THURSDAY’S CHILDREN is the fourth installment detailing the life of Frieda Klein, the troubled and damaged but still functioning London psychoanalyst. Frieda is difficult to work with and even more difficult to know; it is her tenaciousness and sharp intellect that attracts people to her, while her desire to help those who, like herself, are damaged often brings her into the middle of danger. This latest novel --- a seamless collaborative effort of Nicci Gerrard and her husband, Sean French, writing as Nicci French --- pulls back the veil that surrounds Frieda’s past, speaking indirectly to what has gone before and setting up potential plot threads for future exploration.

“Thursday’s Children” is the title of a 1954 documentary film dealing with a school for the deaf in Britain. Thus there is a fine, if obscure, bit of irony attached, as it is also the name given to a popular (fictitious) rock band from Frieda’s adolescence whose much lauded performance in Braxton occurred on a fateful night. Frieda underwent a traumatic and transformational experience that led to her leaving her hometown for over 20 years, cutting all of her familial and personal ties in the process.

"Team French does amazing things here, with its strong protagonist and interesting --- even fascinating --- supporting cast full of people you wish were your own friends, while continuing to develop a powerful undercurrent of benevolent menace that flows from book to book."

The past collides with the present when she receives an unexpected visit from Maddie Capel, a former classmate of hers who presumes a friendship that did not actually exist. Maddie is familiar with Frieda’s fame and notoriety as a psychotherapist, and asks her to speak with Becky, Maddie’s troubled teenage daughter. Frieda is extremely reluctant to do so --- as she points out, she is not a psychologist --- but acquiesces for the limited purpose of perhaps ascertaining the nature of Becky’s problems and referring her elsewhere.

Becky is at first hesitant to open up to Frieda but eventually tells her that she was raped in her own bed while her mother was downstairs. The tale seems far-fetched at first, perhaps a product of adolescent drama, until Becky reveals an important detail to Frieda that causes her to believe the girl. As a result, Frieda returns to Braxton to begin her own investigation into a cold case, contacting former friends of both sexes and reopening old wounds that remain hurtful to all concerned, the passage of time notwithstanding. These include reestablishing contact with her mother at a time that is particularly ironic and painful. Josef, Frieda’s enigmatic friend and handyman, is there to help, as are her other friends in London.

The experience causes Frieda to rip yet another relationship asunder at the worst possible time. When an unexpected tragedy occurs, it becomes all the more imperative for her to discover who the rapist is, particularly when it becomes clear that he has been claiming other victims. Meanwhile, a nemesis from Frieda’s more recent past continues to haunt her on the periphery of her life, manifesting himself anonymously but obviously. His death, such as it was, doesn’t appear to have hindered him in the slightest.

Those who have been following this series from its inception will find THURSDAY’S CHILDREN to be a pivotal installment. Team French does amazing things here, with its strong protagonist and interesting --- even fascinating --- supporting cast full of people you wish were your own friends, while continuing to develop a powerful undercurrent of benevolent menace that flows from book to book. One could assume from the the previous titles (BLUE MONDAY, TUESDAY’S GONE, WAITING FOR WEDNESDAY) that at least three more books in the series are planned. At the risk of asking for too much, let’s hope that things continue far beyond that point for Frieda Klein and company.