Blue Monday by Nicci French is a wild ride of a psychological thriller. It's got everything you want: a smart, switched-on therapist, a creepy abduction case, and twists that'll keep you guessing until the very end.

Frieda Klein is a great protagonist - she's got brains, she's got empathy, and she's not afraid to stand out amongst the crowd! She may be stern at times but she knows what she's doing. She's also a strange mix of daring (putting herself in tricky situations at times like wandering the streets of London at night when she can't sleep), whilst in some ways also having a lot of respect for rules and order. When one of her patients starts having weird dreams that match the description of a missing child, Frieda knows there's something strange going on...

The plot is full of suspense and unexpected turns. I was intrigued from the start, trying to figure out who we can trust and what's really going on. The only downside is that the pacing might be a bit slow in some parts, and the ending might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I really liked it!

Overall, Blue Monday is a fantastic read that'll keep you on the edge of your seat. It's a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. It's an added bonus to know there are lots more books to read in this series after this one, too!

My first read by this author and it was an ok read. Not overly exciting and lost it a bit in the middle. 2.5 🌟

I quite enjoyed the weird little vignettes that are peppered throughout the story. They give it almost a dream-like feel where you’re not quite sure what’s real and what’s not. Frieda Klein is a brilliant character and I really look forward to reading more in the series.

A really gripping thriller that kept me guessing until the very last page. I loved it. Would recommend!

To begin, I’d like to thank Penguin UK for sending me an ARC of this book, and to NetGalley for facilitating. And a thank you to Nicci French for a strangely relevant read!

I was offered the opportunity to read and review Nicci French’s latest in this series (Sunday Morning Coming Down) with a recommendation to read the first in the series to begin with. Hence how I came to read this novel so long after it’s release. I liked the sound of this book and was interested to see how it would pan out. I’ve just begun an NLP course and spent the first 2 days of the course covering some of the subjects that were discussed within this book (the psychotherapy aspects, ethics, how much the brain can take in without your conscious mind being aware of it) so I found this book doubly interesting as it was discussing subjects that I find extremely interesting and they were very relevant to me.

Frieda Klein (being the therapist and leading lady) was such an interesting character to observe. Shunning modern society and her family and preferring to be alone and have her schedules uninterrupted. Quite a rigid character in a very fluid profession. I found that to be quite refreshing as all too often these professions are portrayed as quite “hippie” and open. But some of us really do like the routine and specific comforts and “rules” in our personal lives, whilst remaining professional and able to go with the flow in our working capacity. So I was quite pleased to find that she was not stereotypical in the least.

I was a little confused with the inclusion of various characters (there were A LOT of seemingly superfluous characters) but I assume that these characters will be explored in later books and their inclusion in this book is so that they aren’t introduced in book 3 in a “oh yes, Frieda has a niece by the way!” Introduction, because that would have raised questions as to why she was not mentioned sooner.

I am very intrigued by Josef, and while I need to read Sunday next because my review is outstanding, I would like to go back and ready Tuesday-Saturday so that I can follow the character development fully. And I suspect (or rather hope) that Josef will be developed in later books.

The book was full of twists, some of the earlier ones I did NOT see coming at all, but the two huge “reveals” at the end I had figured out at pretty much the earliest possible point to figure that sort of thing out. And it doesn’t ring quite true that the police didn’t investigate these possibilities at the first possible opportunity either, given the characters past behaviour/what they were suspected of.

For me, this was a definite page turner and I loved that it challenged the reader to ask questions about what we are consciously aware of and perhaps how we are influenced by the things we are not consciously aware of.

I’m really looking forward to reading Sunday Morning Coming Down - and then retracing my steps to read all of the others in the series!

I have read several books by Nicci French (a husband and wife team), and this Frieda Klein novel keeps up their tradition. Their books are always very readable, well researched and hold the reader's attention very well. This is no exception, but because it is part of a series, the end seems abrupt, perhaps as an encouragement to read the next one. It is still a very good read.

I was a bit late to the party with this one but chose it as I thought it was about a psychic rather than a psychologist but it was very interesting from the different viewpoints.

I didn't quite take to the main character Frieda but liked the way the reader is given the points of the victim and police as well as the psychologists view.

Really enjoyed it.

The story starts with a flashback to a child Joanna going missing in 1987 before moving to the present day. It then goes for a slow start. Alan is referred by his GP to see a psychiatrist and he ends up seeing Dr Frieda Klein, a psycho-analyst to whom he confesses his fantasy dreams of a son.

Meanwhile the papers are full of the case of missing 5 year old Matthew. Frieda ponders over the similarities between the boy of Alan’s dreams and Matthew before eventually going to report it to DCI Karlsson.

Karlsson has been comparing the case to the unsolved disappearance of Joanna and sits up when he hears Frieda say that Alan had similar dreams in his early 20’s about a daughter, but soon rules out Alan as Matthew’s abduction took place whilst Alan would have been seeing Frieda.

Frieda discovers that Alan was adopted. Then Alan mentions a mystery woman kissing him whom Frieda asks student Jack to track down. Interesting facts start to emerge and I can’t say any more for risk of spoilers.

A long slow first half of the book followed by a much more gripping second half.

THE OPENING NOVEL OF A TRULY GREAT CRIME THRILLER SERIES:
Frieda Klein makes her debut in this brilliant series by literary duo Sean French and Nicci Gerrard. Full of tension and thrill this is a great crime thriller with a different twist - Psychology replacing forensics at centre stage.
In "Blue Monday" we meet Frieda Klein, a top psychoanalyst (and indeed character creation), against whom an elusive killer is to come to bear a grudge: Dean Reeve, Frieda's nemesis makes his appearance.
I won't say too much about the story line as that would give the main secret away but take it from me it is a good one. Once you have finished this novel it will make you want to read the other six novels in the series.
The series contains larger than life characters: Reuben (Frieda's original mentor), Joseph (Frieda's Ukrainian builder and odd job man), Olivia (Sister in Law and fond of wine), Chloe (Frieda's rebellious and self harming niece) and Jack (a fellow analyst) with whom we become better acquainted as the series progresses.
All the Frieda Klein novels possess first rate plots and form part of an outstanding series of crime thrillers which replace forensics with psychology at the centre of murder investigations. I would recommend not just this novel but the entire series to readers who have not had the pleasure of reading a Frieda Klein novel before.

Penguin Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Blue Monday. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinions are my own.

Blue Monday introduces readers to a new character by Nicci French, a psychotherapist by the name of Frieda Klein. When one of her patients describes dreams in which he feels a deep desire for a child, a child which perfectly matches the description of a missing 5 year old boy, Frieda involves herself into the investigation. With the details of the abduction eerily matching one that occurred two decades earlier, will the police, with Frieda's help, be able to solve both the cold case and the current one?

Mysteries and psychological thrillers are among my favorite genres to read, especially when they involve a civilian who provides assistance to law enforcement. Blue Monday, however, misses the mark for me because of its lack of intensity. The mystery surrounding the kidnappings would have been compelling had the author not spent so much time diverting attention to Frieda's personal life. Between Frieda's insecurities, her relationship status, and her other baggage, it did not leave much room for character development. There was just too much going on to make a cohesive story and I would have given up on the novel had I not felt the desire to see it through. As this is only the first book in the series, I may give the author one more shot to sell me on the character of Frieda Klein, but I would not recommend this particular book to other readers.

Nice speedy read. A brilliant premise became tedious and mundane, and the overall story became more and more unbelievable.

A good start to the series. An interesting concept having a psychotherapist as the main protagonist. Questionable whether she would actually have the ability to be quite so involved in the investigations

Blue Monday is the thrilling first novel in Nicci French's top-ten bestselling killer new series introducing psychotherapist Frieda Klein *** Monday: five-year-old Matthew Faraday is abducted. His face is splashed across newspaper front pages. His parents and the police are desperate. Can anyone help find their little boy before it is too late? Psychotherapist Frieda Klein just might know something.
What an excellent opening book in a new series for author Nicci French. The story is so polished it glitters, despite the awfulness of the crime. Her relationship with the police, her family and her mentor and his builder are so well drawn you feel you could be standing in the room with her. The twist is excellent and the ending leaves you begging for more. I thoroughly recommend this for readers of psychological fiction and crime, thriller and mystery. This book can hold its own against anything written by Jonathan Kellerman and Harlan Coben.

If You Could See Me Now

If You Could See Me Now is a feel good, humorous book that I think is the perfect holiday read.

There are parts of this book that are laugh out loud, but it's also quite a poignant tale about self discovery and self empowerment. This is a must read for all women in need of an uplifting, thought provoking and laugh out loud read! Four shiny stars from purplebookstand!

I was lucky to be provided with an advanced copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it.

Another great read,books buy this author is a must read

I didn't like this much, it felt a bit too formulaic and not like her other novels.

I enjoyed this book. It was a great plot and kept me reading until the end.

I started this book on a long train journey. When I arrived home 5 hours later I got myself something to eat and read until I finished it! From the opening page, to the twist at the end of the story I was completely immersed in the book. I liked the way the characters were introduced and the way they grew as the story progressed. I particularly like Frieda, she's different to normal lead characters. I like her independence and the way she suddenly decides that she'll do something without really thinking about the consequences! The little undercurrent of a possible romance is intriguing - I'm going to have to read the others in the series now!

Have discovered the Frieda Klein series and I guess I will be reading a lot more as this is the first of a series and now I am hooked! A disturbing but clever story, fast paced with a great ending.

This is the first book in the series featuring Dr Frieda Klein and having already read book 7 it was interesting to see how it all began.
With the benefit of hindsight from the later book, I was able to anticipate certain aspects of the ending. However, it was still a gripping thriller well worth reading.