Psychological thrillers have been so hit or miss lately - this one was the biggest hit I've had in a while! Plot and characters were equally engaging and I couldn't put it down.

I would like to begin this review by thanking William Morrow and author Nicci French for allowing me to read this book, The Last Days of Kira Mullan, via #netgalley. All opinions following are my own.

The novel begins with a couple moving into a new apartment building after one of the main characters (there are two), Nancy, has just spent time in a psych ward because she had a psychotic break and had been hearing voices. Shortly after moving into their new place, though, Nancy begins hearing them again. The same day, their downstairs neighbor, Kira, is found dead from an apparent suicide.

Meanwhile, Detective Maude O'Connor is finishing up another case and relentlessly trying to prove herself in a male-dominated profession. When Nancy comes in saying that Kira didn't kill herself and was actually murdered, the male detective assigned to the case thinks that Nancy is just a raving mad woman. When he goes on vacation, though, Nancy comes back and is able to speak to Maud, whose boss begrudgingly agrees to let her investigate.

Is Nancy really crazy, or did a murder take place despite what all the neighbors and Nancy's partner seem to think?

I thought this novel was okay. There were times I thought it was brilliant, especially in the character development of Detective Maud, but I thought the novel could have been shorter in some areas. It was about halfway through the book before Nancy and Maud even crossed paths. Then, while it was a twist, I didn't thoroughly buy the conclusion of the case. Overall, I gave this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️, and I invite others to read it if crime dramas are their thing when it hits shelves March 04, 2025!

#BrenBreathesBooks #BrenReviewsBooks #NicciFrench #maudoconnor #mystery #crimedrama #netgalleyreviewer #williammorrow #3starreads #Februaryreads #comingsoon #march04 #reader #readerlife #kindlereads #bookstagramcommunity #bookstagram #bookworm #booknerd #bookish #thelastdaysofkiramullan

I wish it was more obvious on netgalley when a book is part of a series. I didn’t realize this was a second book so I didn’t even attempt due to not reading the first one

Former chef, Nancy North had a breakdown and now cannot be trusted to know reality from her psychotic breaks. Moving to a new flat with her boyfriend, Felix, Nancy is feeling very fragile and starts to believe she is coming apart again. She calls her therapist, has a session and even has her meds adjusted. Then her new neighbor Kira is found dead. Everyone believes it was suicide. But Nancy knows Kira was murdered. Everyone else seems to think Nancy is having more issues so Felix remands her back into a sanitarium.
Nancy plays the game, (even though she is quite sane), and upon release from the hospital, starts to quietly investigate Kira's death again. Luckily, this time DI Maud O'Connor is there to help and believes Nancy. Both women work to get justice for Kira and get Nancy out of a bad situation.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this digital e-arc.*

Wow wow wow. Nicci French has hit this right out of the park. From the very first page, its go go go!
Maud returns from the first book, this time she sort of inherits a colleague's case and has to fish out which of the occupants in an apartment building is the killer when a woman is found hanging in her flat. What was thought to be a suicide is starting to look very suspect.
The only person who seems to think it was murder has a history of a mental break down and her concerns are being dismissed. The other residents seem to be convinced she is losing her mind! Boyfriend isn't helping matters eithers

solid 4.5 stars!!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC! Beyond grateful and humbled

"THE LAST DAYS OF KIRA MULLEN" out MARCH 4th 2025

P.S; please bring Maud back again, I love her wit and sass!!!! She clearly loves what she does, and is such a badass!!!!!

Yes Nancy has mental health issues but DI Maud O'Connor is willing to listen to her-when no one else will- about Kira, who has been written off as a suicide. Nancy firmly believes Kira was murdered. Maud's not sure but she is sure that her superiors and colleagues seem to be off about this case. This has good twists but it's notable for the portrayal of Nancy's mental health and the struggle she has to be taken seriously. No spoilers from me because there's more than one surprise. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Good storytelling and pacing make this a good read.

The first part of this book tested my patience. Nicci French introduces us to most of the main characters with the exception of Maud O’Connor, the lead detective who is central to the story.

We meet Nancy North and her boyfriend, Felix, who move to a seedy flat after Nancy’s discharge from a mental hospital following a breakdown. We meet the neighbors; all of whom appear to be as questionable as the building they share. We briefly encounter Kira who quickly ends up dead; hanging from a rope in her apartment. The police call it a suicide, but Nancy has questions.

No one believes Nancy because Felix is the gaslighter of all gaslighters. Nancy, however, persists and finally gets the attention of DI Maud O’Connor. From here the story gets new life. The pace picks up, tension builds, and the reader is rewarded for slogging through the slow start. The book becomes impossible to put down. The payoff is fantastic.

This is the second book featuring Maud O’Connor, but can easily be read as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

I didn't realize that this is the second book featuring Maud O'Connor but, I didn't feel like I was necessarily missing anything to enjoy the book. This story is about Nancy, a seemingly mentally unstable woman living in a complex with the rest of the characters. Kira, one of the neighbors, winds up dead and while it seems like a straightforward case to the rest of the neighbors, Nancy feels like there's more to it.

Nancy eventually speaks to Maud who begins to dig a bit deeper. This was a classically unreliable main character, surrounded by a cast of lying and what my book club would call 'sketchy' supporting characters. You spend a good portion of the book guessing who did what, who is in there to try and throw you off and finally is Nancy actually mentally ill or are there other factors in play.

The challenge for this genre is that avid fans have read so many at this point that we are looking for something that really pulls you in, a really well buried twist or a fresh take on the classic plot line. For me, this one was average, it was a solid, good read, but did not blow me out of the water.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

Unfortunately this book didn't hold my interest...perhaps it was because it was the second book in the series? I am still willing to read more by Nicci French, but for now this one is not for me. I think I may try the audio later on down the road....

This is the second book in the Maud O’Connor series. I didn’t know when I started reading it, but I found it was still enjoyable and you don’t need to read the first novel to understand what is happening.
We follow Nancy, who recently moves into this apartment complex and her downstairs neighbor, Kira, is found dead. Nancy seems to be the only one who suspects that something isn’t right and that maybe there is foul play involved, but no one takes her or the case serious. While I am not that huge on short chapters, I think it helped in building up suspense as the book went along. Overall an enjoyable read that satisfied my urge to read a thriller!!

I enjoyed this book and for the most part it kept my attention. Nancy is the protagonist and has mental health issues that drag her down. I found the focus on those issues a little over the top and they consumed the story. I skipped over a good portion of the book with Nancy again in the hospital because it truly felt irrelevant. Otherwise the characters were well-developed and all of them seemed plausible as the murderer. Overall, a decent read.

Nicci French is fast becoming one of my favorite thriller authors! Nancy North recently was hospitalized for a mental breakdown where she was hearing voices and has finally come home. However, she has lost the restaurant she worked so hard to create and her partner, Felix, has decided they can no longer afford their flat and moves them across town to a smaller flat. When they move in, her neighbors are clearly tight knit if not nosy and she runs into Kira who seems distraught and mumbles something that Nancy takes as a warning. However, she had been hearing some voices again and can't be sure. The next day Kira who has always been known as happy and upbeat is found in her flat downstairs hanging from the beam. Nancy cannot accept that she committed suicide but no one will believe her and she is not sure she believes herself. As she struggles for answers that could prove she is getting better mentally, Felix becomes more controlling and her neighbors behave in strange ways as their secrets emerge. Loved this psychological thriller that takes you on the journey to find the truth among the secrets, lies, and doubts and can't wait for her next book!

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC! #TheLastDaysofKiraMullen

You need to go and buy this book right now. No hesitation you must pull on your shoes, grab your keys and head to the nearest bookstore. You need The Last Days of Kira Mullan in your life! This book had me at the edge of my seat, my anxiety was at an all-time high, my fingernails were bitten down to the quick, my heart racing, the hairs at the back of my neck were always raised. I cannot imagine the fear of living through this, always thinking it could happen again...

Nancy North had it all. A small restaurant of her own, friends, a boyfriend that cared, when the voices in her head started to become louder and harder to put into their place. Nancy was put into the hospital, pills were prescribed, therapists at the ready, Nancy finally released. By that time, she had lost her restaurant, her friends had drawn back, and the only one at her side was always dependable Felix. What would she do without him? They had to move out of their flat and into a small, dark cave across London. From the moment Nancy stepped into this space she knew she had to get out. The constant crying of the baby across the way, the loud parties from the basement that sent pulses of music vibrating through the floors. The young neighbor she bumps into, and the next day finds out she took her own life. Nancy has a niggle at the back of her head that there is so much going on with the neighbors and with Kira. She needs to find out what or completely lose her mind and self over it.

This was a dark, twisty read that had me thinking at every turn. The characters are phenomenally written. They are brought to life by the story and the circumstances. Like I said before you need to add this to your tbr and we need to discuss it once you have read it! Thank you to Nicci French and William Morrow for my gifted copy of this thrilling read.

Nancy has recently experienced a mental breakdown which forced a major change in circumstances. She's lost the restaurant she'd worked so hard for and must move to a less affluent London neighborhood. Thank goodness for her partner Felix's unfailing love and support. On the tail-end of an episode of hearing voices, Nancy briefly meets Kira, her downstairs neighbor. The next day, Kira is dead, and everything Nancy remembers - and her very sanity - is called into question. The more people who know of her mental illness, the less anything Nancy says is believed.
Great for fans of domestic suspense.

French’s second novel in the Maud O'Connor Detective series, The Last Days of Kira Mullan, focuses more on Nancy North, a young woman who is convinced her down stairs neighbor did not commit suicide. Nancy has suffered serious mental problems in recent months, so her concerns are dismissed by the detective in charge of Kira’s investigation. Nancy is also being gaslighted by her partner and the neighbors who all have reasons to want the investigation wrapped up quickly. This is often a difficult book to read due to the cruel treatment Nancy receives, but this mystery moves at a good clip.
I found it a bit puzzling that Maud really doesn’t make much of an appearance until the last half of the book, but the novel held my interest.

Nicci French can do not wrong. I am working my way through all her back list so when I saw this book I jumped on it! She does not disappoint in this latest thriller!

📚 ARC BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Last Days of Kira Mullen By Nicci French
Publication Date: March 4, 2025
Publisher: William Morrow | Willam Morrow Paperbacks

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this #gifted e-ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

The Last Days of Kira Mullen was a slow burning mysterious thriller that really seemed to take a while to get going. But once the pace picked up, it finally hooked me and I ferociously turned the pages until the mystery was solved.

As I read the first half of the book, I thought maybe there was a mistake. The first half was focused on the unreliable main character Nancy, her relationship with her partner Felix, and Nancy's significant struggles with her mental health. Nancy recently suffered a psychotic break, causing her to lose her job, her beautiful flat, and many of her friends. After Nancy and Felix move to a new flat in a shared building and their downstairs neighbor Kira is found dead by suicide, everyone around Nancy is convinced she's teetering on the edge of another psychotic break. After all, Nancy seems convinced that Kira didn't commit suicide... Though even the police believe it was suicide and closed their case.

The first half seemed to include very little mentions of Kira, other than her apparent suicide. The book's synopsis talked about how DI Maud O'Connor would stop at nothing to figure out the truth and ensure Nancy's suspicions aren't dismissed. But all I kept thinking was, where's that part of the story?! The first half was painstakingly slow and felt, to me, that I'd been mislead about the book I was reading.

However, after the halfway point in the book, the mystery finally started to deepen. The focus finally began to shift to Kira's death and Maud's investigation into it...but man, it took a long time to get there. It genuinely felt like I was reading two different books! The second half was fantastic and really captured my interest, and it was the second half of the story that pulled my rating up to a 4⭐.

Overall, I enjoyed this read -- primarily because the second half was everything I'd been hoping for. This was my first book from the writing duo of Nicci French, and I'll definitely give their books more chances in the hopes that I'll get more of the second half of The Last Days of Kira Mullen. If you're a fan of slow burn psychological thrillers, this one is definitely one to get on your TBR list!

#TheLastDaysOfKiraMullen #NicciFrench #WilliamMorrow #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARC #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #psychologicalthriller #booklover #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

"From international bestselling master of suspense Nicci French comes a chilling new psychological thriller about a woman determined to get justice for a murder no one else believes happened.

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 mean, sometimes unreliable narrators can be reliable right?

The Last Days of Kira Mullan is another great thriller from Nick French. Nancy and Felix have just moved in to a flat in a not so great building after Nancy started hearing voices and had a complete mental breakdown and lost her restaurant. She begins to wonder if she is having another breakdown after a young tenant in the building is found dead and is ruled a suicide,but Nancy is the only one who thinks it murder. I really enjoyed this book, thanks to Netgalley for this arc.

Book #2 in the Maud O'Connor series. I didn't realize this was part of a series and I read it as a stand alone. I didn't feel lost or like I was missing anything, so I think it is safe to say this can be read without reading the first book. With that being said, I loved it so much that I will go back and read the previous book as well. Full of tension, suspense, and twists I was completely engaged in this story. The author really had me feeling intense emotions while reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow | William Morrow Paperbacks for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.