Ten years before Liam had done Jude a favour, and now it is payback time. Although she has had no contact with him in the intervening period, and they have gone their separate ways, Jude has no hesitation in agreeing to Liam's request. He assures her that he will describe it more fully later, but that there is nothing illegal about what he wants her to do. It starts with her driving his car to a country cottage, and then waiting for him there.

This is a tightly plotted, very intriguing, novel, and at the start Jude can have no idea of how much her life will be changed because of her decision to go along with Liam's request.

An excellent read. ( )

This hurts to give this rating as I'm a HUGE fan of their Frieda Klein series. The plot here is good. It resulted in an "what if" conversation between my husband and I. Thus to say I was interested and invested. Jade's first love comes back to her 11 years later and has asked a favor. He has shown Jade great grace in the past so the guilt Jade carries is understandable. Jade is a doctor now but this x-beau's life seems somewhat ragged near homeless. Well played though, the guilt works. Jade undertakes his request and it has huge implications for Jade. I think Jade could have been written as a stronger character. I rather think half of the story could have been written more tactical after-all, I expected that from their Frieda series. If you are reading this collaboration for the first time, please try the Frieda Klein series and do read in order. ( )

This had an interesting beginning - Jude is asked by ex-boyfriend Liam, whom she hasn't seen for 11 years, to lie to her fiancé Nat and drive Liam's car and luggage to Norfolk on a Saturday night. Her reason for agreeing, which I think is meant to be a big twist, was completely obvious to me from about the second page. Anyway Liam never turns up in Norfolk because he is murdered. Jude spends the rest of the book gradually telling bits of the truth to Nat and to the police, inserting herself into the sort of commune where Liam's girlfriend and son live, and putting herself in danger in ways she has been explicitly told not to by the police. The actual 'solution' to the mystery of what Liam was up to is shoehorned into the very end and is disappointing.

I skimmed most of this. ( )

The Favor, Nicci French, author; Imogen French,narrator
Liam and Jude were in love as teenagers. Their brief courtship came to an end after a tragic accident. Although she tried to keep in touch with him afterward, he stopped all contact with her going forward. Out of the blue, a little more than a decade later, Liam suddenly reappeared in Jude’s life and asked her to do him a favor. She was now a doctor, preparing for her upcoming wedding, yet she agreed. She felt she owed it to him, but she doesn’t articulate her reasons. She was impressed with the fact that Liam had tracked her down. Her memories and feelings for him were reawakened. Although she loved her fiancé, Liam was able to touch her heart again. They arranged a clandestine weekend together where he promised that nothing untoward would happen. He just wanted the opportunity to tell her, in a private, quiet place, the favor he needed from her. He promised it would not be anything illegal and she would not be compromised. Why did she not tell her fiancé about this reunion? Why had she never told him about Liam, the boy who stole her virginity?
Although Liam refused to give her any details, she did not suspect anything nefarious. She naively believed him. For some reason, this very accomplished and successful young woman thought that she could trust him and so would do as he had requested without further ado. She lied to her fiancé, Nat, and told him that she was going to visit with an elderly relative for the weekend. Nat had no reason to suspect she was lying. However, what did Nat do that weekend with Jude gone? They were supposed to watch the fireworks together and go to a party. Would he still go?
Fairly soon, she realizes that her decision to agree to Liam’s request was ill-fated. After meeting her, he gave her an address and asked her to go there to wait for him. He asked her to prepare dinner and gave her a credit card that he insisted she use for her purchases. After all, she had come at his behest. He also gave her his suitcase and asked her to put it into one of the bedrooms at the house she would be going to before he returned. She could choose another bedroom. He had something he had to do before he came to meet her again, so although this surprised her, they arranged for her to meet him at the train station later on. Although she went there and waited and waited, he did not return. She had no idea what to do, so she returned to the house to continue to wait, hoping he would arrive on his own.
Suddenly, in the middle of the night, she heard a phone ring. She fished Liam’s phone out of his suitcase. It was the police. She had suddenly become embroiled in a murder investigation. She was suddenly a suspect. The trajectory of her future takes a dramatic turn as her wedding is called off, and she is drawn into a web of intrigue, coupled with an odd and complicated conspiracy involving Liam’s rather bizarre group of friends and roommates, and their lifestyles. She is unexpectedly named the executor of Liam’s will, and her life becomes more complicated. She began to spiral down from the pressure and stress and was forced to take a leave from the hospital where she worked.
The story twisted and turned and kept me guessing constantly. Why was Liam murdered? Was it a random act or a premeditated killing? Who was the killer? Why was her fiancé so angry that he could not forgive her for lying to him? What was he hiding? Jude had felt that it was unfair that her life had worked out so well, but Liam’s did not? Why did she feel that way? Now Liam was dead and her life was spiraling out of control. As Jude was drawn further and further into this investigation, she began to admire the lifestyle of Liam’s “family” of friends. She began to admire their loyalty to each other. She seemed to be drawn into their circle more and more, even against her will. Then suddenly, she began to see cracks in their relationships. Could she extricate herself from these people? They kept reeling her back in, no matter how she tried to leave.
Sometimes, Jude’s naïve behavior will stretch credulity. After all, she is a well-educated physician who diagnosed, treated and dealt with patients and their families all the time, in the direst situations, and yet, she seemed to be making the same kind of foolish decisions over and over, like some inexperienced, infatuated teenager.
Even though there is some repetitive behavior and dialogue, and even though there are some situations that defy rational thought, the author knits all of the threads and tangents together so well, that these flaws are forgivable, and I recommend the book. I read it in one day, and really felt compelled to finish it. It captured my interest and attention and it will capture yours. ( )

New authors for me, so I jumped at the chance to read it. I hadn’t realized it was a collaboration until I read about the authors.

Dr. Jude Winters is contacted by her first love, who she hasn’t heard from in years, for a Favor. An odd request with many red flags, but she agrees. Why would a successful doctor with so much to look forward to agree to this? It makes more sense when the reason is revealed. But what a crazy cast of characters and crazier unrealistic situations! This book is definitely character drive, and I can’t say I enjoyed any of the characters, they were just too ‘out there’ for my liking! Usually when I read a book by two authors, it is very cohesive their voices blending and coming together as one. I didn’t find that with this book, I just knew something was off for me. This book wasn’t for me, but I will definitely give the authors another try.

Thanks to Nikki French, William Marrow and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone. ( )