The Unheard

By: Nicci French

Narrated by: Olivia Vinall

He did kill. Kill and kill and kill.

Tess’ number one priority has always been her three-year-old daughter, Poppy. But splitting up with Poppy’s father, Jason, means that she cannot always be there to keep her daughter safe.

When she finds a disturbing drawing, dark and menacing, among her daughter’s brightly coloured paintings, Tess is convinced that Poppy has witnessed something terrible. Something that her young mind is struggling to put into words.

But no one will listen. It’s only a child’s drawing, isn’t it?

Tess will protect Poppy, whatever the price. But when she doesn’t know what, or who, she is protecting her from, how can she possibly know who to trust?

©2021 Nicci French (P)2021 W F Howes

Frustrating thriller

I really liked the vehicle of using a small child as a 'witness' to a murder, but quickly grew tired of the tropes of the adults. The central female character was gaslighted by men she trusted. She was also not believed by a lot of people. While having this happen a few times can add drama and righteous indignation to a story, it grows old when it is the go to. I got to the point where instead of rooting for her, even I didn't believe the woman. That made me question why I was still listening.
Other than that, I thought Nicci did a great job describing surroundings and her characters were believable. She also nailed the interactions between women. The sensitive way she handled the relationship between the primary character and her ex's pregnant new wife was particularly well done.
Great narration by Olivia Vinall.