Murder by Natural Causes

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In it, we delve into the life of Cilla, a contract killer, and her strive for… absolution? Reparation? Normalcy? A bit of everything, I’d say. Murder by Natural Causes is not high literature. It’s more of a ripping yarn. If it does well I might embark on a prequel. I’d like to like to write about bridge in the 1950’s and 60’s when the game was still glamourous and people dressed for the occasion. I’ll make sure to include a few more murders, just for the non-bridge players you understand.

This was a decently enjoyable read, as you got to see both the beginning and the end of Cilla’s career as a contract killer- what made her the way she is, and both why and how she decided to move on from killing people. This isn’t my normal sort of read, but I did find some fascination in the way the story makes you increasingly sympathetic to Cilla. I listened to the audiobook of this, and it was narrated skillfully by Natalie Pela. This book had me rooting for the villain – Cilla is a curious character who manages to steal your heart. Her story is sad and heartbreaking. I loved all the information about her childhood and the experiences she faced. I absolutely loved this! It was quite different to anything I've read recently and I just couldn't put it down.

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Take a Look at Our Summary of November Highlights, Whether You're Looking for the Latest Releases or Gift Inspiration The synopsis caught my eye from the get-go, and the actual novel didn’t disappoint. I’m so pleased by Murder by Natural Causes 😀 A very engaging audiobook, didn't lose concentration once, enjoyed the narrator's voice as Cilla and even sped it up to 2x speed to keep the flow! Not too gory for its genre, but with plenty of detail on training, plants and toxins, Communist ideology and hit-planning.

Her speciality is the dry job, a method of murder that leaves no outward traces and mimics death by natural causes. When working for her pay masters she finds herself in London working for a new boss. Is she happy in her work? She seems to be ; but as time passes her position seems to be changing and she seems be more and more unhappy in her work. And is she seeking a way out. This is the question she and the reader are asking themselves. A fast paced thriller that asks more questions than giving answers. Cilla used to live a normal, merely boring life. The days and weeks passed on and all resembled the same routine. It is hard to believe this is debut novel as the story is so well crafted and the prose is of a high quality and written with an assurance one would expect of a more experienced author.When I was lent this book recently my heart sank. I thought it was going to be a bridge book with a murder in it. Always badly done, why oh why would anybody do another one. But, take heart dear reader. This very clever writer has managed to put a bridge setting into her book without having any bridge in it. After two years doing jobs for Vlad, Cilla starts making preparations to leave: she doesn’t want this to be her whole life, and Vlad’s mercurial moods mean there’s always a chance of falling foul of this powerful, violent man. But, as Smithy, the talented forger whom she sometimes babysits for Vlad says, it’s highly unlikely that he’ll ever let either of them go…

Murder by Natural Causes is published by Muswell Press and comes out on May 25th 2023. It is available via Waterstones and all good bookshops. I’ll admit, I finished this book one week ago and Cilla’s self-assigned mission still leaves me wondering. Given the way she’s portrayed, does her decision make sense? Is it a sound one? I’m in two minds about it. Yes, after everything she’s gone through, autonomy and a normal life might sound appealing. On the other hand, her characterization makes it little more than a pipe dream, I think. Deep inside, I guess she’s aware of that, too, and yet. Publishers Sarah and Kate Beal acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Laura Macdougall at United Agents. Thanks to Pigeonhole and the publisher for allowing me to read a copy. This was read over ten days, with a ‘stave’ released daily, as part of the Pigeonhole book club. In this novel, the POVs of Cilla’s upbringing, future and her lifeline leading to the point of wanting to get a fresh clean slate.The characters in the book were very well done. I liked Cilla overall and the author does a good job of making you warm to her, despite the awful things she’s done. I also really liked Smithy’s character, even if his name made me think of Gavin & Stacey. 😂 I wasn’t sure how I felt about the ending, I had hoped for more of a conclusion, but I think it has been left open to allow for a sequel. If there is a sequel I’ll be keeping an eye out for it. Bob Mortimer wins 2023 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction with The Satsuma Complex Currently, she kills people for the owner of TGR's bridge club in London, Vladimir Haugr, in return for a flat, a retainer and expenses: five jobs a year for the man also knows as Haugr the Ogre or, to those who get on the wrong side of him, Vlad the Impaler. And under conditions she very strictly controls, she does a bit of selective freelance work. Her attitude is pragmatic to the extreme, rather chilling, in fact. I didn’t start playing bridge until I was in my thirties which makes it difficult to progress beyond a certain point. I make up for this deficit with good system and great partners. I’ve had some success playing with my husband Espen Erichsen. We won the European Mixed Teams in 2005 and were 4th in the same event in 2013. More recently we won the Norwegian Mixed Teams in 2020. I also play with Fiona Brown. We’ve qualified to play in the Lady Milne together a number of times. She is a brilliant bridge player and a good friend.

We are so thrilled to be publishing this deliciously dark début, featuring a strong, beguiling anti-hero, the inimitable Cilla, in an original and expert thriller,” Sarah and Kate Beal said. “Helen Erichsen is a rising star and one to watch.” The plot follows two strands of Cilla’s life, one is her current (early 1990’s) life in England, the other her childhood past in Russia. The narrative regularly moves between the two, but this is seamless to the progression and straightforward to follow. A nicely constructed narrative. Cilla reminded me of Villanelle from Killing Eve. There are some dark, gruesome parts in the book but there’s also some humour too.As the storyline unfolds, we learn of Cilla's childhood and education - born in a very communist Soviet Union, she was whisked away at a young age and trained at the specialist academy 43 where she excelled. When I’m not involved in bridge, I write dark psychological thrillers and garden obsessively. My debut novel: Murder by Natural Causes comes out in May 2023. It's not high literature, more of a ripping yarn. And there is some bridge involved.