A Tidy Ending is a very clever, entertaining and dark mystery that continually surprises! I think anyone reading the reviews will be left a bit confused by the hints, but it's hard to write a detailed review of this book without spoilers.

So I'll keep it simple. It's a murder mystery, set in a housing estate in England, with a rather ordinary woman as the protagonist and several other well-rounded support characters. What makes it well worth reading is that it is packed with surprises, especially the ending.

It's well written, quite funny at times, and makes for a particularly good read.

The author has such a wonderful way with characters that I loved reading about in her previous books, and in Linda she has created a new darker character that you find yourself feeling sorry for, alongside being a little fearful of her and the uneasy aspects of her obsessive behaviour. But it keeps you coming back for more as you find yourself eager to know just how this tale will turn out!

Linda lives an invisible life - always in the background, watching on, and keeping herself to herself. So why are there reporters knocking at her door?! In the background, there's a local news story playing out that young women are going missing and bodies found, and it picks up the fear created in the neighbourhood wondering who could be committing the crimes, alongside the nervousness amongst the women as they could be next! Is there a pattern? Linda starts to obsess over the details and plays the amateur detective and you really get the impression that it's an escape from her life that has become very mundane. Surely there's more to life than this for her, and a look at some catalogues delivered to the house by mistake she starts to imagine herself on a different path in life. She's always followed the lead laid out by others - her mother, her husband - and you wonder if this is her wake up call.

The storyline switches really cleverly from the past to the present and it always has really unsettling feel! You always felt that if you scratched a little more under the surface then all was not as it seemed and I loved how suspicious it made me feel of almost everyone! The insecurities of humans were at the fore and explored how that impacted on their relationships and I loved how there were little dribs and drabs of information peppered throughout that would lead you down one path, only to double back on yourself and throw more spanners in the works....

I found this to be one of those books that just messes with your mind - in a good, but sinister way! - and leaves you in awe of the journey you've been taken on when the final pages reveal more shocks for you to absorb!! I'm still processing them many days later!!! Brilliant!

I'm not really sure how to describe this one, other than to say it's probably not the book you were expecting when you started it.
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Throw in humour, a typical modern housing estate, nosy neighbours, a series of murders, a mystery from years ago in Wales and a narrator with flavours of Eleanor Oliphant and you've got A Tidy Ending.

Linda lives a small life with her husband and her Mother. What she doesn't reveal as she roots back through her past is arguably just as important as what is going on in her neighbourhood; murder!

Joanna Cannon is a mistress of acute observation and Linda, a misfit, is an ideal conduit for this dark humour which I enjoyed. However, for this reader that aspect seemed to get in the way of the storyline which was a tad slow.

Linda is a quiet woman, she works in a charity shop and is very houseproud, however Linda and her mother moved from Wales after the death of her father many years before and this has affected them both. Linda has few friends and is thought odd. In her home of Hexford woman are being killed and Linda's mother is obsessed with the crimes, Linda sees them as a way of being useful.
I have been a big fan of Cannon's writing so far and this takes things to a different level. The story appears to be about a quiet woman who is involved in murder, she appears to be about to become a crime victim and the reader roots for Linda to break out. However Cannon has everyone fooled. I cannot reveal the twist but it is brilliant!

This is a funny and dark story - the main character is Linda - she is a bit of a misfit and wants to fit in but can't seem to - she is in her 40's married to Tony who takes her for granted - she works in a charity shop. The story focuses on the murder of young women in the community that Linda lives in , everyone is shocked that these murders keep happening - what is the connection? its a very clever twisty story that I didn't have a clue about ! Its funny , dark and sad - loved it.

A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon is an unexpected joy of a read that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. With a thread of black humour running throughout, the story appears to be a gentle one on the surface but in reality has the ability to shock and surprise when you’re least expecting it. And I loved every word of it!

Meet nice, normal, nondescript Linda. Married to nice, normal husband Terry and living a nice, normal life, Linda can’t help but wonder if this is all life has to offer. So when the glossy catalogues addressed to the previous occupant of her new home arrive Linda imagines a different, more glamorous lifestyle for herself. A life away from the mundane housework, boring husband and charity shop work that has become her daily routine.

But then young women begin to go missing, just at the same time as Linda’s husband Terry begins to keep odd hours at work. With the local community living in fear and the rumour mill going into overdrive, what exactly is happening behind the net curtains of Cavendish Avenue? And will Linda finally be able to escape the confines of her ordinary life at last?

Beautifully written by Joanna Cannon, A Tidy Ending is very much a character driven story, told from the point of view of Linda in two timelines, the majority of which takes place in the recent past, interwoven with short interludes inside a mental health facility in the here and now.

I don’t want to say too much more as to do so would risk spoiling what is a darkly humorous, slightly claustrophobic and often surprising read that left me reeling as I reached the final, shocking conclusion.

Joanna Cannon is a gifted storyteller and Linda is a character unlike any other I have ever come across before. As the threads of the story begin to come together, you find yourself wanting to go back to the beginning to see if there’s anything you might have missed.

A Tidy Ending is a simply stunning read that I adored.

Highly recommended.

Well, that was unexpected. I spent a lot of time reading this book, thinking it wasn't really for me, but somehow still being sucked in, wanting to know where it was going. I wasn't keen on the writing style, bit it made sense in the end.

I am so glad I stayed with it, as it really redeemed itself with the ending, which really smacked me in the face.

What's not to love about Joanna Cannon's books? Her characterisation is fantastic and there are always elements of surprise, humour, emotion and ultimately they leave you feeling satisfied.

I toyed with giving this book 4 stars most of the way through, as although it started brilliantly and had me hooked, I couldn't help thinking that I wasn't sure where it was going or why there were certain elements of the story even included. There seemed to be two separate threads going on and it felt as though the book couldn't decided what it wanted to be.

Then, bam! A belter of a side-swipe at the end. I am pleased to say I didn't see it coming (not once but twice) and I love a book that can do that, as it's increasingly seldom these days. The same happened in Three Things About Elsie, which I loved.

Clever, heart-warming, suspenseful, entertaining. Loved it.

This was my first time delving into a book by author Joanna Cannon and I am delighted to have come across this author and her writing.
Her bright yellow cover immediately catches your eye doesn't it.
I wasn't sure what to expect as I picked up A Tidy Ending to read. A slow starting read for me with a gradual build to the story..
I'm still thinking about her character Linda long after I finished the book, not having really taken to her in the beginning of the story if I'm honest but yet not able to stop thinking of her.
I quite enjoyed her humour throughout the story and felt myself really take to her as the story unfolded.
Finding her character quite quirky, then realising her obsessiveness with situations and people, her need to form friendships...
She leads quite a boring life with her husband Terry and a mother who regularly feels able to put her down.
Her work in the local charity shop keeps us entertained.
I thought the dual narrative to the story to be mysterious and certainly kept me on my toes and got my attention.
We see Linda being in some sort of intuition now and you are wondering why and what has happened to her and then you have her life with her husband, her work, her family and a murder having taken place.
An air of mystery surrounds and builds her life and her story.
Author Joanna Cannon, her writing I loved.
She has the ability to create quite complex characters.
I felt whilst reading there was so much more to her character Linda than we were seeing..
Really enjoyed this one and very much worth your time.

"It's always wise, when you tell an untruth, to weave in a truth alongside it, because then it means your face has an idea about what it should be doing."

In present day West Midlands, forty-three year old introverted and naive Linda works part time at a charity shop and lives with dopey husband Terry, who works at a local factory, having recently moved to a different house on their estate. Having left Wales as a child with mother, dull and critical Eunice, who lives nearby, under a cloud, Linda tries to fit in. When Terry's working hours become oddly erratic and women are found murdered in their area, by the so-called 'Hexford Strangler', the locals become suspicious. Linda is more focused with tracking down their home's previous occupant, Rebecca, whose life Linda is envious of; try as the might, Linda does not fit in, those around her look down on her and feel sorry for her. Who is the Hexford Strangler and will Linda's search take her where she expects?

As with the author's previous two novels, A Tidy Ending is astute, character-driven and tense. Observant and descriptive about small-town, everyday mundane life, the reader is pulled into Linda's seemingly boring life. Peppered with Linda's cryptic observations and her mother's limiting and negative views and withering put-downs, adds dark humour. There is an undercurrent, an atmosphere that all is not as it seems as the plot becomes tense and mysterious, remaining focused on Linda, her family and neighbours. Unable to guess what was going on (I tried and fell into some of the author's false trail!), the ending blew me away, a definite page-turner. I never fail to be impressed by the author's writing. The ending was definitely tidy, particularly for Linda (as in Welsh meaning of the word).

I loved this book. I read it during night feeds with my 5 month old, and I had no problem keeping track of the story, and I looked forward to being woken up so I could get back to it! It wasn't at all what I expected; Linda is an intriguing character who drives the narrative and keeps you guessing. There's mystery, comedy, violence... I don't want to say too much! I think this might be Joanna Cannon's best book yet. Just read it.

A perfect example of deep characterisation and profound psychological insights. This was not about plot twist or deliberate misdirection, but about patiently building layer after layer of character. Bravo!

I guess this could be described as a “ marmite” novel - you are going to be hooked or it won’t be your thing.. Having read Joanna Cannon’s previous novels I was looking forward to this …
It is a curiosity…. Seriously dark and manipulative to the reader and carefully plotted … but I couldn’t personally connect with Linda and her view of life. She is a bit creepy with her determination to track down the previous resident of her home and alongside this the growing suspicion her husband maybe a serial killer .. There is no doubt of Joanna Cannon’s talents as an author and the ending will either enthral and shock or leave you wondering ..”so..and …” It will be intriguing to see where the next novel will take the reader… an interesting read but I wasn’t fully hooked

I’ve just finished this novel from Joanna Cannon via netgalley. This contemporary fiction novel is all about Linda, a naive lonely woman who becomes obsessed with the news story about a local serial killer. The story flickers between ‘now’ where Linda appears to be in some sort of institution and the events leading up to ‘now’. Look, I’m a big fan of this author and have read all her other books. So I was excited to read this. And for about 75% of it, I was super invested. Then we got to the ending. And I had guessed every ‘twist’. I’m sorry to say this one tailed off. I would mark this down as Joanna Cannon’s weakest novel to date. It’s good enough to read, but not a patch on her other novels in my opinion. Just so so.

I love Joanna Cannon's writing style, she has such a lovely way with words that makes me want to read on. There are always numerous sentences and passages that I find myself highlighting and delighting in. This creative style is in evidence in this new book just as in her previous two novels. In A Tidy Ending she has given us a complex, compelling main character in Linda. There is an underlying tension and build up which culminates in a clever ending as the title suggests. It's an utterly compelling read, it's intriguing to slowly follow the relationships that are developed over the course of the story and wonder quite what has occurred and will occur in Linda's life, and it's a book that will take many readers by surprise on finishing the novel.

Linda and her husband Terry are an ordinary couple living in an ordinary neighbourhood - but things are not always what they seem. Linda has a complicated past, and , whilst clearly socially awkward, she now yearns for a little more than her humdrum existence with an increasingly disengaged husband and an overbearing mother and a job at a local charity shop. Post delivered for the previous occupant of her house leads her to imagine a different, more glamorous life and she decides to seek out the intended recipient. Meanwhile,the neighbourhood is thrown into turmoil as it seems there is a serial killer on the loose.

I have read all of Joanna Cannon’s previous novels and I love the way she writes, with her acute observations on human nature and a subtle humour that can’t fail to make you smile. Linda is such an interesting narrator, socially awkward, funny, even if often unintentionally, full of insight and often endearing. What I didn’t expect was a plot twist that genuinely took me by surprise - I hesitate to say more as I would hate to spoil it, but all I can say is this is well worth a read. Beautifully written, cleverly conceived and another winner from Cannon for me!

Brilliant, loved this! Having read Joanna Cannon previously I had great expectations...and this did not disappoint...in fact it surpassed all hope.
The plot, the characters, the fluidity of the writing....I rate this book highly and have already started telling others to purchase...would make for a great book club read! Joanna Cannon leads you into a false sense of security in that you think you have it all worked out...and bang! Fascinating reading, I can recommend this book highly...
Many thanks to NetGalley for my ARC, this is my unbiased opinion.

Linda lives in the suburbs of Yorkshire with her husband Terry. When a spate of murders capture the imagination of the local community Linda finds herself speculating on the circumstances around these incidents, and reflecting on a traumatic period in her childhood that led to her and her mum leaving their Welsh home behind.

Told entirely from Linda’s point of view, this gives the book a real sense of intrigue. Terry, her mum, friends and acquaintances - these are all players in the story about whom we only have Linda’s perception.

From the very start you know there’s more going on that what we’re privy to, and this book really ramps up the tension as we reach the final few chapters. Having read ‘Three Things About Elsie’ I had high hopes for this book, and it didn’t disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by Joanna Canon and I really enjoyed it.

Linda Hammett is our main character and she should not be underestimated is what I learnt reading this book!
She’s married to Terry but I wouldn’t say it was a happy marriage. She dreams of the glamorous life she’s seen in catalogues.
All is not well in their neighbourhood as it seems a serial killer is at large. The net of suspicion is cast as another girl goes missing – it surely has to be someone local given where the bodies have been dumped?
Linda tells her story from Then (six weeks ago) to Now. As she tells her tale the big question is, just how reliable a narrator is she? Only time will tell.
I found Linda to be a really interesting character although I won’t say too much as I wouldn’t want to reveal any spoilers.
Unlike other books I’ve read featuring serial killers, there’s no gratuitous violence described in gory detail. This is an ongoing story that mainly surrounds a couple dealing with the daily news as time goes by.

Linda and her mother, Eunice, left Wales to avoid just this sort of thing, they’ve had unpleasant dealings with the police before – all is revealed in the book.
When the body count rises to three, Linda begins to pay more attention to the changes in her husband’s schedule, and the new variations in his work. He’s started washing his own clothes how helpful and forgets his fishing rod when he’s off for a day of fishing that’s not like Terry.
Linda pays attention to even the seemingly insignificant details. She would bring it to the attention of the police, but knows they’d never listen anyway.

This is a slow burner I would say but overall I enjoyed it, particularly the last couple of chapters as the very tidy ending comes to fruition.
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 HarperCollins, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.