‘The Cliffhanger’ by Emily Freud

Published by Quercus,
8 May 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-52943-815-4 (PB)

The main characters in this dark and twisty novel are Emma and Felix Larson who write crime novels together under the name Morgan Savage.  From the start the reader is taken on a roller coaster of a ride with twists in every chapter. 

The couple - Emma an American and Felix who is British have exiled themselves to a glorious villa in the South of France in order to get over writers’ block and to attempt to save their marriage.  Their villa is close to a cliff and there is the constant threat of one of the characters going over the edge! 

Secondary characters such as the local woman who is guardian of the villa, their rather sinister publisher Max and the missing Robyn......This is partly a story of the breaking down of a marriage, the descent into alcoholism and the lies people tell to protect themselves and others. 

However, there is also the parallel narratives of the story they are writing together and the sinister events unfolding around them.  This is a very clever and rather addictive novel which leaves the reader wanting more from every chapter and is never disappointing. 

 Looking forward to reading more from Emily Freud.
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Reviewer: Toni Russell

Emily Freud has worked on Emmy and BAFTA award winning television series including Educating Yorkshire and First Dates. Her debut novel My Best Friend’s Secret was published in 2020. Emily lives in North London, with her husband and two small children. 

Toni Russell is a retired teacher who has lived in London all her life and loves the city.  She says, ‘I enjoy museums, galleries and the theatre but probably my favourite pastime is reading.  I found myself reading detective fiction almost for the first time during lockdown and have particularly enjoyed old fashioned detective fiction rather than the nordic noir variety.  I am a member of a book club at the local library and have previously attended literature classes at our local Adult Education Centre.  I am married with three children.