If it wasn’t for the fact that I have way too many books on my nightstand that I want to get to, I would be binging this series like a Netflix Saturday night! But holding the remaining two instalments in reserve is also a good thing. It’s such a treat to duck into an ongoing familiar series occasionally, to reset after a book hangover, or just to feel the comfort of familiar characters. I don’t mind waiting.
Frieda Klein is an endlessly interesting character and I know I’m going to be bereft when this series is over. Nicci (Gerard) and (Sean) French sure know how to tell a good story! The series is ramping up with an intense sinister thread running through it and cliffhangers are becoming more ominous.
Frieda is a psychotherapist who (like a magnet) gets drawn into murder cases where it seems that everything is wrapped up and settled, but then there’s just a few bits and bobs that don’t make sense. Like a dog with a bone, Frieda can’t leave those bits alone. She pursues, often at her own risk, until everything is solved. What I loved about this one, was Frieda’s compassion for Hannah and her situation.
Frieda feels in her bones that Hannah Docherty is innocent. A decade ago, 18-year-old Hannah was arrested for the shocking murder of her family. It was an open-and-shut case, and Hannah has been incarcerated in a secure psychiatric hospital ever since. When Frieda is asked to meet Hannah and give her a psychological assessment, she reluctantly agrees. But what she finds horrifies her. Hannah has become a tragic figure, old before her time. And Frieda is haunted by the idea that Hannah might be as much of a victim as her family — that she might, in fact, be innocent.
Blue Monday
Tuesday’s Gone
Waiting for Wednesday
Thursday’s Child
Friday On My Mind
Dark Saturday
Sunday Silence
The Day of the Dead
I just discovered Louise Penny … so will add this to my reading list for long drives, flights, etc!