Review – Losing You by Nicci French
Losing You is a psychological thriller, and apparently this writing duo (Nicci French is a pseudonym for a married couple who write together: Nicci Gerrard and Sean French) is really good. This was the first book I’d ever read by Nicci French and while I wasn’t blown away, it was really pretty good.
Losing You takes place over the course of one day. There are no chapters, though there are a few breaks to smooth over a transition, but the lack of chapters gives the book a frantic feeling, because like the protagonist, the reader most likely won’t come up for air.
Nina Landry’s daughter, Charlie (short for Charlotte), has gone missing, and not only is it Nina’s birthday, but the family was supposed to be leaving from their home, Sandling Island (60 miles from London), to go on vacation to Florida. Even though Charlie’s 15, Nina finds it hard to believe that she would have run away on this day of all days.
The police are called, and they’re less than concerned. Charlie’s FIFTEEN, and seeing as how she’s only been missing a few hours, they’re sure she’ll show up, even if it’s in a day or two. Nina, though, is convinced that something has happened to her daughter, so she sets out to find out what she can. Slowly, as Nina talks to her daughter’s friends and acquaintances, she realizes that Charlie had quite a few secrets that Nina hadn’t even suspected, and it’s these very secrets that makes Nina more frantic to find her daughter.
The story is doled out at just the right pace. I never knew what she was going to find out next and I certainly didn’t expect the ending. I liked how all the characters were developed. As the story takes place on an island, everyone seems to know everyone and all the characters are very distinct. I certainly never guessed the perpetrator, which was a nice surprise.
Losing You was good, though it wasn’t great. It was a fun read, and a refreshing read for the genre. If you enjoy thrillers, I’d definitely recommend this book.
Rating: 85 out of 100
One other (probably better) review:
| Tags: book review, Books, fiction, losing you, nicci french, thriller 7 comments »
January 6th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
I love Nicci French and devour her books, but with that being said, it was not my favorite. I highly suggest that you look for more by this author though!
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January 6th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
I liked the way you described the no-chapters and how it matches the frantic way the mother was feeling!!
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January 7th, 2009 at 6:04 am
I don’t think I’ve read any Nicci French, it sounds interesting. Good review!!!
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January 7th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Great review, I don’t think I’ve read this one yet. Nicci French books are fallbacks for me when I want a good, quick read – they aren’t going to amaze me with but they are always enjoyable.
Secret Smile and Land Of The Living are 2 of my favorites – quite chilling thrillers.
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January 7th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Hey,
Although I have your blog listed in my links at my blog, I don’t think I’ve commented before. I am taking a page out of your book…er…blog, though and I am going to make more of an effort to be a better commenter and thus attract some people to my blog. *g*
The fact that you’ve reviewed a Nicci French book gives me a perfect opportunity to comment, too. I love her…um…him…um… them. I highly recommend Killing Me Softly (vastly better than the lame-ass movie with Joesph Fiennes). I also really enjoyed The Safe House and Secret Smile. Nicci Gerrard has also written a couple books on her own. I particularly enjoyed Things We Knew Were True.
Happy reading.
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April 27th, 2009 at 11:21 am
The story was exciting but I won’t be picking up another one by these authors. I “really” want chapters or temporary stopping points in a book. The no chapter concept isn’t one for me.
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June 29th, 2009 at 4:50 am
Oh wow – I’ve only just discovered Nicci French. I’ve read 4 of her books this week and I’m not getting any work done. I love the way the writing is good as well as the story. I like how the female protagonist is essentially the same coffee swilling, moral woman in each. Oh – I can’t wait for the library to open so i can get my next fix. Don’t know what I’ll do when I’ve read them all ….
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