Review: Sunday Silence by Nicci French

Title: Sunday Silence by Nicci French
Frieda Klein Series Book Seven
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre:Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 416 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

It started with Monday. But it doesn’t end with Sunday.

Read Sunday Silence, the new novel in the series that LOUISE PENNY calls “fabulous, unsettling, and riveting” — and brace yourself for the breathtaking series finale in summer 2018.

Lover of London, gifted psychologist, frequent police consultant — Frieda Klein is many things. And now she’s a person of interest in a murder case. A body has been discovered in the most unlikely and horrifying of places: beneath the floorboards of Frieda’s house.

The corpse is only months old, but the chief suspect appears to have died more than seven years ago. Except as Frieda knows all too well, he’s alive and well and living in secret. And it seems he’s inspired a copycat…

As the days pass and the body count rises, Frieda finds herself caught in a fatal tug-of-war between two killers: one who won’t let her go, and another who can’t let her live.

Crackling with suspense, packed with emotion, Sunday Silence is a psychological thriller perfect for fans of Elizabeth George and Paula Hawkins.

Review:

Sunday Silence by Nicci French is an intriguing and fast paced mystery. Although this newest release is the seventh installment in the Frieda Klein series, it works well as a standalone.

Psychotherapist and occasional police consultant Frieda Klein is very upset to discover the mutilated corpse of Bruce Stringer, the private detective she hired, under the floorboards in her home. She suspects the killer is Dean Reeve, who is a presumed dead serial killer. With her friend DCI Malcolm Karlsson on leave with an injury, Frieda must convince Chief Inspector Petra Burge that Reeve is not only alive, but responsible for Stringer’s death. Six months later, the case is cold, and Frieda’s family and friends are being targeted for random acts of violence and the police are forced to admit Reeve is still alive. But Frieda soon believes that someone other than Reeve is responsible for these recent attacks.  With the media hounding her, Frieda agrees to an interview with reporter Daniel Blackstock in hopes of flushing out the elusive killer.

Frieda is very cool and reserved under pressure which leads people to believe that she is not distressed by the recent events. When her friends and family are in danger, her concern for their safety leads  her to make a very out of character decision to try to keep them safe. Despite having mixed feelings about this choice and fearing she has made a big mistake, Frieda nonetheless presses on in her attempt to find the person responsible for harming her loved ones. With often nebulous impressions that are hard to explain to the police working the case, Frieda concentrates on finding the link between her and the person who is using her family to rattle her. Certain she has zeroed in the right suspect, Frieda is soon in a race against time to locate the most recent victim before it is too late.

Sunday Silence is an engrossing and suspense laden mystery with a clever storyline. With plenty of twists and turns, Nicci French pits Frieda against a formidable foe who is convinced no one will figure out their devious plan. With most of the loose ends completely wrapped up, the novel ends with a stunning cliffhanger that will leave readers desperately awaiting the next installment in the Frieda Klein series.