“Saturday Requiem” by Nicci French

I felt this crime novel jumped around rather a lot, and wondered whether this was because it’s co-written by a team of wife and husband.  It’s actually the sixth in a series featuring psychotherapist Frieda Klein, and there were frequent references to a back story I didn’t know about.  It would obviously be best to start with the first of the series Blue Monday.

This story begins with a young woman who was convicted of gruesomely murdering three members of her family, and has been incarcerated in a secure hospital for thirteen years.  Frieda Klein is asked to assess the woman, and comes to doubt her guilt.  The insights into how institutionalisation affects mental health are thought-provoking.  Frieda’s role is not entirely clear, as sometimes she’s working with the police and sometimes independently.  I found the ending unsatisfying, with loose ends left ready for a sequel, but I was sufficiently engaged to read to the end, and think I would have enjoyed it even more if I’d read the whole series in order.  I’d recommend the series to fans of mysteries, but suggest you start with the first book.

This mystery is something new
and written by a team of two