This is an interesting book, two women's stories. Nancy who is dealing with mental illness and an overly controlling partner. And Maud the detective who ultimately believes her (both Nancy and her own instincts) It is both a mystery of what happen to Kira and a look at what happens to people with mental illness, how everything they say and do is looked at as a sign of illness and what happens when they try to be believed and the power of other people to get them institutionized and the system further asks them to further distrust themselves 4.5 I cared about both of the characters and rooted for them

The synopsis of the story was interesting enough to catch my attention, so I was hopeful. However, despite having some parts that peaked my attention it fell flat for me. Took me some time to get through. Maybe it was timing because like I said it appeared interesting enough for me to want to read it. Maybe others will have enjoy it more.

I really enjoyed this and flew through it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Nicci French’s The Last Days of Kira Mullan is a gripping psychological thriller that masterfully intertwines suspense with deep emotional resonance. This novel, set in the atmospheric city of London, delves into the complexities of mental health, justice, and the often-blurred line between reality and delusion.

The story centers around Nancy North, a woman striving to rebuild her life after a devastating psychotic break. Moving into a new flat with her supportive partner Felix, Nancy is determined to regain a sense of normalcy. However, her fragile stability is shattered when she begins hearing mysterious voices again, reminiscent of those that triggered her initial breakdown. The tension escalates when Kira Mullan, a young woman living in the downstairs flat, is found dead. While the police and neighbors dismiss it as a tragic suicide, Nancy’s instincts tell her otherwise.

Nancy’s journey is harrowing and inspiring. Her struggle to distinguish between her own mental health issues and the sinister reality unfolding around her is portrayed with empathy and depth. French’s depiction of Nancy’s internal battles and her determination to uncover the truth, despite being dismissed by those around her, adds a poignant layer to the narrative.

Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor, another central character, brings a refreshing perspective to the investigation. Skeptical of her colleagues’ quick conclusions and driven by her own experiences of being underestimated, Maud becomes an ally to Nancy. Their partnership, though fraught with tension, is a testament to the power of perseverance and the quest for justice.

French’s writing is evocative and atmospheric, capturing the eerie and claustrophobic feel of the setting. The novel’s pacing is impeccable, with each chapter peeling back another layer of the mystery. The interplay between Nancy’s psychological struggles and the external investigation keeps readers on edge, questioning what is real and what is imagined.

The Last Days of Kira Mullan is not just a thriller; it’s a profound exploration of the human psyche and the lengths one will go to seek the truth. Nicci French has crafted a story that is chilling yet deeply human, making this novel a home-run.

The Last Days of Kira Mullan is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. With its complex characters, intricate plot, and emotional depth, this novel is a testament to Nicci French’s skill as a storyteller. It will leave readers pondering the fine line between sanity and madness, as well as societal judgement of those with mental fragility, which is much different from those with physical issues.

If you are a fan of crime novels or psychological thrillers and you haven't yet read Nicci French (comprised of a husband and wife ✍️ team) believe me, you ARE missing something truly SPECTACULAR!

Another good mystery from Nicci French. Great job conveying a dreary and slightly sinister atmosphere through the book. Full of suspicious characters, definitely enough to keep anyone guessing. Would recommend, especially to readers who love slow-building tension.

Thanks to Wm. Morrow & NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I run hot and cold with Nicci French, but this one is a good one for me. Our protagonist is relatable, less tetchy than the usual FMC we get in these books. Nancy North is a chef who opened up her own restaurant, but then spiraled out of control mentally due to the stress of running her own place at such a fast pace. She was committed ("sectioned," as they call in in the UK), and now she and her boyfriend of two years, Felix, must move to a smaller apartment in a worse neighborhood now that she isn't working and must convalesce. Nancy knows no one there, but Felix knows some of the neighbors through a friend, and Nancy's convalescence stretches in front of her, as Felix has told all the neighbors of her problems and has them "looking out" for her. The poor woman cannot even go for a walk to the shops on her own without these people spying on her and ratting her out.

Meanwhile, a young, pretty woman in the basement apartment is living her life. In the midst of an almost-psychotic episode (who can blame her with all the gaslighting she's endured), Nancy comes across this woman, the titular Kira Mullan, who is apparently in some distress. They part after meeting briefly, only for Kira to be discovered later in her apartment, hanged. It's declared a suicide but Nancy knows something smells fishy, and after several false starts and a TON more gaslighting (not to mention getting sectioned again after her neighbors lie about her to Felix for their own ends), she gets to DI Maud O'Connor, who we first met in Have You Seen Charlotte Salter?, Maud is a great character: level headed and reasonable, and really the only one to offer Nancy any solace and trust. Maud is going through her own stuff, being run through the mill by sexist coworkers at the Met on a daily basis, but she's a terrier, and she starts reexamining the case with fresh eyes while the previous DI is on vacation.

The end is very satisfying. More Maud O'Connor please!

I had no idea this was the second book in the series, but it turned out to be a great mystery—more of a drama, really. The way the story unfolded kept me engaged, and the thriller elements made me think deeply. I found myself reflecting on the darker aspects of life and the struggles that the characters faced.

The psychological depth of the narrative was striking. It evoked real feelings of sadness and depression as it delved into the characters' mental health issues. Their journeys highlighted the importance of addressing mental well-being, something that often gets overlooked in everyday life.

The character development was profound, allowing me to empathize with their experiences. This book isn’t just about solving a mystery; it’s about understanding the complexities of the human experience and the emotional weight that comes with it. It lingers in my mind, prompting deeper thoughts about life and the challenges we all face.

I usually like this writer but this book didn’t keep my interest it just felt all over the place and I kept putting it down
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

From the darkest depth of a psychotic break Nancy is drowning. Everyone is lying about her. Her friends have conspired to commit her, even her lover has betrayed her. No one believes her account of events. The doctors, therapists and her own father thinks she’s delusional. Nancy sometimes hears voices telling her things, but she’s taking meds and getting help. All Nancy wants is to be a chef, run a restaurant. It’s her passion. It’s set in London where multiple people live in tiny, old building in various stages of disrepair. Nancy has a very attentive boyfriend, he always has her best interest in mind. Nancy knows what she saw and heard in that brief moment with a tennant in their building. Now she’s dead, declared a suicide, but Nancy doesn’t feel like that’s true. She’s tried telling the police, but she has no credibility. The more she attempts to find answers the greater danger she exposes herself to. Is Nancy just imagining things again? The tension in the events as they unfolded had me racing through the book. I’ve been dying to read this author for ages and I was very impressed with the characters and plot of this story. It is the epitome of psychological thriller.
William Morrow (via NetGalley) provided an Advance Reader Copy of “The Last Days of Kira Mullan” by Nicci French, it’s expected to be published 03/04/2025. These are my honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

This was just not the book for me. I couldn't get myself to stay interested.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

A couple, Nancy and Felix, move into a new flat. Shortly after settling in, their neighbor Kira is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Nancy, who has a history of hearing voices and was once in a psych ward, becomes certain Kira was murdered. As her suspicions grow, Felix and her new neighbors have her committed back to the ward. However, Detective Maud, investigating the case, begins to doubt it was a suicide as well. This story had me constantly questioning whether Nancy is truly unraveling or if she's being manipulated by those closest to her.

While the writing was fine, this novel did not keep my attention for some reason.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211673939

Everyone thinks Nancy North is delusional.

After all, she has just recently gotten out of the hospital where she was being treated after having a psychological breakdown. She’s still fragile, and her boyfriend Felix is trying his hardest to help her settle into their new flat. When Nancy claims she knows their downstairs neighbor’s death was murder and not suicide, everyone’s worries about her mental state reach a high. Has she lost the plot?

This book is stressful, particularly in the sections where Nancy is hospitalized. The authors do a fantastic job adding to the tension, revealing just enough to put her readers on edge. As Nancy is either met with concern or gaslighting from those around her, she finds more of her life unraveling, and the villains in the book truly are diabolical.

Fans of the authors will recognize DI Maud O’Connor, as this is part of a series. However, it reads well as a standalone (I didn’t realize it was part of a series until after completing the book). Maud plays a fair role in the book, and her dynamic with Nancy is enjoyable. This book will entice readers to give their others a try.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Wow! This was an interesting book!
Nancy loved her restaurant until she had a mental breakdown. Felix who she lived with was very overprotective of her, She is taking her meds and seeing a therapist she doesn’t feel she needs his continual watching her. She begins to hear voices again and then a woman is found murdered in the apartment below them, They say suicide but Nancy doesn’t agree. She struggles to find someone who will believe her but because of her illness they think she is delusional until Maude takes the case!

Chef and restaurant owner Nancy North has a psychotic breakdown that has her at the mercy of her boyfriend, Felix, who is determined to run all aspects of her life from then on. No one believes her when she insists that downstairs neighbor Kira was murdered and had not committed suicide as ruled by the police.

I liked all aspects of the personality and character of Nancy, who fights for her independence and for her mental health, at the same time determined to see that Kira's death is seen for what it is. Together with detective Maud, the female investigator who is overlooked in her department, the two women dominate the story as two people who become friends, both fighting for their rights and to be given their due in their respective lives.

The ending is realistic, especially for Maud, whose outcome was nevertheless a bit disappointing for me. Overall, another good psychological mystery by Nicci French.

#TheLastDaysOfKiraMullan #NetGalley
Excellent.
Nicci French, the acclaimed master of psychological suspense, delivers yet another gripping thriller with The Last Days of Kira Mullan. The novel delves deep into themes of trust, mental health, and the quest for justice, weaving a tense and claustrophobic narrative where reality and delusion blur. The story revolves around Nancy North, a woman recovering from a psychotic break that has left her life in disarray. As she tries to rebuild her life with her supportive partner, Felix, in a new flat, Nancy is determined to stick to her routine—taking her medication, attending therapy, and keeping stress at bay. However, on the very first day in her new home, unsettling sounds and mysterious voices begin to haunt her again. When her downstairs neighbor, Kira, is found dead, the tragedy is quickly ruled a suicide by everyone around her—except Nancy. Despite her fragile mental state, Nancy can’t shake the feeling that something far more sinister is at play. But can she trust her instincts, or is her mind betraying her once more? Enter Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor, a seasoned investigator who also harbors doubts about the official investigation into Kira’s death. O’Connor finds herself in conflict with a police department eager to dismiss Nancy’s suspicions. Like Nancy, Maud is not one to be easily swayed, and she refuses to let the case be closed without a thorough investigation. French skillfully builds an atmosphere of growing dread and paranoia, layering Nancy’s mental health struggles with the chilling events surrounding Kira’s death. The central question—whether Nancy is a reliable narrator or if her perceptions are distorted by her illness—creates a psychological tension that keeps the reader on edge. French’s portrayal of Nancy is nuanced and empathetic, capturing the complexities of living with mental illness while maintaining a sense of agency and determination in her quest for the truth.
Likes and Dislikes :-
Likes :-
1 Complex Characters: Both Nancy and Maud are well-drawn, layered characters whose determination to seek justice despite personal and institutional obstacles makes them compelling protagonists. Nancy’s vulnerability and strength make her a standout character, while Maud's persistence in the face of opposition adds depth to the narrative.
2 Atmospheric Tension: The eerie setting of Nancy’s new flat, with its unsettling noises and shadowy corners, adds to the novel's sense of foreboding. French expertly uses the environment to heighten the psychological tension, making the reader question what is real and what is imagined.
3 Thematic Depth: Beyond being a thriller, The Last Days of Kira Mullan touches on important themes such as mental health stigma, the reliability of perception, and the challenges women face in being taken seriously when they speak out.
Dislikes :-
None.
Overall :- The Last Days of Kira Mullan is a captivating psychological thriller that blends suspense with emotional complexity. Nicci French deftly explores the fine line between reality and delusion, leaving readers questioning what they can believe. With strong female characters, a chilling atmosphere, and a plot that touches on important issues of mental health and justice, this novel is a solid addition to French’s body of work. While the pacing may lag at times, the overall narrative delivers a haunting and thought-provoking experience that fans of psychological thrillers will appreciate.
Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for giving me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

I really enjoyed this book. More than I thought I would. I liked the characters! Great writing style and I liked the storyline. This book kept me guessing. I finished it in one sitting.

What a tense story! I found it quite disturbing at times to see the world through the eyes of Nancy North, a woman with a managed mental illness whose boyfriend and partner treats as if she's an unexploded bomb, cautious and controlling. Because Nancy lost her restaurant after a humiliating breakdown and hospitalization, they've moved to a dismal flat in a building that's neglected by the landlord and inhabited by unpleasant people. Almost immediately, after Nancy has had a frightening experience with her hallucinations, she meets a neighbor who seems to be telling her she's in danger, but after the young woman is found hanging in her apartment, everyone (including slapdash police investigators) assume it was suicide. Nancy isn't so sure, but as she tries to explain her encounter she's not believed because of the illness her partner keeps telling everyone about in a weird solicitous way. It's not until a Met detective meets Nancy and takes her seriously (both what she witnessed and how frustratingly controlling her partner is) does anyone bother to properly investigate the death.

I was a touch skeptical when the boyfriend has her sectioned in a harrowing episode; in the US the equivalent involves the courts and usually a long, long wait for a bed because they are in such short supply, but after poking around this doesn't seem at all unrealistic for the UK setting.

The authors have done a marvelous job with characters and pacing. At first, it's not at all clear that Nancy is a reliable witness, and the boyfriend seems not unreasonably worried about her. But before long its clear what's really going on, and the depiction of being both disbelieved and treated as a dangerously delusional person (who we gradually realize is in a classically abusive relationship) is brilliantly done, as is the sympathetic and realistic portrayal of what it's like to live with what sounds like a mild form of schizophrenia. I'm also delighted to see the detective first portrayed in Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter return - Maud is a keeper, and I hope will be back.

There's something a touch Gothic in the setup, but it's also wonderfully contemporary with a feminist orientation. Really excellent. I've just talked myself into five stars.

I really liked this book and was moved by the sincere care and empathy with which the authors treated the female characters. There are two connected, but parallel, storylines in this novel. We meet the protagonist Nancy North, a chef, just as she is coming out of an involuntary stay at psychiatric institution and recovering from an unnamed illness that had made her hallucinate and hear voices. She has lost her restaurant and, as a result, Nancy and her partner Felix are moving out to a smaller, grotty apartment in West London. Kira Mullan is another tenant in said apartment building. Nancy meets her briefly, and Kira is found hanging from the rafters in her apartment the next day. Nancy becomes convinced that Kira was murdered, but everyone else seems convinced that she’s having episodes and that Kira had committed suicide.

As I said, I deeply appreciated the authors’ characterization of the women in this novel, even the unpleasant ones. I found the solution genuinely surprising and also appreciated the realistic portrayal of the Met. For much of the book, I was incredibly worried about Nancy and wanted her to survive her nightmarish situation. I will definitely be reading the next novel in the Maud O’Connor series! 4/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for letting me read an ARC of this book.

So glad to see that we have a new Nicci French series starring Maud (thought last book was a one off)!!! But the real star of the show is Nancy North, who endeavors to solve this crime despite some mental health challenges. Can we have another series with Nancy? Loved this one!