Partners in Crime, Nicci French, Presents Sunday Silence - Just Out!

First a Bit of Fun

Serial killer presumed dead inspires clever copycat in SUNDAY SILENCE (1/9/18)

Nicci Gerrard and Sean French are the husband and wife writing team of Nicci French who have sold more than 8 million copies around the world. For some it’s hard to imagine writing a grocery list with your significant other, let alone over 20 full length novels that have landed on bestseller lists worldwide. French have also created one of the most talked about series protagonists in Frieda Klein. Before Amy Dunne and Rachel Watson were deemed “unlikeable” Frida Klein had already been labeled a “difficult” woman. Love or hate her, Klein is a brilliant psychologist who is often called on by the police to consult on murder cases. And she’s often the one to solve them.

SUNDAY SILENCE is the perfect cat and mouse thriller that will have you racing to the end to find out not so much who did it, but what that final shocking twist will be—and I guarantee you will never see it coming.

All at once the flat was full of noises. The phone rang, stopped, then rang again. The mobile rattled on the table. The doorbell sounded once, twice, and at the same time there was a thumping sound on the door itself. Detective Chief Inspector Karlsson lifted himself from is chair onto his crutches, moved to the door and opened it.

A very short, very thin woman was looking at him with a frown. Her gingery-brown hair was cut almost to a bristle at the back, but with a long fringe that fell over one eye. She had a narrow, pale face, slightly asymmetrical, with colorless brows and eyes the brown of cinnamon. She was dressed in a black anorak, baggy gray jumper, dark trousers and orange trainers. Behind her the rain was falling. Her face was wet with it. The branches of a plane tree creaked above her.

"I'm Chief Inspector Petra Burge."

She looked too young, Karlsson thought. But then he saw the fine lines around her eyes. And she had a scar on the left side of her head, running from her ear down her neck. "I've heard of you."

Burge didn't seem surprised by that, or flattered. "I've got to take you to a crime scene."

Karlsson gestured at this crutches. "I'm on sick leave."

"It was the commissioner."

"Crawford sent you?"

"He said to tell you there's a body in Saffron Mews."

"Saffron Mews?"

It was like he'd been punched in the gut. He put out a hand to steady himself. "What's happened?"

"We're going there now. I've got a car."

Burge turned to go but Karlsson reached out and grabbed her sleeve. "Is she dead?"

She shook her head. "It's a man."

~~~

Sunday Silence

By Nicci French

Saffron Mews

Calling in a man on crutches to go to a crime scene was indeed unusual, but when Detective Chief Inspector Karlsson heard that the commissioner had called him and that a body had been found in an area where a special friend lived. At first he feared for her life, until he learned that the body was of a man...

And, indeed, when they got to the Mews, they parked in front of her house. Frieda Klein is our main character. She had come home and immediately smelled something bad, perhaps an animal had gotten underneath the floor.  A friend of Freida's had come and started taking up the floors, trying to find what smelled so badly. What they did not think they would find was a man's body!

And that's when the story really begins to get interesting! Yes, Freida Klein, a psychologist who often acted as a police consultant, knew the dead man. But, would they believe how she knew him? Well, he was a ex-policeman who had been hired to locate a serial killer. A dead serial killer, supposedly, that only Freida Klein believed was still alive. Dean Reeve was widely known to be dead in police circles, but there had been a connection between Reeve and Klein knew the truth. She had hired Bruce Stringer to find him--and it was clear that he had...unfortunately, since he was now dead!

And if she believed that, her friend Karlsson was willing to consider the possibility, and, of course, was going to work on the case whether on sick leave or not... While Petra Burge was lead, there would be enough to keep everybody busy because before long there was more than one body found... other assaults began...

A surprise request from a relative to stay and live with Frieda, sets the tone for a disturbed environment for Klein, who is by nature an introvert and prefers often being alone...

She was so different from the normal, angry, assertive young woman that Frieda had known for so long. She made two cups of chamomile tea and took them upstairs. She held one so that Chloe could sip from it...

Chloe's eyes filled with tears and Frieda took the mug from her hands, put it on the bedside table, then hugged her niece.

"I'm sorry," Chloe said into her shoulder.

"You don't have to be."

Chloe mumbled something.

"What was that?"

"Your weekend."

"What do you mean my weekend?"

Chloe took a deep breath and seemed to be steeling her self to speak. The words came out one by one. "Sorry. To. Spoil. Your. Sunday. And yesterday too, Saturday."

But when Chloe was kidnapped, Frieda began to realize just how much she cared for those who were close to her. When the next body was found, they had to consider whether Reeve was actually alive and starting another spree or whether it really was a copy-cat killer who may have started his own spree by killing Reeve's pursuer... But it was very clear that the killer was going after those individuals who were closest to Freida!

Freida Klein is a unique main character. Being a professional where she could become involved with many different types of people, she remained aloof for her business activities. Still, there were a number of individuals who had become close to Freida over the years. Freida's friends and family were now being targeted! But was it just one, or two serial killers that they had to find?

A wonderful group of characters surround Freida during the turmoil that has begun as they worked together to create safe havens for those in possible danger. But the media involvement kept Kline in the center of all of the investigation. What did she know that she wasn't willing to share, because she seemed to know more information that she was keeping secret...and she was!

There is an interesting side-plot which involves the political leaders of the area--Klein had brought it to their attention that she believed Reeve was not dead. But nothing was done. Even in today's world headlines, we are often being confronted by the results when politicians do not do their jobs... I found I had great empathy for Klein as she struggled to continue on with her life, knowing that a dangerous man was somewhere out there, sometimes even watching her...

The writing is edgy, the story line complex, engrossing and quickly has readers moving faster as the action and intrigue increases. Characters are well-defined, to the point that I even wondered how the lead inspector was "big" enough in size to handle her job...LOL... But then realized that using her intellect was key and she was quick to deal as things moved on.. At the same time, I found great sympathy for the spouse of the killer. To me, creating so many feelings for many of the individual characters is a sign of writers who create books for their readers to sink into. Kudos to the co-authors!

But none of them were even close to identifying the guilty, until Klein's background expertise of analyzing personalities began to fall into place. A totally satisfying first read of the psychological suspense presented by Nicci French. With a one-sentence tease to entice you to be looking toward the next book! This is the partners in crime 20th novel and surely will be moving into the bestseller lists as has their other books! Highly recommended...

GABixlerReviews