The reason I was so impatient is that I read two other books this year that were about a quirky, loner woman— The Maid and One's Company—and I didn’t like either of them. Both of those stories were told in first person, too. First person and quirk used to be my friends, but we’ve definitely broken up.

A Maid twin. This story had a lot in common with The Maid. Both main characters were clean freaks who were out of it, and both stories involved crimes. And even stranger, both had mothers who had passed down trite sayings. If you liked The Maid (which I didn’t, as I said earlier), I think you’ll love this one. I liked this one a bit more than The Maid. A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.On the positive side, there is plenty of dark humour in the book. There are loads of quotable quotes. The two timelines generate enough of a curiosity to know what’s happening ( though this doesn’t work very well in the audiobook.) In Will Dean’s First Born, we meet Molly, an identical twin whose sister, Katie, has just been murdered in New York. Molly has always been the less adventurous of the two, cautious and frightened of life, but she forces herself to leave London to try to find out what really happened to her twin. As the New York police investigation seems to stall, Molly turns detective, leaving her comfort zone to interrogate Katie’s teachers, friends and boyfriends in her quest for the truth. An identical twin mystery is always entertaining and Dean, author of the excellent Tuva Moodyson series of Sweden-set thrillers and the standalone The Last Thing to Burn, handles his plot with skill. Molly, properly alone for the first time in her life, is a complex, intriguing protagonist – and Dean has plenty of surprises up his sleeve for the unwary reader. Last year, a breakout debut novel hit the scene, and everyone fell in love with the character Molly in Nita Prose’s “The Maid”. An excerpt from my review of that book explains who Molly Gray reminded me of…

While Terry becomes increasingly absent from the house and their marriage, Linda becomes more and more obsessed with Rebecca. Using some incredibly clever deduction, she manufactures ‘bumping’ into Rebecca and her boyfriend Jolyon. Meeting them only fuels Linda’s desire to be more like Rebecca, copying her hair and clothes, and believing that she has found a new friend. Yet Rebecca and Jolyon see her as an unwitting victim for their money making ‘scheme’. In a heartbreaking scene for the reader, Rebecca believes she has found the perfect candidate to be her new cleaner – which Linda sees as an extension of their friendship – and a way to really get close to Rebecca. I absolutely loved it.. A serial killer, a traumatised woman, the quirkiest of characters, such perfect observational writing - she's a superstar." - Sarah Pinborough I’m not really sure how Mother would describe me. All I know is you’d have to find yourself a seat, because she’d definitely take her time over it. Hers is a strictly limited life: she hardly uses the internet, never travels further than the city centre and envies the beautiful, moneyed people in glossy catalogues. Joanna Cannon creates a world that is so real, so parochial & stifling you can feel it. Then adds in a killer. Glorious." - Jane FallonDiscuss the character of Linda—what are her personality traits, eccentricities, and obsessions? What did you think of her as a narrator? I am looking forward to reading more books by Joanna Cannon and am so glad I took a chance on this one. This reading group guide for A Tidy Ending includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.