Title: The Other Side of the Door by Nicci French
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 400 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
From the internationally bestselling author of The Lying Room, a sexy, intricate thriller about the temptation of secrets, the weight of lies, and the price of betrayal and suspicion.
Who is more dangerous? An enemy, a friend, or a lover?
When Bonnie Graham arrives at her boyfriend’s apartment in London, she is horrified to discover a dead body in a pool of blood on the floor. But she doesn’t call the police. Bonnie hides the corpse and then carefully wipes away any evidence she was ever there.
Bonnie is a music teacher who spent a long, hot summer in London rehearsing with a band to play at a friend’s wedding. It was supposed to be fun, but the band members find the complicated knots of their friendships—some old, some new—unraveling as the days themselves unwind. What was meant to be a summer of happiness, love, and music turns deadly as lovers betray one another, passions turn murderous, and friendship itself becomes a crime.
Everyone tells lies. But is anyone prepared to tell the truth to uncover a murderer?
Review:
The Other Side of the Door by Nicci French is a tightly-plotted domestic mystery.
Bonnie Graham’s first instinct after a shocking discovery is to contact a close friend to help her hide a dead body. She gives no explanation for what happened and together, they decide on a place to dump the corpse then hide the person’s vehicle. Bonnie is upset and barely able to follow through whereas her friend is clear thinking and calm as they take steps to conceal all evidence of what happened. Bonnie just hopes they carry on with their lives without anything from that night being discovered. Unfortunately, the body is found and the police have a lot of questions for Bonnie and her friends.
Over summer break, music teacher Bonnie is in charge of putting together a band for a friend’s wedding. The band is comprised of her ex, Amos, former student Joakim, his dad Guy, college mate Neal, friend Sonia and stranger Hayden. There is plenty of tension between the band members as not all of them are as skilled as others. There is also jealousy over Hayden’s musical ability.
Bonnie is not one to take charge either before or after the death of one of their band mates. She is stuck in a flat that needs a lot of work and she begins work that she never finishes before moving on to another project. Amos is a thorn in her side as he gets his back up over his less than stellar musical abilities. Neal wants more from her than she able to give. Guy becomes angry when Joakim makes a surprising decision. Hayden is a bit of a pot stirrer as he creates conflict with other band members.
With the story moving back and forth in time, The Other Side of the Door is a riveting domestic mystery. Bonnie’s apathy is a bit off-putting as she wishes everything would just go away. The band members are diverse with varied backgrounds and life experiences. The identity of the murder victim is not immediately revealed which adds suspense right from the beginning. With plenty of strife between the members of the band, there are a good number of suspects who could be the killer. With jaw-dropping twists and unanticipated turns, Nicci French brings this smart domestic mystery to a clever conclusion.
