5*s
In 2011 the talented duo Sean French and Nicci Gerrard published the first book in a new series about a psychotherapist called Frieda Klein under their pen name Nicci French with each of the titles featuring a day of the week. Originally I assumed that there would be a total of seven books but I’ve heard a rumour that there may in fact be eight in total. Saturday Requiem was the sixth in the series and published in 2016 but due to a NetGalley fail on my part, I missed reading a copy around publication time and later treated myself to the paperback copy in readiness for the seventh book which will be published later this month – Sunday Morning Coming Down.
Frieda Klein has vowed not to work with the police following some difficult moments which are covered in previous books, but… well of course there would be no book if she wasn’t in some way involved… she is drawn into the historic murder of Hannah Docherty’s family. Hannah had been tried and convicted of murder in her teens and has spent the last thirteen years in prison. Frieda agrees to meet her and is shocked to see that she is a shell of a person, almost mute and clearly injured. Because Frieda cares she is concerned that the treatment Hannah has received has caused her mental difficulties and decides to dig back to find out what sort of girl Hannah was before she apparently killed her mother, step-father and younger brother, Rory.
One of the reasons I get hooked on series is the relationships the key protagonists has with those around them and Nicci French has provided the readers with a real bunch of characters. Sadly DCI Malcolm Karlsson didn’t feature quite so much in this book having broken a fair few bones in his most recent crime fighting effort but the Polish builder Josef, Frieda’s biggest fan and protector, is there ready to lend a hand whenever the occasion demands it, and these occasions happen often! Jack and Chloe are also in the thick of things along with Karlsson’s loan of his deputy Valerie Long to investigate the historic murders, one that obviously needs more scrutiny following a recent discovery. Frieda is a complicated character but the validation of those around her ensures that I have warmed to her over the series. Dean Reeve, Frieda’s long-standing stalker is still elusively present and the set-up is still ongoing for what I hope will be an explosive showdown.
Apart from the characters of course what all readers need in crime fiction is a good puzzle with plenty of clues that don’t quite fit together until they are put into the right order. Nicci French gives us this in spades with each interview slowly moving the pieces around, and increasing the tension, until there is only one answer that makes sense. I don’t usually mention the endings to books, but this one blew me away!!
What more can I say, book six is up there with the best in the series, it sent me through the whole range of emotion with the plot, characterisation and pacing absolutely spot-on.
Saturday Requiem was my third read of my 20 Books of Summer Challenge 2017
First Published UK: 30 June 2016
Publisher: Penguin
No of Pages: 400
Genre: Crime Fiction Series
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Previous Books by Nicci French featuring Frieda Klein
Blue Monday
Tuesday’s Gone
Waiting For Wednesday
Thursday’s Child
Friday On My Mind
Cleopatra Loves Books 
The series is new to me and I am sorry I’ve missed them all. Netgalleyhas the seventh novel which I’ve requested.
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I do like this series, Cleo. And I think you’re right; it’s really the relationships among the characters that makes and keeps it strong. And this one does sound like a very interesting premise. Glad you enjoyed it!
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I LOVE this series…Frieda Klein is one of my favorite characters in this genre…and I’m so excited about a new one coming soon. Of course, it probably won’t be coming here for a while. That has been my experience with the other books.
Thanks for sharing.
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I’ve read all the books in the series and love reading them and never want them come too an end. Saturday Requiem was masterly in its plot and conclusion.
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Just finished this one myself, and found it very sad 😢 (about Hannah, although good opportunity to show Frieda’s compassion and gentleness, which sometimes gets lost when she goes all stubborn and militant about a case).
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Absolutely re Hannah although I admire writers who don’t take the path readers want all the time!
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It’d be neat to hear what’s their process like in penning a book together.
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