A Frieda Klein Novel (Book 5)

Friday on My Mind

Rich in intrigue, intensity and atmosphere, Friday on my Mind is classic Nicci French - a dark, gripping and sophisticated masterclass in psychological suspense in which nothing is quite what it seems . . . 
 
When a bloated corpse is found floating in the River Thames the police can at least sure that identifying the victim will be straightforward. Around the dead man's wrist is a hospital band. On it are the words Dr F. Klein . . . 
 
But psychotherapist Frieda Klein is very much alive. And, after evidence linking her to the murder is discovered, she becomes the prime suspect. 
 
Unable to convince the police of her innocence, Frieda is forced to make a bold decision in order to piece together the terrible truth before it's too late either for her or for those she loves. 
 
Friday on my Mind is the fifth addictive and intriguing novel in the Frieda Klein series by the bestselling author Nicci French. 
 
Praise for Nicci French: 
 
'Nicci French's sophisticated, compassionate and gripping crime novels stand head and shoulders above the competition' Sophie Hannah 
 
'French leads the field' Sunday Express 
 
'Brilliantly crafted . . . masterly control of suspense' Daily Mirror 
 
'Tense, frightening, gripping' Easy Living 
 
'Dark, nerve-tingling and addictive' Daily Express

Nicci French's sophisticated, compassionate and gripping crime novels stand head and shoulders above the competition.

Brilliantly crafted . . . masterly control of suspense

Nicci French is the pseudonym for the writing partnership of journalists Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. The couple are married and live in Suffolk. There are twenty bestselling novels by Nicci French, published in thirty-one languages. Blue Monday was the first thrilling story in the Frieda Klein series, which concludes with Day of the Dead. 
 
facebook.com/NicciFrenchOfficialPage

When a bloated corpse is found floating in the River Thames the police can at least be sure that identifying the victim will be straightforward. Around the dead man's wrist is a hospital band. On it are the words Dr F. Klein. 
 
 But psychotherapist Frieda Klein is very much alive. And, after evidence linking her to the murder is discovered, she becomes the prime suspect. 
 
 Unable to convince the police of her innocence, Frieda is forced to make a bold decision in order to piece together the terrible truth before it's too late either for her or for those she loves.

With a new introduction by Sophie Hannah

The Memory Game

***Special anniversary edition, with a new introduction by Sophie Hannah*** 
 
You remember an idyllic childhood. But your memory is deceitful. And possibly deadly . . . 
 
When a skeleton is unearthed in the Martellos' garden, Jane Martello is shocked to learn it's that of her childhood friend, Natalie, who went missing twenty-five years before. 
 
Jane is encouraged by her therapist to recover what really took place when she was a child - and what happened to Natalie. 
 
But as Jane learns the truth about her past, is she putting her own future at terrible risk? 
 
"A perfect blend of emotional honesty and plot-related trickery" Sophie Hannah 
 
"The Memory Game was the book that made me want to write a psychological thriller" Laura Marshall, no.1 bestselling author of Friend Request.

You remember an idyllic childhood. But your memory is deceitful. And possibly deadly... 
 
When a skeleton is unearthed in the Martellos' garden, Jane Martello is shocked to learn it's that of her childhood friend, Natalie, who went missing twenty-five years ago. Encouraged by a therapist to recover lost memories, Jane hopes to find out what really took place when she was a child - and what happened to Natalie. 
 
But in learning the truth about hers and Natalie's past, is Jane putting her own future at terrible risk?

With a new introduction by Erin Kelly

Secret Smile

You have an affair. You finish it. You think it's over. You're dead wrong . . . 
 
'Too few novelists can combine this level of page-turning suspense with character care and pin-sharp prose' ERIN KELLY 
_______ 
 
 Miranda Cotton thinks she's put boyfriend Brendan out of her life for good. 
 
But two weeks later, she discovers that he's intimately involved with her sister, and what began as an embarrassment becomes threatening. 
 
And then utterly terrifying . . . 
 
 Because Brendan will stop at nothing to be part of Miranda's life - even if it means taking it from her . . . 
_______ 
 
'Creepy, genuinely gripping' Heat 
 
'Excellent, compelling, like an addiction' 5***** Reader Review 
 
'Draws you right in . . . one of the best psychological thrillers ever' 5***** Reader Review 
 
'Chilling . . . This book stays in your mind' 5***** Reader Review

You have an affair. You finish it. You think it's over. You're dead wrong . . . 
 
Miranda Cotton thinks she's put boyfriend Brendan out of her life for good. But two weeks later, he's intimately involved with her sister. 
 
Soon what began as an embarrassment becomes threatening - then even more terrifying than a girl's worst nightmare. 
 
Because this time Brendan will stop at nothing to be part of Miranda's life - even if it means taking it from her . . .

With a new introduction by A. J. Finn

Beneath the Skin

***Special anniversary edition, with a new introduction by A. J. Finn*** 
 
Someone's watching you. You don't know who. But he knows you . . . 
 
Zoe, Jennifer and Nadia are three women with nothing in common. Except for the man who wants to kill them. He sends them terrifying letters - promising to bring their lives to a violent, horrible end. But not before he has enjoyed himself. 
 
He delights in watching the women suffer, thrilled by his power to leave them utterly helpless, alone and in terror. Except they're not all as helpless as he thinks . . . 
 
'Nicci French represent psychological suspense at its most searching and incisive' A. J. Finn, internationally No. 1 Bestselling Author of The Woman In The Window

Zoe, Jennifer and Nadia are three women with nothing in common. Except for the man who wants to kill them. 
 
He sends them terrifying letters, full of the intimate details of their lives - and promises that he will bring those lives to a violent, horrible end. But not before he has enjoyed himself. 
 
Invisible and apparently unstoppable, he delights in watching the women suffer, thrilled by his power to leave them utterly helpless, alone in their terror and confusion. 
 
Except they're not all as helpless as he thinks . . .

With a new introduction by Peter James

The Red Room

***Special anniversary edition, with a new introduction from Peter James*** 
 
He almost took your life. Now his is in your hands... 
 
When Leanne, a homeless young girl, is murdered beside a canal in North London, the police are certain that known oddball Michael Doll is the killer. 
 
Psychologist Kit Quinn, assisting the investigation, has her own reasons to despise Doll - but she soon realises that the case is more complicated than the investigators suspect. 
 
Because Kit has found a link to another death. Which means they might have a serial killer on their hands... 
 
'The writing has that rare ability to reach out from the page into your soul, grip your heartstrings, and not let go of them until the very end.' Peter James

French is excellent at building up suspense and elegantly exploiting all our worst fears

Brilliantly plotted, crisply written and very, very frightening

He almost took your life. Now his is in your hands . . . 
 
After psychologist Kit Quinn is brutally attacked by a prisoner, she is determined to get straight back to work. When the police want her help in linking the man who attacked her to a series of murders, she refuses to simply accept the obvious. 
 
But the closer her investigation takes her to the truth behind the savage crimes, the nearer Kit gets to the dark heart of her own terror.

With a new introduction by Peter Robinson

Killing Me Softly

***Special anniversay edition, with a new introduction by Peter Robinson*** 
 
You're in passionate love. And grave danger . . . 
 
Alice Loudon couldn't resist abandoning her old, safe life for a wild affair. And in Adam Tallis, a rugged mountaineer with a murky past, Alice finds a man who can teach her things about herself that she never even suspected. 
 
But sexual obsession has its dark side - and so does Adam. 
 
Soon, both are threatening all that Alice has left. First her sanity. Then her life. 
 
'The pacing is spot on, and the tension keeps creeping up and up right to the explosive end' Peter Robinson, bestselling author of the DCI Banks Series

Cancel all appointments and unplug the phone. Once started you will do nothing until you finish this thriller

You have everything. But you give it up for an affair. 
 
You're in passionate love. And grave danger . . . 
 
Alice Loudon couldn't resist abandoning her old, safe life for a wild affair. And in Adam Tallis, a rugged mountaineer with a murky past, she finds a man who can teach her things about herself that she never even suspected. But sexual obsession has its dark side - and so does Adam. 
 
Soon both are threatening all that Alice has left. First her sanity. Then her life.

A Frieda Klein Novel (4)

Thursday's Child

Thursday's Child by Nicci French is the fourth novel in the bestselling Frieda Klein series, following Blue Monday, Tuesday's Gone and Waiting for Wednesday. 
 
Two crimes, generations apart . . . 
 
Twenty years ago teenager Frieda Klein was brutally attacked in her own home. No one believed her - not the police, not her mother, not her friends. She left town, trained as a psychologist and never went back. 
 
Now an old classmate has shown up. She wants help with her daughter, who claims to have been attacked at home. An attack eerily similar to the one on Frieda. No one else believes the girl's story. 
 
Now - with a school reunion in the offing - Frieda returns to the darkness she fled. To the small town which refused to help her and which hides a terrible secret. Because someone at the reunion knows what happened. 
And they'll stop at nothing to prevent Frieda discovering the truth . . . 
 
Praise for the Frieda Klein series: 
 
'Nicci French's sophisticated, compassionate and gripping crime novels stand head and shoulders above the competition' Sophie Hannah 
 
'Expert in the unguessable twist, supremely skilled at ratcheting up the tension' Easy Living 
 
'French leads the field' Sunday Express 
 
'Brilliantly crafted . . . masterly control of suspense' Daily Mirror 
 
'Magnificent' Evening Standard 
 
'A nerve-jangling and addictive read' Daily Express

Expert in the unguessable twist, supremely skilled at ratcheting up the tension

When psychotherapist Frieda Klein left the sleepy Suffolk coastal town in which she grew up she never intended to return. Left behind were friends, family, lives and loves but alongside them, painful memories; a past she wouldn't allow to destroy her. 
 
Years later, an old classmate appears in London asking Frieda to help her teenage daughter. When death follows, Frieda has no choice but to return home to confront her past. And the monsters no one else believed were real. . . Frieda can trust no one as she tries to piece together the shocking truth before another innocent dies.

A Frieda Klein Novel (3)

Waiting for Wednesday

Feel chills down your spine with the thrilling third novel in Nicci French's bestselling killer series . . . 
 
 Ruth Lennox is found by her daughter in a pool of her own blood. But who would want to murder an ordinary housewife? And why? 
 
 'Undeniably at the top of British psychological suspense writing' OBSERVER 
 
'Frieda's thinking keeps you gripped and adds twists that most people wouldn't imagine' 5***** READER REVIEW 
­__________ 
 
Psychotherapist Frieda Klein wasn't ready for a case to get this personal. 
 
When her niece befriends Ruth Lennox's son, Ted, she finds herself in the difficult position of confidant to both Ted, and DCI Karlsson. 
 
Soon it's clear that Ruth was leading a secret life. Her family close ranks. 
And Karlsson needs Frida's help more than ever before . . . 
 
But Frieda is distracted. Having survived an attack on her life, she's struggling to stay focused when a patient's chance remark rings alarm bells. 
 
Suddenly Frieda finds herself chasing the path of a suspected serial killer. 
 
Or is it merely a symptom of her own increasingly fragile mind? . . . 
__________ 
 
'A roller coaster of emotions . . . Truly brilliant writing' 5***** READER REVIEW 
 
'The storyline is gripping with twists and turns along the way' 5***** READER REVIEW 
 
'Had me gripped from the first few pages. Lots of twists and turns' 5***** READER REVIEW 
 
Praise for Nicci French: 
 
 'Sophisticated, compassionate, gripping . . . Not many books are as insightful as they are addictive; Nicci French's are' Sophie Hannah 
 
 'A brilliantly crafted new crime series' Daily Mirror 
 
 'Terrific. The writing is pacy, the jaw-dropping twists are plentiful' Short List 
 
 'One of French's hardest-to-put-down novels' Sunday Express 
 
 'French is undeniably at the top of British psychological suspense writing, expert in the unguessable twist, supremely skilled at ratcheting up the tension' Observer 
 
 'A nerve-jangling and addictive read' Daily Express

Nicci French's sophisticated, compassionate and gripping crime novels stand head and shoulders above the competition.  No one understands human psychological frailty better. No one writes better about grief, love, fear or emotional damage. Not many books are as insightful as they are addictive; Nicci French's are.

Ruth Lennox, beloved mother of three, is found by her daughter in a pool of her own blood. Who would want to murder an ordinary housewife? And why? 
 
Psychotherapist Frieda Klein finds she has an unusually personal connection with DCI Karlsson's latest case. She is no longer working with him in an official capacity, but when her niece befriends Ruth Lennox's son, Ted, she finds herself in the awkward position of confidante to both Karlsson and Ted. 
 
When it emerges that Ruth was leading a secret life, her family closes ranks and Karlsson finds he needs Frieda's help more than ever before. 
 
But Frieda is distracted. Having survived an attack on her life, she is struggling to stay in control and when a patient's chance remark rings an alarm bell, she finds herself chasing down a path that seems to lead to a serial killer who has long escaped detection. Or is it merely a symptom of her own increasingly fragile mind?

A Frieda Klein Novel (7)

Sunday Morning Coming Down

THE CHILLING SEVENTH NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING FRIEDA KLEIN SERIES 
 
'Menacing' Guardian 
 
Someone is coming for Frieda, someone deadly . . . 
 
Psychotherapist Frieda Klein has believed serial killer Dean Reeve escaped justice for years. Despite what the police say, she is convinced he's still alive. And finally she has the evidence. 
 
Because under her floor is the rotting corpse of an ex-policeman who she'd hired to hunt for Reeve. 
 
Now the police have to take her seriously. 
 
It's clear that whoever did this is very dangerous and must be found, but it's also clear that they're not finished with Frieda - or those she loves most. 
 
As Frieda is about to learn - it's always darkest just before the dawn . . . 
 
'Addictive' Daily Express 
 
'Nail-biting' Marie Claire 
 
'Ingenious' Daily Telegraph

Stop what you are doing and start [reading] right now . . . Dean is back. (Or is he?)

Clear your diaries, crime fans, the latest Nicci French is out . . . the seventh in the series, husband-and-wife writing team throw in surprises right up to the last page

It's always darkest before the light. In the chilling seventh instalment of the bestselling, critically acclaimed Frieda Klein series, evil draws ever closer to home. 
 
A body is discovered under the floorboards of psychotherapist Frieda Klein's house. It's the man she hired to protect her. 
 
Frieda has always known her stalker, Dean Reeve, was still alive - at last the police are forced to believe her. But this is only the first body, and as the police investigation stalls, Dean's taunts grow ever more personal. Unless Frieda can find him - and fast - her loved ones' loyalty could come at a truly fatal cost . . .

A Frieda Klein Novel (2)

Tuesday's Gone

For Frieda Klein the days get longer, the cases darker . . . 
 
Psychotherapist Frieda Klein thought she was done with the police. But once more DCI Karlsson is knocking at her door. 
 
A man's decomposed body has been found in the flat of Michelle Doyce, a woman trapped in a world of strange mental disorder. The police don't know who it is, how he got there or what happened - and Michelle can't tell them. But Karlsson hopes Frieda can get access to the truths buried beneath her confusion. 
 
Painstakingly, Frieda uncovers a possible identity for the corpse: Robert Poole, a jack of all trades and master conman. But the deeper Frieda and Karlsson dig into Poole's past, the more of his victims they encounter - and the more motives they find for murder. Meanwhile, violent ghosts from Frieda's own past are returning to threaten her. 
 
Unable to discover quite who is telling the truth and who is lying, they know they are getting closer to a killer. But whoever murdered Poole is determined to stay free - and anyone that gets too close will meet the same fate. 
 
A gritty heroine, a gruesome crime and a terrifying hunt for a psychotic killer, Tuesday's Gone is not to be missed by fans of psychological thrillers. 
 
Praise for Nicci French: 
'Nicci French's sophisticated, compassionate and gripping crime novels stand head and shoulders above the competition. No one understands human psychological frailty better. No one writes better about grief, love, fear or emotional damage. Not many books are as insightful as they are addictive; Nicci French's are.' Sophie Hannah 
 
'Nicci French knows just how to play on our worst fears' Daily Mail

This heart-stoppingly good tale sets the bar high for the next seven books - we can't wait to read them!

For Frieda Klein the days get longer, the cases darker . . . 
 
Psychotherapist Frieda Klein thought she was done with the police. But once more DCI Karlsson is knocking at her door. 
 
A man's decomposed body has been found in the flat of Michelle Doyce, a woman trapped in a world of strange mental disorder. The police don't know who it is, how he got there or what happened - and Michelle can't tell them. But Karlsson hopes Frieda can get access to the truths buried beneath her confusion. 
 
Painstakingly, Frieda uncovers a possible identity for the corpse: Robert Poole, a jack of all trades and master conman. But the deeper Frieda and Karlsson dig into Poole's past, the more of his victims they encounter - and the more motives they find for murder. Meanwhile, violent ghosts from Frieda's own past are returning to threaten her. 
 
Unable to discover quite who is telling the truth and who is lying, they know they are getting closer to a killer. But whoever murdered Poole is determined to stay free - and anyone that gets too close will meet the same fate.

A Frieda Klein Novel (1)

Blue Monday

Feel chills down your spine with the thrilling first novel in Nicci French's bestselling killer series 
 
'Undeniably at the top of British psychological suspense writing' OBSERVER 
 
'Utterly gripping . . . I could hardly turn the pages fast enough' 5***** READER REVIEW 
 _______ 
 
 Monday: five-year-old Matthew Faraday is abducted. His face is splashed across newspaper front pages. His parents and the police are desperate. Can anyone help find their little boy before it is too late? 
 
 Psychotherapist Frieda Klein just might know something. 
 
 One of her patients describes dreams of seizing a boy who is the spitting image of Matthew. Convinced at first the police will dismiss her fears out of hand, Frieda reluctantly finds herself drawn into the heart of the case. A previous abduction, from twenty years ago, suggests a new lead - one that only Frieda, an expert on the minds of disturbed individuals, can uncover. 
 
 Struggling to make sense of this terrifying investigation, Frieda will face her darkest fears in the hunt for a clever and brutal killer . . . 
_______ 
 
 
'The twists within the last few chapters left me thinking about it for hours after' 5***** READER REVIEW 
 
'I was really gripped from start to finish' 5***** READER REVIEW 
 
 Praise for Nicci French: 
 
 'Sophisticated, compassionate, gripping . . . Not many books are as insightful as they are addictive; Nicci French's are' Sophie Hannah 
 
 'A brilliantly crafted new crime series' Daily Mirror 
 
 'Terrific. The writing is pacy, the jaw-dropping twists are plentiful' Short List 
 
 'One of French's hardest-to-put-down novels' Sunday Express 
 
 'French is undeniably at the top of British psychological suspense writing, expert in the unguessable twist, supremely skilled at ratcheting up the tension' Observer 
 
 'A nerve-jangling and addictive read' Daily Express

Monday: five-year-old Matthew Faraday is abducted. His face is splashed across newspaper front pages. His parents and the police are desperate. Can anyone help find their little boy before it is too late? 
 
Psychotherapist Frieda Klein just might know something. 
 
One of her patients describes dreams of seizing a boy who is the spitting image of Matthew. Convinced at first the police will dismiss her fears out of hand, Frieda reluctantly finds herself drawn into the heart of the case. A previous abduction, from twenty years ago, suggests a new lead - one that only Frieda, an expert on the minds of disturbed individuals, can uncover. 
 
Struggling to make sense of this terrifying investigation, Frieda will face her darkest fears in the hunt for a clever and brutal killer . . .

A Frieda Klein Novel (6)

Saturday Requiem

Nicci French's darkest most shocking thriller yet, Saturday Requiem is the stand-alone sixth instalment of the Frieda Klein series, about a young girl accused of murdering her family 
 
Thirteen years ago eighteen-year-old Hannah Docherty was arrested for the brutal murder of her family. It was an open-shut case and Hannah's been incarcerated in a secure hospital ever since. 
 
When psychotherapist Frieda Klein is asked to meet Hannah and give her assessment of her, she reluctantly agrees. What she finds horrifies her. And Frieda is haunted by the thought that Hannah might be as much of a victim as her family; that something wasn't right all those years ago. 
 
And as Hannah's case takes hold of her, Frieda soon begins to realize that she's up against someone who'll go to any lengths to protect themself. 
 
'Nicci French's sophisticated, compassionate and gripping crime novels stand head and shoulders above the competition' Sophie Hannah 
 
'French leads the field' Sunday Express 
 
'Brilliantly crafted . . . masterly control of suspense' Daily Mirror 
 
'Tense, frightening, gripping' Easy Living 
 
'Dark, nerve-tingling and addictive' Daily Express

Abused by the system meant to protect her, Hannah is a long-term resident of a secure psychiatric hospital. They think she murdered her family, Freida Klein thinks differently. However, nothing is as it seems and digging up the past can have terrifying consequences. 
 
Frieda Klein is back in Nicci French's darkest, most shocking thriller yet.

Thirteen years ago eighteen-year-old Hannah Docherty was arrested for the brutal murder of her family. It was an open-shut case and Hannah's been incarcerated in a secure hospital ever since. 
 
When psychotherapist Frieda Klein is asked to meet Hannah and give her assessment of her, she reluctantly agrees. What she finds horrifies her. And Frieda is haunted by the thought that Hannah might be as much of a victim as her family; that something wasn't right all those years ago. 
 
And as Hannah's case takes hold of her, Frieda soon begins to realize that she's up against someone who'll go to any lengths to protect themself.

The Safe House

Dr Laschen welcomes into her home a traumatized young orphan. The next day, terror comes knocking . . .

'Nicci French's sophisticated, compassionate and gripping crime novels stand head and shoulders above the competition' Sophie Hannah 
 
 *** 
 
 You open your home and your heart to a victim. But your house is anything but safe . . . 
 
 Samantha Laschen is a doctor specialising in post-traumatic stress disorder. She's moved to the coast to escape her problems and to be alone with her young daughter. 
 
 But now the police want her to take in Fiona Mackenzie, a girl whose parents have been savagely murdered. Yet by allowing Fiona in, Sam is exposing herself - and her daughter - to risks she couldn't possibly have imagined . . . 
 
 
*** 
 Praise for Nicci French: 
 
 'French leads the field' Sunday Express 
 
 'Brilliantly crafted . . . masterly control of suspense' Daily Mirror 
 
 'Tense, frightening, gripping' Easy Living 
 
 'Dark, nerve-tingling and addictive' Daily Express 
 
'Gripping, chilling, moving' Observer

A craftily plotted book in which the mystery unfolds layer by layer . . . right up until the surprise ending

You open your home and your heart to a victim. But your house is anything but safe . . . 
 
Samantha Laschen is a doctor specializing in post-traumatic stress disorder. She's moved to the coast to escape her problems and to be alone with her young daughter. 
 
But now the police want her to take in Fiona Mackenzie, a girl whose parents have been savagely murdered. Yet by allowing Fiona in, Sam is exposing herself - and her daughter - to risks she couldn't possibly have imagined . . .

Three Short Stories

#Youdunnit

One crowdsourced storyline, three finely crafted stories by Penguin authors Nicci French, Tim Weaver and Alastair Gunn. 
 
What crime has been committed? 
Who is the victim? 
And who will solve the case? 
 
Write a short crime story, using plot details crowdsourced on Twitter. This was the challenge we put to three Penguin authors - Nicci French, Time Weaver and Alastair Gunn. How different would the stories be? And how would the authors cope, with so much of the detail out of their hands? 
 
#Youdunnit 
 
Three very different murders and three unique takes on your travel photographer turned reluctant sleuth, Lucinda Berrington. Deep in the suffocating British countryside, the gangland streets of Cape Town or the glossy world of professional cycling, Twitter followers are meeting an unsavoury demise. 
Maybe next time you log in you'll wonder... 
 
Are you following them, or are they following you? 
 
This ebook is brought to you free of charge by Penguin, in association with Specsavers. 
 
Look out for other titles by all three authors: 
 
Thursday's Children by Nicci French, follows Blue Monday, Tuesday's Gone and Waiting for Wednesday as the fourth in the Frieda Klein series. 
Richard &amp; Judy book club pick Never Coming Back is the fourth David Raker thriller by Tim Weaver, author of Vanished,Chasing the Dead and The Dead Tracks. 
Alastair Gunn's debut crime novel, The Advent Killer, is available from Penguin from November 2013, and introduces DCI Antonia Hawkins.

Nicci French (Author) 
Nicci French is the pseudonym for the writing partnership of journalists Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. The couple are married and live in Suffolk. There are twenty bestselling novels by Nicci French, published in thirty-one languages. Blue Monday was the first thrilling story in the Frieda Klein series, which concludes with Day of the Dead. 
 
facebook.com/NicciFrenchOfficialPage 
 
Alastair Gunn (Author) 
Alastair Gunn is an experienced magazine journalist. The Advent Killer was his first novel in the series featuring DCI Antonia Hawkins, followed by My Bloody Valentine and The Keeper, which was published in April 2017. 
 
Alastair lives in Hertfordshire with his fiancée, Anna. 
 
Tim Weaver (Author) 
Tim Weaver is the Sunday Times bestselling author of ten thrillers, including I Am Missing and You Were Gone. Weaver has been nominated for a National Book Award, selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club, and shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Dagger in the Library award. He is also the host and producer of the chart-topping Missing podcast, which features experts in the field discussing missing persons investigations from every angle. 
 
A former journalist and magazine editor, he lives near Bath with his wife and daughter.

Write a short crime story, using plot details crowdsourced on Twitter. This was the challenge we put to three Penguin authors - Nicci French, Time Weaver and Alastair Gunn. How different would the stories be? And how would the authors cope, with so much of the detail out of their hands? 
Write a short crime story, using plot details crowdsourced on Twitter. This was the challenge we put to three Penguin authors - Nicci French, Time Weaver and Alastair Gunn. How different would the stories be? And how would the authors cope, with so much of the detail out of their hands? 
#Youdunnit 
Three very different murders and three unique takes on your travel photographer turned reluctant sleuth, Lucinda Berrington. Deep in the suffocating British countryside, the gangland streets of Cape Town or the glossy world of professional cycling, Twitter followers are meeting an unsavoury demise. 
Maybe next time you log in you'll wonder... 
Are you following them, or are they following you?

Complicit

Complicit is a gripping psychological thriller by the highly acclaimed and Top Ten bestselling author, Nicci French 
 
Who is more deadly? 
An enemy? A friend? 
Or a lover? 
 
Bonnie Graham is in her friend's flat. She is alone, except for the dead body lying in a pool of blood. What happened? What will she do? And is any or all of it her fault? 
 
Bonnie is a music teacher who has spent a long, hot summer in London rehearsing with a band. It was supposed to be fun, but the tricky knots of the band's friendships unravel with each passing day. 
 
What was meant to be a summer of happiness, music and love turns deadly as lovers betray, passions turn homicidal and friendship itself becomes a crime. 
 
Someone in the band must be a killer. Is it Bonnie? And if not - who is it? 
 
Praise for Nicci French: 
'Relentlessly addictive . . . Friendship and betrayal has never been so deadly' Mirror 
 
'A gripping crime mystery, an accomplished thriller' Woman 
 
'Exerts a vice-like grip' Daily Telegraph 
 
'Reels in readers from the start' Independent

Who is more deadly? 
An enemy? A friend? 
Or a lover? 
 
Bonnie Graham is in her friend's flat. She is alone, except for the dead body lying in a pool of blood. What happened? What will she do? And is any or all of it her fault? 
 
Bonnie is a music teacher who has spent a long, hot summer in London rehearsing with a band. It was supposed to be fun, but the tricky knots of the band's friendships unravel with each passing day. 
 
What was meant to be a summer of happiness, music and love turns deadly as lovers betray, passions turn homicidal and friendship itself becomes a crime. Someone in the band must be a killer. Is it Bonnie? And if not - who is it?

Catch Me When I Fall

The abridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Nicci French's Catch Me When I Fall is a blistering thriller from the masters of psychological suspense. 
 
You're a whirlwind. A success. You live life on the edge. But who'll catch you when you fall? Holly Krauss lives life in a cyclone - her husband Charlie, her business partner Meg and her colleagues at KS Associates are left breathless by her energy. But sometimes her wild behaviour leads to reckless mistakes. Mistakes which soon leave her life spiralling out of control. And once her descent begins, Holly can do little to stop it. This is most definitely a woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown. But is Holly solely responsible for what is happening to her? Are her fears for her own safety caused by the paranoia of her illness - or very real danger . . . ? 
 
Read by Kate Sachs and Elisabeth Dermot Walsh.

What to Do When Someone Dies

What to Do When Someone Dies is another ingenious thriller from the best-loved, bestselling author, Nicci French 
 
Ellie Faulkner's world has been destroyed. Her husband Greg died in a car crash - and he wasn't alone. In the passenger seat was the body of Milena Livingstone - a woman Ellie's never heard of. 
 
But Ellie refuses to leap to the obvious conclusion, despite the whispers and suspicions of those around her. Maybe it's the grief, but Ellie has to find out who this woman was - and prove Greg wasn't having an affair. 
 
And soon she is chillingly certain their deaths were no accident. Are Ellie's accusations of murder her way of avoiding the truth about her marriage? Or does an even more sinister discovery await her? 
 
Praise for Nicci French: 
'Relentlessly enjoyable and gripping from the first page to the last' Evening Standard 
 
'You'll be totally gripped until a very unexpected twist knocks you for six' Cosmopolitan 
 
'You'll be hooked from the first page. A compulsive page-turner' Daily Express

Ellie Faulkner's world has been destroyed. Her husband Greg died in a car crash - and he wasn't alone. In the passenger seat was the body of Milena Livingstone - a woman Ellie's never heard of. 
 
But Ellie refuses to leap to the obvious conclusion, despite the whispers and suspicions of those around her. Maybe it's the grief, but Ellie has to find out who this woman was - and prove Greg wasn't having an affair. 
 
And soon she is chillingly certain their deaths were no accident. Are Ellie's accusations of murder her way of avoiding the truth about her marriage? Or does an even more sinister discovery await her?

Until it's Over

Until It's Over is a riveting psychological thriller from the Top Ten bestselling author, Nicci French 
 
DEAD. UNLUCKY. 
 
Cycle courier Astrid Bell is bad luck - for other people. First Astrid's neighbour Peggy accidentally knocks her off her bike - and not long after is found bludgeoned to death in an alley. Then a few days later, Astrid is asked to pick up a package - only to find the client slashed to pieces in the hall of her own home. 
 
For the police it's more than coincidence. For Astrid and her six housemates it's just the beginning of a nightmare - the growing suspicion that the worst is yet to come. 
 
Because if it's true that bad luck comes in threes - who will be next to die? 
 
Praise for Nicci French: 
'Reads like lightning' Observer 
 
'Another nail-biting thriller' Daily Express 
 
'A taut, sexy and compulsive read' Elle 
 
'Taut and menacing . . . excellent' Guardian

Young and athletic, London cycle courier Astrid Bell is bad luck - for other people. First Astrid's neighbour Peggy Farrell accidentally knocks her off her bike ... and not long after is found bludgeoned to death. 
 
Then a few days later, Astrid is asked to pick up a package from a wealthy woman called Ingrid de Soto, only to find the client murdered in the hall of her luxurious home. 
 
For the police it's more than coincidence. For Astrid and her six housemates it's the beginning of a nightmare: suspicious glances, bitter accusations, fallings out and a growing fear that the worst is yet to come ... 
 
Because if it's true that bad luck comes in threes - who will be the next to die?

Losing You

The clock is ticking - and the search hasn't even begun...

THE NAIL-BITING, PULSE-RACING THRILLER FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR, NICCI FRENCH 
 
'Extraordinary. It carried me with it on the breathless ride' 5***** Reader Review 
'Had me totally hooked and kept me guessing until the end' 5***** Reader Review 
'Gripping, entertaining . . . A real page-turner' 5***** Reader Review 
______ 
 
 The clock is ticking - and the search hasn't even begun . . . 
 
 
Nina Landry has given up city life for the isolated community of Sandling Island. At night, the wind howls. Sometimes they are cut off by the incoming tide. But for Nina, it is home. It is safe. 
 
 
But when Nina's teenage daughter Charlie fails to return from a sleepover on the day they're due to go on holiday, the island becomes a different place altogether. A place of secrets and suspicions. Where no one - friends, neighbours, even the police - believes Nina's instinctive fear that her daughter is in terrible danger. 
 
Alone, she undergoes a frantic search for Charlie. 
 
And as day turns to night, she begins to doubt not only whether they'll leave the island for their holiday - but whether they will ever leave it again . . . 
______ 
 
Praise for Nicci French: 
 
'Nicci French's sophisticated, compassionate and gripping crime novels stand head and shoulders above the competition' Sophie Hannah 
 
'French is undeniably at the top of British psychological suspense writing, expert in the unguessable twist, supremely skilled at ratcheting up the tension' Observer 
 
 'A nerve-jangling and addictive read' Daily Express 
 
'You live through every nail-biting minute' Guardian 
 
 'A brilliantly crafted crime series' Daily Mirror

Nina Landry has given up city life for the isolated community of Sandling Island, lying off the bleak east coast of England. At night the wind howls. Sometimes they are cut off by the incoming tide. For Nina though it is home. It is safe. 
 
But when Nina's teenage daughter Charlie fails to return from a sleepover on the day they're due to go on holiday, the island becomes a different place altogether. A place of secrets and suspicions. Where no one - friends, neighbours or the police - believes Nina's instinctive fear that her daughter is in terrible danger. Alone, she undergoes a frantic search for Charlie. And as day turns to night, she begins to doubt not just whether they'll leave the island for their holiday - but whether they will ever leave it again.

Nicci French's chilling novel of murder, madness and a woman on the edge...

Catch Me When I Fall is a chilling novel of murder, madness and a woman on the edge from the Top Ten bestselling author, Nicci French 
 
You're a whirlwind. A success. You're living life on the edge. But who'll catch you when you fall? 
 
Holly Krauss is a city girl burning the candle at both ends. Despite a comfortable home life, a tough job and friends who admire her, she secretly enjoys taking reckless, dangerous walks on the wild side. 
 
But Holly can't keep those worlds separate forever. Soon enough her secret life bleeds into her safe one and everything spirals out of control. She's making mistakes at home and at work, owes money to the wrong people - and now it seems that someone's stalking her. Could it just be paranoia or is she in very real danger? 
 
And who can you trust when you can no longer trust yourself?

You&rsquo;re a whirlwind. A success. You're living life on the edge. But who'll catch you when you fall? 
 
Holly Krauss is a city girl burning the candle at both ends. Despite a comfortable home life, a tough job and friends who admire her, she secretly enjoys taking reckless, dangerous walks on the wild side. 
 
But Holly can&rsquo;t keep those worlds separate forever. Soon enough her secret life bleeds into her safe one and everything spirals out of control. She&rsquo;s making mistakes at home and at work, owes money to the wrong people &ndash; and now it seems that someone&rsquo;s stalking her. Could it just be paranoia or is she in very real danger? 
 
And who can you trust when you can no longer trust yourself?

Nicci French

The stunning climax of Frieda Klein's battle with her nemesis. And what a climax! Loved it

A multi-layered plot that keeps you guessing until the final page.

Jane Corry, bestselling author of Blood Sisters

I love the Frieda Klein novels and this as good as they get. As thoughtful as it is gripping - masterful

Sabine Durrant, bestselling author of Lie With Me

The best crime novels combine great writing, compelling storylines, and memorable characters. You get all of that in a Nicci French, but you also get something more: a deep insight into what it means to be human, and how to live with pain and loss

Cara Hunter, Richard and Judy bestselling author of Close to Home

I loved Day of the Dead. Tension-filled, addictive and taut, with beautifully-drawn characters I won't forget. Nicci French just gets better and better

Laura Marshall, bestselling author of Friend Request

Nicci French lays out the characters with the effortless skill of a croupier dealing cards, and like a card trick, Day of the Dead builds to an ending that is as inevitable as it is unforeseeable. A masterclass in how to end a series.

Praise for Nicci French

Nicci French's sophisticated, compassionate and gripping crime novels stand head and shoulders above the competition

A Frieda Klein Novel (8)

On a north London high street, a runaway vehicle crashes to a halt. The man in the driving seat was murdered a week earlier. 
 
On Hampstead Heath, a bonfire blazes: in the flames lies the next victim. 
 
As autumn leaves fall, a serial killer runs amok in the capital, playing games with the police. The death toll is rising fast, and the investigation is floundering. 
 
But this is no ordinary killer, and every new victim is intended as a message to just one woman. 
 
Because psychologist Frieda Klein is in hiding. And someone is coming to find her . . . 
 
After seven stunning novels, Frieda Klein's duel with her dark nemesis finally comes to a climax - and only one can make it out alive.

Nicci French

Praise for Day of the Dead

The stunning climax of Frieda Klein's battle with her nemesis. And what a climax! Loved it

A multi-layered plot that keeps you guessing until the final page.

I love the Frieda Klein novels and this as good as they get. As thoughtful as it is gripping - masterful

The stunning climax of Frieda Klein's battle with her nemesis. And what a climax! Loved it

A multi-layered plot that keeps you guessing until the final page.

I love the Frieda Klein novels and this as good as they get. As thoughtful as it is gripping - masterful

The stunning climax of Frieda Klein's battle with her nemesis. And what a climax! Loved it

A multi-layered plot that keeps you guessing until the final page.

I love the Frieda Klein novels and this as good as they get. As thoughtful as it is gripping - masterful

Books by Nicci French

Series by Nicci French

Frieda Klein

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