This one kept me guessing until the end, which I appreciated! Reminded me a bit of Turn of the Screw, but updated, of course. I think this would be a good read for anyone who enjoys suspenseful thrillers.

A mother suspects that her daughter has witnessed a crime. Nicci French masterfully takes you through this mother's investigative work to discover the truth. Couldn't put this book down. Well done!

Another winner by the writing team who publishing under the name Nicci French. Their newest book is about a single mother, Tess, and her 3-year old daughter, Poppy. After spending time with her father and his new family Polly comes home showing some signs of emotional distress. After seeing a disturbing drawing her daughter creates and hearing her state “He did kill her”, Tess cannot rest until she unravels what happened. Is Tess paranoid or has something awful happened? A very entertaining read!

Nicci French is really two people…am I the only one who didn’t know that? Sean French has written 6 books, Nicci Gerard has written 8, and together (as Nicci French) they have written twenty-five. In any case, they have a new thriller coming out, and it’s a fun read!

The main character is Tess, a single mother who shares parenting responsibilities for her daughter Poppy with her former partner Jason. Tess is not only cautious when it comes to her daughter: “I’d always felt so unsure of myself that I also felt unsure of anyone who fell in love with me because why would they fall in love with me?” She is aware of her tendency to be perhaps overcautious: she knows she “…had spent my life avoiding confrontation, being the first to apologize, assuming everything is my fault.”

But perhaps her caution when it comes to Poppy is justified. She and Jason work hard at the whole co-parenting thing, and Tess seems to be doing fine, although it definitely hurts her to see Jason enjoying his new married life with another woman (who is pregnant).

After one of her weekends with Daddy, Poppy comes home seeming both overly tired and odd, and begins behaving strangely. She draws a picture that is incredibly violent, and although Jason says it was an uneventful weekend, Poppy explains it as “He did kill her.”

From there, Poppy begins to exhibit other strange behaviors, including bullying and bedwetting. Tess just KNOWS something is wrong, and she is determined to get to the bottom of it. That’s when she began going to the police repeatedly, breaking up with her boyfriend, talking to professionals about what might be going on, and generally being really annoying, I realize that because I am not a mother, I don’t really get the whole parenting thing, but Tess really went overboard, IMO.

There is obviously something to be uncovered (wouldn’t be a Nicci French thriller without it, right?) and the authors do a great job of building suspense and revealing both the issues and the identity of the perpetrator(s) gradually and cleverly. I am the world’s worst at figuring out the mystery, and this was no exception for about 70% of the book. It’s a good escape and another solid effort by her/him/them. Four stars.

Is Tess paranoid or is her gut instinct spot on? This is a book that will have you anxious for others to believe the protagonist. However, there will be that little part of you that wonders is Tess imagining things. Then the bigger part of you will say "no, Tess knows her child." Which part is correct? Read and find out. Great mystery.

Absolutely brilliant! Engaging narrator, exquisitely paced. Appalled that I didn’t see the twist coming, but it was that well written.

Single mom Tess begins to worry that she is becoming too overprotective of her daughter Poppy. Passing Poppy off to Tess' ex Jason and his new wife fills her with a sense of dread. But it's not that Jason is a bad father, Tess and Jason have agreed to make it work for Poppy. But when Poppy returns from a weekend away withdrawn and distrubed, Tess can hardly make sense of it. As a mother Tess knows something horrible has happened and her daughter saw something. Tests will stop at nothing to discover the truth.
While this novel still had the tense, strong writing that a reader comes to expect of Nicci French this was not my favorite. The characters were somewhat flat and the story just felt broken. There was no flow or background to the characters to help the reader. It all felt rushed and staggered. It's a good read just not one I would return to again.

Another great read from the Nini French team! This psychological thriller with a variety of red herrings kept me interested and reading and reading til the very end. Highly recommend!

<i>The Unheard</i>, the latest thriller from duo Nicci French, was a slow start for me but I quickly became engrossed in the novel.

Poppy is Tess & Jason’s three year old daughter. The pair has split but are co-parenting well, when suddenly, Poppy starts talking about a dead woman and drawing morbid pictures. Tess is deeply concerned and delves into her life and the lives of those around her, trying to find out the source of what’s ailing her daughter. But soon she’s caught up in multiple murders with no answers - and a daughter that can’t express herself clearly.

This novel was a slow burn for me, with a lot of red herrings, great writing (as usual), and a plot that drew me in from Poppy’s first picture.

Another winner by Nicci French!

Tess is a single mother of a 3-year old daughter, Poppy. Tess was not married to Poppy's father Jason, but has maintained a relationship with him since their break-up -- for Poppy's benefit. Jason, who kept the house the two shared, lives with his wife Emily, who is expecting a child, her brother Ben, whose life is a bit of a mess, and Ben's dog.

After a weekend with her father, Poppy return's to Tess's house showing signs of emotional distress. As the story goes on, and Tess spends more and more time trying to determine what is causing the change in Poppy's behavior, the reader is drawn into Tess's emotional vortex.

Is Tess paranoid, or is something sinister going on? You'll have to read the book to find out.