The final hours a Muriel Hinchcliffe M.B.E was an okay story, its not the most dynamic and it does drag in places but for a debut novel its not a bad start, It is a story about friendship of Ruth & Muriel they have been friends their whole life and the tale is retold by Ruth who used to have a career as a journalist but now she cares for her friend who she calls moo, of the lives, love & life they could of had, it is quite dark in places as Ruth slowly unravels as the story progresses but the story was well read by the narrator Jenny Funnell.

Muriel and Ruth have been best friends since childhood and, now in their 70's, are living together with Ruth being Muriel's carer. More like sisters than friends, they spend their days bickering, playing Scrabble and listening to The Archers. One afternoon, Muriel makes a shocking announcement, causing Ruth to wonder how she can help avoid the inevitable.

This was a pretty solid mysterious tale, but both main characters were so unlikeable that I eventually wasn't particularly bothered what happened to them! I also think having two main characters, but only giving one of their POV's made it a bit too one-sided.

Ruth’s husband left her and married her friend Muriel. Their lives stayed linked for decades and now Ruth and Muriel live together.

Really enjoyed this well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Our two main characters are as complicated as their lives. Now in their seventies Ruth cares for Muriel but it is a love/hate relationship. Twists and turns throughout this novel with a plotline I have never seen before.

What has happened over the years that has led to now? There are truths and lies to be uncovered and all is not what it seems. There will be consequences, enjoy.

Fabulous! Lifelong friends, Muriel (Moo) and Ruth (Roo) are in their seventies and Roo is now Moo's carer. Told in dual timelines, in the present day, we learn about the last 72 hours of Moo's life, narrated by Roo.

Both of these fascinating and eccentric women have secrets and as the layers of the story peel away, we discover that they both have their own agenda and that their close and lifelong friendship is highly toxic, with revenge at the heart of everything they do.

Dark and twisty, Claire Parkin's writing is sublime and the narration of the audiobook by Jenny Funnell captures the two women's personalities brilliantly.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Claire Parkin and Macmillan for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I listened to this book and the narrator was excellent. The story unfolds well revealing the hidden traits of greed, jealousy and selfishness in the characters. I did enjoy it, an easy listen (and I'm sure would be an easy read). It's not a masterpiece by any means but I would recommend it.

A elderly Ruth cares for her life long best friend, Muriel, who is now bed bound. Sharing a colourful past, the pair have their ups and downs but coexist with mutual benefits. Muriel has an episode and predicts her time of death. The story jumps to different times of their lives, where the plot builds and layers of intrigue unravelled.
A cosy crime vibe to this audio made for easy listening, but the story kept you hooked as to what else this pair got up to in their younger days and the events that lead to present day.

Ruth and Muriel, friends for 76 years, live together. One evening Muriel predicts she will be dead in exactly 72 hours, sending Ruth's life spiraling out of control.

The Final Hours Of Muriel Hinchcliffe M. B. E. by Claire Parkin had me gripped, the more I listened to this tale of elderly friends living together, the more I wanted to know. The twists and turns of the story were narrated wonderfully by Jenny Funnell, who was able to give voice to two distinctly different characters.

At the beginning of the book, we meet the elderly pair of friends as Muriel makes her terrifying prediction. Ruth isn't particularly bothered by this as she's used to Muriel and her overly dramatic ways. What's different this time is how specific Muriel is about the time of her death. As the story progresses we then learn about the intertwined lives of the pair.

Born fifteen seconds apart, their mothers bonded on the labour ward. When the friends say they've known each other all their lives they mean it. Pretty Muriel needs constant affirmation in her life, as a child she gets much of this from Ruth's mother. You can feel the resentment festering from an early age as plain Ruth is denied her mother's affection. This animosity continues throughout their lives and is at its strongest now. Ruth is entirely reliant on Muriel for somewhere to live since her career as a journalist had many ups and downs.

From the outset, you are sympathetic towards Ruth. It would appear that Ruth needs Muriel just as much as Muriel needs Ruth. What slowly becomes apparent is that Ruth is a classic unreliable narrator. The more we learn about Ruth's life, the more we realise she has been responsible for much of her own downfall. Mental health plays a major part in the story and there were times I was convinced that Ruth's mental health was central to the story; was she living with dementia? There were even times when I was convinced Ruth and Muriel were different personalities of the same individual.

I loved the way the minutiae of life and the house were described. The once genteel area of London that is now on the up, with neighbours describing the shed as a summerhouse and extensions as orangeries. I could vividly imagine the cluttered house, frozen in time, that Muriel and Ruth lived in.

I was honestly filled with sadness when I finished this book. Partly because it was finished and partly because of the way it ended. A story of two lives filled with jealousy, manipulation and resentment. Two women whose lives would have been vastly different if they had never known each other, but through chance happened to be born fifteen seconds apart on the same ward.

A delightful book that is so well written that even though you know the plot from pretty much the first chapter you still wait with baited breath for the final heartbreaking reveal.

The book itself describes this story as -

‘Behaviour immortalised in (a) tale of two bitter women so determined to destroy each other that they unwittingly wreck the lives of anyone unfortunate enough to get close to them’

A toxic friendship thriving on perpetual oneupmanship. Ruth has shared everything with her best friend Muriel (or the ‘Princess of Darkness’ as Ruth calls her) including Ruth’s own mother and even her husband who left her (desperate to be a mother) to have a child with her best friend. Has this made Ruth bitter? Hell yes, and some! But she has secrets involving both the husband and Muriel’s son that if they were ever revealed would turn both their world’s upside down. The demise of all concerned leads to an ending fit for a Greek tragedy.

⭐⭐⭐
The Final Hours of Muriel Hinchcliffe M.B.E by Claire Parkin, an audiobook narrated by Jenny Funnell was so different... I didn't work out where I stand with this book.
I am grateful that I listened to an audiobook as I would struggle to read it. Jenny Funnell was absolutely the perfect and engaging narrator for this book! I enjoyed her reading so much!

The book itself felt all over the place. From time to time I get confused about which timeline is which.
There was some good humor that made me laugh but I am not sure how I felt about the main characters. This book is told from Roo’s perspective.

Moo (Muriel) and Roo (Ruth) are best friends. They both love and hate each other. Looks like they are sharing everything including a man! Their relationships are toxic but they can't stay away from each other. As we know toxic things will end in one or another way...
As the story jumps back and forth between the past and present it unfolds more about both of them and the people around them. Things are messy, messier as you can imagine. The line between good and bad gets thinner with each chapter.

I would recommend an audio version of this book as I believe it would be more enjoyable but we all are different. I definitely recommend it if you like messy friendships!

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan UK Audio for this copy.

Listened to and thoroughly enjoyed by Liza. The Final Hours of Muriel Hinchcliffe M.B.E by Claire Parkin. This book releases towards the end of March.

When I first started, I thought it was just another book about the friendship between two old ladies but very quickly you realise its about so much more. Ruth (Roo) and Muriel (Moo) are both 76. They have been friends their entire lives as their mothers gave birth within minutes of each other at the same hospital.

They now live together in Moo’s house and Roo is her carer as Moo is wheelchair bound. The pair however have a very toxic relationship. One minute they will be all happy and cheerful and then someone will make a snide comment but brush it off with a little laugh saying stop being so sensitive. The passive aggressive comments will continue to fly until eventually one of them begs the other for forgiveness and they continue to play their nightly Scrabble game.

One night Muriel states she will die in 72 hours and we follow the last hours of Muriel with flashbacks to when the pair where younger and how many secrets the two shared - and had from each other. It had great twists during the middle and end parts of the book.

The Final Hours of Muriel Hinchcliffe M.B.E written by Claire Parkin and narrated by Jenny Funnell.

Muriel (Moo) and Ruth (Roo) have been friends since birth (Roo the younger by 15 seconds) and their life has certainly not been of equal distribution of good fortune. The first impressions I had of the dynamic between the two ladies, were reminiscent of the fantastic French and Saunders spoof of Misery (in reverse and a whole lot darker) We meet Moo and Roo and the age of 76, Moo now in a wheelchair and Roo her carer.

The novel follows the pair throughout their lives and how they have arrived at this juncture, detailing jealousy, misfortune, deception and resentment, a truly toxic relationship and family dynamic that has festered through time. Dark humour is borne from the bitterness and as such, I found myself, chuckling, cheering and chiding the characters throughout

Jenny Funnell is a wonderful Narrator and she voiced the audiobook with the perfect pace, nuance and character definition

Both characters are incredibly relatable and I was thoroughly invested. This is an utterly blinding debut and an author I shall be following.. Absolutely brilliant

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan UK Audio, the author Claire Parkin and narrator Jenny Funnell for this delightful ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

DNF. Unfortunately, there was an underlying nastiness and creepiness that just definitely wasn't for me at this current time. Nothing to do with the book, but just an entirely personal issue.

The Final Hours of Muriel Hinchcliffe M.B.E definitely had an interesting and original premise for it's plot. However, the pace was a bit slow and struggled to hold my attention. At points, I was tempted to stop reading. It's a unnerving yet insightful character study, but could have been improved with better pacing and dual narratives, to highlight the unreliable narration.

I thought the narration was very good and kept me engaged for longer than the e-book did.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of theaudiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I'm afraid I didn't really get on very well with this book. Although it was excellently narrated for the audiobook, it was essentially a story of hate, deceit, abuse, depression and darkness! It just made me miserable when I was listening to it. The endless repetition of "Moo" and "Roo" almost drove me mad and the two main characters were so unpleasant. I couldn't get on with either of them - I couldn't empathise or sympathise with anyone's situation. I am grateful to the publishers for granting me access to the audiobook but I am afraid it was not my favourite.

(2.5 stars, rounded up to 3)

Muriel and Ruth have been in each others lives since birth and now, in their 70s they live together with Roo acting as primary carer for Moo who requires a wheelchair. All is not how it seems however and as the book flits back from the present to the past we start to understand the complexities of the two women's relationship and the darkness that underpins it.
Dark, comedic at times and well written.
I am grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced listener copy of this very well narrated audiobook.

A totally original tale with the green eyed monster the most guilty at the end. Great characters and excellent use of moving time line. I could listen again to pick up any important pieces of information along the way.
Great narrator too apart from the one northern accent which was a tad overplayed.

4.5 stars

I listened to the audio of this book, and it's pretty great. Excellent narration.
At times it felt like a gossip with your slightly unhinged friend... at other times it felt like a very worrying chat with your totally unhinged friend.
Takes toxic friendship to a whole new level in the best way.
Just incredibly good fun.
I could have happily listened to more, much more.

There’s only one word to describe this debut; outstanding. Claire Parkin has created two memorable central characters each with a backstory that becomes deeper and darker with every chapter. I listened to the audio version which was superbly narrated with just the tpright tone and pace throughout.

Muriel and Ruth, Moo and Roo have been friends since childhood. Even as children, there was jealousy within the friendship, not helped by Roos mother who favoured Moo. They went on to follow very different careers and a shared relationship which caused resentment and bitterness. Despite this, Moo ends up as Roos carer and the story switches back and forth between their present circumstances and past events.

The story has all the elements of a psychological drama that’s played out in front of you. I found both characters plausible, entertaining, irritating and humorous. There are plenty of moments of dark humour and the relationship is acutely observed. Bit by bit their back stories emerge and the toxicity of the relationship and the reasons for it really come together. It’s far more profound than at first sight and totally compelling. I love unreliable narrators and was soon beginning to question where the real truth lay. Observations from neighbours, hints about drinking, poor recall….what was really going on and why?

I’ve raced through this in a couple of evenings, absolutely gripped by the downward spiral of their lives and wanting to know how it would all end. This is a title that everyone will be talking about and I hope there’s more from Ms Parkin.

An outstanding twisted, toxic, funny and disturbing debut novel. Moo and Roo have more than a hint of whatever happened to baby Jane about them.

Moo a successful novelist and MBE is now being cared for at home by her oldest, longest friend Roo. Infact, Roo has long been used to caring for Moo though as she’s given up her whole life for Moo. Moo is not an easy patient though, poor Roo has an awful time …….. but can we rely on her as our narrator?!

The story builds gently, and becomes frantic and erratic and builds to the point where it reaches an outstanding end!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan U.K. audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.