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Blue Monday
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Product Description
Review
Exerts a vice-like grip (Daily Telegraph )
Reels in readers from the start (Independent )
Reels in readers from the start (Independent )
Product Description
Monday, the lowest point of the week. A day of dark impulses. A day to snatch a child from the streets ...
The abduction of five-year-old Matthew Farraday provokes national outcry and a desperate police hunt. And when his face is splashed over the newspapers, psychotherapist Frieda Klein is left troubled: one of her patients has been relating dreams in which he has a hunger for a child. A child he can describe in perfect detail, a child the spitting image of Matthew.
Detective Chief Inspector Karlsson doesn't take Frieda's concerns seriously until a link emerges with an unsolved abduction twenty years ago and he summons Frieda to interview the victim's sister, hoping she can stir hidden memories. Before long, Frieda is at the centre of the race to track the kidnapper. But her race isn't physical. She must chase down the darkest paths of a psychopath's mind to find the answers to Matthew Farraday's whereabouts. And sometimes the mind is the deadliest place to lose yourself.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
45 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Frieda Klein, psychotherapist, becomes concerned when one of her patients reveals fantasies that seem to tie in with the abduction of 5-year-old Matthew Faraday. As she gradually gets sucked into the investigation of the abduction, she has to deal with the dilemma of whether her priority should be the safety of the child or her professional duty to her patient.
Apparently, this is the first in a series of novels featuring Frieda Klein. I certainly found that she and the other presumably recurring characters were intriguing enough to make me want to meet them again and get to know more about their back-stories.
As the story progresses, the plot becomes more complex, sometimes to the point where it stretches credibility. However, the characters are well drawn and the suspense is maintained to the very end. Some other reviewers have commented that the story took some time to get going. I found the quality of the writing carried me through the early chapters easily. The writers made me want to know what had happened to Matthew and to care about the outcome.
I really enjoyed the novel, so much so that I read it in one marathon sitting - not something I do often. It would easily have got 5 stars for the writing, characterisation and descriptive passages. Only the fairly minor credibility issues I mentioned earlier have persuaded me to give it 4 stars, but nonetheless I would strongly recommend this book and I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Apparently, this is the first in a series of novels featuring Frieda Klein. I certainly found that she and the other presumably recurring characters were intriguing enough to make me want to meet them again and get to know more about their back-stories.
As the story progresses, the plot becomes more complex, sometimes to the point where it stretches credibility. However, the characters are well drawn and the suspense is maintained to the very end. Some other reviewers have commented that the story took some time to get going. I found the quality of the writing carried me through the early chapters easily. The writers made me want to know what had happened to Matthew and to care about the outcome.
I really enjoyed the novel, so much so that I read it in one marathon sitting - not something I do often. It would easily have got 5 stars for the writing, characterisation and descriptive passages. Only the fairly minor credibility issues I mentioned earlier have persuaded me to give it 4 stars, but nonetheless I would strongly recommend this book and I look forward to reading the next in the series.
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I've read all Nicci French's novels - often in hardback - and have mostly enjoyed them for what they are: better-than-average psychological thrillers with intriguing scenarios, pacey plots and genuine tension. Unfortunately, 'Blue Monday' is one of my least favourite, with a bitty - very unlikely - plot that doesn't really add up, sketchy characterisation and a complete lack of tension. It's easy to snare the reader's attention with a story about kids going missing, but the plot doesn't deliver. There is a twist, which comes too late, and is not very original. It feels like this book has been written to launch a new series and is more about introducing the heroine and her associates than telling a compelling story. In fact, it feels written with a TV series in mind.
Psychotherapist Frieda Klein is a promising protagonist, a self-composed, quirky loner who is 40-something, single and seemingly comfortable in her own skin. However, I didn't engage with her, and we are told about her characteristics, rather than discovering them in the course of the writing. The supporting characters are either window-dressing or devices. In most (if not all) of their previous books (husband and wife writing team) Nicci French have written first person narrative, which is an easy way of drawing the reader into the world - and mind - of the central character. Here, third person narration is used, requiring more skillful, consistent writing in order to weave together different perspectives and threads of plot. The writing falls short. I could almost 'feel the joins' where it ought to have been seamless.
I hate to be so negative, having enjoyed earlier novels such as 'Land of the Living' and 'Beneath the Skin' but 'Blue Monday' didn't work for me; if it is the start of a new series, I'll give the next one a go, but that might well be my lot!
Psychotherapist Frieda Klein is a promising protagonist, a self-composed, quirky loner who is 40-something, single and seemingly comfortable in her own skin. However, I didn't engage with her, and we are told about her characteristics, rather than discovering them in the course of the writing. The supporting characters are either window-dressing or devices. In most (if not all) of their previous books (husband and wife writing team) Nicci French have written first person narrative, which is an easy way of drawing the reader into the world - and mind - of the central character. Here, third person narration is used, requiring more skillful, consistent writing in order to weave together different perspectives and threads of plot. The writing falls short. I could almost 'feel the joins' where it ought to have been seamless.
I hate to be so negative, having enjoyed earlier novels such as 'Land of the Living' and 'Beneath the Skin' but 'Blue Monday' didn't work for me; if it is the start of a new series, I'll give the next one a go, but that might well be my lot!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Although I would agree with criticisms of the plot, characters, and pacing which have been highlighted by other reviewers here, I did find I wanted to read to the end and it did keep me occupied for a few hours. If that sounds like faint praise it does reflect a disappointment. As others have commented, this novel is a departure for NF and is said to be the first of a series. I found it readable enough to want to read the next in the series but would agree that it's not up to the best of the "female in peril" NF novels. It may be that NF felt they had developed that formula as far as they wanted to, and/or it may be that they felt this latest offering would ultimately be more commercial. I think my disappointment is at least in part simply that I prefer the previous format, and that it seems unlikely that NF will be writing more like that any time soon if they are busy with this new series. I am quite prepared to reserve judgment on the seies on the basis of this first offering (which is not at all bad) but I do think that NF may need to be careful to avoid turning out rather routine police thrillers as opposed to original suspense novels.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not a very thrilling thriller
This was a very disappointing read for a Nicci French fan. None of the characters were particularly interesting or likeable and there was just no tension. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Jonny Monny
Page Turner
I couldnt put this book down. It had to be prized off me at the end of the day. It's the first Nicci French book i've read (and the first of this particular series) and based on... Read more
Published 19 days ago by ED Farr
Not impresssed Hurumph!
Other reviewers have written about the dire plotting and characterization and I would agree with their comments. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Meg
Show me more .....
Ironically, the relatively poor reviews previously have convinced me that I need to read more of these writers' back catalogue. Read more
Published 1 month ago by perkster
Riveting read
A fantastic read from start to finish, I couldn't put it down. Thrilling and suspenseful and I would definitely recommend it however I have a couple of criticisms that stopped me... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lady of the manor
So Easy to do!
This was my wife's first ever download to the Kindle I gave her recently as a present for looking after me during a serious illness. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. Brian Ridgeway
An average book...
I have never read any Nicci French books before, and for those of you who aren't aware Nicci French is actually a husband and wife writing team consisting of Nicci Gerrard and Sean... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Best Books To Read
Analyse this . . .
I'm tempted to stay silent about this book. After all, the book itself tells us that 'silence can be an effective form of communication' . . . or something like that. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jinx
Just awful
Predictable ending, non-existent characterisation,inaccurate description of the lead character's profession, too many characters on the edge who added nothing to the plot and no... Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. D. Litt
New level of entertainment and thrill
I have enjoyed most Nicci French books over the years, however this book is by far the best they have ever written. It takes their skills to a whole new level. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Julia Schwarz
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