Cover Image: The Other Side of the Door

The Other Side of the Door

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Member Reviews

I generally enjoyed reading this book. It had the right amount of suspense and there were a few twists that keep the plot interesting.

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The book opens with Bonnie in an apartment with a dead body. She proceeds to make one bad decision after another, some of which make no sense. The book switches back and forth between before the death to after. None of the characters were relatable or likable. There were a few twists, but the book never really grabbed me. I have read this author before and loved her books, this one just wasn’t for me. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

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Honestly this just didn’t work for me at all. It was hard for me to get into this story and I really didn’t like the ending at all. I did like how the author switched from before and after that did keep it somewhat interesting. Thank you Net Galley for this opportunity !

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I have mixed feelings about this book. I feel it is a good thriller with a couple of twists I didn't see coming but it does drag a bit in parts. I like the format--switching between before a murder occurs to after a body is found--as it keeps the perspective fresh and engaged me as a reader. What I don't care for are the characters. There isn't much to like about any of them. I didn't relate to the main character and didn't even feel too sad about the character who got killed.

Bonnie, the main protagonist, is a music teacher who once performed in a band. A friend is getting married and asks Bonnie to put together a band to play at her wedding. The musicians she gathers together are a motley group who, with a couple of exceptions, aren't very talented. They all also carry a lot of emotional baggage. When Bonnie discovers a dead body in a friend's flat she is looking after while the friend is out of the country, the story becomes interesting as it isn't clear for a long time who the dead person is. Then the story begins switching back and forth between before the body is discovered to the actions of Bonnie and her friends after it is found. I can see where some readers might not like this format, but I found it a good way to weave the plot lines together.

This is the first Nicci French book I have read. I've seen glowing reviews about other books so I figure this book must be an anomaly as the authors--a husband and wife team--seem very popular. This book had potential and was, for the most part, very suspenseful. I just couldn't engage with any of the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the Advance Reader's Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The publication date is April 27, 2021.

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Another success from the husband and wife writing team. This clever story about the murder and disposal of the body of a man many had a reason to kill will keep the reader intrigued. Interesting writing technique, chapters are written as Before and After the murder. Great characters and suspenseful plot.

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Nicci French, the English wife-and-husband team of Nicci Gerard and Sean French, have weaved a compelling psychological thriller. Told convincingly in two timelines as seen through the eyes of the main protagonist, Bonnie Graham. A masterful mystery of Whodunit and Why is played out in chapters, “Before” and “After” referring the death of an unknown male. The relevant facts and red herrings are incrementally revealed in a complex and twisted narrative.
Along the way the complex dynamics and ramifications of relationships are explored.
The tale opens with Bonnie opening a door to her friend Liza’s flat and encountering a male corpse on the floor with a darkened halo of blood surrounding his head … he’s obviously been bludgeoned. She inexplicably decides to “clean up the scene” and lays out plans to dispose of the body. She phones are best friend, Sonia, to come over and aid with the removal and disposal of the body. Eventually rolling the body up in a carpet and dumping it in a nearby reservoir. No reference is made to the identity of the corpse or connection to Bonnie.
The initial relationship explored is of the three woman, Bonnie, Liza and Danielle …. all long-time college buddies. Danielle has an impeding wedding and beseeches Bonnie to get a band together to play at her wedding. While Bonnie is a music teacher and plays multiple instrument s her last experience with a band was nearly a decade ago, at a charity fund raiser. She reluctantly agrees, and assembles a rag tag band of old friends and new acquaintances and one real musician. The addition of Hayden, who actually has played in multiple bands, is not without its inherent problems. During the rehearsals the diverse nature of the players often results in conflicts. Even though the charismatic Hayden brings professionalism to the group, he also enjoys causing mischief to the others, which results in conflict and division.
Many complex relationships are in play. Amos is part of the band, and yet he previously lived with Bonnie. They have parted, divided up their possessions and live separately. Neal , another member of the band, has lost his live-in girl friend due to a head-on car crash. He desires to forge a new relationship with Bonnie. Sonia, chemistry teacher and best friends with Bonnie, is developing a close relationship with Amos.
French expertly weaves together the two timelines, and as they explosively collide multiple unexpected reveals lead to an explosive unexpected denouement. Not only the complex relationships are explored but also are the meaningful themes of women abuse and “failure to commit” Magnificent pacing is present as the two timelines approach a collision course, with each chapter getting shorter and more abrupt resulting in the pages flying be at a crescendo pace. Although this is my first foray into the oeuvre of Nicci French, I look forward to exploring their earlier fiction. (published at Mystery And Suspense magazine)

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**I received this ARC from NetGalley and William Morrow paperbacks in return for an honest review**

I have seen Nicci French's books at the bookstore and library for years, but this is the first one that I have read, but it won't be the last.

After: Bonnie Graham finds herself standing in a room at a friend's house, a corpse at her feet. Her mind is frantic with questions: How did this happen? What does it have to do with her? What should her next steps be? Does she call the police or take a more drastic measure?
Before: When a college friend asks Bonnie to put together a band to perform at an upcoming wedding, Bonnie finds herself saying yes and putting her summer plans on hold to put together the band. She mostly enlists friends, her ex-boyfriend, and a former student. But then she meets Hayden, a professional musician who offers to help them out.
Told in s dual timeline leading up to the murder and after the murder, Nicci French has you hooked from the first paragraph.

I am a big fan of the thriller genre and the dual timeline format, but I feel that this story would have been better if the story was told in a more straightforward way. Overall I enjoyed this and will be checking out more of Nicci French's books in the future.

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pretty average thriller in my opinion! very predictable but it was twisty and a good time nonetheless! if you are a fan of domestic thrillers and suburban dramas, this will be a great one for you

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I have read several Nicci French books and usually enjoyed them. This was not one of them. The premise of this book is interesting and I found myself guessing who did what exactly and kept changing my mind on who murdered Hayden. However, I hated the Before and After labeling of each chapter. That was confusing and difficult to be able to go back and check out a clue or what you read before about a character or event. I also thought everyone was pretty dopey about this story and covering up a murder. Obviously, none of these characters have ever read a murder mystery before OR seen a movie or TV show or they wouldn't have acted so stupidly. Rarely do I read a book where not one person was likable for me, but I really had a hard time liking anyone in this story. Sorry!

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Thanks to William Morrow Custom House and Netgalley for giving me this advanced copy for review.

Bonnie gets a band together at a request of a friends wedding. One band member is murdered and the rest of the book is finding who did it. There are twists and turns that keep it interesting. However there is alot of unnecessary information in the book I found myself skimming over. The book dragged on at places.
When I ask myself would I recommend a book to a friend and find myself thinking no, as I think with this book, I tend to give 3 stars or less.
This book I give 3 stars as it was ok not bad...just not great.
I will try another one of this authors books however as I believe she has a good reputation as a writer.

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This had an interesting premise with lots of twists and turns. As soon as I thought I figured out "who did it" someone else became a contender. I didn't really like the way the book ended, but overall it was a decent read.

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Finally getting into a slump with mediocre thrillers. Bonnie, the main character makes one bad decision after another after finding her boyfriend dead. Mistake 1, not calling 9-1-1. Mistake 2, covering up crime. Mistake 3, if she had nothing to do with his murder, why is she doing this? Very suspicious. I did like the dual timelines, I was not confused by this. It gave a little more interest to the story that was desperately needing it. I DID NOT find this predictable and enjoyed some of the twists and turns but I just could not get over the poor decisions made by Bonnie throughout the book. Who killed her boyfriend? You will have to read. Can still recommend but this book was somewhere in between for me. Hope her next book is better. I enjoyed her last book.

Thanks to Netgalley, Nicci French and William Morrow & Custome House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 4/27/21

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this arc. I wanted to like this one so much because of the premise of the book: a large group of friends and a murder. I love mysteries and a good “who dun it”, but unfortunately this one fell short for me.

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I am sorry, I had to DNF this one. The story wasn't intriguing enough for me and I was constantly confused with the back and forth timeline. Better luck next time!

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I wanted to love this book, it had all my favorite subjects: a friend group and a murder. It was slow moving however, and the going from past to present was confusing and hard to follow at times.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author/publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

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I was gifted this arc by William Morrow in exchange for an honest review..

The Other Side of the Door is the first book I have read by the author, Nicci Fench. Chock full of mystery and never-ending twists, I found myself constantly wondering “who?” To start, the book begins with the protagonist, Bonnie, walking into her boyfriend’s apartment and finding him dead, in a pool of his own blood. This is where the story became somewhat unbelievable, as rather than contacting 911 to get help for her boyfriend and report the crime, Bonnie immediately covers up the crime. Why? Who covers up a crime they didn’t commit without reason or justification? Aside from this initial lack of objective rationale, the story proceeds and the plot juicing thickens as it alternates between the before and the after of the murder taking place. The Other Side of The Door kept me in a constant state of wanting MORE.

Check it out on 27 Apr 2021!

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This was an interesting book. It kept my attention. A quick read with some surprises along the way. I don't feel impressed by the book but as I write this review, it is easy to remember the characters and the action that took place.

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Think of this book as the novel version of the tv show "Friends" with a side of "Murder She Wrote". You see,
a soon to be married woman asks her friend, Bonnie, to provide the musical entertainment for her wedding reception. Bonnie agrees to it but doesn't realize just how much it will change her life.
The ragtag band she forms, which includes friends, old and new and unfamiliar musicians, become entangled in murder and deception.
This novel's delivery has a little spin to it, in that the chapters are divided by "After" and "Before" and secondly, though much is revealed about the crime scene little is known about the murder itself and a few key points are not immediately revealed so the reader is urged on to the reader on to discover the details.
A fairly good story yet the conclusion might be too tidy for some.

Thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for allowing me to read the advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

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This book was hard for me to follow. I love a book that changes perspectives throughout, but this one didn’t do it for me. It was difficult to keep up with and didn’t catch my interest like I had hoped it would.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The book gets off to a great start. Bonnie Graham stands in the open door of her friend’s apartment. All alone, except for her dead lover, Hayden, lying in a pool of blood. The book is told entirely from Bonnie’s first person perspective, in alternating chapters of before and after that point in time, which I liked.

Bonnie, a music teacher, agrees to get a band together to play at her friend’s wedding. She manages to pull a band together, and like most bands, not everyone gets along. Hayden is a free-spirited rolling stone of a musician, sleeping on other people's couches. His charismatic personality attracts women, his antagonism toward men repels them, and young men admire his lifestyle. Soon, friendships and relationships are sucked into his vortex and put to the test. So who murdered him, and why?

The writing is good, the plot is good, and it isn’t just a whodunit. It is an examination of the dynamics of relationships, but it just didn’t work for me. It just seemed to drag on and on. Some of the smaller subplots were meant to be red herrings to keep you guessing as to the real murderer, but there were way too many and they just became distractions.

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