Blue Monday

A Frieda Klein Mystery

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 readers 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 readers of dark crime fiction and fans of In Treatment and The Killing.

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

“With its smart plot, crisp prose, and a stunning final twist, this is psychological suspense at its best. Absolutely riveting.”—Booklist, starred review

“This is psychological suspense done right. The authors pace themselves and build the tension slowly while carefully developing each of the players. For fans of Tana French’s and Lisa Gardner’s moody, dark, twisty thrillers.”

—Library Journal

“A searing psychological thriller in the rich vein of Kate Atkinson and Laura Lippman, Blue Monday is powerful and gripping—a page-turner with heart and soul. Psychotherapist Frieda Klein is an enormously appealing new series hero.”—Joseph Finder, bestselling author of Buried Secrets


“Unrelenting …unnerving…unforgettable. Psychological dynamite.”

—Alan Bradley, bestselling author of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

“Nicci French creates a haunting and complex psychological puzzle about memory and heredity, with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end. This gripping thriller certainly bodes well for the future of the series and I look forward to reading more about unlikely heroine Frieda Klein.”

—Camilla Läckberg, bestselling author of The Ice Princess

“A fabulous, unsettling, and riveting look at motives and memory and relationships. And what drives people to do the unthinkable.”

—Louise Penny, bestselling author of A Trick of the Light

“Nicci French is undeniably at the top of British psychological suspense writing.”

—The Observer (UK)

“Complex and flawed, Frieda Klein is a refreshingly human protagonist, an intriguing debut for a truly unique character.”

—Tami Hoag, bestselling author of Down the Darkest Road

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,

Excellent

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

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!

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!

Nicci French has become my “go to” author!

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