Still Love the Stories

I have had difficulty "liking" the main character in spite of her great intelligence, skill and success. But author Nicci French has slowly developed her, adding details, explaining history, and I finally feel empathy for her. I appreciate the author's patient approach to this gradual exposure!

The stories are absolutely fabulous, and the narrator is perfect! I look forward to the rest of the series.

Can't get enough of Frieda!

What made the experience of listening to Waiting for Wednesday the most enjoyable?

The main character is very refreshing. She is very no nonsense and very practical. I also love the way the author holds back details of the main character's life and slowly reveals them in each new book. I have read all three available books with Frieda Klein as the main character and am looking forward to the next one.

What other book might you compare Waiting for Wednesday to and why?

Well, naturally, I would compare it to the first two books in the series, but perhaps because of the lead character's profession and her relationship with the police, the story reminds me slightly of the Alex Delaware novels by Jonathon Kellerman. The setting and the personalities of the characters are naturally, different, but the books are the same in that they are through the eyes of someone working with the police but not a police office.

What does Beth Chalmers bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She brings the feel of London. I dislike it when a story with characters that are British or Scottish or German is read in an American accent. I like the flavor of hearing the story in the accent that the characters are supposed to have. Also, she has a wonderfully expressive voice and the difference between characters and who is speaking is instantly apparent.

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

I did laugh in sections of this one and I also found myself holding my breath a time or two.

I feel like Frieda Klein's patient

How can I do a rational review? The reader is Frieda Klein. I am her patient. I am addicted to her voice. Must rush through this to get the next book and resume my extended session. In each book she has a feeling/intuition that leads to the solving of a crime. It is almost science fiction but I can't get enough. Gotta go.