Red Room [Paperback]

Nicci French (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2002

Kit Quinn is a young woman who inhabits dangerous worlds: crime scenes, interrogation scenes, hospitals for the criminally insane. Horribly wounded in an attack by a suspect, she must return to the site of her worst fears. She is asked by the police to advise them on a simple murder inquiry. A young runaway has been found killed by a canal and the chief suspect is the man who wounded Kit. But Kit refuses to accept appearances and her obsessive search for the truth draws her into an underworld of the missing and the unloved which puts her at terrible risk.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Penzler Pick, August 2001: Already a sensation in England, Nicci French (the pseudonym of a London couple who've turned their marriage into a writing partnership as well) is quickly gaining recognition and fans on this side of the Atlantic, too. French's two previous novels published here, Killing Me Softly and Beneath the Skin, are romantic thrillers with hard edges--a little like a marriage of convenience between Sally Beauman and Ian Rankin.

But The Red Room is a change of pace that is reminiscent of Frances Fyfield, only without her stylistic quirks. It also asks a lot of the reader in imagining the deliberately obtuse or arrogant ways in which the police sometimes interfere in the lives of those not on the public payroll.

In this case, the two people whose lives are being most unfairly manipulated hold opposite, even antagonistic, places in society. One is a clinical psychologist, Katherine Quinn; the other, Michael Doll, is the troubled young man who not long ago left her with terrible facial disfigurement, having suddenly attacked her while undergoing an evaluation in his jail cell. Somehow, out of curiosity, misplaced duty, and a desire to try to "reduce him to his human size," Kit Quinn allows a police detective to talk her into seeing Michael once again. This time her nemesis--about whom she has recurring nightmares of a blood-spattered red room--stands accused of murder. The trouble is, after coming face to face with him, Dr. Quinn isn't at all convinced he's guilty.

Nicci French has better success with the setup of this suspenseful, twisty situation than she does with its resolution. But The Red Room provides superior entertainment, with a complex and all-too-human heroine at the center of its drama. --Otto Penzler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Following two highly praised psychothrillers (Killing Me Softly and Beneath the Skin), this fiction noir will be welcomed by French's avid readers. However, the fragmented, wandering at times almost directionless narrative won't do much to add to French's (actually a husband-and-wife writing team) list of fans. Attractive young London forensic psychiatrist Kit Quinn is having a run of rotten luck. First she catches her lover with another woman, then she's maimed by Michael Doll, a disturbed young man the police were questioning for loitering near an elementary school. When Doll is arrested again, suspected of murdering a young woman whose body is found by a canal where he fishes, Kit is asked to do a psychological assessment. Uncertain about Doll's guilt, Kit points out that the cops have no case. A tenuous connection to Will Pavic, the director of the homeless shelter frequented by runaway teens in a seedy ghetto, leads nowhere. Over protests from the smug police that she is wasting her time, Kit, following her intuition, wanders far afield and questions the affluent family of a young mother, the victim of an earlier, seemingly unrelated kidnapping and murder. Also, she intuits a link with the suicide of a troubled teen. Ignoring her fear that he may be involved, Kit, out of loneliness, enters a bittersweet affair with Will. Despite a literary yard sale of gratuitous characters, superfluous subplots and prose that at times seems remote and abstract, the chimerical plot is rescued as the signature climax is delivered right on cue. Major ad/promo. (Aug. 7)starring Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes, this October.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books; 1st Ppbk. Prn. July 2002 edition (February 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014028107X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140281071
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,230,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Am I Blue...., August 2, 2001

By 

D. Kaplan "sleuth029" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Red Room (Hardcover)

I don't know about you, but when I read a book by one of my favorite authors, my expectations are higher than when I read a book by an author who is unknown to me. When the book doesn't live up to my expectations, I guess I feel so let down that I tend to be hyper-critical.

This latest book by Nicci French lacked the edge and the connection to the protagonist that I experienced when reading a French book. When reading "Killing Me Softly" and "Beneath the Skin," I was constantly asking myself..."What would I have done?" I rarely found myself asking that while reading "The Red Room" On the contrary, I felt no connection to the protagonist, Kit Quinn. Although the character is explored in great depth, I just could not get drawn into her life.

Most of the other characters in the book were not well defined and, quite often, I wondered why they were there at all. Story lines were introduced and never fully explored or haphazardly explained leaving me a bit bewildered at times.

This was one of those books where you are waiting for that stunning moment to occur. There was only one scene in the book that was reminiscent of the French style. Unfortunately, a three to four page scene is not enough to carry a book.

On the positive side, the book was a very fast read. Maybe that is because I was frantically turning pages hoping to reach the point when I would feel that sense of urgency I felt when reading the prior two books.

When I finished this book, I had the feeling that this was the first book in a series featuring Kit Quinn, who goes from being a therapist to a forensic psychologist and super sleuth in short order.

If allowed, I would give this book 2-1/2 stars. As homage to the husband and wife team of Nicci French who have given me so many hours of exciting and insightful reading pleasure, I will give the book a three-star rating.

I am left waiting for the next French book with the optimism that it will be up to the level of excellence of the prior two books.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars engaged my interest from start to finish, August 28, 2001

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Red Room (Hardcover)

I rather liked "The Red Room" by Nicci French. This novel is not quite like French's previous novels -- it is a little more subdued and restrained. The heroine, Dr. Kit Quinn, a forensic psychiatrist, is also a little different from previous French heroines: while interviewing a mentally unbalanced derelict, whom the police suspect of being a sexual deviant, Kit is rather badly scarred in the face when the derelict, Michael Doll goes spare and tries to attack the policeman in the interview room. Add to this the unpleasantness of being ignominiously dumped by her longtime boy friend, and you realise that Kit has lost a lot of her self-assurance and confidence. This makes her a little diffident at times, and very anxious at others. This is the tone that more or less pervades over much of the book; it can be exasperating for some readers, but if you put aside your preconceptions about how an investigative heroine is supposed to be or act, than "The Red Room" becomes a very interesting and rewarding read. Another interesting point about this mystery novel and it's heroine, is that Kit seems to operate best when she acts on instinct. When she first confronts the murder of the homeless runaway, Lianne, instinct makes Kit look at other unexplained murders/deaths, as she's very sure that that Lianne's death was not a one off. She gets very little support from the police and her own colleagues, who spend much of the novel downplaying her instincts and insinuating that Kit has somehow lost her edge and her astuteness. Here again is another difference between Kit and other heroines in the mystery genre: Kit is frequently unable to explain herself properly in order to garner the support she needs from the police and her colleagues. This, again could be off-putting, but I found that it added a kind of texture to the novel, making it all the more unique and interesting. What Kit shares in common with other mystery novel heroines is her fine sense of justice. Eventhough she's not quite sure if Michael Doll is a murderer or not, she refuses to take part in a kangaroo investigation that seems to be heading in the direction of fitting him up for the killings, solely because he is a rather repulsive and off-putting individual. Kit fights the police investigators all the way so that they will not take the easy way out and concentrate on one suspect only, thus losing sight of the 'big picture' sotospeak. "The Red Room" is a really interesting read. Kit Quinn, with all her anxiousness, compassion for the victims involved and their families, and courage to follow her instincts in spite of all the opposition she faces, is a rather engaging heroine. Some may find that her lack of assurance and her restrained manner makes her a rather uninteresting and unlikely heroine. However I found these traits drew me in more, and made her a lot more accessible than she otherwise may have been. The mystery itself was an interesting, if somewhat common one; however it was a well written and executed one, and engaged my interests from start to finish. A really good read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Compelling Creep Show, August 8, 2001

By 

sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Red Room (Hardcover)

“The Red Room” is a fine keep-you-up-all-night psychological thriller. The Frenches don’t let us down in this character-driven novel of suspense. A homeless teen-aged girl, only known as Lianne, is murdered near a canal in a seedy part of London. The police are certain they have their perpetrator, Michael Doll, who freely admits he was at the scene. Michael is a disturbed young man who has been convicted of minor sexual offenses. Have you ever met someone who you found disgusting and repulsive, but yet you found yourself pitying him or her? Meet Michael, a perfect example of the breed. The authors play the reader like a violin to elicit these contradictory emotions. This is one revolting guy, and yet---

Enter Kit Quinn, a psychologist who has an unpleasant background with Michael. The police want her to “sign off” on his ability to stand trial. Dr. Quinn thinks there is much wrong with Michael, but doubts very much if he is a murderer. And so our story begins.

Kit, an efficient appearing lady, who has a soaring imagination, captivated me. She is one of those people who have an aura of beauty and civility in everything they do. She gathers flowers, but does not garden. She is a fine appreciator of the smells, colors, and satisfactions of the freshest, simplest food—yet she claims she never has food in the house. I particularly liked that Kit is nobody’s fool; her awareness is very keen for both the faults and virtues of her friends and lovers.

The novel overflows with wonderful characters. Julie who descends uninvited on Kit and stays for the entirety of the book, is a free spirit and borrows food, clothes, and space shamelessly. Yet we forgive her because of her innate generosity, her charm and her humor. The middle-aged Detective Chief Inspector is convinced that Julie and Kit are romantic partners, and fumbles manfully to be sophisticated about his misapprehension.

The suspense builds and builds, the tension all the greater because we care about these people. We want the best for each of them and know it will not work out that way. The authors do not let us down and keep the intensity high through the last page. I liked this book and believe it ranks with my favorite French novel “Killing Me Softly.” Read it and enjoy.