Linda Hammett keeps herself to herself though always tries to be helpful. How do others view her? She’s married to Terry and let’s just say he fills the space but fulfils little else. She dreams of the life she’s seen in catalogues rather than the mundane worn things they possess. When another girl goes missing in the area in which she lives the whole neighbourhood gets caught up in the drama and a net of suspicion is cast. Linda tells her story from Then (six weeks ago) to Today. As she tells her tale the big question is, just how reliable a narrator is she? Only time will tell.

I’m a big fan of Joanna Cannon and I think she’s knocked it out the park yet again. I love the way she writes, I love being in Linda’s presence for several highly entertaining hours. I don’t want to say too much about Linda as it may spoil the delight and pleasure of her company so I’ll settle for saying that it’s totally fascinating viewing things through her eyes. At times it’s extremely funny, albeit darkly so, her way of speaking can be most amusing but she’s also very perceptive and clever so you try interpret the inflections and nuances to detect the truth. It’s quite an emotional rollercoaster read and frequently it’s sad as you see the impact of judgements or the past catching up with the present. All the characterisation is good such as Linda’s mother Eunice who my mother would have described as ‘quite a card’ but Linda’s characterisation is outstanding. The ending is cracking, it’s a belter and an absolute doozy of jaw dropper which I couldn’t help but admire!

Overall, what a terrific read. It’s such a well written character driven book that has all the ingredients I like in a well executed novel.

With thanks to Netgalley and especially to HarperCollins, HarperFiction, The Borough Press for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review

I have book looking forward to reading A Tidy Ending ever since I heard Joanna Cannon was writing another book. I was absolutely thrilled to receive an early review Kindle copy, and delighted with the content, it exceeded all of my expectations.
Lynda is a fascinating character. We quickly learn she moved from Wales due to something dark that happened in her childhood. What exactly occurred? Her husband and her life is not exactly thrilling, but Lynda accepts her lot; until she sees the glossy magazines of the previous occupant of her new house and wonders if there is more to life? Is the grass greener? Lynda elicited so many feelings of sympathy, whilst infuriating me at times, and wanting to give her a good talking to…
Joanna is so talented, she uses the perfect voice to create the best books. I highly recommend this to everyone.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely brilliant book. What a fabulous story and characters. So different and refreshing and kept me turning the pages as fast as I could so I could find out what happened - but at the same time I didn't want it to end. Wonderful!

An absolutely stunning book with a gradually unfolding mystery and an ending that left me so shocked that I had to go right back to the beginning and read it again looking for clues!

Linda is the narrator who seems to have great difficulty fitting in with people, she has an overbearing mother, a deceased father with a dark past and a boring husband. A series of local murders takes place and the police take an interest in Linda's husband, meanwhile Linda is remodeling her life on the woman who was the previous tenant of their house.

I read this in a day, it's superb and Joanna Cannon is a genius!

With thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

I have been eagerly awaiting Joanna Cannon's third book and so I am very thankful to be given the opportunity to read it early. I have adored all her previous work and so my expectations were set very high for this book but I was no disappointed. It is such a clever book and I will not be able to do the synopsis any justice! However, you will not be let down!! A must read!

This is a very clever book. Linda is a simple soul who escapes from life through music on her walkman and excessive cleaning of her house. Germs are especially frightening to her and she is never without gloves, even in the house she keeps on her marigolds. Linda is one of those people who is always in the background, never quite fitting in, she longs for close friends, but her unorthodox methods never quite achieving positive results. About a decade ago she fell into a marriage with Terry, a laborer at the local factory. They don’t have anything in common and it’s not obvious either get anything out of the relationship. There are many references to Linda’s childhood , and a dark event concerning her father, with whom she had a close relationship. Her mother, a difficult person, is constantly criticizing Linda and her size, yet always pushing food at her, Linda dreads encounters with her.
The story evolves slowly as a serial murderer is discovered killing women near the estate where Linda and Terry live. Panic rises as people start getting anonymous letters seemingly linked to the killer.
Great development of characters and setting, this is a story that is quite unique. Unsettling and hard to put down, I recommend.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy.

What a smart and funny book which is peppered with wonderful lines:
"Mother says sharing intimate details of your health problems is a way to bring people together so I thought I'd keep my digestive tract up my sleeve for another time." Brilliant!

I felt as if I was a fish caught on a line reading this book. I was hooked and reeled in slowly to start with while I got a feel for the characters. Towards the middle when I thought I was getting a handle on the who, what, where and why, things sped up, but at the end, no matter what I thought I knew, I was left open mouthed, gaping.

Joanna Cannon's books always have a marvellous cast and A Tidy Ending is no different. Linda is a wonderfully complex character who worms (back to the fishing analogy) her way into your head and is not one to be forgotten in a hurry.
A fabulous and read and hugely recommended.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this early copy.

This is the third book I have read by this author and have really enjoyed all of them. The other two books ‘The Trouble With Goats and Sheep’ and ‘Three Things about Elsie’ were great reads and this one was another one at the same level. Well written novel with excellent characters and a really entertaining read.

The story centre around Linda who is living a very normal life with her husband Terry, that is until young women start to go missing in the neighbourhood.

This is a difficult book to try and write a synopsis and whatever I say just doesn’t seem to do it justice. I loved it from start to finish and would highly recommend it to other readers. So cleverly written and so worth reading.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

A Tidy Ending, Joanna Cannon 4/5

Linda has lived on the estate since she fled the darkness of her childhood. She spends her days working in the charity shop, cleaning up after husband Terry and flicking through the glossy catalogues that come through the door for the old owner…

Joanna Cannon is one of the best contemporary authors of today, her prose is carefully considered. Beautiful, funny and often suddenly heartbreaking A Tidy Ending is everything you come to expect from Joanna Cannon. An inspired, intriguing, clever story Linda is a wonderful protagonist. Her narration was fascinating and like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat Cannon as usual pulls off a stunning ending. What I like best about this novel (and her previous) is Cannons delicate reflections on the ennui that everybody feels. This should be on your must read list.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperFiction for my copy of this one.

An absolutely beautifully written novel filled with the author's trademark insights, humour and empathy. I love the way Joanna Cannon writes and here she brings Linda's world to life with her portrayal of the impact of murder on a small town community. The characterisation and speech is so well done as are the observations of daily life which made me smile so much. The author's love for humanity really shines through her writing and brings it to life. The best book I've read for a while, I was so sad to finish it and would highly recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review a digital ARC.

After Goats and Sheep and Elsie I had high hopes for A Tidy Ending - but within a few pages I could see that they were going to be surpassed.

Clever and beautifully written, the narrative is strung with pearl after pearl of perfect prose, small nuggets to savour again and again. I loved it.

A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon

The premise of the story is Linda is living a life of domestic drudgery whilst looking after her not so perfect husband .
I liked the way the story picked up and really enjoyed it and the characters , especially Linda who is not quite as she seems.

#ATidyEnding #NetGalley
Awesome.
Linda has lived around here ever since she fled the dark events of her childhood in Wales. Now she sits in her kitchen, wondering if this is all there is – pushing the Hoover round and cooking fish fingers for tea is a far cry from the glamorous lifestyle she sees in the glossy catalogues coming through the door for the house’s previous occupant.
Terry isn’t perfect – he picks his teeth, tracks dirt through the house and spends most of his time in front of the TV. But that seems fairly standard – until he starts keeping odd hours at work, at around the same time young women start to go missing in the neighbourhood. If Linda could just track down Rebecca, who lived in the house before them, maybe some of that perfection would rub off on her.
It was like a cozy mystery to me. Loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy of this book.