A stand-out series, strong plot, and an excellent cast of crazy, lovable and caring characters

Good read!

3.5 stars ( )

9789026338199

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. ( )

This 7th book of this series feels familiar and yet fresh and new. Frieda is still her usual cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside self and the creepy influences in her life are still annoyingly present but Frieda is convinced pretty quickly that none of her old foes is responsible for the strange things that start happening to the people she loves. And, of course, she's right. Frieda finds herself in the unwelcome media spotlight again but she'll do what she has to do to protect the disparate crew of people who make up her family. The ending is a compelling setup for the final installment which, fortunately, is already sitting on my shelf! ( )