First time reading a book by this author and totally different to my usual read. It's a black comedy that is well written and very funny.

The story, set on typical English housing estate, is about a serial killer named by the papers as The Hexford Strangler! I know this doesn't sound like a comedy but there with it.

In the centre of the story is middle-aged Linda, married to Terry, struck in a rut and a loveless relationship, she also has a part-time job in the charity shop. Suffering OCD Linda mainly spends days cleaning and more cleaning. Throughout the story Linda speaks of how her path in life was determined by her father and an incident in the past, that led to her father's death. As the narrator of the story Linda tells us many times that appearances can be deceptive. Is she really just a boring housewife? If you like a plot with twists and turns and some comedy then this is for you, saying much more would too much away! You'll have to read it yourself.

A Tidy Ending is an intense and, at the same time, a disturbing read. The main character is Linda who lives a dull life with her husband Terry. While Linda is a very interesting and complex character, she is far from likeable. The author does an excellent job of making her someone you’d cross the road to avoid. I enjoyed the elements of dark humour interspersed within the plot.

I struggled to finish the book as I felt it a bit dreary and slow at times. Because Linda is hard for me to relate to, I stopped caring about her life and her future. Unfortunately this one wasn’t a big hit for me.

My thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this book.

I have enjoyed all of Joanna Cannon’s previous books but I think this is my favourite.

Meet Linda, an unusual character who keeps herself to herself, including all the secrets she hides. But is she being deceptive or is she being deceived?

When young women start being murdered the community come together to share theories, suspects and gossip. What does Linda’s husband do in that white van of his? What is the motive for the attacks? Is anybody safe?

At the same time Linda becomes curious about the previous inhabitant of her home, where is she now, is she one of the victims? Or is there another story to unravel - read it and find out!

Quite a slow burner, but with an intriguing heroine who the reader can't quite get their head around at first. Linda is such an unusual character and as the story comes from her point of view, it's hard to be sure how truthful she's being. It's also a great study of the nosiness you get in small communities, and the ways people try to present themselves to others.

Absolutely LOVED this book! The characters were so unique yet unforgettable. This darkly comic tale keeps you guessing with the many twists and turns, all of which are masterfully plotted out. 5/5!

A huge WOW! I loved this book so much, I will be re-reading it. Linda is an ordinary lady with a dull life, the type of person everyone feels that little bit sorry for. Her husband Terry fails to notice her, her employer at the charity shop fails to notice her, she just wants to have a best friend that she can shop with and share stories with.

She and Terry move house and she receives some post for the previous occupant, Rebecca. She imagines what it would be like to be Rebecca’s friend and sets herself on a mission to track her down.

In the meantime, a series of murders take place in their town which seem to tie in with Terry’s odd working shift patterns. Linda begins to play amateur sleuth, she changes her hair, clothes, has a social life.

Perhaps Linda isn’t as we originally thought!

A very big 5 stars.

After reading, and enjoying Three Things about Elsie. I was excited to give this book a try.

Linda is a person, that blends into the crowd and gets overlooked. Leading a very simple life with her husband Terry. Recently moved into a new house. A serial killer strikes in the neighbourhood. Targeting young women…Then Linda’s husband behaviour changes which encourages Linda to focus on the previous owner and her mission to become more like her

This book, has you gripped. Clever writing once again from Joanna Canon. Lots of twists and turns with some dark humour thrown in.

Highly recommend.

I loved Joanna Cannons previous novels but this is her best yet. Perfectly written with great wit and an incredible ending. The dark menacing plot, the compelling characters made this a novel I couldn’t put down. Highly recommended.

Oh my goodness this was good! A little bit dark, a little bit creepy, often funny and always enjoyable, this is a slow burner of a novel, reeling you in and keeping you enthralled, all the while building to an excellent crescendo of A Tidy Ending. Brava Joanne Cannon!

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was such a surprising little book. I enjoyed it, but i had a difficult time getting into it. This was my second time reading Johanna Cannon abd i was yet again struck by her capacity to fill these simple characters with so much diversity n depth.

I decided to read this because I'd seen someone mention it on Twitter and I was curious.
Whilst its not my usual read, I really enjoyed it, especially the ending which took me completely by surprise!

I have read a few books from Joanna Cannon and she always delivers, so I was excited to read this new instalment!
A funny but dark read at times that takes you on a journey as it is an emotional rollercoaster. It was different read as Linda tells the whole story through her POV and it makes you think is she telling the truth or is she blending what is actually happening.
The ending I did not expect at all.

As before, Joanna Cannon has given us an unusual book with fascinating characters. A Tidy Ending is really unputdownable and I would highly recommend it.

Wow. I don’t really know what I was expecting from this book but it was full of surprises.

Considering the cover is so bright and cheery, the story within is creepy and full of dark humour. It’s a brilliantly observed tale, full of twists and turns.

Linda was a fantastic, memorable character. I constantly swung from feeling sorry for her to feeling unnerved by her. She was eccentric, socially inept and utterly compelling. There were so many layers to her personality and I loved how the author subtly dropped hints about Linda’s past.

It’s a character-driven story, told from Linda’s point of view. I found it so clever how the author shows us the inner workings of Linda’s mind, whilst also showing us how she is viewed by others in the way they interact with her.

It’s hard to say too much about the book without spoiling it! It’s full of surprises and so much more than a whodunnit. It’s dark, witty and so very clever.

I really enjoyed it.

Simultaneously hilarious and extremely dark. It's a twisty, witty, macabre tale and so well told. A great read.

A good read
A very engaging plot
A different sort of read that I actually read
Would read more
Thanks NetGalley

How do I describe this one is only a few words? I would say a literary domestic thriller maybe, possibly, but who cares when you read a book that just keeps you guessing throughout?
Linda our main character is let's just say quirky, but so personable I couldn't help but love her. There are some local murders happening, but that kind of stays on the periphery whilst Linda tries to find Rebecca the old inhabitant of the house she now lives.
Switching between then and now the book weaves a web in which I was completely engrossed, what was happening in the local community, who was to blame for the murders, who is Rebecca, is she who she says she is? Is anyone who they claim to be?!
Gosh, Joanna Cannon did it again and even when I turned the last page I still had questions, one to really get your teeth into.

I love an unreliable narrator. The only bad thing about this book was that it ended. I would have loved reading more about Linda

Joanna Cannon's A Tidy Ending is the kind of book that you will be thinking of long after you turn the final page. Normally a review might end like this but I am giving you warning from the get go - you will not stop thinking about this book.

Cannon cleverly weaves a tale of misdirection. She has created such believable characters that when presented with them we burden them with our own prejudices. None more so than the case of protagonist Linda. What we see isn't always what we get.

Cannon's character building is masterful and she is, without a doubt, one of the best writers at pulling the rug from under your feet.

Masterful story telling.

A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon is available now.

For more information regarding Joanna Cannon (@JoannaCannon) please visit www.joannacannon.co.uk

For more information regarding Harper Collins (@HarperCollinsUK) please visit their Twitter page.

Having never read any of her other books, it was thanks to @the_book_taster that I have discovered yet another author that I will be looking to read their previous books. This was May’s book club pick, thanks to the wonderful Jenna.
For some reason, this is being described as a thriller, well in my personal opinion, it isn’t, I would describe is more as a crime / mystery but in saying that there is some suspense throughout, but as I say, that is my opinion, read the book and decided for yourself, which I suggest that you do!
The two main characters are Terry, who works, but his wife Linda, isn’t quite sure exactly what he does. Linda, who minds the house and has a part-time job working in a charity shop. They recently moved house somewhat recently and continue to receive mail for the former resident whose taste was far more opulent than theirs.

Linda and her mother, Eunice, left Wales to avoid just this sort of thing. When the body count rises to three, Linda begins to pay more attention to the changes in her husband’s schedule, and the new variations in his work. Linda pays attention to even the seemingly insignificant details. She would bring it to the attention of the police, but knows they’d never listen anyway.

There’s a quirky element of this that reminded me a little of Nita Prose’s ’Molly’ in ’The Maid’, although story-wise this is very different in very many ways. But Linda’s unconventional ways, her views on life and friendship, and the childhood trauma that haunts her has left her a little awkward with people, which also means they tend to either dismiss her or take advantage of her.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a warm- hearted tale of love, life and everyone getting what they truly deserve.