Nancy seemingly has it all, but suffers a psychotic break after everything proves to be too much. Once home, things between she and her husband Felix are understandably strained. They've had to move to a smaller flat and Nancy feels parented by Felix and her neighbors aren't friendly. When a young woman Kira in the apartment below is believed to have committed suicide, Nancy can't help but be suspicious of everyone. She doesn't believe it was suicide.

I loved the characters of Maud and Nancy. I was infuriated by what total pigs Maud's colleagues are. They should be working together to solve crime, not working against her because she threatens their egos. I hate Felix. Nicci French did a great job writing his character, because boy did I hate him.
The ending haunted me. Yes, I recommend this book and thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read it as an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This thriller had an intriguing premise and some suspenseful moments, but it didn’t fully captivate me. While the plot had potential, the pacing felt uneven at times, and some of the twists didn’t quite land as expected. I did enjoy certain aspects, like the atmosphere and a few well-developed characters, but overall, I didn’t feel completely invested in the story.

It was an okay read, and thriller fans may still find something to enjoy, but it wasn’t quite as gripping as I had hoped.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars. I enjoyed this story but I did find it to be a tad slow. A lot of build up, character building and descriptive narratives made it better but I did wish for a tad more excitement, maybe a little more suspense. Definitely well written. I definitely am becoming attached to Maud and her struggle in a profession most of us are all too familiar with. I love a strong, female lead.

Kira Mullen is found hanging in her flat. Ruled a suicide, the cops are more than happy to close the case and move on. Nancy and her partner move in to the flat above Kira Mullen. Nancy, recovering from a mental breakdown, is convinced Kira did not take her own life.

A solid. Whodunnit that will speak to fans of Pat Cornwell and Karin Slaughter.

This was the first that I have read of this author and I will be reading more.
Kira is a tenant in a building with other tenants. When Nancy and Felix move in something horrible happens to Kira. As the story unravels, two things are happening: Nancy is battling psychotic episodes and Nancy believes Kira was murdered. These two stories build and intertwine. There are suspects throughout the house and some good misdirection. I was not sure of the twists and the final one seemed a little pushed, but overall it was a good story!

Thank you to William Morrow Books for the copies to review.

This was my first read by this author duo, and I really liked it. Note that it is book 2 in a series, but it read perfectly fine as a standalone to me. I was not sure what to expect as I went in blind but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this. It was infuriating how Nancy was treated given her past mental issues, but it went with the story. The pacing is slow and steady but I was fine with it, and I loved the plot as well as how it all wrapped up. I will definitely read more by this duo.

Nowhere did it say this was a series, and I felt like something was missing only to discover after it's book two.

This book was a solid 5 stars for me. I absolutely loved the methodical way Maud solved the mystery and yet it was kept from the reader while she ensured she had evidence. Very well done and reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes. At first, the book seems a bit slow as the two characters are being developed and the plot is being set up, but just hang on for the ride as Nicci French definitely delivers on this one. I also appreciated the follow up and that no lose ends were left. Just a real good mystery!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. I always like to read books by Nicci French. This one was no different. It was paced well and had the intrigue to keep me reading

It was ok and sent me in all different directions. The title, "The Last Days of Kira Mullan" should be called "The Life and Times of Nancy North". We are told bits and pieces of Kira as well as Maud with the whole book on how Felix is gaslighting Nancy. Yes she has mental health issues and had an episode and the whole building is ready to have her committed. Too many people who couldn't be trusted in the house and next door such as Michelle and Dylan, Seamus and Harry.

Nancy has become an unreliable narrator in her own life.

After finally making her dream a reality—opening her own restaurant—Nancy pours every ounce of herself into it: her money, her time, her energy… and then her mind. A full-blown psychotic break lands her in a psychiatric ward, and while she’s healing, her world falls apart.

Felix, her ever-loyal partner, stays by her side through it all. But with the restaurant gone and their lives upended, the couple is forced to move into a shared home in a cheaper part of west London. That’s where things get… strange.

On their first night, Felix joins a party thrown by the two men living in the basement, while Nancy—exhausted but uneasy—stays behind. When she goes for a walk the next morning, she collides with a young woman who seems panicked, maybe even terrified. Nancy’s sure she hears her say something like “I need help” before the woman bolts.

That woman is Kira, another resident in the house. And the next time Nancy sees her… she’s hanging from the ceiling of her flat.

Everyone says it’s suicide. Case closed. But Nancy can’t shake the feeling that something is very, very wrong. The people in the house? Off. The couple next door? Cagey. Felix? Suddenly questioning her sanity. Again.

But what if Nancy’s not spiraling?

What if she’s the only one seeing things clearly?

This book had me second-guessing everything. I love a good “is-she-losing-it-or-is-she-right” storyline, and this one delivers tension, paranoia, and ever increasing suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nicci French, and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for a review.

I absolutely adore Nicci French and have read EVERYTHING published to date. To end up with an early copy of The Last Days of Kira Mullan, was such an honor!

This book delivers.

A compelling and psychologically rich thriller that delves into themes of perception, reality, and the insidious nature of doubt. This quite literally might be my favorite French book to date.

Nicci French excels in character development. I watched Nancy North come alive before my eyes. I instantly felt my stomach cramp with unease and began to question reality. This book masterfully handles the theme of gaslighting, and made me question everything right alongside Nancy. I could no longer tell fact from fiction.

The mystery surrounding Kira Mullan's death is intriguing and well-paced. French skillfully weaves together the investigation with Nancy's internal struggles. I truly felt for Nancy and wanted to reach out and hug her. This book explores the delicate balance between mental health and reality, raising important questions about perception and trust. It also addresses themes of isolation, vulnerability, and the power of intuition.

This book right here is a gamechanger. A perfectly crafted psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Check out this teaser :

Nancy North is ready to put her life back together. After suffering a psychotic break that ruined friendships, stalled her fledgling restaurant, and forced her to move out of her comfortable flat, she’ll do anything to get back to normal. She and her partner Felix—who has been a saint through her recent troubles—move into a new flat for a fresh start.

Nancy is taking her pills, seeing her therapist, and avoiding unnecessary stress. She’s doing absolutely everything right, but something is still very, very wrong. On the first day in the new flat, she hears them again; the mysterious voices that triggered her first episode. It could just be the unfamiliar sounds of water in the pipes, or the screaming baby across the hall, but deep down she knows something more sinister is going on. Her fears are confirmed when the young woman in the downstairs flat, Kira, is found dead. Felix, her neighbors, and even the police insist it’s a tragic suicide, but the pieces aren’t adding up for Nancy. Can she trust her own instincts, or is it all in her head?

Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor has misgivings about her colleagues’ investigation of Kira’s death. The boys club at the top seems intent on closing the case as quickly as possible, especially since the only person who thinks it could be anything other than suicide is known to be unreliable. But Maud knows what it’s like to be dismissed as an overemotional woman and isn’t so quick to discount Nancy’s claims. As tensions reach an explosive breaking point, the line between fact and delusion becomes dangerously blurred, but Maud will stop at nothing to ensure that the truth comes to light.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley

Nancy had a psychotic breakdown and she is ready to put her life back together. She and her partner move to a new place for a fresh start.
Nancy is doing everything right and following doctors orders but things are still not right. Then her neighbor Kira is found dead and everyone insists it is suicide. But Nancy seems to thing otherwise.

One of the detectives seems to have some misgivings about how quickly they came up with suicide and is wondering about what really happened.

This one pulls you in and makes you wonder who is really the crazy one!

This was a slow-burn, suspense filled story. It definitely has you questioning things but the one constant I got from it was how consistent Nancy was despite the others around her. The mind games being played around her to destabilise things and challenge her credibility was saddening but also pretty infuriating. I really wanted her to pull through it all and for someone to just stop and listen.

The characters in this are all quite questionable and you can't help but wonder how many skeletons are actually hidden in the closets of the apartment block. I can't think that many really have any redeeming qualities and their own issues result in Nancy being a target for distraction. Luckily Maud is a breath of fresh air and uncovers some of the secrets that others gave tried to hide. It does come close to the end so you are really kept on the edge of your seat with no real hints as to whether things will be ok in the end or not!!

Kira Mullan is a twenty three year old woman living in a decrepit structure converted into several flats. Nancy North is another young woman, one with lots of issues in her life - most recently being mental health issues which have prompted her and her boyfriend, Felix, to move across London to the same place as Kira. One day, Nancy is returning home when she sees Kira hanging from the ceiling in her flat. She didn’t know Kira very well, but she was a lively, pretty person and Nancy thinks there is more to her death than the police are willing to consider. Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor, who struggles with her role in a “man’s world” eventually listens to Nancy’s misgivings about Kira’s death and begins to investigate. This book is full of characters who are difficult to like - her boyfriend, her neighbors, the police hierarchy - all bent on making Nancy’s feel overwhelmed and irrelevant and Maud seem ineffective.

There was actually a point in reading this novel that I considered not finishing it, but I kept with it. Next was this was just a so-so read, but I kept with it. At about the halfway point, it became almost unputdownable. There were so many levels of tension - I am a big fan of tension in books, and I enjoyed how the tension flowed throughout this book from those who doubted Nancy, from those who wanted Maud to hurry her investigation along or even drop it, from the suspects being interrogated, from the boy's club and how they treated Maud, and from the actual circumstances of the victim's death.The book develops slowly but builds and builds to somewhat of a surprise conclusion as the reader watches the persistence of the detective and the “crazy lady.” This is the second book featuring Maud O’Connor that can be read as a standalone, and I am sure there will be more. My thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Thank you William Morrow for my gifted copy!

This was my first by the author duo, Nicci French, and it will not be my last. This was twisty, incredibly written and fun to read. I kept waiting to return to it and find out what was going on. This was the best book to get my out of my reading slump!

Thanks to NetGalley & William Morrow for the chance to read this book!

First off I will say when I stared reading this book I had no idea it was part of a series, or at least the 2nd book in a detective series, It reads fine as a standalone far as I could tell! Then again If it didn't, I wouldn't know what I was missing would I ? lol!

Second off- This is what I would describe as "A gripping psychological thriller" I get so annoyed that darn near every book is called a thriller these days, when half the time the book is anything but thrilling!!! I am VERY familiar with Nicci French as an author and it did NOT surprise me that I was hooked from the start of this one, Could not read soak it up fast enough, I even lost sleep to finish this book (as you notice from the time stamp I am writing this at 5 am right as soon as i finished it!!! Even made coffee at 3 am just to keep me up to get it done!) Loved it, Loved every page, every chapter!!!

3rd thought- THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR NETGALLEY FOR! Books that make me very happy I'm a reader and not stuck in boring everyday reality , could you imagine! uughhhh

Okay done with the numbers! Thank you Nicci for another fantastic 5 star read!
So glad Kira & Nancy got the justice they deserved

Overall: This is one of the most tense readings I've had lately. The mental health awareness is perfectly represented. The gaslighting, paranoia, and abuse are sensitive subjects that the author perfectly approached as well. I couldn't put it down even though it truly made me nervous. I truly loved Maud O'Connor and her straightforward approach to interrogation, her sharpened senses, her ability to see the details and piece together puzzles. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of her adventures if one of my favorite writer duos gives life to them.

Thank you, @williammorrowbooks and @netgalley for the free book.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Last Days of Kira Mullen by Nicci French
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 456 / Genre: Psychological Thriller
Release Date: March 4, 2025

After suffering a psychotic break, which resulted in losing her restaurant, her friends, and her sense of self, Nancy is finally ready to get her life back on track. Her boyfriend Felix is the only one who’s been by her side the entire time. The two move into a cheaper flat with new neighbors. Among the new neighbors is Kira Mullen, who dies by suicide the night they move in. Everyone is saddened by this news but only Nancy sees clues that lead her to believe that Kira was murdered. But no one listens to the “crazy lady,” since Felix had been telling everyone about her psychological problems. Is Nancy crazy or is she being gaslighted by everyone?

I quite enjoyed this mystery overall. Although, there were so many deliciously awful characters that I would have liked to see severely punished. But it kept me guessing to the end.

Nancy and her boyfriend Felix move into a new, shabby apartment building in London following Nancy’s psychotic break. Shortly after they move into, their neighbor Kira, turns up dead—apparently suicide. Nancy, still suffering from minor bouts of psychosis, is convinced Kira was murdered. Nobody believes her due to her mental state, and the police close the case. Shortly after, Nancy is back in the mental hospital and released. Upon her return home, she finds that Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor is taking another look at the case. Nancy is increasingly fearful of her home situation with Felix and worried about who killed Kira.

I really like this book. However, the first 30 to 50 pages were really hard to get through. That’s the section where Nancy is having smaller psychotic episodes. It’s very disjointed and sad and I was happy when it got past that part to get into the mystery. I really could not figure out who the murderer was.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for a copy of this book.