Nicki's book blog

*************My top 20 books of 2018 ************** Here are my top 20 books. They are in the order I read them. They have all been awarded  my special 5** rating. To earn that they have to have several things- a good plot, likeable characters, a good ending and that special something. It could be an emotional pull, it could be a very cleverly thought out plot. That "Je ne sais quio" 1. Fifty Years of Fear- Ross Greenwood - Crime A stunning read and a title that resonated with me.  https://nickibookblog.blogspot.com/2017/12/fifty-years-of-fear-ross-greenwood-5-my.html 2. Three things about Elsie- Joanna Cannon. One of those special reads you never forget. https://nickibookblog.blogspot.com/2018/01/three-things-about-elsie-joanna-cannon.html 3. The Tattooist of Auschwitz- Heather Morris . A very memorable read and one I will never forget https://nickibookblog.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-tattooist-of-auschwitz-heather.html 4. The Last Laugh- Tracy Bloom  "

The Winter Mystery- Faith Martin- Crime (This was previously published as “ A Fatal Fall of Snow” under Faith’s other name of Joyce Cato) Jenny has been employed by a farm to cook for them for two weeks over the Christmas period. She arrives in deep snow and finds the atmosphere inside the house is even chillier than the weather outside. Stan runs the place with a rod of iron and is despised by all around him- and they are mostly family. He scrimps on everything and it turns out that the farm is really owned by his nicer older brother Sid but Stan has acted as though it was his since time immemorial. ~When Sid not Stan is found murdered who could be the culprit and the even bigger question is why? I really enjoyed this. Jenny is not a private detective just a bystander who has her eyes and ears open and happily chats to people which draws the information out. There is a “homeliness” feel to her, her love of people but keen sense of right and what

Mo Mo Mo Merry Christmas Maureen- Jonathan Hill Free on Kindle **** Hahah!! One to make you smile on every page. When Santa has developed a hernia and Maureen has to step in (because she fits the costume) things can only go from bad to  worse, especially when she thinks the coat has its own magic. I won't say to much as this is a short (under an hour) read but if you want something to lift your spirits over the festive season and bring a smile then this could be the very read.

The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup- Crime A woman is murdered and nearby a chestnut doll is found. When a partial fingerprint from this is linked to a missing girl, presumed dead from a year before hand, Thulin and Hess are perplexed to say the least. The missing girl was the daughter of a leading politician and a man has been charged with her murder as a blood stained axe was found at his premises with her blood on it. This is the author who wrote “The Killing” recently seen on TV in the UK. The book is of good length (500 pages) and the chapters kept short and snappy to keep things moving along. I didn’t watch The Killing but even from the first few chapters of this book can see how it became so popular. There is the tension, the building of the characters and a plot that could go anywhere. A sub plot which doesn’t detract from the main one but in this case adds to it- could it be the same person? A gritty read, a little disturbing at times. A true Scandinavian cri

White is the coldest colour- John Nicholl- Psychological Thriller When you can hide behind the persona of a respected title you think you can do almost whatever takes your fancy and when you have friends in influential places you think you are unstoppable. Dr Robert Galbraith is a child psychologist and chooses certain patients for his special treatments. Anthony’s father has left the family home and Anthony is taking it hard. He is still wetting the bed years beyond being a baby and his GP thinks he is depressed but doesn’t know why. His mother is at her wits end with him, trying her best to be supportive but can’t behind whatever is causing him to have changed from a happy-go-lucky little boy in to a withdrawn, shy, nervous child. This is a highly sensitive subject and has been researched well. John used to be in the police and a child protection social worker so has first hand experience of what life can throw at some unfortunate souls from some very dar

Amy Cole is Zen as F**k- Elizabeth McGivern- Literary Humour Amy runs a business consultancy with her best friend Elle. Her mother is still waiting for her to get a “proper” job. When the line“nope, there’s not enough alcohol in the world to talk to my mother” appears, you get the idea. That has to be one of my all time favourite lines ever! After successfully finishing therapy after her breakdown Amy decides the next step is to lose some weight and so joins a local group. The leader of the group is not exactly subtle to say the very least and shames everyone into losing weight. Elle suddenly is getting married to River whom Amy managed to run over. You get the idea- chaos and fun along the way. A look at life with a twist of humour. Amy has an honesty to her- one we would all like occasionally to say exactly as we thought but were too polite to. Amy and Elle are our “other” personas- ones who have things happen to them like the rest of us but have such a fri

They don’t know- Patricia Dixon- 5** One of my top reads of the year. Adam and Ryan are brothers. One has signed up for the forces and the other is at university. Ryan, the elder one,has always been protective of his younger brother. Even more so since they lost their parents. Their father was a good -for-nothing criminal and their mother died from an overdose. They were mainly raised by their grandmother who following a stroke is now in a home. Daisy lives in France with her parents and has returned to England to attend university. Ryan speaks to her on the first day when they are both very unsure of themselves and find themselves in a unique friendship that no-one quite understands. This is a story of life and friendships. Of those people that have that special something that you don’t want to spoil. Of life’s highs and lows, turmoil and tribulations, successes and not quite so successful things we all go through. Beautifully written, wonderfully

THE BIRTHDAY MYSTERY by Faith Martin - Crime Jenny Sparrow arrives at a country manor to cater for a joint birthday party. She has a sense that something isn’t quite right and is told that there has been a death. On looking out of the window she sees a body being pulled from the lake. She is catering for the twins of the owners of the house. Both rather spoilt and wanting their own way. Jenny soon finds more than cooking gossip in the kitchen.When one of the guests falls down dead in the middle of the party it is rather a mystery as to who and why as they were surrounded by other guests. This rather reminded me of the TV series “Rosemary and Thyme” with Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris. Household helps that have a nose for something untoward going on and finding out more than the police and sometimes more than they should. I took to Jenny and her simplicity. Saying things how they are and being truthful both with herself and others and not letting those