I always seem to have an unpopular opinion, but this time it's because I seemed to enjoy the book more than the other reviewers. Jude may be a geriatric doctor, so we know she must be rather clever, but she knows absolutely nothing of the world. She lives through her work and her bland fiancée Nat. How stupid can you be to go to a cabin in the woods without telling your loved one? Leila later tells Jude that she’s already performed the favour, in the form of providing Liam with an alibi, using his car, his credit card, taking his phone to Norfolk. But for what had Liam needed an alibi? That is a mystery. Liam’s murder would have looked like a mugging, except for Jude’s involvement. That said, THE FAVOUR unfortunately turned out to be one of my least favourite books by the author team, partly because believing the main character’s actions and motivations stretched my ability to suspend disbelief way past its limits. Maybe it would have worked better for me had Jude not been a doctor. How did this indecisive, insecure and naïve person ever get through medical school? Medicine is a science, it’s about trouble shooting and problem solving, and it involves logical thought processes. But here is Jude, bumbling her way from one disaster into the next and making one terrible decision after another. I think the only way I could have believed Jude’s actions would have been either a) if there was an implicit threat to Jude if she didn’t agree to the “favour”; or b) if Jude was a totally different personality type (i.e. an arty / spiritual person believing in karma or a person undergoing a deep personal crisis such as substance addiction / bereavement etc). Heart-thumping, head-scratching, nail-biting stuff: The Favour is classic Nicci French. I read it in one breathless sitting'

The Favor – HarperCollins The Favor – HarperCollins

In this twisty new stand-alone novel from internationally bestselling author Nicci French, a young woman agrees to do a favor for an estranged former boyfriend—but when things go horribly wrong, one small task turns into a murder investigation that completely upends her life, ensnaring her in a deadly web of secrets and lies. Het moment dat Jude op hem staat te wachten in Norfolk en Liam niet op komt dagen vond ik best spannend. Is er misschien iets met hem gebeurd of heeft hij zijn trein gemist? Nicci French is the pseudonym for the writing partnership of journalists Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. The couple are married and live in London and Suffolk. Then we're introduced to Liam's housemates, an eccentric cast of characters, and Jude is mesmerized by these lunatics. Like, what? She finds them all so mysterious and intriDr. Jude Winter hasn’t seen her high school boyfriend in over a decade, since that one heady summer night when a car crash changed everything. She’s never forgotten her first love, and when he suddenly reappears after all these years asking for a favor, she finds herself not only saying yes but also lying about it to her fiancé. When Liam is murdered, Jude finds herself in a tangled web that seems to pull more tightly around her at every turn. Doordat het begin zo goed was had ik misschien ook te hoge verwachtingen voor het verdere verloop. Helaas kwam dit dus niet helemaal uit. Wel is de schrijfstijl weer super prettig!

The Favour | Book by Nicci French | Official Publisher Page The Favour | Book by Nicci French | Official Publisher Page

and then he will explain more. It sounds like a simple request from someone she used to love unbeknown to Jude this decision will turn her life upside down. The police turn up instead and things go downhill from there. 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. Ze probeert uit te zoeken wat er precies is gebeurd, maar hierdoor wordt ze steeds verder in Liams wereld gezogen. Het lijkt alsof zijn familie en vrienden allemaal wat te verbergen hebben. Komt Jude achter de waarheid? It's implied that Jude is an incredibly intelligent woman though you'd never guess that by reading this book. First of all, YES you can say NO to this favor. I know as the novel progresses we do learn the reason as to why she helps him but even with this information I still think she should have walked away.Family drama and office politics take center stage in this tense standalone from the pseudonymous French, the husband-and-wife writing team of Nicci Gerrard and Sean French (the Frieda Klein series). Continue reading » Fantastic - a breathless drumbeat of dread and suspense . . . no one does it better than Nicci French' Lee Child 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. Jude agrees. She goes along with his plan without asking too many questions, and without telling her fiancé. She follows Liam’s instructions, and waits. And then the police turn up, telling her that Liam has been found dead, in London. Why does Jude have his car, his bag, his wallet, his mobile phone, in a cottage in Norfolk? Jude’s explanation doesn’t really satisfy DI Leila Fox. The premise of The Favour immediately drew me in and intrigued me. Just what was Liam up to? What did he want? Unlike Jude - oblivious, indebted and confident - I was a little less trusting and I soon began to detect a few red flags. But still I didn't know why Liam had asked Jude to do this favour. It was like an itch I couldn't scratch. It consumed me. I had to know.

The Favour by Nicci French | Goodreads The Favour by Nicci French | Goodreads

Jude's life has gone to plan. She's a geriatric doctor, about to be married. Liam's life has not gone to plan, but then Liam never had a plan. Until now . . . The Favour is the sixteenth stand-alone novel by British writing duo, Nicci French. It’s over eleven years since Jude Winter has seen Liam Birch, but what they shared when they were eighteen has never left her. Life moved on for both: Jude qualified as a doctor and is about to marry Nat; Liam tells her he has a young son, Alfie. But Liam has a favour to ask, nothing big, no worries if you can’t, tell you what it is when we meet in Norfolk. BRINGING DANGER CLOSE TO HOME . . . THE GRIPPING NEW THRILLER FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR NICCI FRENCH!** 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. Since Nicci French’s engrossing Frieda Klein series, I’ve found their standalone novels a little more unpredictable quality-wise. ‘The Favour’ begins promisingly. Junior doctor Jude is on the cusp of marriage; after a night shift she finds that Liam, her ‘bad boy’ first boyfriend, whom she hasn’t seen since she left school, is waiting for her to ask a favour – and a very strange favour it is too. Jude accepts and, from then on, her predictable safe life becomes anything but.Fantastic - a breathless drumbeat of dread and suspense . . . no one does it better than Nicci French' Lee Child Then, out of the blue, after an absence of eleven years, her first serious boyfriend, Liam Birch turns up to meet her with a strange request. He wants her to drive up to a remote cottage on the Norfolk coast, using his car and paying with his credit card, and then wait for him to arrive by train the following evening. For some reason we are not initially aware of, Jude agrees to this suspicious proposition. The life lesson Jude learned is sad. We've all been there. We wear rose-tinted nostalgia glasses and then realize the prince is actually an ogre. MY THOUGHTS: Our first love - that person always occupies a special place in our hearts. If my first love turned up and asked me to do him a favour, would I? I don't honestly know, but then it's over 50 years since I last saw him. If he had turned up after eleven years I may well have done it. I received a gifted copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the readalong hosted by Tandem Collective UK.

The Favour by Nicci French - Debbish Book review: The Favour by Nicci French - Debbish

The police put forward several theories, none of which satisfy Jude, and make even more accusations. But it is the final theory that is the most chilling and absolutely feasible. Jude makes her living as a geriatric nurse working the night shift. One day, as she's getting ready to leave, she's informed that she has a guest waiting for her in the lobby. Imagine her surprise when she see's that it's Liam, her boyfriend for a summer when she was 18 years old, the one she has thought of often throughout the years wondering what happened to him. Complete and utter balderdash! A highly intelligent Doctor taking such a stupid risk just weeks before her wedding - forget it. In some ways it’s almost impossible to believe Jude agrees to do a favour – without knowing ANYTHING about the request – for ex high school boyfriend Liam. We get some insight into how smitten she was 11 years earlier but even she admits he was kinda dangerous and unpredictable. Some may say this book airs on the lighter side when it comes to the Mystery/Thriller genre and perhaps they’re right it didn’t have me hiding under my bed, but this book has the suspense and at times eerie factor on high.

I can understand why many people won't like this. The plot was basically non-existent, and the thrills were more like a small side of ketchup to the main dish—which was a character-driven story. You may ask yourself why TF would Jude do such a suspicious favour, but you'll learn that Jude is just a shell of a person. She followed the path lain out for her entire life. She doesn't have a strong identity. Then she enters Liam's adult world, his weird ass house that reminds me of a circus, with unsavoury, sexually aggressive, lost people, and develops her first singular opinion. Toch ben ik niet super enthousiast over dit verhaal. Het ging een hele andere richting op dan dat ik had gehoopt en ook vond ik sommige keuzes een beetje vergezocht en raar. Desondanks is het geen onaardig verhaal en zeker leuk om eens gelezen te hebben.