Nicki's book blog

Demons- Stewart Giles- Crime Oooh!!! Another read from Stewart that I couldn’t put down! A man is found murdered with a knife in his chest. It is later discovered that the cause of death was something rather more sinister. DS Jason Smith is on the case when he should have been having the weekend off with his wife and daughter but as ever work comes first. He has a nose for when things are not as they first appear and it takes him a while to convince others until they can see his point of view and what appears obvious. His wife is a DC and so gets about his work, what she doesn’t get is when he starts doing things completely out of character and puts not only his marriage in jeopardy but his career as well. One murder leads to another with a similar M.O and messages about demons. Who and why? I love Stewarts books. You know you have hit gold when the pages magically turn and the real world falls away. Characters you easily take...

Circle of Lies- Paul Teague-Crime In the mid nineteen eighties, Charlotte and Will were inadvertently caught up in something they now hope that they have put well and truly behind them. They now live in Morecambe and run a guest house. A celebrated author is staying with them having  given a talk locally. When they find him hanged in his room it is presumed suicide however the local news reporter Nigel whom they got to know previously has been sent an old newspaper cutting with a picture of he deceased with a cross through his face. Also the mans mobile is missing. Is there more ot this than  straight forward suicide? Everything appears to keep pointing towards the past as well as the guest house. Charlotte and her family may be in danger but from whom? The picture sent to Nigel may provide a clue as to how the men are linked as another one died a couple of years beforehand and again as thought suicide. Oooh! This series is a wonderful read. A main char...

Muriels Bear- Kath Middleton-Crime/thriller short story I picked this up as I saw a fellew blogger had put pen to paper (so to speak) I hadn;t realised what a talented writer Kath is and how many books she has penned. Muriel has moved to sheltered accomodation for her own safety, something she has always been aware of as aged eight she was the only survivor of a house fire that killed the rest of her family. At the time the Red Cross have her a bear, Red Ted,  and she has kept him ever since. I won't say more about the plot as this is a novella other than to say I loved it . An old lady with her eye on the ball and Red Ted at her side. A perfect read for over a coffee (45mins or so) and a wonderful tale to make you smile. (free on kindle unlimited)

Why She Ran Geraldine Hogan-Crime We are in Ireland and the scene of the crime is a high end recovery centre (think The Priory) for young women with issues. The victim is Rachel, who has been killed with a blunt instrument blow to the head and a violent attack. She is one of the care workers who was on a night shift in one of the bungalows. The only other person in that bungalow , Eleanor, is now missing and she is the daughter of a wealthy, influential landowner. Has one killed the other and ran off or is there more to it?  DS Iris Locke has been put in charge of the case and things really aren’t adding up. DS Slattery has his own issues. His wife of over 30 years is in the early stages of dementia and is starting to wander. It was never a solid marriage and got worse when they lost their daughter. Iris has her own demons and a murder case tends to bring these to the forefront. I enjoyed this as it has a different premise from most crime reads. The...

The Dilemma- B.A Paris- Psychological thriller It’s the day of Livia’s fortieth birthday- something she has been looking forward to for many years. She is estranged from her parents who turned her away when she got pregnant. Twenty two years later she still sends cards but received nothing from them at all. She and her husband Adam have two grown up children. Marnie is secretly flying back from Hong Kong to surprise her mother at the party however Livia is quite pleased that Marnie wo’;t be there as there is something she needs to tell Adam about Marnie, something she knows will devastate him. Adam has never been close to his son and is doing his best to make up for lost time. When the children were little Adam desperately wanted to go to university and felt this had been stolen from him. He is close to Marnie but Josh needs more work. At the beginning, Adam is on his motorbike and is stopped by the police for speeding. when he stops he says “Marnie, ...

In Plain Sight - Adam Croft-Crime  (Knight & culverhouse book 9- but will stand alone) A book I didn’t want to let go of until I got to the end. Petrol stations are being robbed at gun- point by masked men. There are no working cameras and security is rather lax to say the least. When the local jewelers also takes a hit there are more devastating consequences. Jack and Wendy and the team have their hands full and a few suspicions as to what is going on but proving it is quite another matter especially when the future for Mildenheath CID could be at stake. The new PCC is doing everything she can to integrate them and Jack has more than a few choice words. Oooh!!! I loved this. Jack and Wendy are wonderful characters and I found myself laughing at times. They each have a back -story which I always like as long as its well done (which with Adam goes without saying… so why am I??) which gives depth and warmth to their characters without detracting ...

Maureen’s ( Not So Great) British Cake off- Jonathan Hill-Humorous fiction Maureen wants to hold a garden party as recently she has got herself together and obtained a gardener and for the first time her garden is looking amazing. Not bad for a woman where flowers would normally wilt on the way home. She decides a Cake-off would also be fun as there are some keen bakers around and she is sure she can get the local Gp to be the judge whilst raising funds for the local Rotary club at the same time. She blunders her way to persuade Dr Poongodi to be her Paul Hollywood for the day and her neighbour Tim helps but also wants to ditch his new boyfriend at the same time. A narrow minded neighbour with her dog, an incident involving an ambulance and cakes make for an interesting afternoons party. A short read with lots of smiles. A perfect pick you up tonic of a read.  For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/ or follow me on Twi...

Who’s There- Kerena Swan-Psychological thriller Arnold Eastwood has just got his first flat. His sister has just lost her job and come home so perfect timing. Arnold loves his namesake Clint and often dons his prized stetson and cape. Linda his mother worries about Arnold as his flat is not in the most salubrious of areas and Arnold has a tendency to trust anyone and everyone as he has Downs syndrome and the naivety that brings. Meanwhile Chip is being given his own business… in the drug world and finds a friend in Saskia who has her own dark past but is doing her best to put things behind her. She has  a tendency to feel worry for people and so when Chip gets battered she takes him in. Arnold loves everyone and of course does as he is told and unwittingly gets involved. I loved this so much. I loved Arnold and his innocence whilst knowing bad people from good and his loyalty and love for his family and the right friends. This is a very different ...

Six Steps To Happiness by Suzie Tullett Ronnie is out for revenge. Her husband of twenty five years ( to the day) walked out on her to go and live with the next door neighbour Gaye.  Ronnie wants them to move and has been taking revenge by arranging for various deliveries. Her daughter Willow and mother -in -law Bea are trying to make her see sense. When they see someone get over a divorce in six weeks, Ronnie thinks that isn’t realistic and would rather make herself feel better the way she already is doing so Willow and Bea come up with the six steps. Ronnie however has other ideas with operation poltergeist.  I took to this straight away. Ronnie is likeable despite being rather eccentric in her grief and her antics are wonderful. How you can be feeling really down and then without realising it found you have magically turned that corner in life and are now looking straight ahead. A book with a message and also one with lots of smiles. L...