A psychological crime standalone novel from a writing duo who’s books I have previously read and enjoyed. I was excited to get a copy but unfortunately it did not work for me. Reviews are subjective and I prefer to say less when a novel doesn’t completely delight me.

This book is a thriller and at first it did keep me hooked and I enjoyed it…. Right up until the end! I found the ending really anti-climatic and there was no surprise or twists which I found very disappointing. However the other 80% of the book did keep me gripped.

Not read one by this author before and I will try another!

This was a good thriller. Not the best I read, but it kept me reading, and I wanted to know what was going on. Aslo, children being creepy make a book more interesting and that was definitly the case in this novel.

A good read that’s well written. The Unheard has an interesting plot with well developed characters, although sometimes I found the main characters to be quite frustrating and irritating. However, the plot was intriguing enough to keep me invested from start to finish.

I listened to this on audiobook.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a book by this wife and husband team, which is why when I had the opportunity to listen to their newest book on audiobook I literally jumped at the chance, as the stand alone books that I’ve read of their previously were truly outstanding stories.

So The Unheard was a great story, certainly had me gripped from start to finish, it was thoroughly well written and thought out I thought. I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters, trying to suss them all out and decide who was being honest and who wasn’t and also wondering throughout what the outcome would be from just the little girl having drawn a disturbing picture. I really enjoyed it, although I wasn’t completely surprised by the ending as I had thought of guessed part of it, but that didn’t ruin it for me in any way.

As for the narrator of this book, I thought she read the story well, she was easy to follow and was able to differentiate from one character to another. I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to listen to a book with her as the narrator in any future books I decide to listen too.

In case you are unaware, Nicci French is the pseudonym for husband and wife writing team, Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, which makes for an interesting voice (or should that be voices?). I have always liked their storytelling and this is largely no exception.

Tess is a single parent, separated from Poppy’s father, Jason. Poppy arrives home with a drawing that causes her mother quite some concern, a woman seems to be falling from a tower and she is muttering about death: “He did kill”. She has also started to use swear words. Tess is convinced that Poppy has witnessed something quite terrible and the more she goes down the rabbit hole, the more convinced she becomes. She is also starting to play up and behaving out of character, all underlining that there is something to worry about.

She seeks a psychological evaluation and then heads off to report her worries to the police, who soon have her down as a neurotic – a fantasist – mother, who is blowing things up out of all proportion. The police officers are simply not hearing her and when by chance during her researches for a possible victim, she discovers mention of a woman, and she goes into overdrive. This was probably a bit of sticking point for me, as the extrapolation that this could be the victim – and thus linked to Poppy’s concerning illustrative expression of angst – just seemed rather far fetched. Anyway, the story progresses and Tess, essentially, has to do her own sleuthing to unravel what has been going on and keep herself and her child safe. This of course doesn’t go down well with the police. Tess has several men in her life who potentially come into the frame (one particularly random fellow who seems to play an oddball bit-part player, which was a little strange).

Is the ending clear cut? It certainly left me with a raised eyebrow, wondering if I was supposed to draw a different conclusion about what really happened!

I listened to this as an audiobook and found it, as expected, engrossing and well written with a good psychological slant.

London features recognisably as the backdrop.

What if your young daughter witnessed a horrific event? You have no idea what she saw, but you know that she’s traumatised. How can you protect her from something you can’t see?
I expected a compelling domestic thriller and that’s exactly what this is. Suspense-filled and at moments utterly chilling (shout out to Milly the doll scene *shivers*) the question as to what Poppy had seen and how Tess could help her daughter was very absorbing.
It was a shame that I guessed the killer early on, but I was still interested to see how it would play out and enjoyed reading on as it all unravelled. It was an emotionally intense and well-written read that taps into fears every mother must have.
I’d recommend it to those who enjoy a slow burn suspense thriller. It was well read by Olivia Vinall so the audio is worth the listen.
Huge thanks to the author, Nicci French, and publisher, Simon and Schuster, for this advance review copy. Views my own. 4*

I've never read a Nicci French book so when I spotted this available on Netgalley on audio I jumped at the chance to nab it. To be honest I completely regret that this was my first experience of Nicci French as she clearly is a great writer with a huge following.

However, there isn't anything I can say that I enjoyed about the book besides that narrator. The main protagonist absolutely grated on me and to be honest I think I only kept listening to see her possible demise.

EXCERPT: People say you can't die in your dreams but last night I felt I was going to die. I was falling, like she fell, and it was just before I hit the concrete - dark, rushing up at me - that I woke, gasping, sweating. I hadn't got away. It was happening again.

ABOUT 'THE UNHEARD': Maybe Tess is overprotective, but passing her daughter off to her ex and his new young wife fills her with a sense of dread. It's not that Jason is a bad father--it just hurts to see him enjoying married life with someone else. Still, she owes it to her daughter Poppy to make this arrangement work.

But Poppy returns from the weekend tired and withdrawn. And when she shows Tess a crayon drawing--an image so simple and violent that Tess can hardly make sense of it----Poppy can only explain with the words, "He did kill her."

Something is horribly wrong. Tess is certain Poppy saw something--or something happened to her--that she's too young to understand. Jason insists the weekend went off without a hitch. Doctors advise that Poppy may be reacting to her parents' separation. And as the days go on, even Poppy's disturbing memory seems to fade. But a mother knows her daughter, and Tess is determined to discover the truth. Her search will set off an explosive tempest of dark secrets and buried crimes--and more than one life may be at stake.

MY THOUGHTS: Oh, who to trust? Does Tess have something to worry about in Poppy's behaviour, or is she becoming increasingly neurotic and seeing danger where it doesn't exist?

The Nicci French team has written a gripping psychological thriller that messed with my mind. It was like walking on quicksand - the ground shifting beneath my feet as I first suspected one person, then another, and even Tess herself. But suspected them of what? Because that's the question. What, if anything, has happened?

Poppy has said a few rude words. And, ‘He did kill. Kill and kill and kill.’ And wet the bed. And drawn a disturbing picture. So, yes, as a mother I too would have been concerned and taken my child to the doctor to be checked out. I would have watched carefully the people my child came into contact with. I would have been suspicious and protective. But Tess takes it to a whole new level . . .

The entire story is told by Tess. We share her worries, her fears, her suspicions, her anger as she finds out the truth about . . . let's just say, people she thought she knew and could trust. We feel her frustration as people, including me, begin to feel that she has lost the plot and gone completely overboard. But Tess is doggedly determined, to the point of being obsessive, to find out who is behind the changes in her daughter, who is terrifying her. Some of the things Tess does are completely over the top, but make for brilliant reading.

The Unheard is a brilliantly plotted, intriguing, twisty psychological thriller that keeps the reader off balance throughout.

Narrator Olivia Vinall was a delight to listen to, and I will be watching for her narrations in future.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.4

#TheUnheardoliviavinallniccifrenchaudiobookswfhowes #NetGalley

I: #niccifrench @wfhowes

T: @FrenchNicci @WFHowes

#audiobook #contemporaryfiction #crime #domesticdrama #murdermystery #psychologicalthriller #suspense

THE AUTHOR: Nicci Gerrard was born in June 1958 in Worcestershire. After graduating with a first class honours degree in English Literature from Oxford University, she began her first job, working with emotionally disturbed children in Sheffield.

Sean French was born in May 1959 in Bristol, to a British father and Swedish mother. He too studied English Literature at Oxford University at the same time as Nicci, also graduating with a first class degree, but their paths didn't cross until 1990.

Sean and Nicci were married in Hackney in October 1990. Their daughters, Hadley and Molly, were born in 1991 and 1993.

In 1995 Nicci and Sean began work on their first joint novel and adopted the pseudonym of Nicci French. Nicci and Sean also continue to write separately.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to W.F. Howes Ltd via Netgalley for providing an audio ARC of The Unheard by Nicci French for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Chilling, unnerving and suspenseful domestic psychological thriller. When 3 year old Poppy draws a deeply disturbing picture and suddenly starts wetting her bed, Tess desperately tries to discover what has happened and begins to suspect everyone in her life, putting her relationships under strain and uncovering alarming secrets. Excellent narration and a great storyline packed with twists.

Nicci French can be guaranteed to deliver a great thriller and this one is no exception. It is told from Tess's POV as she becomes convinced her 3 year old daughter has witnessed something horrific while she was staying with her father, and draws a very disturbing picture.

The book hooked me from the start and is paced just right, picking up tempo as the book progresses. It is a well written, entertaining listen with plenty of twists and turns. Tess is a likeable protagonist though she did make some dubious decisions!

Olivia Vinall did a great job with the narration.

The sign of a great audiobook? Brilliantly written, well narrated and expertly edited?

Me, standing in my kitchen cooking/cleaning, and talking out loud at the character as I'm so frustrated at her choices/decisions.

The audible version of screaming "don't go there!" from behind a cushion as you watch the TV.

Recommended

Heard And Enjoyed

💛 I got sucked into this one immediately. I mean, child drawing creepy picture? You’re singing my song. Plus, Tess, the mum, is likeable and there’s lots of other intrigue going on what with the ex-husband/new boyfriend.

💚 This book is basically a Krispy Kreme original glazed. Hear me out. I liked all of it and I’d eat it again, but I’ll always fret about the hole in the middle. In particular, Tess’s decisions. Every time she went to the police without evidence I cringed. Get a Ring camera (or ten). Write stuff down. Get a dossier and then visit the station. But, with a big soothing exhale, I can accept that different people react in different ways.

❤️️ Excellent portrayal of a 3 year old, by which I mean I got terrifying flashbacks to when my kids were that age.
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SOUNDBITE

🎧 My first time listening to Olivia Vinall and overall I thought she was excellent as Tess. I liked Tess and she sounded level-headed, which was an excellent off-set to some of her more questionable choices (Why can’t I let it go?).

🎧 I love narrators who avoid reading main character as though they know they’re in psychological thriller and, for the most part, Vinall did well on this score, especially when narrating Aidan’s lines, but I would have liked a bit more animation. Nevertheless, I’d love to hear more from this narrator.
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TO READ OR NOT TO READ...

This is a good solid domestic thriller. Read as part of a balanced literary diet.
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Big thanks to NetGalley and W.F. Howes Ltd for providing me with an ALC in return for an honest review.

This book took a few chapters to get going, but it was very gripping. Lots of betrayal, backstabbing, hate, all wrapped around a little girl who doesn’t have the words to say what she knows. This book does capture affairs, relationships, new beginnings and unconditional love. The lengths a mum will go to to protect her children is unimaginable, but this book covers most bases in this area. So twisted, and absolutely thrilling. I read this book as an audio book and found the narrator did a fabulous job of bringing this story to life.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW:
I've been reading Nicci French since their very first book and have read dozens more over the years. I think this was probably the first time I've consumed one of their novels in audio form and it might have been a mistake.

I love really good audio - ideally with multiple voice artists or one who has a great range of voices. . Average audio risks sending me to sleep. Normally I listen in the car where I find it easier to concentrate but I no longer have a long commute and don't do that anymore. The basic problem with the narrator of 'The Unheard' is that her voice is rather flat and her delivery is (sorry) rather soporific. I'm not kidding. Several times I found myself having to go back a few chapters after I drifted off. I also have a rather fundamental aversion to books delivered in the first person.

Tess is a very protective mother to her young daughter, Poppy. She shares custody with her ex-partner, a chap who turns out to have multiple layers of previously undisclosed lies and cheating. When Poppy draws a dark and disturbing picture, starts swearing and wetting her bed, Tess is convinced she has seen something very bad. When Poppy's picture turns into a sort of prediction of the death of a young woman that Tess had met just once, she's even more convinced that something is afoot. The police won't take her seriously. Those around her think she's gone crazy. Even Tess has to doubt her own instincts and wonder who she can trust as, one after another, those around her reveal their dark sides. Suddenly all her friends are revealing that they thought her ex was a 'wrong'un'. Tess can see that his new wife seems to be struggling with his controlling ways. And every other man who comes into her orbit seems to be a suspect.

I'm confident in saying this would have been at least one star better if I'd read it instead of listening to it. Some books are just better on the page. I can't rule out that my goldfish-like attention span is the issue, but I have listened to many audiobooks over the years and don't always struggle in this way.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy.

This was an enjoyable and gripping listen, I'd class it somewhere between physiological thriller and crime fiction, and would tentatively suggest it would appeal to fans of either genre.

The story is of single mother, Tess, who witnesses some disturbing behaviours from her 3 year old daughter, Poppy, which leave her to believe that Poppy has been traumatised. She begins to question all the men in her life and suspects a murderer is among them. Tess finds herself in the unique position of trying to find a crime to make her suspicions make sense. Desperate to protect herself and her daughter, Tess finds herself written off as hysterical by the police and in the thick of a murder investigation.

This story is well written, twisty and features a likeable protagonist in Tess. Narration is superb, Overall I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this audiobook as a worthy antidote to the tediums of everyday life!

My thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to Netgalley for the audio version of THE UNHEARD.

This is another standalone thriller from the husband and wife team Nicci French and one I literally couldn’t stop listening to once I had started it.

Tess is a newly separated single mum to her precious 3 year old daughter Poppy. Her ex Jason is remarried and they appear to be handling the split well and ensuring Poppy’s well being and happiness is their number 1 priority.

After Poppy has spent the night at her father’s house, Tess discovers a drawing by Poppy depicting dark and disturbing images. When Poppy’s behaviour quickly deteriorates, she begins to wet the bed, swearing and becoming aggressive Tess starts to worry what Poppy may have witnessed.

Without giving anything away here, this story kept me absolutely HOOKED, I wasn’t sure what direction we were going in, was Poppy imagining things, hearing voices from the other side, behaving as a toddler would whose parents have just split or had she seen or heard something so violent her young mind couldn’t cope?

Tess becomes completely and utterly obsessed with finding out what happened and convinces herself that Poppy is somehow involved in a crime. When she starts to dig deeper, her suspicions and fears direct her to her ex-Jason which leads her to discovering the truths about their past relationship.

I was quite shocked at her behaviour especially when she tried to get the police involved and then entangled herself in an ongoing murder investigation. There is no doubt Tess’ behaviour bordered on unstable and irrational, but I found it was easy to feel sympathy for a mother who only wanted to protect her baby girl.

I thoroughly enjoyed this standalone and thought the narrator did an excellent job.

Really enjoyed this audio book I have read Nicci French books before so when I got the chance to listen to this via Netgalley I was really pleased and I wasn't disappointed

The story centres around Tessa who has started a new life after recently separating from her daughters father Jason
They share custody of 3 year old Poppy but when Poppy returns home after a visit with her Dad and his new wife its obvious Poppy has seen something that has deeply affected her.

The police don't believe Tessa so she starts to investigate herself and realises her relationship with Jason was not what she thought it was.

A good read/listen

I listened to the audio version which may have affected my review of the book. It was well written but I found it overly long and repetitive due to unnecessary detailed descriptions. The story itself was good but I didn't need to know repeatedly how many croissants they had for breakfast and how the strawberries were cut up. Tess was a rather an irritating character and Poppy a spoilt brat. Maybe if I'd read the book, I would have finished more quickly. Half the length or as a TV series, it would have worked well.

Thank you to NetGalley, W F Howes and Nicci French for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This is the first book by Nicci that I have read. This is a fast-placed thriller, which has plenty of twists and turns. I found the characters likeable and the plot was good. I felt the ending was somewhat expected and easy to guess but it still had a shock factor. I really enjoyed it and will be reading more books by Nicci.