Until It’s Over audiobook

A stand alone novel by the husband and wife team Nicci Gerard and Sean French.Astrid Bell is a young woman living in London who has struggled to move on in life since leaving university. She is currently employed as a bike messenger and sharing a house with her friend Pippa, Miles who owns and some other tenants.Astrid has an accident on her bike when a neighbour opened her car door without first looking. Astrid is not seriously hurt and is aided by her housemates but is far more shaken later when the same neighbour is found dead outside her house by the dustbins. Things go from bad to worse when Astrid goes to collect a parcel from another neighbour and discovers her dead in the hallway to her house. The police are obviously interested and question Astrid concerning both of the suspicious deaths.Meanwhile Astrid is now in danger of being evicted when Miles girlfriend Leah wants to get rid of all the tenants so that her and Miles can have the house to themselves. This obviously causes friction between the tenants and they all try to negotiate with Miles for compensation for leaving under such circumstances. But it is the third death that has the biggest impact directly on the tenants. The book then changes and the story is told by the killer building up to a thrilling climax to the story.This is an exciting story that is a little different to the normal run of the mill psychological thrillers, nicely written, plenty of action and some interesting character.

Astrid Bell seems to be a bad luck omen, first the London cycle courier is knocked off her bike by neighbour Peggy Farrell - who is soon found dead in an alley.Then a client for the courier company that Astrid is scheduled to visit is too found murdered.Surely it’s too much of a coincide?A really gripping thriller as suspicion flux between Astrid and her six other houses mates.

Probably more a 3.5. First half of the book was good, but second half was boring. Was waiting for a twist at the end which never came.

It took me a while to get into it but with expected psychological suspense it really kicked in.(Sorry to anyone who saw that before I edited out my typos. My vision is poor enough these days that I cannot always see the letters, but wanted to at least try for a personal reaction. Now you know why I use audiobooks.)

Spannend. Een verrassend verhaal.

According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, jinx is someone or something that causes bad luck; also: a state or period of bad luck caused by a jinx. British dictionaries call it an Americanism and basically hope that it is a condition that affects others. The Thesaurus lists as synonyms: hex, charm, enchantment, condemn, hoodoo, nemesis, bewitch, plague spell, voodoo, black magic, evil eye and kiss of death. I call it Astrid Bell. The writing tandem of Nicci Gerrard and Sean French has done it again! Astrid Bell is a young and athletic London cycle courier that has bad luck. This applies not only to herself but especially for the people around her. After suffering a biking accident, the woman that inadvertently opened her car door without looking, turns up murdered a few paces from Astrid’s house. This is soon followed by the gruesome murder of a client and then they get even closer. Are these related or just random acts; is it a complot or just bad luck? The reader is sent on a trip through the streets on London and the lives of many interesting and forgettable people. The authors relate the mundane daily life, actions and interactions of a group living under the same roof in the heart of London. This writing duo once again applies (also used in Catch Me If You Can) the writing no no of starting in the first person form of one character, only to change it halfway through to another one. This does give them the ability to examine each one minutely although it tends to sometimes be confusing. This is not only a book of death and murder but also one of life and hope. This book is one for the masses and I highly recommend it.

I found this book by sheer luck on discount at BAM and am so glad that I did. Very rarely does a written story have so many characters that you really get to KNOW during the course of a novel. You don't just know your protagonist or antagonist, every character is crucial. The characters are pieced together with many layers thus making them more real, more believable on a large scale. The story. I absolutely tore through this book like my life depended on it. The questions that arose were not always quickly answered nor were they what you would expect. I stayed on the proverbial edge of my seat throughout this story. The descriptions were simple and realistic and I am still overwhelmed by the final outcome. I LOVE that you don't have to wait until the END of the book to know what is truly happening. 2/3 of the way into the book you will either be shocked or angry. Probably both. The glimpse into the mind of our villain is disturbing and fascinating. I don't have time to express all of the good feels I have for this book nor do I want to spoil it for anyone. I've recommended it for years and will continue to do so. If you want a novel that grabs your attention and refuses to let you go, this is the novel for you.

I've read all their books & love them. These first got me into murder mysteries /crime, as they're not gory, more like pyschological thrillers.Very clever idea about telling the story from 2 points of view & extremely interesting to observe the same scene from the 2 different angles.I was disappointed at the last few pages, it didn't seem quite finished.Enjoyed reading an excerpt from the next book at the end & the interview with the authors.

I don't know where my review of this went but I read the book a number of years ago and enjoyed it so much that I have a copy to keep and a copy to loan out. One of this writing pair's best.

A solid, interesting Nicci French novel.Favorite Passages:"You make it sound like a conspiracy.""Of course it's a conspiracy. So we're going to have to be the counter-conspiracy."_______I heard sounds: the front door opening and closing; voices; someone laughing; water in the tank; footsteps on the stairs; an old house breathing._______Where we lived was one of the roads that formed a kind of boarder between the well-off and the desperately poor._______"There are collections of forces and they act on particular people. There's something special about you, Astrid. An aura. We might not be able to see it, but we can feel it."_______Sometimes, when I was growing up, I wanted to shout at people: "You don't think any of this is real, do you?" I hardly ever did, though, hardly more than just once._______You decide what you're going to do and then you do it. It can be that simple._______Everyone's faking it. The difference between them and me is that they don't realize it. I do. That puts me ahead. I'm more honest than most people. I know who I am and I know that I'm alone. _______She was tall and striking and had flawless skin, but her face was discontented and her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. She reminded me of a bird of prey, a hawk perhaps. I told myself I had to be careful. _______There were fruit cakes, birthday cakes, cakes with teddy bears and cartoon characters. All the sugar and bright colours made me feel nauseous. I chose a chocolate cake, heavy and rich and thick with shavings of chocolate on top; chocolate with added chocolate. Just the thing for a celebration._______The next twenty-four hours lay in front of me like a road, clear and straight._______I looked at her and her expression had changed suddenly, like a cloud covering the sun, and I knew what it was and I knew that bad things were going to happen. Everything was about to crumble. The darkness would cover everything, like an icy tide coming in._______I felt suddenly as if I were a ghost coming back to haunt a house where I had once been happy, or at least where I had been young. A ghost in a house that already had its ghosts. _______"Do you want to go in?""No," I said. There was an icy darkness behind that door. If I opened it, it would spill over me. "No. I really don't want to go in."_______I put my hand in his and led him from there, the place where I'd once lived, in a different world. There were faces at the windows and voices in the silence. There were stories in the shadows. My house of memories; my house of ghosts. I wouldn't go there again.

Another "desperate" book from Cathy. Now I have none left! Fortunately, I found several at the library today, enough to keep me busy for awhile. Book was fairly good. A few surprises. Not Nicci French's best.

Heel goed geschreven, wel wat langdradig maar aan het eind erg goed dichtgetimmerd en toch spannend tot het einde

This was one I couldn't put down. Wonderful characterization of the residents at Maitland Road. Really felt I knew them all. I was convinced I knew "whodunnit" but turned out I was totally wrong. Three murders and lots of twists and turns. No flat points in this story. This is my second read by this husband and wife partnership and happy to say I have more lined up.

Nicci FrenchBis zum bitteren EndeC. BertelsmannAutor: Hinter dem Namen Nicci French verbirgt sich das Ehepaar Nicci Gerrard und Sean French. Seit langem sorgen sie mit ihren höchst erfolgreichen Psychothrillern international für Furore. Sie leben im Süden Englands. (Quelle: C. Bertelsmann)Astrid fährt mit ihrem Rad und freut sich schon auf zuhause. Plötzlich öffnet sich vor ihr eine Autotür, der Astrid nicht mehr ausweichen kann. Sie landet schmerzhaft auf dem Boden. Auf einen Arzt verzichtet sie allerdings trotzdem. Ihre Freunde, die alles gesehen haben, bringen Astrid in die WG. Beim späteren Essen gibt es dann die zweite, negative Nachricht, denn Miles sagt allen, dass sie ausziehen müssen, die er dort mit seiner Freundin wohnen möchte. Als einen Tag später dann auch noch die Leiche einer jungen Frau gefunden wird, bei der es sich um die Person handelt, weswegen Astrid den Unfall hatte, ist das Chaos der WG perfekt.Der Thriller “Bis zum bitteren Ende” ist in zwei Teile und insgesamt 44 Kapitel gegliedert. Im ersten Teil geht es dabei um die WG, den Mord und die Ermittlung. Dieser wird aus der Sicht von Astrid selbst erzählt. Der zweite Teil ändert dann den Erzähler (hier möchte ich allerdings keinen Namen nennen, da ich sonst zu sehr spoilern würde), sodass man die Vorfälle nochmals verfolgen kann. Dieses Mal allerdings mit einem anderen Schwerpunkt, wobei auch die Morde beleuchtet und erklärt werden. Hier liegt es also nahe, dass der zweite Teil die Seite des Mörders beleuchtet. Dieser Aufbau hat mir persönlich gut gefallen und hat auch keinerlei Lesespaß genommen, obwohl zu Beginn des zweiten Teils klar ist, wer genau der Mörder ist (hier hätte das Buch also eigentlich enden können). Allerdings muss ich sagen, dass es bis zum Schluss recht unklar bleibt, wieso die Morde wirklich begangen werden. Der Antrieb des Mörders ist zwar da, aber mir persönlich fehlte da einfach die letzte Überzeugung. Auch wenn die Geschichte über weite Strecken nicht oder nur wenig zu überraschen weiß, so kommt es am Ende dann zu einem Punkt, der die meisten 100 % überraschen wird. Auch die Verdächtigungen, die im Klappentext selbst noch angepriesen werden, haben mir fast gänzlich gefehlt. Und gerade hier hatte das Buch so viel Potenzial, aufgrund der unterschiedlichen Charaktere. Trotzdem konnte das Buch mich überzeugen, auch wenn ich anfänglich dachte, das wird nichts mehr. Im Laufe der Geschichte ist es einfach diese besondere Art und Weise, wie die Autoren Spannung aufbauen, die einen bis zum Ende durchhalten lassen. Auch die Erzählweise und nicht zuletzt der gut lesbare Schreibstil, haben für ein rundes Leseerlebnis bis zum Schluss gesorgt. Auch wenn hier nicht jeder zufrieden sein wird, wie genau die ganze Story aufgelöst wird.Cover: Das Cover von “Bis zum bitteren Ende” zeigt einen düsteren, mit wolkenverhangenen Himmel. Hier könnte man vermuten, das ist ein Abbild dessen, dass sich der Himmel über der WG auch verdüstert. Außerdem sehen wir eine Art Altar, im Bild. Der Titel des Buches, steht in einem weißen Rechteck geschrieben und verdeckt etwas das Bild. Zusammenfassend lässt sich festhalten, das Cover ist keine große Meisterleistung und sticht auch kaum durch die Gestaltung heraus. Fazit: Nicci French steht für tolle Unterhaltung, besonders im Bereich Thriller. Auch “Bis zum bitteren Ende” gehört in dieses Genre und weiß trotz anfänglicher Schwierigkeiten, zu überzeugen. Es gibt zwar auch einige, kleine Kritikpunkte, allerdings habe ich mich Großen und Ganzen am Ende, gut unterhalten gefühlt. Vor allem aber auch “anders” Unterhalten gefühlt. Ob es der Aufbau oder aber der tolle Wechsel im Erzählstil war, kann ich dabei nicht wirklich entscheiden. Wahrscheinlich war es eine Mischung aus beidem. Ich komme am Ende auf 4/5 Sterne für “Bis zum bitteren Ende”.Klappentext: Astrid ist Fahrradkurier in London - und bringt anderen Leuten kein Glück. Kaum denkt sie über die Gefahren ihres Jobs nach, wird sie von der Autotür der Nachbarin vom rad gestoßen. Die Nachbarin ist am nächsten Tag tot. Ein paar Tage später soll Astrid ein Päckchen abholen, findet die Kundin aber nur noch leblos im Flur. Astrid gerät unter Verdacht, aber nicht nur sie, sondern auch ihre sechs Mitbewohner, mit denen sie ein Haus teilt. Schnell entwickelt sich die Atmosphäre im haus zu einem Albtraum aus gegenseitigen Vorwürfen und Verdächtigungen. (Quelle: C. Bertelsmann)Autor/-in: Nicci FrenchTitel: Bis zum bitteren EndeVerlag: C. BertelsmannGenre: ThrillerSeiten: 416Preis: Taschenbuch: Variiert // eBook: 3,99Erstveröffentlichung: 2008ISBN: 978-3641245993