Thursday's Children

A Frieda Klein Mystery

By: Nicci French

Narrated by: Beth Chalmers

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

“Fierce, fascinating and full of insight, Frieda Klein is irresistible.” (Val McDermid, best-selling author of Splinter the Silence)

The electrifying fourth book in the internationally best-selling Frieda Klein Mystery series

Frieda Klein is uninterested in catching up on old times when her former classmate, Maddie Capel, shows up at her door - until she hears about Maddie’s troubled daughter, Becky. The teenager claims she was raped in her own bed one night while her mother was downstairs. Her assailant left her with a warning: “Don’t think of telling anyone, sweetheart. Nobody will believe you.” And no one does - except Frieda.

Becky’s story awakens dark memories of an eerily similar incident in Frieda’s own past that she’s been avoiding for decades. When Becky is found hanging from a beam in her bedroom, Frieda returns home, seeking out her old high school friends to ask what they remember about the night that prompted Frieda to leave town for good. But confronting the ghosts of the past turns out to be more dangerous than she ever expected.

©2016 Nicci French (P)2016 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"You'll ache for Frieda as she tears open old wounds and cheer when she finally shows signs of healing from her lacerations.” (Kirkus Reviews starred review)

“This visceral read tackles a sensitive subject with empathy, anger, and grace. A skillfully woven plot and deftly drawn characters complement the central mystery, which engages and satisfies while developing the series arc.” (Publishers Weekly starred review)

"Complex psychological suspense at its best." (Booklist starred review)

Learning about Frieda

Close to the “meto#” revelations of rape and sexual violence with insights to the psychological incentives,repercussions and consequences Well written and well narrated

The Worst Day of the Week for Frieda

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I loved Blue Monday but my love has faded as the week went on. I read other reviews and they were a little low for Thursday and I did wait a long time for new reviews before buying Thursday. I thought, "I love Frieda & Beth Chalmers, why not". Other reviewers were right, I struggled to get through Thursday. I only completed it because I refuse to start a new book before completing the last. The topic is difficult for anyone to tackle but the supportive characters were just blah. Even Frieda's close friends & family which tend to bring a bit of drama were just boring. I say skip this one, even if you love Frieda like me.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

By the end I didn't care anymore

Have you listened to any of Beth Chalmers’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Beth Chalmers was perfect as always!

Any additional comments?

After reading some of the positive reviews for Friday I may continue the series but I wouldn't recommend this one to anyone

Surprising plot!

I love the Dr Freida Klein mysteries! I love how each book builds on the previous books in the series, but if you were to pick it up out of sync, you wouldn’t be lost.
I loved this plot! I’m usually pretty good at guessing whodunnit, but this one surprised me! I do get frustrated at times during the book because Freida is so calm and you know she is right and I just want to scream at the other character and say, “you are wrong you jerk!” So I really like her control and maturity—because it isn’t the way I would react!! Love this series and love these characters! The performance is awesome too, I can always tell (for the most part) who is speaking but it’s not over-done or crazy sounding. Love it!

she did it again!

I love this author. it has been as bout a year since I've listened to her book, but felt like I hadn't misses a beat. I'm ready for the next one.

Too much fatphobia

I have been mostly enjoying this series, but there are too many instances of characters referring to other characters’ weight in a negative way. Thursday’s Children especially is guilty of that.

Depressing meandering novel

I absolutely loved the previous Frieda Klein novels, but I could barely force myself to finish this one. Frieda’s commitmentphobia is becoming extremely tiresome and pathetic. All of the characters in the story are lonely, miserable, deluded and passive. It is hard to feel any pity for them, never mind root for them. It’s hard to care about any of the rapes or murders. Even the weather is persistently desolate. I couldn’t wait for this book to be over. I will give the next one a chance just because the previous ones were so good, but i’d suggest skipping this one. The narrator was very good, but even she couldn’t save this story

What a disappointment

Having read the three prior Frieda Klein mysteries, I was really looking forward to the fourth installment. What a total letdown. First, this book cannot stand alone. There is so much that would be incomprehensible to a person who had not read the first three books. I even had trouble remembering the "back story" on certain people and would have liked a brief refresher. Second, the whole book is based on a ridiculous coincidence. It's long, plodding, boring, and sometimes downright incomprehensible. The Frieda character has become unlikeable. It's especially puzzling that men fall all over her when she is so cold, brittle, and rude. That's the big mystery to me.

My Last Frieda Klein

I stuck it out till the end of this boring, plodding, implausible book. Never again.