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Frieda Klein #4
Thursday's Children
The electrifying fourth book in the internationally bestselling Frieda Klein Mystery series
Drawn to brilliant and solitary London psychotherapist Frieda Klein, a growing readership is discovering Nicci French’s acclaimed series with each chilling installment. In Thursday’s Children, Frieda faces her most personal case yet when a former classmate appears at Frieda’s door, begging for her help. Maddie Capel’s teenage daughter, Becky, claims that she was raped in her own bed one night while her mother was downstairs. Her assailant warned, “Don’t think of telling anyone, sweetheart. Nobody will believe you.” Becky’s story awakens dark memories of an eerily similar incident in Frieda’s own past. When Becky is found hanging from a beam in her bedroom, Frieda sets out to find the man she believes is both her rapist and Becky’s killer. But confronting the ghosts of the past turns out to be more dangerous than she ever expected.
Drawn to brilliant and solitary London psychotherapist Frieda Klein, a growing readership is discovering Nicci French’s acclaimed series with each chilling installment. In Thursday’s Children, Frieda faces her most personal case yet when a former classmate appears at Frieda’s door, begging for her help. Maddie Capel’s teenage daughter, Becky, claims that she was raped in her own bed one night while her mother was downstairs. Her assailant warned, “Don’t think of telling anyone, sweetheart. Nobody will believe you.” Becky’s story awakens dark memories of an eerily similar incident in Frieda’s own past. When Becky is found hanging from a beam in her bedroom, Frieda sets out to find the man she believes is both her rapist and Becky’s killer. But confronting the ghosts of the past turns out to be more dangerous than she ever expected.
351 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 26, 2014
657 people are currently reading
4636 people want to read
About the author
Nicci French
80 books3,635 followersNote: (Nicci Gerrard and Sean French also write separately.)
Nicci Gerrard was born in June 1958 in Worcestershire. After graduating with a first class honours degree in English Literature from Oxford University, she began her first job, working with emotionally disturbed children in Sheffield. In that same year she married journalist Colin Hughes.
In the early eighties she taught English Literature in Sheffield, London and Los Angeles, but moved into publishing in 1985 with the launch of Women's Review, a magazine for women on art, literature and female issues.
In 1987 Nicci had a son, Edgar, followed by a daughter, Anna, in 1988, but a year later her marriage to Colin Hughes broke down.
In 1989 she became acting literary editor at the New Statesman, before moving to the Observer, where she was deputy literary editor for five years, and then a feature writer and executive editor.
It was while she was at the New Statesman that she met Sean French.
Sean French was born in May 1959 in Bristol, to a British father and Swedish mother. He too studied English Literature at Oxford University at the same time as Nicci, also graduating with a first class degree, but their paths didn't cross until 1990. In 1981 he won Vogue magazine's Writing Talent Contest, and from 1981 to 1986 he was their theatre critic. During that time he also worked at the Sunday Times as deputy literary editor and television critic, and was the film critic for Marie Claire and deputy editor of New Society.
Sean and Nicci were married in Hackney in October 1990. Their daughters, Hadley and Molly, were born in 1991 and 1993.
By the mid-nineties Sean had had two novels published, The Imaginary Monkey and The Dreamer of Dreams, as well as numerous non-fiction books, including biographies of Jane Fonda and Brigitte Bardot.
In 1995 Nicci and Sean began work on their first joint novel and adopted the pseudonym of Nicci French. The Memory Game was published to great acclaim in 1997 followed by The Safe House (1998), Killing Me Softly (1999), Beneath the Skin (2000), The Red Room (2001), Land of the Living (2002), Secret Smile (2003), Catch Me When I Fall (2005), Losing You (2006) and Until It's Over (2008). Their latest novel together is What To Do When Someone Dies (2009).
Nicci and Sean also continue to write separately. Nicci still works as a journalist for the Observer, covering high-profile trials including those of Fred and Rose West, and Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr. Novels include Things We Knew Were True (2003), Solace (2005) and The Moment You Were Gone (2007). Sean's last novel is Start From Here (2004).
Nicci Gerrard was born in June 1958 in Worcestershire. After graduating with a first class honours degree in English Literature from Oxford University, she began her first job, working with emotionally disturbed children in Sheffield. In that same year she married journalist Colin Hughes.
In the early eighties she taught English Literature in Sheffield, London and Los Angeles, but moved into publishing in 1985 with the launch of Women's Review, a magazine for women on art, literature and female issues.
In 1987 Nicci had a son, Edgar, followed by a daughter, Anna, in 1988, but a year later her marriage to Colin Hughes broke down.
In 1989 she became acting literary editor at the New Statesman, before moving to the Observer, where she was deputy literary editor for five years, and then a feature writer and executive editor.
It was while she was at the New Statesman that she met Sean French.
Sean French was born in May 1959 in Bristol, to a British father and Swedish mother. He too studied English Literature at Oxford University at the same time as Nicci, also graduating with a first class degree, but their paths didn't cross until 1990. In 1981 he won Vogue magazine's Writing Talent Contest, and from 1981 to 1986 he was their theatre critic. During that time he also worked at the Sunday Times as deputy literary editor and television critic, and was the film critic for Marie Claire and deputy editor of New Society.
Sean and Nicci were married in Hackney in October 1990. Their daughters, Hadley and Molly, were born in 1991 and 1993.
By the mid-nineties Sean had had two novels published, The Imaginary Monkey and The Dreamer of Dreams, as well as numerous non-fiction books, including biographies of Jane Fonda and Brigitte Bardot.
In 1995 Nicci and Sean began work on their first joint novel and adopted the pseudonym of Nicci French. The Memory Game was published to great acclaim in 1997 followed by The Safe House (1998), Killing Me Softly (1999), Beneath the Skin (2000), The Red Room (2001), Land of the Living (2002), Secret Smile (2003), Catch Me When I Fall (2005), Losing You (2006) and Until It's Over (2008). Their latest novel together is What To Do When Someone Dies (2009).
Nicci and Sean also continue to write separately. Nicci still works as a journalist for the Observer, covering high-profile trials including those of Fred and Rose West, and Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr. Novels include Things We Knew Were True (2003), Solace (2005) and The Moment You Were Gone (2007). Sean's last novel is Start From Here (2004).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 844 reviews
April 1, 2016
Ε ναι, θα σας το ομολογήσω.... έχοντας μείνει στις τελευταίες σελίδες από χθες το βράδυ, σήμερα στη δουλειά κατέβασα (ναι, παράνομα) το βιβλίο και το διάβαζα στον υπολογιστή στη δουλειά υποκρινόμενη ότι δουλεύω!! Και όχι, δεν ντρέπομαι καθόλου γι' αυτό, απεναντίας νιώθω περήφανη για τις μετριασμένες εκφράσεις του προσώπου μου όταν διάβαζα για τις τελευταίες αποκαλύψεις!!!! (το τελειοποιώ το μη γούρλωμα του ματιού!!!)
Στα του βιβλίου τώρα, συναντάμε τους γνωστούς ήρωες περίπου δεκαπέντε μήνες μετά από τα περιστατικά της Τετάρτης και λίγο πολύ όλοι έχουν επιστρέψει στους καθημερινούς ρυθμούς της ζωής τους, έχοντας βρει τις ισορροπίες τους. Οι ισορροπίες της Φρίντα διαταράσσονται όταν την επισκέπτεται μια παλιά της συμμαθήτρια από το Μπράξτον, μια μικρή πόλη γύρω στις 2 ώρες βόρεια του Λονδίνου, από την οποία κατάγεται η Φρίντα και από όπου έφυγε ξαφνικά στην εφηβεία της, χωρίς ποτέ να ξαναγυρίσει. Είχαμε μάθει σε προηγούμενο βιβλίο για την ιστορία με τον πατέρα της, αλλά υποψιαζόμασταν ότι και κάτι άλλο συνέβαινε.
Η επίσκεψη λοιπόν της συμμαθήτριας πυροδότησε μια σειρά από αλλεπάλληλα γεγονότα, τα οποία οδηγούν τη Φρίντα πίσω στο Μπράξτον σε σταθερή βάση για μερικές μέρες κάθε εβδομάδα, με τη δικαιολογία ότι φροντίζει τη μητέρα της, ουσιαστικά όμως για να διερευνήσει τους λόγους που την οδήγησαν να φύγει τόσο ξαφνικά, αφήνοντας τα πάντα πίσω της. Οι υποψίες μας, λοιπόν, ήταν σωστές! Είχε συμβεί και ένα άλλο περιστατικό που καθόρισε τη ζωή της Φρίντα και την ταύτισε με την έφηβη κόρη της συμμαθήτριας!
Στο βιβλίο αυτό, επομένως, η αγαπημένη μας πρωταγωνίστρια απογυμνώνεται εντελώς και δείχνει πτυχές του εαυτού της που δεν ξέραμε, αλλά πάντα λαχταρούσαμε να μάθουμε. Επίσης, αυτό που μου άρεσε πολύ ήταν ότι ουσιαστικά δεν υπήρχε κανένα έγκλημα που να ερευνούσε η αστυνομία, παρά η ίδια η Φρίντα συνδύασε κάποια μεμονωμένα περιστατικά, προσπαθώντας να τα συνενώσει και να φτιάξει τη γενική εικόνα, για να έρθει στο τέλος η λύση του μυστηρίου και η κάθαρση για την ηρωίδα μας. Και αν περιμένετε να σας πω για "καλά κρυμμένα μυστικά στη μικρή κοινωνία" σε στυλ Λάκμπεργκ, πλανάστε πλάνην οικτρά! Το σκηνικό είναι πολύ πιο σκοτεινό, η αντίδραση της Φρίντα εντελώς συγκροτημένη και εκνευριστικά ορθολογιστική, ώσπου να τελειώσει στο ειδυλλιακότερο μέρος του Μπράξτον!
Το μόνο που δεν μου άρεσε ήταν θα προτιμούσα η Φρίντα να μην ήταν τόσο σκληρή με τους ανθρώπους και να άλλαζε ώρες ώρες το ξερό της το κεφάλι (όπως ότι εξαφανίζεται χωρίς να χαιρετήσει, ή ότι δεν αλλάζει γνώμη για κάτι αν το έχει πάρει απόφαση).
Νομίζω ότι χρειάζομαι λίγο χρόνο να συνέλθω από το βιβλίο προτού διαβάσω την Παρασκευή, αλλά πάλι μετά τι θα κάνουμε που το Σάββατο δεν έχει καν κυκλοφορήσει στα αγγλικά??? (εννοείται ότι δεν θα περιμένω να μεταφραστεί αν έχουν περάσει κάποιοι μήνες...)
Η ιστορία της Φρίντα μου θυμίζει τον Σέρλοκ Χολμς: περίεργη πρωταγωνίστρια, με μεθόδους διαφορετικές από τις γνωστές, χρησιμοποιώντας την κοινή λογική, βγάζει συμπεράσματα τα οποία τελικά οδηγούν σε λύσεις τις οποίες άλλοι δεν είχαν καν σκεφτεί.
Το παρόν βιβλίο θα μπορούσε νομίζω κάποιος να το διαβάσει και ανεξάρτητα από τα υπόλοιπα, η συμβουλή μου όμως θα ήταν να μην το κάνει, γιατί θα χάσει τη μαγεία και την ατμόσφαιρα της σειράς, με τους χαρακτήρες να χτίζονται σιγά σιγά!!
Στα του βιβλίου τώρα, συναντάμε τους γνωστούς ήρωες περίπου δεκαπέντε μήνες μετά από τα περιστατικά της Τετάρτης και λίγο πολύ όλοι έχουν επιστρέψει στους καθημερινούς ρυθμούς της ζωής τους, έχοντας βρει τις ισορροπίες τους. Οι ισορροπίες της Φρίντα διαταράσσονται όταν την επισκέπτεται μια παλιά της συμμαθήτρια από το Μπράξτον, μια μικρή πόλη γύρω στις 2 ώρες βόρεια του Λονδίνου, από την οποία κατάγεται η Φρίντα και από όπου έφυγε ξαφνικά στην εφηβεία της, χωρίς ποτέ να ξαναγυρίσει. Είχαμε μάθει σε προηγούμενο βιβλίο για την ιστορία με τον πατέρα της, αλλά υποψιαζόμασταν ότι και κάτι άλλο συνέβαινε.
Η επίσκεψη λοιπόν της συμμαθήτριας πυροδότησε μια σειρά από αλλεπάλληλα γεγονότα, τα οποία οδηγούν τη Φρίντα πίσω στο Μπράξτον σε σταθερή βάση για μερικές μέρες κάθε εβδομάδα, με τη δικαιολογία ότι φροντίζει τη μητέρα της, ουσιαστικά όμως για να διερευνήσει τους λόγους που την οδήγησαν να φύγει τόσο ξαφνικά, αφήνοντας τα πάντα πίσω της. Οι υποψίες μας, λοιπόν, ήταν σωστές! Είχε συμβεί και ένα άλλο περιστατικό που καθόρισε τη ζωή της Φρίντα και την ταύτισε με την έφηβη κόρη της συμμαθήτριας!
Στο βιβλίο αυτό, επομένως, η αγαπημένη μας πρωταγωνίστρια απογυμνώνεται εντελώς και δείχνει πτυχές του εαυτού της που δεν ξέραμε, αλλά πάντα λαχταρούσαμε να μάθουμε. Επίσης, αυτό που μου άρεσε πολύ ήταν ότι ουσιαστικά δεν υπήρχε κανένα έγκλημα που να ερευνούσε η αστυνομία, παρά η ίδια η Φρίντα συνδύασε κάποια μεμονωμένα περιστατικά, προσπαθώντας να τα συνενώσει και να φτιάξει τη γενική εικόνα, για να έρθει στο τέλος η λύση του μυστηρίου και η κάθαρση για την ηρωίδα μας. Και αν περιμένετε να σας πω για "καλά κρυμμένα μυστικά στη μικρή κοινωνία" σε στυλ Λάκμπεργκ, πλανάστε πλάνην οικτρά! Το σκηνικό είναι πολύ πιο σκοτεινό, η αντίδραση της Φρίντα εντελώς συγκροτημένη και εκνευριστικά ορθολογιστική, ώσπου να τελειώσει στο ειδυλλιακότερο μέρος του Μπράξτον!
Το μόνο που δεν μου άρεσε ήταν θα προτιμούσα η Φρίντα να μην ήταν τόσο σκληρή με τους ανθρώπους και να άλλαζε ώρες ώρες το ξερό της το κεφάλι (όπως ότι εξαφανίζεται χωρίς να χαιρετήσει, ή ότι δεν αλλάζει γνώμη για κάτι αν το έχει πάρει απόφαση).
Νομίζω ότι χρειάζομαι λίγο χρόνο να συνέλθω από το βιβλίο προτού διαβάσω την Παρασκευή, αλλά πάλι μετά τι θα κάνουμε που το Σάββατο δεν έχει καν κυκλοφορήσει στα αγγλικά??? (εννοείται ότι δεν θα περιμένω να μεταφραστεί αν έχουν περάσει κάποιοι μήνες...)
Η ιστορία της Φρίντα μου θυμίζει τον Σέρλοκ Χολμς: περίεργη πρωταγωνίστρια, με μεθόδους διαφορετικές από τις γνωστές, χρησιμοποιώντας την κοινή λογική, βγάζει συμπεράσματα τα οποία τελικά οδηγούν σε λύσεις τις οποίες άλλοι δεν είχαν καν σκεφτεί.
Το παρόν βιβλίο θα μπορούσε νομίζω κάποιος να το διαβάσει και ανεξάρτητα από τα υπόλοιπα, η συμβουλή μου όμως θα ήταν να μην το κάνει, γιατί θα χάσει τη μαγεία και την ατμόσφαιρα της σειράς, με τους χαρακτήρες να χτίζονται σιγά σιγά!!
April 26, 2014
I am a huge Nicci French fan and I have thoroughly enjoyed the Frieda Klein series... so far. I found this particular installment quite disappointing.
Nicci French has always played with the boundaries of realism and verisimilitude, but in this case I feel they streched our "willing suspension of disbelief" a tad too far.
The whole premise of the book, as well as the fortuitous connection with Frieda's past, rings fake. Good well-rounded characters, vivid descriptions and deep pshycological insight are not enough to balance a feeble story.
The end, with again another deus-ex-machina intervention from Dean, is a huge predictable disappointment as was the identity of the culprit, which could be easily identified.
I also found the explanation of Frieda's reason to leave her hometown and her family as well as the interaction between her and her relatives/friends really robotic. In fairness, I realised that the reaction to death in any Nicci French novel is so cold and unaffected that the whole concept of death loses importance and weight. And the importance of human emotion and love is so downplayed everywhere that it makes the characters sound and feel mechanic.
It might make them very "English", but this type of Englishness is long dead and Nicci French might find that the display of emotion and the irrationality of feelings play a much more important role in modern British society.
Nicci French has always played with the boundaries of realism and verisimilitude, but in this case I feel they streched our "willing suspension of disbelief" a tad too far.
The whole premise of the book, as well as the fortuitous connection with Frieda's past, rings fake. Good well-rounded characters, vivid descriptions and deep pshycological insight are not enough to balance a feeble story.
The end, with again another deus-ex-machina intervention from Dean, is a huge predictable disappointment as was the identity of the culprit, which could be easily identified.
I also found the explanation of Frieda's reason to leave her hometown and her family as well as the interaction between her and her relatives/friends really robotic. In fairness, I realised that the reaction to death in any Nicci French novel is so cold and unaffected that the whole concept of death loses importance and weight. And the importance of human emotion and love is so downplayed everywhere that it makes the characters sound and feel mechanic.
It might make them very "English", but this type of Englishness is long dead and Nicci French might find that the display of emotion and the irrationality of feelings play a much more important role in modern British society.
February 9, 2018
Η Φρίντα προσεγγίζεται από μια παλιά της συμμαθήτρια, προκειμένου να βοηθήσει την "ατίθαση" κόρη της. Αυτή η συνάντηση, αναγκάζει τη Φρίντα να ανακαλέσει γεγονότα του παρελθόντος της τα οποία είχε απωθήσει από τη μνήμη της. Αποφασίζει να επιστρέψει στον τόπο καταγωγής της και να βρεί τη λύση του μυστηρίου.
Πιο υποτονικό θα το χαρακτήριζα σε σχέση με τα προηγούμενα.
3,5 αστέρια
Πιο υποτονικό θα το χαρακτήριζα σε σχέση με τα προηγούμενα.
3,5 αστέρια
August 24, 2018
I think I’m done with this series. Frida Klein is not a character I can take to. She is intensely annoying. She’s cold. I don’t understand how she keeps the friends she has. I completely empathise with the people who don’t like her. She behaves in a ridiculous way, with no regard for her own health or well being and therefore completely unqualified to be a therapist.
October 22, 2016
Thursday’s Child by Nicci French is a 2014 Penguin publication.
This fourth installment in the Frieda Klein British mystery procedural is a bit of a departure from the previous chapters.
Frieda is approached by an old schoolmate asking for help with her teenage daughter who has stopped eating and has become withdrawn.
Frieda agrees to an initial consultation, and manages to draw the young woman out. When it is revealed the girl had been raped, and her mother did not believe her, Frieda experiences a shocking moment of déjà vu when the girl reveals what the rapist said to her.
This prompts Frieda to return to her hometown in hopes of drawing out the rapist, but other complications arise when she visits her mother for the first time in a long while, and when Frieda makes some startling decisions regarding her personal life.
The subject of rape is one I find difficult to read, period. Although this book doesn’t go into graphic details, the reaction of parents, friends, police officers, and men in general, is enough to boil the blood and is both disturbing and emotional watching the victims suffer this way. But, sadly, this is most likely a more accurate depiction than I want to believe.
But, the thing about this story is how the characters we have come to know, suddenly changed, or were not in the picture at all and I kind of missed that element.
Frieda is the lead investigator in this story, and gets little help at all from her inspector friend. She is the one pounding the pavement, doing interviews, and trying to gather evidence, even DNA evidence, which was pretty far fetched.
Frieda’s personality does not lend itself well to this role and it becomes obvious to those who may be involved, what she is up to, which of course puts her in danger.
The other thing I couldn’t wrap my brain around was the relationship with Frieda’s mother, and the way Frieda behaved to some recurring characters that just did not make sense, and how some characters underwent lobotomies. Seriously, they changed so completely, I couldn’t understand it.
But, the story is not without merit. Although it drags in places, the way everything wrapped up in the end is unexpected, and left me feeling conflicted, and a little confused about Frieda’s future, and perhaps a little concerned as well. But, the ending was chilling and disturbing, and had me wanting to immediately dive into the fifth installment, which I hope to do very soon.
This is a very different setup, and I’m not sure I wish for Frieda to continue playing lead detective, but overall it turned out okay. The beginning and ending is strong enough to override much of what happened in the middle, but this is not the best book of the series, in my opinion.
Hopefully, 'Friday on My Mind' will be back on track!
3 stars
This fourth installment in the Frieda Klein British mystery procedural is a bit of a departure from the previous chapters.
Frieda is approached by an old schoolmate asking for help with her teenage daughter who has stopped eating and has become withdrawn.
Frieda agrees to an initial consultation, and manages to draw the young woman out. When it is revealed the girl had been raped, and her mother did not believe her, Frieda experiences a shocking moment of déjà vu when the girl reveals what the rapist said to her.
This prompts Frieda to return to her hometown in hopes of drawing out the rapist, but other complications arise when she visits her mother for the first time in a long while, and when Frieda makes some startling decisions regarding her personal life.
The subject of rape is one I find difficult to read, period. Although this book doesn’t go into graphic details, the reaction of parents, friends, police officers, and men in general, is enough to boil the blood and is both disturbing and emotional watching the victims suffer this way. But, sadly, this is most likely a more accurate depiction than I want to believe.
But, the thing about this story is how the characters we have come to know, suddenly changed, or were not in the picture at all and I kind of missed that element.
Frieda is the lead investigator in this story, and gets little help at all from her inspector friend. She is the one pounding the pavement, doing interviews, and trying to gather evidence, even DNA evidence, which was pretty far fetched.
Frieda’s personality does not lend itself well to this role and it becomes obvious to those who may be involved, what she is up to, which of course puts her in danger.
The other thing I couldn’t wrap my brain around was the relationship with Frieda’s mother, and the way Frieda behaved to some recurring characters that just did not make sense, and how some characters underwent lobotomies. Seriously, they changed so completely, I couldn’t understand it.
But, the story is not without merit. Although it drags in places, the way everything wrapped up in the end is unexpected, and left me feeling conflicted, and a little confused about Frieda’s future, and perhaps a little concerned as well. But, the ending was chilling and disturbing, and had me wanting to immediately dive into the fifth installment, which I hope to do very soon.
This is a very different setup, and I’m not sure I wish for Frieda to continue playing lead detective, but overall it turned out okay. The beginning and ending is strong enough to override much of what happened in the middle, but this is not the best book of the series, in my opinion.
Hopefully, 'Friday on My Mind' will be back on track!
3 stars
December 6, 2019
4.5. 1 of my favorite series of all time! (Just please start at the beginning!)
September 12, 2014
This is another excellent book from husband and wife writing team Nicci French. When they first started the Frieda Klein series I was not sure about Frieda but gosh,she grows on you. In this story she returns to the town of her youth and it is probably best to have read the earlier books in the series to get the most out of this one. Frieda is in top form as she plays amateur detective quite realistically and also gets herself into a difficult situation with Sandy. The book is a definite page turner and is very enjoyable. I am already looking forward to the next one.
August 28, 2017
This is the fourth installment in the Frieda Klein mysteries series, and unfortunately one I found a bit on the weak side. The story is engaging, and I found it interesting enough, but my issue was with Frieda as a protagonist. She was always very cold (which makes me think being a therapist is not he right profession), but in this book I found her quite unlikable and stupidly reckless. It also really bothered me the way she treated her friends and family, as though they were all a nuisance to her, except when she needed them. I have to say, the supporting characters are the highlight of these books, and it is for them that I keep returning to them. I also found the ending to be rather weak and her actions to be bordering on suicidal, though she insists that she does not need any more therapy herself.
All in all, not terrible, but not as good as Waiting for Wednesday, the prior book in the series.
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
All in all, not terrible, but not as good as Waiting for Wednesday, the prior book in the series.
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
March 11, 2016
Αχ αυτή η σειρά. Το έχω πει βέβαια άπειρες φορές, αλλά ακόμα μία δεν πειράζει. Εξάλλου τα καλά πρέπει να λέγονται. Μία από τις καλύτερες αστυνομικές σειρές μυστηρίου που έχω διαβάσει. Μακάρι να γινόταν σειρά ή ακόμα και ταινίες. Θα είχε μεγάλη επιτυχία.
Το τέταρτο λοιπόν βιβλίο της σειρά, το θεωρώ το καλύτερο μαζί με το πρώτο. Το πρώτο επειδή σε έβαζε στην βασική ιστορία της σειράς που συνεχίζεται ακόμα και το τέταρτο επειδή μαθαίνεις επιτέλους περισσότερες λεπτομέρειες για την ζωή της πρωταγωνίστριας.
Η «Σημαδεμένη Πέμπτη», μας πηγαίνει στο μέρος που γεννήθηκε και μεγάλωσε η Φρίντα Κλάιν και μας βάζει στη διαδικασία να ξεθάψουμε βαθιά κρυμμένα μυστικά. Μαθαίνουμε πολλά για τον τρόπο που μεγάλωσε, για την οικογένειά της και για τα καλά κρυμμένα μυστικά της. Στην αρχή ήταν ένα αρκετά ήσυχο βιβλίο αλλά από την μέση και μετά έχει τρομερή αγωνία. Δεν μπορούσα να το αφήσω από τα χέρια μου και συνεχώς έμπαινα στη διαδικασία να προσπαθώ να λύσω το μυστήριο. Αυτό επίσης που είναι πολύ ενδιαφέρον είναι και ο τίτλος του βιβλίου. Να θυμάσαι ότι ο αγγλικός τίτλος είναι «Thursday’s Children». Πίστεψέ με έχει πολύ μεγάλη σημασία ακόμα και αυτό.
Ελπίζω σύντομα να διαβάσω και την «Οργισμένη Παρασκευή» που κυκλοφόρησε πριν λίγες μέρες από τις εκδόσεις Διόπτρα.
Το τέταρτο λοιπόν βιβλίο της σειρά, το θεωρώ το καλύτερο μαζί με το πρώτο. Το πρώτο επειδή σε έβαζε στην βασική ιστορία της σειράς που συνεχίζεται ακόμα και το τέταρτο επειδή μαθαίνεις επιτέλους περισσότερες λεπτομέρειες για την ζωή της πρωταγωνίστριας.
Η «Σημαδεμένη Πέμπτη», μας πηγαίνει στο μέρος που γεννήθηκε και μεγάλωσε η Φρίντα Κλάιν και μας βάζει στη διαδικασία να ξεθάψουμε βαθιά κρυμμένα μυστικά. Μαθαίνουμε πολλά για τον τρόπο που μεγάλωσε, για την οικογένειά της και για τα καλά κρυμμένα μυστικά της. Στην αρχή ήταν ένα αρκετά ήσυχο βιβλίο αλλά από την μέση και μετά έχει τρομερή αγωνία. Δεν μπορούσα να το αφήσω από τα χέρια μου και συνεχώς έμπαινα στη διαδικασία να προσπαθώ να λύσω το μυστήριο. Αυτό επίσης που είναι πολύ ενδιαφέρον είναι και ο τίτλος του βιβλίου. Να θυμάσαι ότι ο αγγλικός τίτλος είναι «Thursday’s Children». Πίστεψέ με έχει πολύ μεγάλη σημασία ακόμα και αυτό.
Ελπίζω σύντομα να διαβάσω και την «Οργισμένη Παρασκευή» που κυκλοφόρησε πριν λίγες μέρες από τις εκδόσεις Διόπτρα.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2016
Από μέρες διαβασμένο,αλλά ένεκα καλοκαιριού και αποχής από το pc η κριτική έμεινε πίσω. :Ρ
3 αστεράκια για το τέταρτο βιβλίο των Nicci French,με την επιστροφή της Φρίντα στο μέρος που μεγάλωσε για να αντιμετωπίσει το παρελθόν της. Η ιστορία ήταν μεν ενδιαφέρουσα και συναρπαστική,αλλά κατά την ταπεινή μου άποψη κάπως υποδεέστερη των προηγούμενων. Δεν ξέρω αν φταίει το γεγονός πως η αφήγηση και τα γεγονότα κυλούσαν πιο ήρεμα,χωρίς έντονες εξάρσεις,χωρίς συνεχόμενους φόνους ή περίπλοκες υποθέσεις φαινομενικά άσχετες μεταξύ τους που όμως κρατούσαν πάντοτε αμείωτο το αναγνωστικό ενδιαφέρον. Δεν ξέρω αν φταίει το ότι και η ίδια η Φρίντα φαινόταν να είναι έξω από τα νερά της,να αναρωτιέται τι κάνει και στο Σάφολκ και στο συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο. :Ρ Δεν ξέρω αν φταίει η έντονη απουσία των φίλων της,που τόσο αρμονικά σχηματίζουν το καλοκαμωμένο παζλ του Σύμπαντος της Φρίντα Κλάιν. Το μόνο που ξέρω είναι πως,παρόλο που διάβασα το βιβλίο με την ίδια ευχαρίστηση,δεν με συνάρπασε όσο τα προηγούμενα.
3 αστεράκια για το τέταρτο βιβλίο των Nicci French,με την επιστροφή της Φρίντα στο μέρος που μεγάλωσε για να αντιμετωπίσει το παρελθόν της. Η ιστορία ήταν μεν ενδιαφέρουσα και συναρπαστική,αλλά κατά την ταπεινή μου άποψη κάπως υποδεέστερη των προηγούμενων. Δεν ξέρω αν φταίει το γεγονός πως η αφήγηση και τα γεγονότα κυλούσαν πιο ήρεμα,χωρίς έντονες εξάρσεις,χωρίς συνεχόμενους φόνους ή περίπλοκες υποθέσεις φαινομενικά άσχετες μεταξύ τους που όμως κρατούσαν πάντοτε αμείωτο το αναγνωστικό ενδιαφέρον. Δεν ξέρω αν φταίει το ότι και η ίδια η Φρίντα φαινόταν να είναι έξω από τα νερά της,να αναρωτιέται τι κάνει και στο Σάφολκ και στο συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο. :Ρ Δεν ξέρω αν φταίει η έντονη απουσία των φίλων της,που τόσο αρμονικά σχηματίζουν το καλοκαμωμένο παζλ του Σύμπαντος της Φρίντα Κλάιν. Το μόνο που ξέρω είναι πως,παρόλο που διάβασα το βιβλίο με την ίδια ευχαρίστηση,δεν με συνάρπασε όσο τα προηγούμενα.
June 23, 2020
4.5 stars
“I don’t tell people what to do. Well, not most of the time. I just wanted to lay out the options. The decision about what to do is yours.”
- Frieda Klein
-—-
“There are things I’ve run away from all my life. My father’s death. My rape. Things that happened after. But it seems as though I’ve run in a perfect circle and I’m back with it again. In the thick of it.”
- Frieda Klein
-—-
“Some people are leaders and some people are followers. It’s true in the playground and it’s true in the workplace. The followers want their leader. They like being told what to do. They need it.”
- Chas Latimer
-—-
“I was an outsider too so I knew what it felt like not to be listened to or believed.”
- Max Temple
“I don’t tell people what to do. Well, not most of the time. I just wanted to lay out the options. The decision about what to do is yours.”
- Frieda Klein
-—-
“There are things I’ve run away from all my life. My father’s death. My rape. Things that happened after. But it seems as though I’ve run in a perfect circle and I’m back with it again. In the thick of it.”
- Frieda Klein
-—-
“Some people are leaders and some people are followers. It’s true in the playground and it’s true in the workplace. The followers want their leader. They like being told what to do. They need it.”
- Chas Latimer
-—-
“I was an outsider too so I knew what it felt like not to be listened to or believed.”
- Max Temple
March 13, 2014
Nicci French is one of the few crime authors whose work I've read up to date. Thursday's Children is another quality instalment in the Frieda Klein series, sad in many different circumstances. Victims are chosen specifically because the perp knows no one will believe them. That the victims' own mothers don't believe their daughters goes to show that the perp was correct in that, and it says a lot about society. It's depressing. There's victim-blaming and victim-shaming, and it's hard to read.
But this novel is less about daughters than it is about mothers:
-There's a tiny subplot involving poor Sasha, who's having a tough time.
-Frieda's mother is dying, and even if she wasn't, she'd still be unlikeable. Juliet Klein's granddaughter has had her issues, "Because her mother's a slut. Yes."
-The most recent victim's mother lashes out at Frieda: "Don't you talk to me in that calm voice. You don't understand. You'll never understand. You're not a mother. You're just a machine. You don't know what it feels like HERE."
It's that quote by Maddie that irks me the most. And it says a lot about society that unfortunately a lot of people would agree with her. Women who aren't mothers, by choice or otherwise, are treated as a lower species, inhuman. And as a non-mother, I do take offence to that. It's possible to be a mother without being obnoxious and derogatory about it, but unfortunately Maddie... That she's a victim's mother is no excuse for her to lash out at innocent people like Frieda.
Fingers crossed there's a fifth Frieda Klein novel coming soon. I love catching up with the gang, especially Josef, the tradie with a heart of gold.
But this novel is less about daughters than it is about mothers:
-There's a tiny subplot involving poor Sasha, who's having a tough time.
-Frieda's mother is dying, and even if she wasn't, she'd still be unlikeable. Juliet Klein's granddaughter has had her issues, "Because her mother's a slut. Yes."
-The most recent victim's mother lashes out at Frieda: "Don't you talk to me in that calm voice. You don't understand. You'll never understand. You're not a mother. You're just a machine. You don't know what it feels like HERE."
It's that quote by Maddie that irks me the most. And it says a lot about society that unfortunately a lot of people would agree with her. Women who aren't mothers, by choice or otherwise, are treated as a lower species, inhuman. And as a non-mother, I do take offence to that. It's possible to be a mother without being obnoxious and derogatory about it, but unfortunately Maddie... That she's a victim's mother is no excuse for her to lash out at innocent people like Frieda.
Fingers crossed there's a fifth Frieda Klein novel coming soon. I love catching up with the gang, especially Josef, the tradie with a heart of gold.
July 19, 2025
Още една много интересна история от живота на д-р Фрида Клайн!
Тази книга е с малко по-различна конструкция от предходните три и докато при тях терапевтката се включва в полицейски разследвания помагайки на приятеля си инспектор Карлсън, тук събитията се подреждат по съвсем различен начин. Миналото се стоварва върху Фрида по начин, който тя не очаква.
Преди 23 години по време на концерт на групата Безкраен четвъртък, тийнейджърката Фрида се прибира у дома, където е нападната в собственото си легло от непознат с маска. Тогава не само никой не ѝ е повярвал, но и собствената ѝ майка е смятала, че момичето лъже и е спомогнала разследването да не стигне до никъде и да спре. Тогава Фрида се маха от градчето и никога повече не се връща, късайки всички връзки с приятели и роднини...
До сега!
Нейна бивша съученичка ѝ се обажда с молба да поговори с дъщеря ѝ, която има множество проблеми и като цяло е смятана за проблемен тийнейджър. Много бързо обаче Фрида разбира, че момичето е изживяло същото като нея, но освен това и извършителят е един и същ, използвал същите думи. Фрида трябва да се върне в миналото, да събуди дълбоко пазени болезнени спомени и да стори всичко по силите си извършителят да бъде спрян.
А пристигайки отново в родния си град, тя самата трябва да подложи и себе си на психоанализа, за да се справи с умиращата си и отчуждена майка, със старите си приятели и с неверието на полицията... отново.
Книгата ми хареса много, защото изследва сериозни теми като сложните отношения майка - дъщеря и какво се случва с един тийнейджър, когато не получава подкрепа в собствения си дом. Но много по-лошо е когато става въпрос за изнасилване, защото тогава е едната дума срещу другата, мненията се лашкат от това - жертвата да е смятана за провокатор, за човек, който "си го търси", за човек, който преувеличава или си измисля до крайна и безгранична злоба на околните или просто повдигане на рамене и крайна незаинтересованост.
Имах някои резерви накрая, когато въпреки разкритията и самопризнанията на извършителя, полицията отново беше безсилна. Начинът, по който все пак не му се размина не ми хареса, защото реално той не получи правосъдие, а вендета. Не ми хареса и отношенията между Фрида и Санди и колко коравосърдечна е тя спрямо него след всичко, което той направи за нея. Иначе я харесвам, но някои черти в характера ѝ са ужасни и нетърпими.
Така или иначе харесвам нейните случаи и начина, по който тя открива взаимовръзки и причинно-следствени отношения, затова с удоволствие ще слушам/чета следващата част. За тази оставям 5*.
Тази книга е с малко по-различна конструкция от предходните три и докато при тях терапевтката се включва в полицейски разследвания помагайки на приятеля си инспектор Карлсън, тук събитията се подреждат по съвсем различен начин. Миналото се стоварва върху Фрида по начин, който тя не очаква.
Преди 23 години по време на концерт на групата Безкраен четвъртък, тийнейджърката Фрида се прибира у дома, където е нападната в собственото си легло от непознат с маска. Тогава не само никой не ѝ е повярвал, но и собствената ѝ майка е смятала, че момичето лъже и е спомогнала разследването да не стигне до никъде и да спре. Тогава Фрида се маха от градчето и никога повече не се връща, късайки всички връзки с приятели и роднини...
До сега!
Нейна бивша съученичка ѝ се обажда с молба да поговори с дъщеря ѝ, която има множество проблеми и като цяло е смятана за проблемен тийнейджър. Много бързо обаче Фрида разбира, че момичето е изживяло същото като нея, но освен това и извършителят е един и същ, използвал същите думи. Фрида трябва да се върне в миналото, да събуди дълбоко пазени болезнени спомени и да стори всичко по силите си извършителят да бъде спрян.
А пристигайки отново в родния си град, тя самата трябва да подложи и себе си на психоанализа, за да се справи с умиращата си и отчуждена майка, със старите си приятели и с неверието на полицията... отново.
Книгата ми хареса много, защото изследва сериозни теми като сложните отношения майка - дъщеря и какво се случва с един тийнейджър, когато не получава подкрепа в собствения си дом. Но много по-лошо е когато става въпрос за изнасилване, защото тогава е едната дума срещу другата, мненията се лашкат от това - жертвата да е смятана за провокатор, за човек, който "си го търси", за човек, който преувеличава или си измисля до крайна и безгранична злоба на околните или просто повдигане на рамене и крайна незаинтересованост.
Имах някои резерви накрая, когато въпреки разкритията и самопризнанията на извършителя, полицията отново беше безсилна. Начинът, по който все пак не му се размина не ми хареса, защото реално той не получи правосъдие, а вендета. Не ми хареса и отношенията между Фрида и Санди и колко коравосърдечна е тя спрямо него след всичко, което той направи за нея. Иначе я харесвам, но някои черти в характера ѝ са ужасни и нетърпими.
Така или иначе харесвам нейните случаи и начина, по който тя открива взаимовръзки и причинно-следствени отношения, затова с удоволствие ще слушам/чета следващата част. За тази оставям 5*.
February 11, 2018
Όταν έχει κάποια αποστολή, η Φρίντα έχει τους δικούς της κανόνες, μεθόδους και δεν σταματάει μέχρι να λάβει τις απαντήσεις της.
Σίγουρα, δεν είναι το άτομο που θα απαντήσει στο τηλέφωνο και θα πει αυτό που θέλει ο άλλος να ακούσει, ούτε θα εκφράσει τα συναισθήματά της με αγκαλίτσες και λουλούδια.
Είναι, όμως, δύσκολο να την κρίνεις ή να την κατηγορήσεις δεδομένου και του ιστορικού που δίνεται σε αυτό το βιβλίο.
Όσο για τον Σαντι, αν και έπρεπε να ήταν ξεκάθαρη από πολύ νωρίτερα μαζί του, η σχέση ήταν πολύ νερόβραστη.
Ίσως τελικά, η Φρίντα να δυσκολεύεται να εκφράσει την αγάπη ή να αισθάνεται ότι δεν μπορεί να την διαχειριστεί.
ΥΓ : Ντιν, κουράζεις.
Σίγουρα, δεν είναι το άτομο που θα απαντήσει στο τηλέφωνο και θα πει αυτό που θέλει ο άλλος να ακούσει, ούτε θα εκφράσει τα συναισθήματά της με αγκαλίτσες και λουλούδια.
Είναι, όμως, δύσκολο να την κρίνεις ή να την κατηγορήσεις δεδομένου και του ιστορικού που δίνεται σε αυτό το βιβλίο.
Όσο για τον Σαντι, αν και έπρεπε να ήταν ξεκάθαρη από πολύ νωρίτερα μαζί του, η σχέση ήταν πολύ νερόβραστη.
Ίσως τελικά, η Φρίντα να δυσκολεύεται να εκφράσει την αγάπη ή να αισθάνεται ότι δεν μπορεί να την διαχειριστεί.
ΥΓ : Ντιν, κουράζεις.
January 24, 2018
Ik vind het enorm lastig om dit boek te beoordelen. Enkele jaren terug las ik deel 1 & 2. Toen was ik mega enthousiast. Ik denk niet dat deze serie achteruit is gegaan, ik denk alleen dat deze serie in mijn geheugen gewoon beter was. Misschien als ik gelijk deel 3 & 4 had gelezen, dat ik dan net zo enthousiast was geweest. Maar enkele jaren, en vele boeken, later, ben ik dat niet.
Ik verwacht bij deze serie een heerlijke spannende thriller. Uiteindelijk is het voornamelijk een drama, met was spannende stukjes. Zoals ook in het vorige deel, gaat het grootste stuk over het leven van Frieda. Aangezien ik niet zo weg ben van Frieda, of van welk karakter dan ook ik dit boek, komt het helemaal niet dichtbij en vind ik het dus ook minder leuk.
In het begin worden echt heel veel karakter geïntroduceerd, waardoor ik soms echt even vergat wie wie is. Hierdoor worden de karakters ook niet beschreven met veel diepgang, daar zijn het er te veel voor. Het einde zag ik niet aan komen en was in mijn ogen wat vergezocht.
Ik klink nu voornamelijk heel negatief en hoewel dit boek me geen blije gevoelens gaf, las het wel vlot en vond ik het over het algemeen best leuk om te lezen. Ik heb mijn verwachtingen gewoon bijgesteld, waardoor ik het boek vanaf het begin al anders benaderde. Mijn doel blijft om deze serie dit jaar uit te lezen, ik ben benieuwd!
Ik verwacht bij deze serie een heerlijke spannende thriller. Uiteindelijk is het voornamelijk een drama, met was spannende stukjes. Zoals ook in het vorige deel, gaat het grootste stuk over het leven van Frieda. Aangezien ik niet zo weg ben van Frieda, of van welk karakter dan ook ik dit boek, komt het helemaal niet dichtbij en vind ik het dus ook minder leuk.
In het begin worden echt heel veel karakter geïntroduceerd, waardoor ik soms echt even vergat wie wie is. Hierdoor worden de karakters ook niet beschreven met veel diepgang, daar zijn het er te veel voor. Het einde zag ik niet aan komen en was in mijn ogen wat vergezocht.
Ik klink nu voornamelijk heel negatief en hoewel dit boek me geen blije gevoelens gaf, las het wel vlot en vond ik het over het algemeen best leuk om te lezen. Ik heb mijn verwachtingen gewoon bijgesteld, waardoor ik het boek vanaf het begin al anders benaderde. Mijn doel blijft om deze serie dit jaar uit te lezen, ik ben benieuwd!
June 20, 2015
When psychotherapist Frieda Klein agrees to see Becky, the daughter of an old school friend from her home town, she doesn't expect to be reminded of a violent incident that occurred to her when she was sixteen just before she left home. She hasn't been back in 23 years but returns to see her mother who is dying and to see if she can find out who harmed her all those years ago and may also be responsible for the present day attack on Becky.
As usual Frieda's friends and colleagues rally round to support her as she travels back in time to put together a picture of where everyone was and what they were doing on the night when she was attacked. Many people are understandably resentful of her enquiries and her direct manner upsets quite a few but she continues to unravel the events to hunt down the offender. An enjoyable episode with quite a few twists and turns before the guilty person is revealed.
As usual Frieda's friends and colleagues rally round to support her as she travels back in time to put together a picture of where everyone was and what they were doing on the night when she was attacked. Many people are understandably resentful of her enquiries and her direct manner upsets quite a few but she continues to unravel the events to hunt down the offender. An enjoyable episode with quite a few twists and turns before the guilty person is revealed.
March 27, 2014
Twenty-three years ago, Frieda Klein left the small coastal town where she grew up. She has never been back. Instead she has forged her own life in London, working as a psychoanalyst and recently, getting a little attention for her work on several police cases. Frieda has never felt any desire to return to where she came from, in fact it’s the last thing she wants to do. However when an old school acquaintance looks her up, asking if Frieda will help her teenage daughter, she agrees to see her, albeit reluctantly.
What Becky, the teenage girl has to say tells Frieda several things. Firstly, this isn’t just a girl looking for attention, or going through some harmless teenage angst. She has had a real and terrible thing happen to her and it seems that no one really believes her and that there’s nothing she can do about it. Secondly it brings back a storm of memories for Frieda, of a time when she was sixteen and a secret she has buried for the past twenty-three years and tells Frieda that it’s time to do something about what happened.
There’s nothing else Frieda can do except return to her hometown and confront her secrets head on. She has to find out what happened that night and she’s willing to do anything and speak to anyone in order to do so. People are dying because of this secret, because no one believed her all those years ago. Frieda needs to find answers and the killer before they can strike again and keep tormenting innocent young girls.
Thursday’s Children is the fourth novel in the Frieda Klein psychological suspense series co-written by husband and wife team Nicci Gerard and Sean French. Given the titles of the novels, which all feature a day of the week, I guessed we’d be limited in the amount of novels this series would include. I found an old article saying there is expected to be 8 – one named for each day of the week and then a final novel to “bring resolution”.
There’s no denying that Frieda is a bit of an odd character. She’s a loner who prefers long walks around London at night to socialising although over the last four books we’ve seen people shoehorn themselves into her lives: Josef, the Ukrainian builder, Sasha a woman who came to her as a patient being taken advantage of by her therapist, DCI Karlsson who first requested her help and the people she has time for, her niece Chloe and Chloe’s often incapable mother Olivia and Reuben, Frieda’s former supervisor and analyst. There’s also her on/off lover Sandy who disappears and reappears regularly depending on whether or not Frieda is comfortable with him at any given time. This book provides perhaps the most development of their relationship although that development is mostly puzzling.
In this novel the reader learns perhaps more about Frieda than in any of the other books in terms of her past. Frieda has rarely, if ever spoken of her past and her family but a lot of her background is constructed here, including her teenage life with her group of friends, her devastation over her father and her disconnection with her mother. It sort of amazes me the way Frieda just strolled back into her hometown and started talking to people about a night some twenty-three years ago like it was yesterday and everyone was supposed to remember exactly what happened and what they were doing. Obviously some people didn’t react too well to her turning up and poking around, unsure exactly why she was doing it and what on earth she was doing there after so long. Frieda may inspire people’s loyalty now, in the present, but there are some definite mixed feelings towards her in her hometown.
As always, I enjoyed reading about the way Frieda went about getting her information. She’s pretty much like a dog with a bone – she doesn’t let go and she keeps pushing, keeps demanding information until she gets it. She’s not intimidated when people don’t want to see her, or blame her for something horrible, she keeps turning up and keeps asking questions. I didn’t really pick the offender in this one either – I have to admit when Frieda made the connection and announced who it was I went “What?!” in my head because they weren’t someone who had registered on my radar. However, Josef guessed it easily which obviously reinforces how bad I am at picking the culprit in these types of books.
Since the beginning now there’s been an unsolved issue running through these books – sometimes it’s a bit on the backburner, sometimes it’s more front and center. Given the limited amount of books that’s going to be in this series, I can guess that perhaps it’s all heading for a final showdown to resolve this unfinished issues that began in Blue Monday. Frieda and so far Karlsson are I think the only two people who know that there is a dangerous man on the loose, everyone else believes that he is dead. The powers that be who could reopen the case are unwilling to listen to Frieda, having already had huge problems with her and her methods in previous books and to be honest, I can understand how that would be the case. She does tend to tread on a lot of toes and is seemingly uncaring about that. When she’s on a mission, she’s an unstoppable force until she gets her answers.
Another solid installment and it only builds the anticipation for what is going to happen in the future.
What Becky, the teenage girl has to say tells Frieda several things. Firstly, this isn’t just a girl looking for attention, or going through some harmless teenage angst. She has had a real and terrible thing happen to her and it seems that no one really believes her and that there’s nothing she can do about it. Secondly it brings back a storm of memories for Frieda, of a time when she was sixteen and a secret she has buried for the past twenty-three years and tells Frieda that it’s time to do something about what happened.
There’s nothing else Frieda can do except return to her hometown and confront her secrets head on. She has to find out what happened that night and she’s willing to do anything and speak to anyone in order to do so. People are dying because of this secret, because no one believed her all those years ago. Frieda needs to find answers and the killer before they can strike again and keep tormenting innocent young girls.
Thursday’s Children is the fourth novel in the Frieda Klein psychological suspense series co-written by husband and wife team Nicci Gerard and Sean French. Given the titles of the novels, which all feature a day of the week, I guessed we’d be limited in the amount of novels this series would include. I found an old article saying there is expected to be 8 – one named for each day of the week and then a final novel to “bring resolution”.
There’s no denying that Frieda is a bit of an odd character. She’s a loner who prefers long walks around London at night to socialising although over the last four books we’ve seen people shoehorn themselves into her lives: Josef, the Ukrainian builder, Sasha a woman who came to her as a patient being taken advantage of by her therapist, DCI Karlsson who first requested her help and the people she has time for, her niece Chloe and Chloe’s often incapable mother Olivia and Reuben, Frieda’s former supervisor and analyst. There’s also her on/off lover Sandy who disappears and reappears regularly depending on whether or not Frieda is comfortable with him at any given time. This book provides perhaps the most development of their relationship although that development is mostly puzzling.
In this novel the reader learns perhaps more about Frieda than in any of the other books in terms of her past. Frieda has rarely, if ever spoken of her past and her family but a lot of her background is constructed here, including her teenage life with her group of friends, her devastation over her father and her disconnection with her mother. It sort of amazes me the way Frieda just strolled back into her hometown and started talking to people about a night some twenty-three years ago like it was yesterday and everyone was supposed to remember exactly what happened and what they were doing. Obviously some people didn’t react too well to her turning up and poking around, unsure exactly why she was doing it and what on earth she was doing there after so long. Frieda may inspire people’s loyalty now, in the present, but there are some definite mixed feelings towards her in her hometown.
As always, I enjoyed reading about the way Frieda went about getting her information. She’s pretty much like a dog with a bone – she doesn’t let go and she keeps pushing, keeps demanding information until she gets it. She’s not intimidated when people don’t want to see her, or blame her for something horrible, she keeps turning up and keeps asking questions. I didn’t really pick the offender in this one either – I have to admit when Frieda made the connection and announced who it was I went “What?!” in my head because they weren’t someone who had registered on my radar. However, Josef guessed it easily which obviously reinforces how bad I am at picking the culprit in these types of books.
Since the beginning now there’s been an unsolved issue running through these books – sometimes it’s a bit on the backburner, sometimes it’s more front and center. Given the limited amount of books that’s going to be in this series, I can guess that perhaps it’s all heading for a final showdown to resolve this unfinished issues that began in Blue Monday. Frieda and so far Karlsson are I think the only two people who know that there is a dangerous man on the loose, everyone else believes that he is dead. The powers that be who could reopen the case are unwilling to listen to Frieda, having already had huge problems with her and her methods in previous books and to be honest, I can understand how that would be the case. She does tend to tread on a lot of toes and is seemingly uncaring about that. When she’s on a mission, she’s an unstoppable force until she gets her answers.
Another solid installment and it only builds the anticipation for what is going to happen in the future.
September 20, 2024
Frieda Klein krijgt bezoek van een vroegere klasgenote van haar, Maddie. Die wil met Frieda spreken omdat haar dochter, Becky, de laatste tijd onhandelbaar en in zichzelf gekeerd is. Frieda stemt toe, en na een paar gesprekken vertelt Becky haar dat ze verkracht is, thuis, in haar kamer. Ze weet niet wie de dader is. Ze heeft dit nog niemand verteld.
Dit brengt bij Frieda herinneringen terug, want als 16jarige heeft ze hetzelfde meegemaakt, ze is thuis in haar bed verkracht door een onbekende, maar niemand geloofde haar. Daarom is ze kort nadien ook uit Braxton, haar geboorteplaats, weggegaan.
Ze raadt Becky aan het toch aan haar moeder te vertellen, en alsnog naar de politie te gaan.
Maddie gelooft haar dochter echter niet, maar Becky besluit toch dat ze naar de politie kan gaan. Voordat ze dat echter kan doen, wordt ze gevonden in haar kamer, opgehangen. Zelfmoord, denkt iedereen.
Frieda is daar echter niet van overtuigd.
Omdat bij haar moeder, in Braxton, een hersentumor in een gevorderd stadium gevonden wordt, besluit Frieda om enkele dagen per week naar Braxton te gaan. Ze wil haar eigen zaak en die van Becky nader onderzoeken.
Daar gaat dit boek eigenlijk over, over wat Frieda in Braxton allemaal oprakelt en wat ze allemaal te weten komt. Het rustige stadje blijkt helemaal niet zo rustig te zijn!
En, op de achtergrond, is ook Dean weer aanwezig....
Spannend boek dat heel vlot leest.
Dit brengt bij Frieda herinneringen terug, want als 16jarige heeft ze hetzelfde meegemaakt, ze is thuis in haar bed verkracht door een onbekende, maar niemand geloofde haar. Daarom is ze kort nadien ook uit Braxton, haar geboorteplaats, weggegaan.
Ze raadt Becky aan het toch aan haar moeder te vertellen, en alsnog naar de politie te gaan.
Maddie gelooft haar dochter echter niet, maar Becky besluit toch dat ze naar de politie kan gaan. Voordat ze dat echter kan doen, wordt ze gevonden in haar kamer, opgehangen. Zelfmoord, denkt iedereen.
Frieda is daar echter niet van overtuigd.
Omdat bij haar moeder, in Braxton, een hersentumor in een gevorderd stadium gevonden wordt, besluit Frieda om enkele dagen per week naar Braxton te gaan. Ze wil haar eigen zaak en die van Becky nader onderzoeken.
Daar gaat dit boek eigenlijk over, over wat Frieda in Braxton allemaal oprakelt en wat ze allemaal te weten komt. Het rustige stadje blijkt helemaal niet zo rustig te zijn!
En, op de achtergrond, is ook Dean weer aanwezig....
Spannend boek dat heel vlot leest.
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August 21, 2017Loše,lošije od Srijede-mlako.Frieda je i dalje odbojna čitateljima.Sebična,ne voli da joj šačica slučajnih prijatelja smeta.Ne voli da ju se dekomodira.Vrlo čudna osoba ,a pisci je uporno prikazuju kao obožavanu prijateljicu.Ne bih s njom ni kavu popila,a kamoli što više.
Ovaj nastavak vraća nas u njezino rodno mjesto, Braxton, gdje se dogodio zločin koji je povezan i sa njezinom sudbinom,tajnom.Nažalost,to ju ne opravdava da bude tako odvratna,a priča opet ima neki završetak "u čekanju".No,to je njihov stil pisanja.Ima trenutaka kad je malo zanimljivije.
Ono što bih ja istaknula kao bolju stranu romana su njezine živopisne šetnje manje poznatim dijelovima Londona.Idem "riješiti" i Petak...
Ovaj nastavak vraća nas u njezino rodno mjesto, Braxton, gdje se dogodio zločin koji je povezan i sa njezinom sudbinom,tajnom.Nažalost,to ju ne opravdava da bude tako odvratna,a priča opet ima neki završetak "u čekanju".No,to je njihov stil pisanja.Ima trenutaka kad je malo zanimljivije.
Ono što bih ja istaknula kao bolju stranu romana su njezine živopisne šetnje manje poznatim dijelovima Londona.Idem "riješiti" i Petak...
September 21, 2019
This series is great. In this one an old classmate from high school begs Frieda to help her distraught teenager. Freida is disturbed when the teen's troubles parallels her own from her childhood and Frieda determines to return and help and also solve her own past. We learn more of Frieda's back story and the mystery was very well done. Lots of twists and unexpected reveals all determined by Frieda's training/listening and noticing of tiny details.
January 14, 2022
Did not care for this. My library carries the series, but just one was enough to know it is not my kind of crime book. Rapist who manages to get away with it repeatedly for years in a place called Braxton. A psychotherapist (Frieda) is even instrumental in allowing it to go on. Will say no more to spoil for others. Rarely say this, but the book disgusted me.
Library Loan
Library Loan
July 19, 2015
The fourth book by Nicci French (the pseudonym for husband and wife team Nicci Gerard and Sean French) to feature Frieda Klein forces the enigmatic psychotherapist to confront the demons of her own past when an old classmate begs her to help her troubled daughter.
"Don't think of telling anyone sweetheart. Nobody will believe you."
When fifteen year old Becky reveals she was raped in her own bed, Frieda is stunned by the similarities to her own experience as a teenager, twenty three years before. Compelled to investigate the link, Frieda returns to her hometown of Braxton where she reconnects with her both her estranged mother, and her high school peer group in search of answers.
Thursday's Children is another enjoyable psychological thriller offering plenty of drama and intrigue as Frieda tracks down a murderous rapist who has evaded detection for more than two decades.
The setting of Thursday's Children is also an opportunity for the author to expose the roots of Frieda's cold and reserved demeanour, often remarked upon by readers. When Frieda returns to Braxton she reluctantly visits her mother, and her interaction with the woman who raised her provides important insight into the psychotherapist's personality.
"'There are things I've run away from all my life. My father's death. My rape. Things that happened after. But it seems as though I've run in a perfect circle and I'm back with it again. In the thick of it.'"
While Freida grapples with her past, her loyal friends, Josef, Reuben, and Karlsson among them, rally to support her, even though Frieda is as always determinated to go it alone. The only element of the storyline that had me puzzled was Frieda's seemingly sudden rejection of Sandy, I could guess at the psychology of it but it was rather abrupt and I still can't quite make sense of it.
Unsurprisingly, in the background of Thursday's Children, lurks Dean Reeve, the murderous sociopath obsessed with Frieda. He is never far from Freida's awareness and as the series is at the midway point, a final confrontation between the pair approaches.
I couldn't recommend Thursday's Child as a stand alone read but for fans of the Frieda Klein series, it is an unmissable installment. I'm excited to move straight on to book 5, Friday On My Mind.
October 10, 2014
I love the books written by the duo that make up Nicci French and have read their books right from the first novel The Memory Game in 1997. Their books introduced me to the world of Psychological Thrillers. Sadly, I haven't taken to the latest series (using the days of the week, with psychotherapist, Frieda Klein). In Thursday's Children, I found Frieda's character cold, humourless, cheerless - and nothing warmed me to her or the story. If a character is not particularly likeable, she has to be compelling in other ways - and I didn't find this either. Her dialogue is clipped and stilted, keeping the reader at a distance. It was hard to get involved when the reader is not particularly interested in the lead character.
The storyline isn't terribly fresh or exciting, either. Most of the novel is spent raking over sketchy memories of Frieda's contemporaries from the school in her old home town in Suffolk where Frieda left a 'painful memory' behind. In the present day, an old classmate appears in London asking Frieda to help her teenage daughter and 'long buried memories resurface.'
Through a fog of conflicting accounts, hidden agendas and questionable alibis, Frieda can trust no one as she tries to piece together the shocking truth, past and present. Before another innocent dies - the blurb says.
The quality of the writing (apart from some stilted - presumably intentional - dialogue) is good, but unfortunately, I didn't find myself rooting for Frieda and the story itself wasn't gripping enough to override this.
The storyline isn't terribly fresh or exciting, either. Most of the novel is spent raking over sketchy memories of Frieda's contemporaries from the school in her old home town in Suffolk where Frieda left a 'painful memory' behind. In the present day, an old classmate appears in London asking Frieda to help her teenage daughter and 'long buried memories resurface.'
Through a fog of conflicting accounts, hidden agendas and questionable alibis, Frieda can trust no one as she tries to piece together the shocking truth, past and present. Before another innocent dies - the blurb says.
The quality of the writing (apart from some stilted - presumably intentional - dialogue) is good, but unfortunately, I didn't find myself rooting for Frieda and the story itself wasn't gripping enough to override this.
September 18, 2021
I read the first three installments in this series in quick succession in summer of 2019 and enjoyed all three, getting to know the cast of regulars even if the main protagonist, Frieda Klein, remained an enigma. In Thursday's Children, Frieda is visited by an old classmate from her childhood who is worried about her angry teenage daughter and wants Frieda to give her some advice. This sets in motion a crime that takes Frieda back to her provincial hometown and into her own past, giving us some much-needed insight into Frieda's often cold personality. At first I wondered if I should go back and reread Waiting for Wednesday to fill in the major gaps in my memory, but husband and wife writing team did a great job of filling in those gaps. Looking forward to the next, Friday on My Mind, and hope I don't wait two years to get to it!
Why I'm reading this: I was reminded about this series from a friend's review. I really liked the books covering Monday-Wednesday and for some reason never went further. Time to remedy that!
Why I'm reading this: I was reminded about this series from a friend's review. I really liked the books covering Monday-Wednesday and for some reason never went further. Time to remedy that!
July 9, 2017
Τι κρύβει η μυστηριώδης Φρίντα Κλάιν στο παρελθόν της;
Αυτό είναι το ερώτημα που μας απασχολεί σε αυτό το βιβλίο της σειράς, ερώτημα που απαντάται σχετικά σύντομα, προκαλώντας νέα και πιο δύσκολα ερωτήματα για την ηρωίδα.
Το βρήκα άκρως ενδιαφέρον και διαφωτιστικό, καθώς εδώ γνωρίζουμε καλύτερα τη Φρίντα, αφού όλο το βιβλίο περιστρέφεται γύρω από το παρελθόν της, χωρίς να διαδραματίζεται παράλληλα κάποια άλλη ιστορία, όπως συνέβαινε στα προηγούμενα βιβλία.
Η αφήγηση "ρέει" τόσο εύκολα και ευχάριστα μπλέκοντας το νήμα με τα πρόσωπα τόσο, ώστε να μη ξέρεις τι να υποθέσεις. Μπορώ να πω πως δε με κούρασε στιγμή, ενώ σε σύγκριση με την Τετάρτη, αυτό μου άρεσε περισσότερο.
Ακολουθεί η Παρασκευή, γιατί η εβδομάδα δεν έχει τέλος. Ούτε οι περιπέτειες της Φρίντα.
Μ.
(Συμβουλή: Αν μπορείτε να ΜΗ διαβάσετε το οπισθόφυλλο, κάντε το. Έχω παρατηρήσει, από τα πρώτα βιβλία - δλδ από την Τρίτη και μετά - πως δίνει πολλές λεπτομέρειες για την ιστορία, με αποτέλεσμα να προδίδει κάποιες ανατροπές. Οπότε δεν τα διαβάζω!)
Αυτό είναι το ερώτημα που μας απασχολεί σε αυτό το βιβλίο της σειράς, ερώτημα που απαντάται σχετικά σύντομα, προκαλώντας νέα και πιο δύσκολα ερωτήματα για την ηρωίδα.
Το βρήκα άκρως ενδιαφέρον και διαφωτιστικό, καθώς εδώ γνωρίζουμε καλύτερα τη Φρίντα, αφού όλο το βιβλίο περιστρέφεται γύρω από το παρελθόν της, χωρίς να διαδραματίζεται παράλληλα κάποια άλλη ιστορία, όπως συνέβαινε στα προηγούμενα βιβλία.
Η αφήγηση "ρέει" τόσο εύκολα και ευχάριστα μπλέκοντας το νήμα με τα πρόσωπα τόσο, ώστε να μη ξέρεις τι να υποθέσεις. Μπορώ να πω πως δε με κούρασε στιγμή, ενώ σε σύγκριση με την Τετάρτη, αυτό μου άρεσε περισσότερο.
Ακολουθεί η Παρασκευή, γιατί η εβδομάδα δεν έχει τέλος. Ούτε οι περιπέτειες της Φρίντα.
Μ.
(Συμβουλή: Αν μπορείτε να ΜΗ διαβάσετε το οπισθόφυλλο, κάντε το. Έχω παρατηρήσει, από τα πρώτα βιβλία - δλδ από την Τρίτη και μετά - πως δίνει πολλές λεπτομέρειες για την ιστορία, με αποτέλεσμα να προδίδει κάποιες ανατροπές. Οπότε δεν τα διαβάζω!)
February 10, 2021
I can’t even tell you all how much I LOVED this book and this excellent series. The writing, the development of the recurring characters, the development and the evolving of this wonderful character, Frieda Klein. Each book gets better and better. In this book, we finally learn about Frieda’s past, her childhood, events that have shaped her into the calm and cool and quiet and thoughtful therapist she is. Once again, I do not understand the lower ratings that others have for this book, but to each his own. If you have not read this series, you should, but it is so important, in my opinion, to read them in order to get the full effect.
One weird note, the copy of the book I have is called Thursday’s Children, and I have seen it referred to also as Thursday’s Child. I tried to find out where the title changed but cannot find reference to it.
One weird note, the copy of the book I have is called Thursday’s Children, and I have seen it referred to also as Thursday’s Child. I tried to find out where the title changed but cannot find reference to it.
April 30, 2018
3.5/5
I found this fourth novel in the Frieda Klein series by husband-wife writing team Nicci French to be more organized and quite a bit darker than her earlier novels. Perhaps this is because so much of this book is about Klein herself rather than about her clients or about victims (and perpetrators) of crimes. I do enjoy following the extended web of people with which Frieda works, and we read more about all of them here. There is still quite a bit of carryover of various threads from earlier novels, so once again I suggest readers read the books in the series in order. If you like mysteries, you just might like this series.
I found this fourth novel in the Frieda Klein series by husband-wife writing team Nicci French to be more organized and quite a bit darker than her earlier novels. Perhaps this is because so much of this book is about Klein herself rather than about her clients or about victims (and perpetrators) of crimes. I do enjoy following the extended web of people with which Frieda works, and we read more about all of them here. There is still quite a bit of carryover of various threads from earlier novels, so once again I suggest readers read the books in the series in order. If you like mysteries, you just might like this series.
October 25, 2024
Another very enjoyable installment to this series. I do feel this plot was a bit more predictable than previous, but still certainly held my attention. I also felt this book changed the pace of Frieda’s normal London life and largely focused on her versus the usual perspectives/stories of her close friends. Nonetheless, very enjoyable and look forward to reading the next!
April 20, 2018
Možda je ovo do činjenice da sam krenuo čitati ciklus od četvrte knjige u nizu, a možda i nije. Ima tu dosta likova koji se ponavljaju iz prethodnih knjiga o Friedi Klein, no može ih se prokužit,a možemo i reći da donekle nisu imali nekog prevelikog utjecaja na samu radnju, u ovom nastavku su imali nekakvu zadaću popuniti knjigu.
Ali, ako ćemo Djecu četvrtka gledati kao zasebno djelo, sve je to meni nekako slabašno i mlako. Stavio sam ocjenu 3 zvjezdice, ali opasno je blizu 2. Zanimljiva mi je premisa suočavanja s prošlošću. Ti duhovi iz ormara uvijek su neugodni za čovjeka. Pa onda taj zločin koji se ponavlja nakon 30 godina. Sve to zvuči jako zanimljivo, no izvedba mi je jako slaba. Knjiga je mogla biti i sto stranica kraća, ne bih primjetio veliku razliku. I baš kad bih pomislio da me najbolje čeka, nope, uvijek nekako kratki rukavi,i pritom ne mislim zbog godišnjeg doba u kojem se nalazimo.
E sad, ova knjiga će dobiti od mene još jednu priliku sigurno, iako je možda nije zaslužila. Ona je dio ciklusa, i kao takva će biti pročitana nakon što riješim Ponedjeljak, Utorak i Srijedu.
Ali, ako ćemo Djecu četvrtka gledati kao zasebno djelo, sve je to meni nekako slabašno i mlako. Stavio sam ocjenu 3 zvjezdice, ali opasno je blizu 2. Zanimljiva mi je premisa suočavanja s prošlošću. Ti duhovi iz ormara uvijek su neugodni za čovjeka. Pa onda taj zločin koji se ponavlja nakon 30 godina. Sve to zvuči jako zanimljivo, no izvedba mi je jako slaba. Knjiga je mogla biti i sto stranica kraća, ne bih primjetio veliku razliku. I baš kad bih pomislio da me najbolje čeka, nope, uvijek nekako kratki rukavi,i pritom ne mislim zbog godišnjeg doba u kojem se nalazimo.
E sad, ova knjiga će dobiti od mene još jednu priliku sigurno, iako je možda nije zaslužila. Ona je dio ciklusa, i kao takva će biti pročitana nakon što riješim Ponedjeljak, Utorak i Srijedu.
June 26, 2018
Silly me - thought I’d read this one and then midway through ‘Friday ...’ I realised I hadn’t so I’ve read them out of order. It wasn’t a problem as the books stand well alone. In this one following a visit from a fairly ghastly childhood acquaintance Frieda confronts a past event that was never resolved and meets up again after many years with her mother - though maternal she ain’t. This is yet again a really good story that kept my interest throughout. The usual characters are here - I’d just love to be in their gang although it’s safe to say being a friend of Frieda can be demanding if not dangerous. Frieda is able to confront her past and unravel the mystery. I did guess who the perpetrator was but that in no way detracted from my enjoyment. A darn good read.
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