Crime novels are so much more interesting when the main character is flawed. I whipped through Blue Monday (Viking/Pamela Dorman, Mar.) with its alternating fast-paced action and thoughtful conversations. Frieda Klein doesn’t sleep; instead, she walks the streets of a deliciously dark London. I knew we were in for a serious ride when one of her patients starts describing the need for a child like the one missing in a high-profile abduction case. Klein is a psychotherapist—a great choice because it allows us to be treated to the inner workings of some seriously twisted minds. Isn’t that what we all want out of a thriller? We want to look at and feel the terror that the victims feel. We want to be there with the protagonist as she figures out the truth. I look forward to more “sessions” with Klein, since Monday is the first in a planned series by Nicci French (the crime-writing husband-and-wife team of Nicci Gerrard and Sean French).