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A Tidy Ending: The latest dark comedy from the Sunday Times bestselling author

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I don’t want to say too much about Linda as it may spoil the delight and pleasure of her company so I’ll settle for saying that it’s totally fascinating viewing things through her eyes. With red herrings, twists and distractions, and a chilling last line, Cannon’s latest novel is brilliantly plotted and deliciously dark.

Joanna Cannon’s first two novels, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep (2016) and Three Things About Elsie (2017), were both Sunday Times bestsellers and Richard and Judy picks. In the past, each time I’ve been—and I haven’t been that often, I don’t care what they say—they’ve just fobbed me off with one of those volunteer officers and a paper cup filled with lukewarm tea.

That and so many similarities to “The Maid” stopped this from being a five star book, but it was still an excellent story. Now she sits in her kitchen, wondering if this is all there is – pushing the Hoover round and cooking fish fingers for tea is a far cry from the glamorous lifestyle she sees in the glossy catalogues coming through the door for the house’s previous occupant. She worked as a hospital doctor before specialising in psychiatry, and lives in the Peak District with her family and her dog. The story is written in the first person perspective of Linda and comes from two timelines – Now' and what I suppose is 'Then'. I would like to thank both Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The story centre around Linda who is living a very normal life with her husband Terry, that is until young women start to go missing in the neighbourhood. But Linda’s unconventional ways, her views on life and friendship, and the childhood trauma that haunts her has left her a little awkward with people, which also means they tend to either dismiss her or take advantage of her. The other two books ‘The Trouble With Goats and Sheep’ and ‘Three Things about Elsie’ were great reads and this one was another one at the same level. At first I couldn't understand why Linda was so intent on befriending Rebecca but I soon understood her ulterior motive.This is a mystery for those who enjoy the thrill of solving puzzles, rather than the thrill of the chase. She is too sure of herself and her capability to judge people and situations, but it is very clear to us that she always jumps to the wrong conclusions. All the characterisation is good such as Linda’s mother Eunice who my mother would have described as ‘quite a card’ but Linda’s characterisation is outstanding. I'd thoroughly recommend A Tidy Ending to any reader who enjoys a sprinkling of dark humour in their crime-mystery-thriller reads, and equally to those who love "the mouse that roared" type plots.

The chapters are mostly in the past with the murders and Linda’s preoccupation, but there also “now” chapters where Linda is in the present, foreshadowing what may have happened in the past. She always was soft in the head or Poor Linda, I often thought she was a little bit strange, because we like to cast the heroes and the villains quite early on in a story, and then everyone knows where they are. It lives on the mantelpiece, with a carriage clock and a pair of candlesticks that will never find themselves being introduced to any candles. I did appreciate the thoughtful observations—I couldn’t resist showing you a few of the many good lines. If Linda could just track down Rebecca, who lived in the house before them, maybe some of that perfection would rub off on her.Her love of narrative had always drawn her towards psychiatry, but it wasn’t until her thirties that she decided to go back to college and finally complete the A-levels she’d abandoned some 15 years earlier. Accidentally opening a catalogue addressed to the former resident, Rebecca Finch, she’s soon convinced that if this woman were her friend, her life would be so much better: perfect, in fact. Sometimes, it’s as though you haven’t spoken at all, as if your world and their world are running quite happily side by side, but there isn’t any way of moving between one and the other. Her mother is another real piece of work, a controlling woman who moved Linda to Wales after some family event in their past, something to do with her father, which is revealed only slowly.

A highly entertaining thriller with a huge, warm, beating human heart and a central character that stays with you long, long after reading. What impressed me early on was the voice, which was extraordinary, in the literary and the literal sense. Now she sits in her kitchen, wondering if this is all there is: pushing the vacuum around and cooking fish sticks for dinner, a far cry from the glamorous lifestyle she sees in the glossy magazines coming through the mail slot addressed to the previous occupant, Rebecca Finch. But when he starts to spend long hours at work which is an odd thing for him to do Linda becomes suspicious, especially when at the same time young women in the area start to go missing.I can't work out if her unreliable narration was deliberate or not, either way it didn't work for me, and the ending made me feel tricked, but not in a good way. For all ebook purchases, you will be prompted to create an account or login with your existing HarperCollins username and password.

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