A little light on "thrills" with a plot that asks you to suspend disbelief and don't question the impulsive decision of the main character. After years of no communication, Jude (keep in mind she's a doctor) receives a visit from an old flame who asks her to meet him at a cottage to do him a favor. Jude leaves her fiancé to meet up with old flame who turns up dead hundreds of miles away.

'This story is character driven and if you're looking for a thriller, you should pass.

this was the first book I have read by this author, and I will definitely be checking out more! The mystery drew me in immediately, and I could not put it down.

Jude is a successful doctor, getting ready to get married. The last person she expects to appear from nowhere is her ex-boyfriend Liam. He asks a seemingly simple favor that she can't seem to say no to. However, this pulls her into a twisty, tangled story she did not bargain for.

The characters are interesting, the dialogue is sharp, and the plot is tense. I will definitely be recommending this to readers who enjoy a good thriller!

What would you do if someone you dated in high school turned up out of the blue ten years later and asked you to do them a favor? That's the premise of The Favor by Nicci French.

Jude was in love with Liam as a teenager. He was her first lover. But when they are involved in a car accident together with some friends, their relationship comes to an end. Liam disappears from Jude's life. She goes on to medical school and becomes a doctor. One day, Liam visits the hospital and tells her he needs her help with a favor but won't tell her what the favor entails except that she needs to meet him at a secluded cabin that weekend. He requests that she not tell anyone including her fiancee.

While Jude is hesitant to help, she feels bad for Liam because her life seems to have gone more smoothly than his has. But the truth is that she's kept a lie from her family and fiancee for a decade. The lie involves the accident in which Liam was blamed for drunk driving.

When Jude arrives at the cabin, she waits for Liam who is scheduled to meet her there by train. He never shows up. She later discovers the reason for his absence. Liam was murdered miles away, and the police question Jude's story about the favor she was asked by a man she hadn't seen in ten years.

Jude's life then falls apart as she is mentioned in the news, and her fiancee leaves her because he believes she was still seeing Liam. As the story progresses, we learn some things about Liam and his family when Jude meets his wife, young son, brother, and other occupants of the house where he lived. 

The mystery of Liam's murder is eventually solved with a twist. If you like psychological thrillers, you will enjoy this book.

The writing duo of Nicci French turns in another mind-numbing psychological thriller with The Favor (The Favour, if you're British).
Dr. Jude Winter has her perfect life ahead of her.: a successful career, soon to be married. Then she gets a call from her first love, Liam. At eighteen, Jude was deliriously in love, university and med school ahead. Her summer fling came to a crashing halt when Jude, Liam and their friends were involved in a terrible car wreck.
Liam paid the consequences, Jude became a doctor and life went on.
Now, eleven years later, Liam calls out of the blue with an odd favor. Can she meet him to discuss it over tea?
Jude honors Liam's request, but her former lover soon turns up murdered.
In short order, Jude's life is upended and she becomes co-executor of Liam's will. That means having to meet Liam's family and very weird circle of friends.
A killer lurks around every corner in Jude's frantic battle to learn the truth.
Nicci French turns out a very uncomfortable wake and interment as suspects and red herrings scramble for a piece of Lief's freaky inheritance.
Do yourself a Favor and fall face first into Nicci French's latest mind messing missive.

What to do on one of the hottest days of summer? Stay in the air on and consume a thrilling novel of past transgressions, guilt and dysfunctional relationships.
Jude’s shift ends and she is set on another normal day, breakfast with her fiancé and then sleep. Unfortunately, a man waiting for her in reception derails not only the rest of her day but the months following. A simple favor for a man she loved so passionately and a reckless event from so long ago that has her saying yes. What follows is a spiral into Wonderland, strange, enticing friends, a house full of secrets and eccentricities and a group of people so colorful and bold, yet dark and vulnerable. Jude has no idea how she got there and has to manage so many assumptions and allegations. Will she find the truth before something terrible happens again?
Read in an afternoon, I had a whisper of dread floating over me the entire time. The dialogue was sharp, and the tense atmosphere and brooding backdrop was superb. Loved it!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I have a love/hate relationship with Nicci French's books, but because the love is strong when it's there I always give her books a try. While this wasn't my favorite, it was a great page-turner and fun to read.

This mystery/thriller, although a bit tropey, is sure to be popular. Thanks for the digital review copy.

I think after this book, Nicci French will no longer be a must-read author for me. As far as the characters go, what kind of adult woman (who is even a doctor!) would place herself in such a precarious and situation? Not a lot of drama or mystery or even action to this one, just a lot of boring involvement with a bunch of drug addicts and "creative" types who continuously make bad choices. Almost a DNF for me.

The Favor tells the story of Jude and Liam, who were once a couple. There was a horrible crash in which Liam took the blame for the drunk driving accident that would have destroyed Jude's life. Liam was an artist and Jude was a woman with a bright future in medical school.

Years later Jude is engaged to another man when Liam calls Jude asking for a favor. Given their shared background, Jude feels obligated to say yes. The request is for Jude to pick Liam up at a train station. Unfortunately this favor becomes a nightmare as Liam turns up murdered and the police await Jude, naming her the number one suspect.

The two stories of the once interwoven couple and the current mystery are fast paced and engaging.

Thanks to netgalley for the arc

Jude is a geriatric physician who’s about to be married. She hasn’t seen her ex-boyfriend, Liam, since they were involved in an auto accident when they were younger.

Liam shows up unexpectedly at Jude’s place of employment and asks her for a favor. Not able to refuse, Jude accepts and ends up going to a cottage with all of Liam’s things and a promise that he will meet her and explain everything. Then Liam is murdered and never shows up.

The police question Jude, who is clueless about who would want Liam dead. Liam’s has some other surprises in store for Jude that could put her in danger. Will she discover the killer before it’s too late?

This is my first book by this author. I was definitely intrigued by the mystery and surprised by the ending. I would recommend reading.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good read, a page turner and a quick one. Well thought out and very different, original storyline.

Thank you NetGalley for the prerelease ebook.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this novel. I am rating this book based the stars due to lack of time to leave a full review. #TheFavor #NetGalley

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.

Writing: 5/5 | Plot: 3/5 | Ending: 4/5

THE PLOT

Jude hasn't seen Liam in years, not since he took the fall for a drunk driving incident that could've ended her career prospects. When he pops back up asking for a favour, Jude has to say yes. But it will be a choice she regrets after Liam is found murdered and Jude becomes a suspect.

MY OPINION

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.

This is my first Nicci French book, and I'm excited to read more. I loved the writing. A perfect example of less is more. It was akin to Iain Reid, who evokes emotions with limited, fragmented prose. The wife and husband duo applied the same approach here... the result: spooky af, poignant, rhythmic.

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.

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.

I don't expect this to be a very popular read because it's marketed as a thriller, when it isn't. Like Good Husbands by Cate Ray, readers may be disappointed by the "false advertisement" of sorts. I enjoy a character-driven story, so having to 'adapt" to the content wasn't a negative for me. An enjoyable yet poignant tale.

PROS AND CONS:

PROS: beautifully written with unique, fragmented prose, loved the strange caste of characters, strong exploration of memories vs reality

CONS: advertised as a thriller, but the thrills are very light...

What happens when a favor goes terribly wrong? Well Jude finds out. This book is a master thriller and a top pick for anyone who love books like that.

Are things ever as they appear to be on the surface?

When we meet Jude, she seems to have it all, both personally and professionally…until…she is unbelievably easily influenced by her first love, Liam, who suddenly pops back into her life, into making a questionable, illogical decision that includes lying to her fiancé about a mysterious trip. I had to suspend disbelief to keep reading from this point until a much needed revelation brought some clarity. From then on, it’s painful to watch the consequences of this decision blow up Jude’s carefully constructed, perfect life bit by bit. She becomes further immersed in Liam’s life, meeting his friends, family, partner and child, all of whom are damaged and struggling to get by. Essentially no one emerges unscathed from the literal and figurative car crash that is central to the plot of this book.

The book plays heavily on the idea of things not always being how they seem on the surface, the transient and changeable nature of happiness, and what motivates people to do what they do.

Author Nicci French (Nicci Gerrard and Sean French) have delivered another binge-worthy psychological thriller with the requisite misdirection and twists. Many thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Another win for this duo! This mystery has lots of red herrings, unsavory characters, people living in chaos and begs the question-what would you do for a friend and what are the consequences? A fun summer read that kept me guessing til the very end!

I'm sure many people will buy this book, but it wasn't for me. The whole premise was dumb from the start. I was a fan of the author, but after the last few books, I think I'm done. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

When Liam seeks out Jude after 11 years and asks for what seems like a simple favor, Jude inexplicably agrees. Liam was her high school sweetheart but after a terrific car accident, they went their separate ways, until now, when he asks for The Favor.

Thrilling and suspenseful, the book leads you to the links between the two very different people which carry them into the future and Liam's strange request. The favor leads Jude into Liam's life, revealing a strange assortment of uninhibited arty types all inhabiting a large rundown house that Liam inherited.

Well plotted and written, this is another of Nicci French's books I truly enjoyed.