I found this psychological thriller so intense in places, so if you’re looking for a wild ride I recommend this! I was so frustrated by Tess’ behaviour in places I felt like throwing my kindle at the wall. I was desperately trying to read faster and faster to see how things would resolve and I feel like it took a while for my heart rate to return to normal after I finished it!

I love being given the opportunity to update our school library which is a unique space for both senior students and staff to access high quality literature. This is definitely a must-buy. It kept me absolutely gripped from cover to cover and is exactly the kind of read that just flies off the shelves. It has exactly the right combination of credible characters and a compelling plot thatI just could not put down. This is a great read that I couldn't stop thinking about and it made for a hugely satisfying read. I'm definitely going to order a copy and think it will immediately become a popular addition to our fiction shelves. 10/10 would absolutely recommend.

In the beginning I was intrigued by the premise. But it became quite boring and predictable. I wasn’t a fan of the main character. The ending was awful.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

The Unheard - Nicci French

Being a huge Nicci French fan I was so excited to read this book as the blurb sounded amazing, and it certainly did not disappoint! I was gripped right from the beginning and throughout, there were not too many characters which I was pleased about (as I easily get a little confused) and I really found it easy to put a mental picture to each of them. I felt as though I was taken along for the ride with the main character Tess and felt her frustration confusion and panic during the whole book. Thank you so much Simon & Schuster UK for allowing me to read this e-arc I can only apologise for the delay in review

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this advanced copy and I am sorry for the delay in reading.
This was a stand alone thriller and although I miss Frieda the authors have done it again.
They are a master of writing a great crime/psychological thriller and never fail to get me hooked.

I highly recommend this and all of Nicci French's books - I've read them all so far.

A great partnership writing great novels - please keep writing.

This is one of Nicci's standalone thriller reads, and once again she proves herself as a master of her craft. It was such a great read, I can't wait to see what she comes up next. Recommended for anyone that loves a good read.

I’ve read many Nicci French books and she never fails to deliver, this is no exception, great story, well written. I loved it.

I will read anything this author duo writes. The way they weave the story is brilliant every single time. The added creep factor of this being something the reader knows is happening to a child increased the sinister nature of this book.

I really enjoyed the unreliable narrator/suspect everyone tropes in this book. The tension increased throughout and I really didn't want to put it down.

Can't wait for the next book from these brilliant writers.

I was really sad to say goodbye to the Freida Klein series but this is another excellent thriller from French. A complex yet plausible puzzle that I didn't manage to solve and characters with enough depth to make me root for them. Great.

I have read a couple of books by Nicci French but this was by far my favourite! It had me completely hooked from the start and I didn’t know what to think or who to believe, I flew through it because I was desperate to find out what the truth was! It literally makes you question everyone and everything, and I did not guess the ending or any of the twists (of which there were many!)

At some points I thought Tess was spiralling completely out of control and was cringing at her behaviour, but she was just desperate to know the truth (as was I!) This is extremely well written, with an unreliable narrator and a shady bunch of characters thrown in, with lots of suspense and intrigue. I would highly recommend and I will be looking through the back catalogue of this husband and wife author duo for more!

Firstly thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley and apologies in the delay.

I raced through this today , I was hooked. What a great book!

Fast paced ,gripping and unpredictable. This takes you on a real journey of revelations,secrets,and lies.

As a mum I know what it is like when you know something isn’t right with your child . What happens when no one believes you and youre portrayed as someone losing the plot?

As the search for the truth heightens the plot thickens and no one is who they say they are. Packed with suspense this will have you turning the pages at a fast rate desperate to get answers…

A clever,thought provoking thriller that weaves into your mind. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Published 16th September

Oh wow! What a sensational read! I can not put into words how much I enjoyed this. An addictive, captivating, fast paced thriller with an impressive twisty plot that kept me on my toes. I changed my mind several times whilst reading this, about how I thought this was going to conclude and I was wrong with every theory! I love it when a book can keep me guessing right up until the last page.

Some parts were questionably unrealistic but it doesn’t take away how fantastic this book is. Nikki French has created tension and drama from the very beginning. The writing style is brilliantly gripping with characters that are easy to become invested in.

No surprise here but I definitely recommend this to all thriller fans! Not one to be missed!

Great book, love all Nicci French books and this one was excellent as well. I would highly recommend

I absolutely love the Frieda Klein series by the same authors, and while this is another fascinating read, with a well thought out plot, good characters and plenty of suspense, I was overall slightly underwhelmed.

The Unheard Nicci French

5 stars

A mother’s Instincts are usually right.

Tess has been living alone with her 3 year old daughter Poppy for over a year now. Her ex-partner Jason has moved on very quickly and has married a much younger woman, Emily who has just become pregnant. Tess has also found a new partner, Aiden, although she is treading very cautiously in order to protect her young daughter.

Tess and Jason are trying to co-parent successfully in order not to upset Poppy and all seems to be going well until after a weekend with her father, Poppy seems withdrawn and draws a picture of a woman falling and states that ‘he did kill her’. All of Tess’s maternal instincts come to the fore and she immediately suspects Jason but he insists that Poppy had been absolutely fine with him and Emily.

Further events occur, problems at nursery, wetting the bed, nightmares all of which convince Tess that Poppy has witnessed a crime. She decides to take a break from her relationship with Aiden and concentrate all her attention on Poppy.

On a night out with her friends when everyone gets a little drunk, Tess discovers that Jason had had affairs throughout his relationship with her and is already being unfaithful to Emily. She becomes convinced that Jason has killed one of his girlfriends and that Poppy had witnessed it which is why her behaviour has gone downhill.

Tess takes her suspicions to the police but without any proof they tell her they cannot help. Tess becomes increasingly paranoid about everyone around her. She briefly reconciles with Aiden but then when Poppy refuses to accept his friendship becomes convinced that it is Aiden who has committed the crime that Poppy has drawn. When she again goes to the police they are even less willing to believe her and dismiss her as a neurotic mother.

Finally Tess has to take things into her own hands and prove the truth of what has happened putting both herself and her daughter in great danger. How she manages to finally discover what has happened was riveting reading and I found myself unable to put this book down until I found out the outcome.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read about dark secrets and how to unravel them.


Dexter

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

The Unheard is a story that highlights just how one event can spiral your reality into utter chaos. This is a story that I wanted to love but a couple of things niggled me. Tess, the protagonist was very annoying, very. She came across as the jilted ex-girlfriend that couldn’t let go. Yes, she was investigating some troubling behaviour in her daughter, but she cared way too much about her ex-partner’s life and his extra marital activities. He was the past just move on and let him destroy yet another relationship. His loss. However, Tess did come across as very unstable.

Tess’s daughter, Poppy has come home from the pre-arranged weekend visit with her father, Jason. As Tess is going through her things, she pulls out a stack of drawings, many are forgettable but the last one is drawn in thick black lines and is very violent. It depicts the scene of a woman falling from a tower. It disturbs Tess and she immediately tries to talk to Jason about it. He dismisses it as the fanciful drawings of a child’s imagination and wants to hear nothing more about it. Tess is incessant with worry – she knows her child has witnessed or heard something damaging her mental health. It is merely the start of Tess’s spiral.

Poppy’s behaviour becomes even more erratic. She’s came out with extremely adult swear words and mentioned “did kill” “did die” why has she suddenly began saying these things? As a mother it would be concerning but, in this day, and age, unfortunately, children can pick things up in all manners of situations not all of them bad. Tess, however, is unwilling to let it drop and takes Poppy to a child therapist, he can’t say either way whether she has witnessed something bad or not. She then meets a woman in a café that seem to know her, it leaves her feeling disconcerted.

This woman that she had this strange encounter with turns up dead after falling from a tower block, a coincidence surely with Poppy’s drawing as she drew it before this even happened. Tess is adamant now that Poppy overheard someone. She blames every male she knows that is connected in some way to Poppy even her best friend’s husband. She’s acting paranoid and overprotective.

This one failed to really make an impact for me. I found the way in which the story unravelled to be quite improbable. I’m not sure any mother with the best of intentions would of added up the dots like that and arrived to the correct conclusion. I just found myself thinking “really”? it was all a bit farfetched for my liking.

This was a very strange and unusual story, not sure if it could actually occur.
Tess and Jason had been living together unmarried and had a little three year old daughter called Popp.y.
They split up and Jason remarried, but were determined to have a good relationship so Poppy was kept secure.
Things did not pan out, and Poppy got very clingy and started doing drawings of a woman falling from a tower.
Tess wanted to know what these drawing s meant, and when she eventually found out she was scared for her and poppys life.

Nicci French can do no wrong. I have devoured everything that this duo have put out and this was no exception. I didn't guess the ending and I loved the tension and suspense created throughout.

Absolutely excellent book. Really gripping and very credible characters. The tension ramped up as the story unfolded. One of my favourite authors and this didn't disappoint.