Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Dark Saturday: A Novel
    Dark Saturday: A Novel
    Dark Saturday: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    Dark Saturday: A Novel

    Written by Nicci French

    Narrated by Beth Chalmers

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    LOUISE PENNY says Nicci French's books are ""fabulous.""

     

    JOSEPH FINDER says they're ""in the rich vein of Kate Atkinson.""

     

    And TAMI HOAG calls them ""truly unique.""

     

    Enter the world of NICCI FRENCH with Dark Saturday, an electrifying, sophisticated psychological thriller about past crimes and present dangers, featuring an unforgettable protagonist...

     

    A decade ago, 18-year-old Hannah Docherty was arrested for the shocking murder of her family. It was an open-and-shut case, and Hannah has been incarcerated in a secure psychiatric hospital ever since.

     

    When psychotherapist Frieda Klein is asked to meet Hannah and give her assessment, she reluctantly agrees. But what she finds horrifies her. Hannah has become a tragic figure, old before her time. And Frieda is haunted by the idea that Hannah might be as much of a victim as her family — that she might, in fact, be innocent.

     

    As Hannah's case takes hold of her, Frieda begins to realize that she's up against someone who will go to any lengths to keep the truth from surfacing — even kill again.

     

    Utterly compelling and enthralling, Dark Saturday speeds readers down a twisting trail of secrets, suspense, and murder.

     

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJul 11, 2017
    ISBN9780062698025
    Author

    Nicci French

    Nicci French is the pseudonym of English wife-and-husband team Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. Their acclaimed novels of psychological suspense have sold more than sixteen million copies around the world.

    More audiobooks from Nicci French

    Related to Dark Saturday

    Related audiobooks

    Thrillers For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Best Crime Books of 2017

      Dec 20, 2017

      The Best Crime Books of 2017
      20 min read

    • Article

      Performance

      Nov 10, 2022

      “Wait here,” the guard said as he shut the door behind him, leaving me by myself. The floor inside the lab was polished, and the air smelled of disinfectant, and yet the room felt unclean. Leaves shook on a tree outside the window, making shadows on

      18 min read

    • Article

      In a Silent Way

      Nov 25, 2023

      In a Silent Way
      3 min read

    • Article

      Cristina Rivera Garza

      Jun 15, 2018

      She would remember everything, out of the blue and in full detail. She would see the jade ring wrapped around her ring finger and, immediately, she would see the other jade ring. She would open her eyes wide and, without knowing why, would fall silen

      13 min read

    • Article

      Is That A Sword?!

      Sep 29, 2022

      Is That A Sword?!
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Last Dance

      Feb 1, 2018

      The Last Dance
      4 min read

    • Article

      Evil On The Air Waves

      Oct 1, 2019

      Evil On The Air Waves
      4 min read

    • Article

      Blended

      Aug 6, 2020

      Blended
      10 min read

    • Article

      Heavenly Helper

      Nov 26, 2020

      Heavenly Helper
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Shared Glimpse

      Jul 25, 2020

      A Shared Glimpse
      8 min read

    • Article

      A Wolf On The Bus

      May 10, 2021

      Exhaustion flooded my body, leaving a dull ache pulsating just behind my eyes. With my right thumb and index finger, I squeezed the bridge of my nose, exhaling deeply, trying to soothe the pain. This tactic worked temporarily; at least until the bus

      17 min read

    • Article

      The Girl I Knew Somewhere

      Dec 2, 2021

      The Girl I Knew Somewhere
      6 min read

    • Article

      I’ve Been Stabbed!

      Jun 30, 2022

      I’ve Been Stabbed!
      5 min read

    • Article

      Inches from DEATH

      Feb 18, 2021

      Inches from DEATH
      5 min read

    • Article

      We Don't Talk About That Here

      Nov 4, 2021

      We Don't Talk About That Here
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Straw Hat

      Aug 2, 2018

      The Straw Hat
      6 min read

    • Article

      Haunted

      Sep 27, 2023

      Haunted
      6 min read

    • Article

      Pleasure Palace

      Sep 1, 2022

      Pleasure Palace
      15 min read

    • Article

      Shame Is Ever-Present When You’re Sitting in a Cell

      Oct 23, 2020

      Between a strained relationship with my family and the death of a good friend, I’ve struggled to feel like I’m worth something.

      5 min read

    • Article

      Finding Peace—and Briefly, Freedom—at My Grandfather’s Funeral

      Oct 11, 2019

      “Saying goodbye with the people who loved him—and me—I remember that I am not the tomb that imprisons me.”

      6 min read

    • Article

      Solidarity

      Nov 5, 2020

      Solidarity
      4 min read

    • Article

      Wait Times

      Mar 29, 2021

      Wait Times
      16 min read

    • Article

      Hard Metal

      Jun 10, 2023

      When Raúl gave me his security job for August, he told me not to see anything. You don’t see nothin’, he said, because we both know I get curious. Sometimes the other guys think I’m soft, the way I get lost in my head. My girlfriend says it’s trauma,

      6 min read

    • Article

      Proverbs Of A Faceless Time

      Dec 1, 2023

      Proverbs Of A Faceless Time
      9 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Dark Saturday

    4/5

    207 ratings32 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I read all the days of the week books in order. Good idea advice! But this one is really the most riveting so far! Can’t image what Sunday is going be like. Glad it is the weekend of March Madness and no one will be insulted if I I don’t talk to anybody.
    • 5/5
      Excellent like all the books in this series. Wonderful narrator.
    • 3/5
      This book was a real roller coaster. It started out as a pretty ordinary mystery. About 3/4 of the way in it became a page turner with good twists in the plot. But by the end there was a totally unbelievable denoument with the police inspector being shown to have been the killer after no character development to support it. This could have been a good book, but ended up being very disappointing.
    • 5/5
      Book DescriptionIt was an open and shut case when eighteen-year-old Hannah Docherty was arrested for the brutal murder of her family; she's been incarcerated ever since. When psychotherapist Frieda Klein is asked to assess Hannah, she reluctantly agrees. What she finds horrifies her...Frieda is haunted by the thought that Hannah might be as much of a victim as her family. Frieda soon begins to realize that she's up against someone who'll go to any lengths to protect themselves...My ReviewThis is the 6th installment for the Frieda Klein series by Nicci French. It is another fantastic read and a page-turner for sure. These books definitely need to be read in order as characters from other books keep popping up in the future books. The plot was intriguing and had many twists and turns. The characters in this series are always very interesting and the books are well-written. Looking forward to the Sunday and probably last book of the series. Hopefully all the loose ends will be tied up in the next one. I highly recommend this series to those who love psychological suspense books.
    • 2/5
      While this was a compelling story, I was not aware that it was part of a series. Many serial books can be "stand alone", but I found too much of the story required prior knowledge. (The series begins with a "Monday" title and this is "Saturday".)This is especially true since there is clearly an on going story line that is being followed throughout the series. Because of this, the main characters are not completely developed in this book and depend on the reading having read the previous 5 books. I LOVE Nicci French, but this was a disappointment. Scrib holds a bit of the responsibility of this review, as I did not see either a disclaimer that this book is part of a series or do they provide the previous books in the series to be able to read it in chronological order.
    • 4/5
      I am devouring tjis series. Excellent. Mote audio has error, skips Ch. 32 and places it at the end. It has been reported to Scribd.
    • 5/5
      There are threads and characters that connect this novel to ones earlier in the series of which it is #6. You'll see from my list below that I haven't read #5 so I guess that explains why I struggled to "remember" some of the connections.Once Frieda is asked to look at the case of Hannah Docherty, it is almost inevitable that she is going to consider whether Hannah was wrongly convicted. Hannah is certainly being badly treated, not protected at all from abuse by other inmates, in the psychiatric hospital. And Hannah herself looks much older than she actually is. She is also almost totally uncommunicative. She seems convinced that she actually did kill her family, her mother, stepfather and young brother, but she is also confused and traumatised by the thought.Frieda becomes convinced that the police investigation was too hasty. In addition only Hannah was asked to identify the victims and she did that when she was in total shock. The police became quickly convinced that Hannah was the murderer, but also unfit to stand trial.As Frieda expands her investigation it becomes clear that someone does not want her to find the truth.The other thread that runs through these novels is about Dean Reeve, a man who stalks Frieda, but at the same time appears to protect her. He is elusive but Frieda is convinced he has recently been in her house. This thread is designed to link the novels together, but I actually find it annoying and distracting.My rating: 4.4I've also read4.3, BLUE MONDAY4.5, TUESDAY'S GONE4.7, WAITING FOR WEDNESDAY4.7, FRIDAY ON MY MIND
    • 4/5
      This one started off so slow I almost didn’t get going. But then…..glad I finished it. Perfect ending to bring you into the Sunday book (which I read first ).Freida Klein owes someone a favor and it’s time to collect. This rather shadowy character named Levin (who may or may not be involved with the Metropolitan Police) helped her out once. He’s very mysterious. Anyway, in return he wants her to evaluate a mental patient. This patient, Hannah Docherty, was accused of murdering her family 10 years prior. She is now in an institution, old before her time and clearly is being abused.When Frieda is called upon to give an assessment she comes to the conclusion that Hannah may well have been innocent. Naturally this stirs up a hornets nest with the Commissioner of the Met Police, a man who seems to have a serious and unreasonable dislike of Frieda. Now add some eerie events which may or may not involve Dean Reeve, a stalker the police believe is dead. It gets real in this book!Food and drink“Josef was cooking some rich, meaty casserole and Reuben was smoking a cigarette and drinking red wine out of a vast goblet.”A conversation between Reuben and Frieda after he has been diagnosed with cancer:“You’d be irritatingly stoical, not me. No one is going to say he lost his brave fight against cancer, “said Reuben.“You haven’t lost it yet, anyway.” is Frieda’s reply….“They’re not going to say that because I’m not in a fucking battle. I’m the battleground. That’s what. You remember that. Dying isn’t a moral failure, it’s not a sign of weakness.”“I agree.”“Good. Wine?”“Please.”I totally get Reuben here. Been there.Another quote – this (to me) is a great description when the murderer’s identity is revealed and how the person reacts after some bluffing and bravado:“Frieda had seen dynamite demolish buildings from her consulting room window. After the explosion they would stand for a few moments, holding their shape, then their edges would lose solidity and all of a sudden the edifices would waver, then dissolve into a shower of bricks and mortar. Now XXX’s face lost it’s fixed expression of outrage; the body seemed to fold in on itself. XX was diminished.”I could just see that scene play out, it was tense.So, food notes – not too many but I thought of an older recipe I haven’t made in years once I read about Josef’s meaty casserole. It’s called Julie’s Noodle Casserole. Check it out at Squirrel Head Manor site.
    • 4/5
      DARK SATURDAY: A NOVEL by Nicci French. This is the sixth title in the Frieda Klein Mystery series.The first thing I noticed was the absence of a map; a map with a forgotten, buried, London river.These rivers are one of the highlights (for me) of the Frieda Klein series. The rivers are their own character and play their own parts in the stories.On page 51, Frieda is drawn to the River Fleet on one of her night rambles. And then on page 139, we find out about the River Effra. Frieda is looking at the street where she finds Jason Brenner. FK “There’s something about this street.” “The shape of it, the direction, it reminds me of something.” JB “That’s the river.” You can’t see it. It runs underneath, along this street and under the car park.”This was the river Hannah remembered. The River Effra flowed underground and went all the way from Upper Norwood to the Thames. This was one thing, one fact, one memory that Hannah related to and plays a pivotal role in DARK SATURDAY.Frieda describes her insomnia and increasing feelings of dread. “Dread of a reckoning.”The book is divided into a prologue, chapters and interludes. The interludes refer to Hannah Docherty in the Chelsworth Hospital (think prison).There is quite an ending which segues directly into Book 7 - SUNDAY SILENCE.A very interesting, very suspenseful, very detailed title. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Frieda Klein, psychotherapist, is discretely called back into serving the London Met PD to look into a case thought to have been solved 13 years ago. Hannah Docherty was accused of gruesomely killing her mother, stepfather and little brother and is serving her life sentence in a mental hospital but Frieda's not so sure she should be there. Try to uncover the truth with Ms Klein as she also battles a dangerous man from her past. Lots of red herrings are tossed in to through you off and keep the reader guessing.I jumped into this mystery series, the sixth, thanks to Librarything's Early Reviewer's program and after reading this intend to read the other five.
    • 4/5
      Dark Saturday by Nicci French is a 2017 William Morrow Paperbacks publication. I love this series a little more with each installment! Frieda is asked to examine an old open and shut case, to satisfy the powers that be, that the case was handled properly. But what she uncovers is a web of secrets and betrayals, which may have led to young Hannah Docherty’s conviction, and eventual incarceration in a mental institution thirteen years ago. The more time Frieda spends with Hannah, she suspects her harsh treatment has lead to her current psychosis, which has spiraled into a dangerous mental state. Was Hannah guilty of killing her family or was she the scapegoat? The old gang is back, each making a small contribution on the way to Frieda’s search for the truth. But, there are also startling revelations about Frieda’s stalker, which has everyone even more on edge than usual. This is another absorbing and compelling chapter in this exceptional series. I wasn’t sure what the tone would be like after the events that transpired in the last installment, but the atmosphere remained at status quo, which was a huge relief. I like the way Frieda is taking charge and becoming more comfortable with her sleuthing abilities. This is a particularly difficult case, heart wrenching is many ways, with a surprise ending that completely caught me off guard. I can’t wait to see what’s next for Frieda and her eclectic group of family and friends! 4 stars1 like
    • 4/5
      Wow! I totally did not see that ending coming!
    • 4/5
      Early Reviewer EditionI was unaware this was part of a series when I began reading. That being said, I am now anxious to read the others! Characters are interesting and likable. Frieda is not one to back down from doing what she feels is the right thing to do, regardless of the dangers involved. She fights for Hannah even though doing so puts her own career and safety at risk. She knows she is Hannah's only hope and is willing to do all she can to protect her. I would be interested to learn how her character has developed.
    • 3/5
      This series is a bit difficult to appreciate without reading the books that came before. I haven't read a Frieda Klein story since the first book and barely remember anything about the character. The author gives enough background information to get the gist of what Frieda has experienced but without the details and the emotion that comes with the shared experience of watching a character grow and change. Frieda does what she feels is right, despite what she's expected to do or even hired to do, or which powerful people may get caught in the crossfire. She's made quite a (negative) name for herself! In this case, she suspects a woman has been framed of murdering her family and, to make matters worse, badly mistreated in the facility where she was placed. Frieda is like a dog with a bone - fiercely protective and determined to get every sliver. Assuming the next book ends the series for Frieda (since book one started with Monday), she is facing a showdown with a formidable enemy who knows how to pull her strings. Though I haven't experienced the whole series, it's easy to see how readers could become deeply engaged with this character.
    • 4/5
      This is book six in the detective/psychological thriller series featuring psychotherapist Dr. Frieda Klein, who is the occasional collaborator of London Detective Chief Inspector Malcolm Karlsson. The authors (Nicci French is the pseudonym for the writing team of husband and wife Nicci Gerrard and Sean French) keep Frieda’s character rather opaque, but we have gotten to “know” her bit by bit as the series proceeds.In this installment, Frieda has a favor called in by a shadowy powerful figure, Walter Levin, who had gotten Frieda and Karlsson out of trouble in the previous book. Levin wants Frieda to interview a young woman, Hannah Docherty, who has been in a high-security psychiatric hospital for 13 years after having been convicted of the brutal murder of her whole family when she was 18. Frieda can’t get much out of Hannah; in the Chelsworth “hospital” Hannah has been beaten, shocked, over-medicated, and kept in prolonged periods of isolation over the years. It appears to Frieda that if Hannah hadn’t been insane to begin with, she certainly would have been subsequent to the abuse she received over the years. It also seems to Frieda, from the record of the murders, that some aspects of the case just didn’t add up. Levin is looking into the actions taken by the chief detective on the case, Ben Sedge, but Frieda becomes more concerned with Hannah herself, and decides to investigate what happened on her own. She wants to begin with the presumption of Hannah’s innocence - something no one else countenances.She asks Levin if he will arrange access for her to continue to see Hannah, and requests Karlsson to help as well. Since Karlsson has broken his leg, he sends her his Detective Constable Yvette Long instead. Yvette has no great love for Frieda, but she agrees to help for Karlsson’s sake, and reluctantly finds herself becoming intrigued with the inconsistencies of the case as well.Although Hannah hardly speaks, she has many tattoos that seem to tell a story, if only Frieda can decipher them. And while Frieda doesn’t know it, there is less time to learn Hannah’s story than she knows.When Frieda isn’t conducting her impressive sleuthing, she is dealing with the continuing stalking of her by the serial killer Dean Reeve, who is obsessed with Frieda. All of the plot strands come together in a tense, page-turning ending.Evaluation: This psychological suspense thriller ends with a shocking denouement I didn’t see coming. (Although, it must be said, I never see anything coming.) In addition, there is a cliffhanger that will make you eager for the “Sunday” installment of the series.
    • 4/5
      This is the first Nicci French book I have read and was not aware that it was part of a series when I requested it. This is not a stand alone book, if you did not read the earlier books you were lost in the characters and the references to past experiences. The book itself was pretty good, except for the abundance of character names you had to keep track of throughout the book, I thought some were unnecessary and only added clutter to the book. Overall, a good story line and a few twists and turns to keep it interesting.
    • 4/5
      I have read this book, was thinking I did review months ago. Sorry, found the story very interesting. Hannah Docherty is a person you feel sorry for and you are routing for her. When psychotherapist Frieda Klein get involve things start happening.
    • 3/5
      When I began reading this book, I didn't realize it was part of a series. While I do wish I had read the books in order, this didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book much. The female protagonist, a psychiatrist, is very likable and makes a great central character for the series. This book was a page-turner, a little on the dark side (which I really like), and a quick read. I plan to go back and read the other books in the series (in order). This one was great, but if you decide to read French's books, I really would suggest reading them from the beginning of the series. All in all, an enjoyable read!
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed Monday through Thursday. Friday though, was a thorough miss for me, so I was somewhat leary about reading Saturday. To my relief this author and this series is back on track. Could not turn the pages fast enough.Love series that feature psychiatrists, and Frieda Klein is a very interesting character. She has often in the past worked with the police, this made her many enemies and almost cost her her life. She, however, cannot see what she perceives as an injustice, and turn away. So it is in this case when she visits a woman enters n an institution, where she has been for many years. Her crime, killing her entire family. There are other forces at work her, very tension filled and suspenseful. I didn't guess the who done it or even the why done it, just love when that happens. So a series I enjoy back on track and now I can look forward to Sunday,. Little things like this can make a readers day.
    • 5/5
      To each their own, but I'm surprised that this book isn't getting more love. After a few critically-loved duds that felt like work to get through, this read like a palate cleanser! It read quickly and kept my interest. If I could, I would give it 4.25 stars, but I bumped it a bit to give it a little love.This was my first official Nicci French and part of a series that I'd neither heard of, nor read. Unlike some other readers, I didn't feel like I was missing out when I read this one. I mean yes, there are references to things/cases that happened before, but I feel like the characters and story were well-built in their own right and that if I went back to pick up more in the series, I'd just be added on layers and richness, you know? Even if I don't read others, I feel like that reflects real life - people have histories and backstories that we may not be part of that they bring with them and that's sort of how this reads. IMO, it is still very readable and and understandable as a standalone story.I liked the main character, Frieda, who I thought was empathetic, intelligent and intellectual at the same time. There's not a lot of extra drama with her and she plays her cards pretty close to the vest, but makes choices with integrity rather than emotion. Also, she's not a detective, but a psychotherapist, which gives her a different lens for observing, intuiting and understanding human behavior than a detective or a police officer, which is a little bit different from other series/books in this genre.The one downside is that it was hard to process her logic. I love to be surprised by a solve/twist, but I also like getting a sense of the logic a character uses to process evidence, cases. For me, the character's logic is left so internalized that the whodunit came as a surprise and even looking back, I'm not entirely sure how she zeroed in on the person that she did. It almost felt like there was a contextual/set-up plot point that was missing that would set up the reader for the possibility. For me, that wasn't an enjoyment-killer, but it was a head-scratcher.There are loose ends that aren't tied together perfectly and backstories left open, which didn't bother me at all. That happens in life too. It seems to be threads from other books in the series and/or books to come, so it's up to the reader to pick them up if she chooses. It's still a satisfying read even if you choose not to dip back in.In a word though: recommended to any fans of the psych suspense / twisty police procedural dramas. Side note if you're outside the US: Someone who saw me reading this on a plane told me that it was released in the UK under a different title - Sunday Requiem or something like that? Not sure...but felt it worth a mention.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. I don't know how I've missed this series, but I will definitely go back and start at the beginning. Luckily, one doesn't need to have read the rest of the series to grasp what is going on in this installment. There are a few allusions to prior events, but nothing that bears any weight upon the case at hand. The characters here are fully fleshed out, Frieda is a delight as are the rest of the characters. Definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a new series or even just a new mystery to read!
    • 4/5
      Frieda, Frieda what makes you walk the streets alone at night? Is it to amp up the eerie atmosphere? I am a fan of this series and this is no exception. The psychotherapist is once again looking beyond the surface to see what lies behind the easy answers of a cold case.
    • 5/5
      WOW! Creepy and addicting...thrilling and unputdownable! I cannot stop thinking about this book and how much I want it to be a movie. I think that the characters are destine to be on the big screen because the story would translate so well. I thought that the story was one of the stories that leaves the reader reeling, in the best way possible. The twists and turns were unexpected and delightful. This is one of those reads that I love because I am left so satified at the end! I highly recommend this book!
    • 3/5
      Frieda Klein, a psychotherapist, is once again stepping on toes when she agrees to talk to a young woman who was convicted of brutally slaying her mom, stepdad and little brother as a teen. Hannah is now incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital that feels like a maximum security prison for lunatics where she has been overly sedated and beaten due to her periods of violence and what others see as a threat. Frieda sees something else, a young woman who has withdrawn from life, and decides to look into reopening the case. As Frieda begins to pick away at the shoddy police work, and talks to the friends who walked away, the father that wants nothing to do with his crazy violent daughter and others who knew young Hannah, some things just don't sit right. As she digs deeper she may uncover some truths that others worked very hard to bury and don't want brought up. Tense and brutal in the true Nicci French style. My thanks to the publishers for the advance copy and the Early Reviewers.
    • 4/5
      "Dark Saturday," the new Frieda Klein novel, is, like its predecessors, well-written but dark.Frieda, a British psychotherapist, is asked to interview a twenty-eight-year-old psychiatric patient who, ten years previously, was convicted of murdering her family. Frieda, however, sees Hannah Docherty as a victim and sets out to explore her case.Frequent readers of the Nicci French series know that Frieda seldom, if ever, agrees with the authority figures in her life and this is no exception. While the authorities want to assure themselves that the case was correctly handled, Frieda determines to find out exactly what happened.The French novels are well written. The plots are well contrived, the characters both interesting and believable, but I find them to be unnecessarily dark.
    • 2/5
      A teenager is convicted of the murder of her step-father, mother, and brother and comitted to a mental hospital. Frieda Klein, a psychotherapist, after a visit to the asylum where the now-woman is incarcerated, jumps to the conclusion that the teenager was not responsible for this 13-yr-old crime. It's not clear why Klein is convinced of her innocence, but she dives in to find out what really happened. There are many interviews with peripheral people and lots of shuffling documents. The book is sometimes a slog.Because this is a later book in a series. there are many characters that a new-to-the-series reader would not recognize. There are too many characters altogether, most sketchily drawn; it's almost as if they are thrown in for no other reason than the authors are having a problem moving this story along. For example, one announces a cancer diagnosis but what purpose that serves for the plot is incomprehensible -- perhaps that will be significant in a later installment, but it's not fair to the readers of this one.We are told over and over that Klein should not be involved, it's dangerous; we are told repeatedly that she is anxious about all of it -- and she also has to constantly worry about a man from earlier books who is stalking her. But we don't feel any of this anxiety. It's as if the authors just want us to take their word for it: This is bad, she's afraid -- so should the readers be. But that doesn't work in an effective novel.The end is out of the blue, at least for me.
    • 4/5
      I received a proof copy of this book through librarything.com. This was my first read of this author and although it is part of a series, it works as a standalone read. I plan to go back to the beginning of the series since I really enjoyed this one. This is the story of a psychotherapist who is investigating the case of a patient who was convicted of killing her family 13 years ago. But someone is trying to stop the investigation. Did the girl do it or was she framed? Interesting cast of characters and a cliff hanger ending that may be resolved in the next book in the series.
    • 2/5
      Dark Saturday by Nicci French is part of the Frieda Klein series. I haven't read any of the other five books in the series and that put me at a disadvantage. Through out the book the author kept mentioning incidents that happened previously. The problem with that is she didn't give the reader enough information to know what went on before.Mr. French also loves to describe things in detail. For me it was way too much. A little over half way through the book I felt the author was setting the reader up for her next one. The only reason I read the story to the end was because of the Hannah Docherty story line. If the book was just about the Docherty murders I would have give the book 5 stars.If you're a reader who has read the previous books and who likes a lot of description the I say this is your kind of book. For everyone else I would say give this book only because the Hannah story line was so good.
    • 3/5
      I've been a fan of Nicci French's writing for many years. With a minimum of words, she's able to transport me straight into her characters' world. That's true of this book, as well. I was there with Frieda, in the midst of her emotional turmoil. The psychological component is strong, and I experienced this story as I read it.Frieda can be a difficult character to like. She's standoffish, and her distance from others also keeps us at a distance. But that's an important part of who she is and what her history has done to her. While you might not choose to hang out with her as a friend, her life is such that you can't help being swept along, wanting to know how it all turns out.While this book is part of a series, it works relatively well as a stand-alone. The main plot is specific to this story and has closure at the end. Frieda's backstory is woven in enough so readers new to the series get a sense of who she is. That being said, there is a separate plot thread woven in that continues from past books through this one, which brings me to my complaint with this book. We have a major cliffhanger at the end. The cliffhanger is enormous, truly, and pertains to the ongoing thread that is not mentioned in the book's description. I am not a fan of cliffhangers. At all. It's like paying to see a movie that stops midway, and then you have to purchase another ticket to find out how the movie ends. So, given the way this series is set up with a major plot point carrying through all the books, coupled with the cliffhanger, I'd recommend starting at the beginning and reading these books in order, with full expectation of having to read them all.*I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.*
    • 4/5
      I received an ARC of this book from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.In order to repay a debt to an associate, Frieda Klein, psychotherapist, is to interview a patient at Chelsworth Hospital which houses the criminally insane. Hannah Docherty has been incarcerated/hospitalized for over a decade for the brutal murder of her family in what was deemed at the time to be a very straightforward case. Friedas assignment seems easy in what is described to her as standard procedure. The lead investigator of the Docherty case has come under some heat from irregularities in his investigating, thus leaving all of his previous cases up for review. Little more than a shell of the once vibrant, albeit troubled, teenager she once was, Hannah is unable to be of much use to Frieda. Like a dog with a bone, Frieda delves deeper into the long ago closed case, increasingly more sure that Hannah is in fact, innocent. As Frieda uncovers long forgotten truths, someone is actively trying to keep those truths hidden, and will stop at nothing to do so. Can Frieda uncover the truth before it's too late?So, this book is part of a continuing series but an independent story. Because of this, there were relationships I didn't fully understand the complexity of, or the shared history of past cases between characters. The author does a good job of presenting information in a way that I did not feel totally lost and was able to follow along well despite not having read any of the other Frieda Klein novels. I enjoyed the writing style and the complexity of the plot which contained all the elements to any good mystery. I always enjoy thrillers, and this particular novel especially peaked my interest as it centered on a character in a psychiatric hospital (I work at one and always find these stories fascinating). The plot took many interesting turns, many of which caught me completely by surprise. This novel was unique to me in that there were not many "shady" characters lurking around of which I could try and sleuth out who I thought the real killer would be. The plot was also much more technical and clue riddled, perhaps due to the fact that it was more PI work than a regular citizen trying to ascertain some truth. Overall, it was a perfectly enthralling mystery which kept me engaged from beginning to end. I would definitely pick up another Frieda Klein novel, most likely the next one what with that jaw dropping cliffhanger of a last chapter.....