The Last Days Of Kira Mullan by Nicci French

 

A year ago, Nancy North's life was great.  She had a wonderful boyfriend, Felix, and they live in a great flat.  Nancy had recently accomplished her life's goal and was running her own restaurant, a job that was all consuming.  But all the long hours and new responsibilities proved to be too much for Nancy and she had a psychotic break.  After the hospital, her life is much different.  She and Felix can no longer afford their flat so they have to move across London to a smaller, dingy one that one of Felix's friends was giving up.  Her restaurant is gone and Nancy is now writing copy from home for an online site, a job she feels doesn't challenge her at all.   Worst, everyone around her treats her like she is fine china and about to break at any minute.

Nancy starts to notice things about Felix.  He seems more than okay with her new situation in which she has to depend on him for more.  He now makes the most money and he treats Nancy as if she needs to be wrapped in cotton.  Worse, he tells all their new neighbors about her breakdown and they also treat her as if she wasn't all there.  He disapproves of her friends and soon most of them are gone.  But as bad as it is, Nancy never expected what happens in the flat below.  A young woman, Kira, is found hanging from her bedroom rafter.  The police determine that it is a suicide but Nancy saw Kira right before her death and she doesn't believe it.  

But if it's not suicide, it must be someone with keys to the building.  That's a small group of suspects.  There's the personal trainer who is handsome and had a fling with Kira.  He says he dropped her but his roommate, who also had eyes on her, says Kira dropped him.  Then there's Derrick, the next door neighbor who along with his wife, has keys to everything and who is always on the prowl for new women.  There's a doctor with a wife and new baby and then there's Felix.  Could one of them have killed Kira or let in someone who did?  

Nicci French is the writing name of a husband and wife author team.  The reader can always count on an engaging mystery with lots of twists and turns and as a sideline, lots of information about London and what's it's like to live there.  Nancy is a strong character even with her issues as she persists in doing whatever it takes to get well and to find out the truth about Kira.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.