Muswell Press has landed Murder by Natural Causes, a thriller about a female assassin by début novelist Helen Erichsen. Take a Look at Our Summary of November Highlights, Whether You're Looking for the Latest Releases or Gift Inspiration In Academy 43, Cilla of 8-years-old was taught and trained to soon be an asset to the soviet union, a deadly weapon. Using a mixture of botany, toxicology, archery and the art of manoeuvre, she managed to succeed in staging numerous “Death by natural causes” hit jobs. Cilla reminded me of Villanelle from Killing Eve. There are some dark, gruesome parts in the book but there’s also some humour too. I'm really hoping that it's because there is going to be a sequel, but even if not, this is definitely an author that I'll be reading again! Brilliant read!

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. 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. But what if that’s not what you want in life? What if you’d like to live a somewhat normal life? How easy getting out of it would be? Murder By Natural Causes is the first novel by British bridge champion and author, Helen Erichsen. The audio version is narrated by Natalie Pela. Plain, ordinary, unremarkable: Cilla Wilson finds these attributes useful in her career as a contract killer. She’s twenty-two, but she’s been killing since she was fourteen. She’s very good at it, an expert at making a death look like it is from natural causes. Cilla’s story is told in a dual timeline: one follows young Alexandria’s metamorphosis into the accomplished assassin, Cilla, and how she ends up with Vlad; the other details her present-day activities and her attempt at freedom. Cilla is certainly an interesting protagonist, proving eventually to not be quite as cold-blooded as she first seems, and making it hard not to cheer her on towards her goal.

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. A central theme is that of escape from an existence that is predetermined and one where once she has served her purpose, she becomes superfluous to requirements. The reality is assassins don’t get the chance to retire, they are erased by their successors. Here the stark reality faces Cilla as there are parallels in her life. She escapes the Russians only by working under the protection of Vlad. If she is to escape from Vlad who is going to protect her then? The narrator was amazing especially depicting all the different characters and accents. It really brought the story to life and helped to add context to the plot.

I loved that Cilla, although completely invisible, she was the bravest, cleverest and strongest character I've read about in a while.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.

Cilla used to live a normal, merely boring life. The days and weeks passed on and all resembled the same routine. 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.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… 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. She also knows that her main client, Vladimir Haugr, would rather kill her than let her go. Will Cilla be able to reinvent herself? And if so, at what cost?” This week's blog is from bridge player and novelist Helen Erichsen, her debut novel " Murder by natural causes" launched this week in London.

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 😀 This was a complex plot but brilliantly written. I both read the book and listened on audio and loved them both. 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. 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. Villanelle was stunning, a standout beauty and mistress of disguise (and fashion). Cilla is non-descript, neither strong nor memorable. But she is well-trained with a wealth of chemical and potions at her disposal and the ability to make her murders appear as accidents or as the result of natural causes. And she's getting tired, at 22, of being at Vlad's command and having no future outside of murder.The only detail I’m not so sure about is the ending. The very last sentence, I mean. It’s open to interpretation, and while I chose the worst outcome for her, I’m not sure I’m right. If there’s something I hate is not knowing for sure, haha. 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. 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. 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.