It’s official – I am now a big fan of Nicci French novels. Up until about five weeks ago, I had never read a Nicci French novel – now I have read two, absolutely loving both of them! With both books, I found the stories so immersive and thought provoking, I struggled to put them down. I read my gifted, advance copy the recently released The Last Days of Kira Mullan over Christmas, with the bulk of me reading it on Boxing Day. I was so consumed by it that I failed to engage with my family much that day – sorry family! 🙂 But, the clever, gripping plot full of empathy and depth was so worth it!
The Last Days of Kira Mullan is a powerful and poignant story. It is also Nancy North’s story just as much as it is Kira’s story as Nancy follows her gut instincts and fights against the odds to be heard.
Recovering from a psychotic episode that resulted in her being sectioned in a psychiatric ward, Nancy is moving across London with her boyfriend to a new flat and new area for a fresh start together. Yet within a day or so of Nancy and Felix moving, one of their neighbours is found dead. That neighbour is Kira Mullan. All the evidence points to Kira taking her own life, with the police investigation practically closing before it gets started. Very soon life goes back to normal for the close knit community where everyone seems to know everyone’s business. The only person within the neighbourhood that believes Kira’s death is a lot more sinister than meets the eye is Nancy. Especially as Nancy encountered Kira the day of her death; and in her view, Kira was far from being suicidal.
Yet with everyone around Nancy regarding her as extremely vulnerable, especially her boyfriend and neighbours, and the police accusing her of wasting police time, she is not taken seriously. In fact, she is accused of imagining things which leads to horrendous, life-changing consequences for Nancy. But still Kira’s death haunts her, and out of desperation she appeals to Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor.
What a woman Maud is – highly intelligent, empathetic and full of resilience as she is confronted every day with the misogynistic small mindedness running throughout the police force. I then encountered Maud again in Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter, the precursor to this latest Nicci French novel. I suppose I read both books in the wrong order, but it was by coincidence that I read the Charlotte Salter novel as my book club chose it. However as soon as I finished The Last Days of Kira Mullan, because I was completely consumed by it, I was so excited to read Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter, which I only finished a few days ago. I am still experiencing a serious book hangover!
The plots of both thrillers are so skilfully crafted. When I discovered that Nicci French was the pseudonym for a writing partnership, I couldn’t believe it as both narratives read as though one author’s voice. However The Last Days of Kira Mullan is actually the 26th novel of married couple Nicci Gerrard and Sean French.
Thank you to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to the blog tour of The Last Days of Kira Mullan, as essentially you have introduced to me to a stunning writing partnership. I am so excited to grab some of their other books and get immersed in them too. Thank you also to Simon & Schuster for sending me an advance, gifted copy of this latest novel.
The Last Days of Kira Mullan was published on Thursday 16 January 2025.
