Waiting For Wednesday by Nicci French

Dr. Freida Klein, London psychotherapist, is not working at present.  After the events that occurred after her last time helping the police, she is left battered in body and spirit and needs time to recuperate.  She questions if she should ever help the police again, and they also wonder if the association was wise as Freida is not the kind of person who is bound by rules and regulations.

But sometimes things seem to be meant to be.  A woman in Freida's neighborhood, Ruth Lennox, is found murdered in her home.  The police first believe it is a routine robbery gone bad, but as they investigate, a layer of lies and secrets begins to emerge.  The woman's children are acquaintances of Freida's niece, and she brings them to Freida as they grapple with their grief and disbelief. 

Then Freida starts another quest.  She hears a story that she can't just put away.  It tickles at the edges of her mind, and she tries to find the girl the story originates with.  Soon, with an unlikely ally, she realizes that there could be a serial killer who has operated without discovery for years.  Can Freida solve the various murders or should she turn her back on crime and focus on her own recovery?

This is the third mystery in the Freida Klein series by Nicci French, and readers who read the first two have been eagerly anticipating this one.  Klein is very different from the normal detective, brought into cases against her will by her drive to help others and her ability to see beyond the apparent to the hidden.  The pace is slow at first, but soon the reader realizes that the slow pace just increases the tension that creeps in on every page.  It leads to a stunning conclusion that won't be soon forgotten.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.