Intense, chilling and utterly compelling!

Ever since the day, I read my first Nicci French book (19 years ago!) I’ve loved everything that this amazing husband & wife duo has written. Masters of their genre, I really can’t rate their books highly enough. Now that I’m a book blogger it is an honour to review their work.

We all love it when our children start to draw actual things rather than just paint random splotches on a sheet of paper. What would you do though if your child suddenly drew something dark and disturbing? Tess is admiring some beautiful artwork created by her three-year-old Poppy when she comes across a picture that chills her to the core. Followed up with some strange behaviour and horrendous language from Poppy, Tess is soon convinced her daughter must have witnessed something horrific, but when and how?

With no real evidence, Tess finds it hard to get others to listen to her, especially the police and she is soon coming across as a bit of a fruit loop! Tess is strong-willed and determined though and makes it her mission to find out what happened, even if it means what she does is a bit unorthodox! A lot of the time I was screaming at her not to do certain things as I could see she was likely to make matters worse, but I was also rooting for her, knowing everything she did was with good reason.

Like Tess, I was suspicious of everyone. The outcome was shocking and surprising and the ending, brilliant!

Perfectly paced and expertly written, this book will take you on a dark, twisty journey full of suspense. If it wasn’t for work and the kids, I could have easily read this book in one sitting.

Thank you so much to Nicci French, Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for my copy of this book.

Tess’s number one priority has always been her three-year-old daughter Poppy. But splitting up with Poppy’s father Jason means that she cannot always be there to keep her daughter safe.

When she finds a disturbing drawing, dark and menacing, among her daughter’s brightly coloured paintings, Tess is convinced that Poppy has witnessed something terrible. Something that her young mind is struggling to put into words.

But no one will listen. It’s only a child’s drawing, isn’t it?

This is a fantastic domestic thriller! I wrongly assumed that it was going to be simple but the writing pulled your into Tess' paranoia, but is it paranoia, and made you question everything that you were getting through her thoughts. The first half is a slow build but the 2nd is impossible to put down, the twist is brilliant and the way it all pans out is so well done. I also loved the different antagonist characters and how despite the fact that not everyone did anything awful they still can be horrible people that you need to protect yourself from. The final line is my absolute favourite and shows the development Tess goes through over the course of this book. I also loved the female friendships that Tess had and the presence of Gina and Laurie as the stay at home dad. The red herrings were effective and the whole book is brilliantly paced and so much suspense, I was constantly speculating what was going to happen and the bringing together of all the threads at the end was amazing. I can't wait to read more by Nicci French!

It took me a while to get into this book, however when i got to grips with it i was enthralled with it. Tess’s 3 year old daughter draws a picture and becomes a different child, swearing, wetting the bed, night terrors, tess has to find out what’s gone wrong! She turns detective. Tess finds things happening to her so speaks to the police, they just tell her to stop wasting police time and resources. Finally she finds out what’s gone wrong!

I really enjoy reading books by Nikki French so was really excited to pick this one up to read.

Tess’ daughter Poppy goes to her dads for the weekend and comes back different. She says naughty words and wets the bed which is. Dry out of character for her. Poppy also shows her mum a drawing she has done which is extreme violent and Tess realises that Poppy has witnessed something terrible and sets off to find out what Poppy has seen.
Some of this story I felt was rather far fetched - Tess kept putting herself forward in the police investigation and even found herself at a murder scene. I’m not sure the police would have been as lenient with her in real life. Some of these parts let the book down for me, so I’m going to give this one 3.5 starts rounded up to four.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been a big fan of Nicci French novels for a long time so was excited to receive this review copy from NetGalley.
Tess is a single mother to 3 year old Poppy. When Poppy draws a frightening picture of a woman being pushed from a tower, starts having nightmares and using bad language Tess becomes really worried. As it happens after a visit to her ex partner Jason she fears that Poppy could have witnessed something awful whilst she was there.
Then, when a dead woman is discovered at the bottom of a tower block Tess begins to investigate herself, fearing her daughter has somehow witnessed a murder. The police will not take her seriously but the more she discovers the less she is believed and she ends up being in a nightmare situation, fearing for her own and her daughter’s safety. She suspects everyone, not only her ex but his brother in law and even her best friend’s husband.
Although I enjoyed the book I didn’t think it was quite as engrossing as previous books and I’m not sure why. Maybe I’ve read quite a few thrillers where the lead character is a woman whom no one believes and so this one did not seem quite so original. I also found the ending rather rushed and I’d already guessed the big twist before it happened.
However the book did entertain me and I whizzed through it in a few days so I would definitely recommend it to readers of psychological thrillers.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Maybe I’ve read too many books lately where a (young) mother has to deal with something dark and disturbing. Maybe I’ve read too many books lately about a couple that’s only a couple because they have a child together. This book was ok but it just didn’t feel like a genuine Nicci French. I missed the real ‘Nicci French’ suspense, I missed the dialogs, the interesting characters. It’s not a bad book but it followed a pattern that is becoming too familiar lately. Maybe if the author(s) would have turned the story around, Jason being the husband taking care of his daughter, and Tess being the woman who remarried and acting strange. Or maybe not throwing so many characters at the reader because figuring out who the real killer is, is part of the fun. Now, we get to see characters that are meant to be suspect, but they have hardly any depth at all.
Am I disappointed? Yes and no. Yes, I’m disappointed because this duo has written so many interesting and equally interesting character, while in this story all characters seem to be thirteen in a dozen. No, because this book was ok but it felt more like a debut than a book from a well known author (or author couple).

Thanks to Netgalley for this review copy.

This is a great read that certainly keeps you guessing.
Tess and Jason have separated and share the care of their three year old daughter, Poppy.
After a weekend with Jason, Tess is looking at the drawings Poppy has done over the weekend and comes across a disturbing picture. There’s lots of black crayon and when Tess asks her about it she talks about someone being killed. She also starts saying very strong swear words and Tess is right to be worried.
Tess tries to look into what has happened but keeps reaching a dead end. She even speaks to the Police, but they dismiss her concerns.
This is a gripping mystery thriller that will have you racing through the pages desparate to know what really happened.
A great read.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I am a huge fan of Nicci French's books and was excited to read this one. I was not disappointed, I absolutely loved it and read it in two days.

The story revolves around Tess's young daughter one day drawing a dark, unsettling picture. Is this just from her imagination or has she witnessed something evil? It is an alarming concept and, along with other suspicious and creepy happenings, the plot cleverly advances with a distinct threat of menace and uncertainty. Is Tess just being an overprotective mother or has Poppy really seen something terrible? Who can Tess trust and why will no one believe her interpretation of her daughter's drawing?

The characters, though not all likeable, were cleverly and realistically portrayed. I was immediately drawn into the story and couldn't put it down.

This is another skilful, tense psychological thriller from the Nicci French writing duo and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to publishers Simon and Schuster UK and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A new book from Nicci French (aka Nicci Gerrard and Sean French) is always a cause for celebration. The Unheard tells the story of Tess and her daughter Poppy. Since her recent breakup, Tess has been struggling to combine work and looking after Poppy, leading to Poopy spending more time with her father. After one visit, she discovers a drawing by Poppy - a drawing that leads her to believe the little girl has been party to a terrible event, As Tess tries to delve into recent events, she is confronted by dangerous opposition and cannot tell who to trust.
As always, Nicci French has a talent for drawing you into the storyline and routing for the protagonist. As events unroll, there is a sense of shock and I found myself going, 'Oh my' on several occasions. I knew to expect the shock but the author manages to shock and awe without giving away any plotpoints.
Definitely worth a read.

Thirty something schoolteachers, Tess and Jason, are apparently amicably separated and share the care of their nearly four year old daughter, Poppy. Jason is now married to Emily and living in the Brixton house he had shared with Tess, while she and poppy are building a new home in a garden flat in London Fields. She has a new boyfriend, Aidan, but it is early days. She also has a good support group of friends.
So far so idyllic.
Then Poppy comes home from a routine weekend stay with Jason bringing her latest drawings, one of which shows a disturbing image of a woman falling from a high tower. About the same time she starts to behave out of character, extreme swearing, arguing, night terrors, bed wetting. Tess becomes concerned that Poppy has been traumatised by some event she has seen and represented in her drawing. But, as she is either with one parent or the other, where could she have witnessed such a thing? And who has she heard swearing? Has she's been abused in some way?
Or is Tess just being overanxious, as her friends and the police believe? Has her parent’s separation (for they were never married so it is not a divorce although it feels like one) had a bigger psychological impact on Poppy than she had believed it had? Plagued by these questions, Tess seems to be sinking into paranoia. Who can she trust? Why does no one believe she is correctly interpreting what her daughter is trying, but lacks the vocabulary, to say?
This is a fine and skilful analysis of the different psychologies of a mother and a toddler. It is very well written; scenes are evocative and characters are believably drawn. But these are the things we expect from the wife and husband team known as Nicci French.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Absolutely Brilliant and a Must Read.
I have been a big fan of this double act 'authoring' for a good few years and I loved the Freda Klein series as here was a woman in control of her life who went through thick and thin without a panic. I could see how two separate people could write one book as there were a series of story lines in each book. With The Unheard it appears to be a time sequenced serial event book and I'm intrigued how this could be a joint effort. Still it is and it is a really, really, good book.
I was never confident on how it would end and who was the culprit but the last few pages do provide a satisfying end to the book. I always, predominantly in vain, hope that the last page or two will provide a 'wow' not expecting that end or one of those 'this is how it is or is it' ends. The Unheard does have a last page final end (not sure if that makes sense) and it is definitely the right end to this book

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. An enjoyable read from the beginning, with good writing. Well drawn characters, though not all likeable. Enough twists and turns to hold my attention to the end. Worth a read!

A fantastic five-star thriller from Nicci French that captures the way adult mysteries are seen through the eyes of children, a device that doesn't always work but in these capable hands, it's pulled off to perfection.

I have always been a big fan of Nicci French and so I started reading this with high expectations - unfortunately I didnt warm to any of the characters and didnt find myself that involved in the plot line, so when the big reveal happened, I missed that sense of 'oh my god of course' that you want in crime fiction.
Tess is a school teacher recently separated from Jason, the father of their 3 year old Poppy. The separation has been amicable and Poppy is doing well, but one day she brings a disturbing picture home of a woman falling from a tower. Tess's investigations into what the picture might mean become obsessive - but the interactions that she had with people in her search for answers never quite felt true to me.
Sorry that this isnt the positive review that I was hoping to be writing! Looks like other people have liked it more though

I was a little disappointed with this book. I am a big fan of Nicci French, having read the older books quite early on, however, this didn't get as dark as the others. It felt like any other way going thriller, which isn't the feeling I usually get from this author.

The story did pick up towards the end, but it still wasn't to the same standard I'm used to. There were also many mistakes which made it harder to engage fully in the story.

A pretty good holiday read. The plot starts off strong with the protagonist’s toddler daughter seemingly communicating that she’s witnessed a murder. It keeps you gripped for a good three quarters of the novel. The last quarter was a bit of a letdown for me, though. I felt it was far too drawn out and muddled so that by the end of the book I didn’t care that much what the resolution was. Strong for the majority, however, so a good read if you want something quick and easy.

I absolutely love Nicci French's books. The writing is so vivid and addictive. It is in this book, too. However, this time around I did not fall in love with the story or the characters. I simply did not buy the story. To begin with I quite often find myself not fully enjoying books with overprotective mothers. They are quite repetitive, and in fact do not give me much joy. There are naturally some exceptions.

The thing is that I did not find the story to be believable. It's hard going into this subject without giving away bits from the story, but I do understand that a mother's intuition is quite a big thing, but do the police really listen this much to a woman, when nothing has happened? There must be many lunatics out there the police will not listen to, and many distressed mothers with mental health issues. I also found the ending to be a but abrupt, and I'm not convinced I fully bought it. The book is well-written, and an easy read, so all in all still an enjoyable read. I am also sure that there are lots of people who will enjoy this book.

Such a twisty turny winding story. A gut instinct to trust your child. And so many players that could be on your side or very against you. Well written with believable characters. I felt like the storyline with the ex husband could have been more fulfilled but overall it was a great read. I absolutely adored the way the author captured the child. The way she spoke and behaved was spot on and life life, it really added depth to the story.

In a nutshell - brilliant!

Nicci French once again has pulled it out of the bag. I couldn´t put this one down. You are completely drawn in from the very first page, you connect with the characters, simply loved Poppy, her mum Tess being the protective tigress against the people around her, suspecting everyone and unable to get people to listen to her.

Basically, you have to read this!

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy.

Having been an avid Nicci French reader for 20+ years, I couldn't wait to snap this one up. And as always, I wasn't disappointed.

There are a few truly awful characters,.. Jason being at the top of the list. What a dweeb, really. I loved young Poppy, full of fire and spunk, and sadness. I also rather admired Tess's tenacity. I did see the killer coming fairly early on, although I did get it wrong initially. I found the book a tad long-winded, but otherwise another excellent read from a team who are one of the greats in this genre.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC.