Nicki's book blog

Chasing Moonbeams In Merriment Bay- Emily Harvale- This is the book where at the beginning some of  the cast of Merriment Bay meet the cast of Wynter house as we saw in the last of the Wynter House series. That said you don’t have to have read both series but the beginning will make more sense if you have.(and why miss out on some more wonderful reads in the process?)  This time it's a mystery. A painting is found in unusual circumstances and relates to an ancestor having been hanged for murdering a young woman. Why is the picture hidden and could it change the history of the village? I enjoy both of these series. A lighthearted read with a good plot and characters who are easily likeable. A wonderful escape especially in current times, and leaving us wanting more. A read with a smile and faith in human nature.  For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/ or follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog Author Bio Emily writ

- Every Little Secret by Ruby Speechley- Maddy and her husband have recently lost a child to meningitis. They now have one daughter and Maddy is expecting another child. Husband Max often works away and so when Maddy doesn’t hear from him for a couple of days it's not unusual. When the police come knocking and say that a man of Max’s description was seen by a witness throwing himself into the river and finding his backpack, Maddy’s world is turned even more upside down. She finds a key in the rucksack that doesn’t mean anything to her but it's hidden away so she has a feeling that it is significant. On phoning Max’s business partner she finds even more revelations and wonders how well did she know her own husband? Maddy is determined to find the truth for her own sanity however the more she digs the more surprises she finds. I felt for Maddy and how she had been deceived. I can’t say too much more as I don’t want to give anything away. Oh wh

Marrow Jam by Susan A King Cozy Crime Beattie is being interviewed by the police having been found on an allotment with a deadly weapon in her hands  She tell s them “if I was going to do anything amiss I wouldn't have the 12cm kitchen knife it would have been the 14cm one”. Someone is dead, someone Beattie had crossed swords with  and she is giving her version of events which began at the local fete where Beattie entered her coffee and mango cake and won her class. Doug Sparrow yet again won best in show with his enormous marrow and Beattie was determined to bring him down a peg or two. And so we get the tale from the show onwards. I really enjoyed this. It's a Miss Marple/Father Brown with humour. Think local villages and W.I and we are in 1999 and so have a little technology to hand. This is a cozy crime with a smile, a little romance, a little mystery and a larger than life character that reminded me of Madam Arcarti (without the seance).

Miracle creek- Angie Kim- Medical thriller /Courtroom drama A very unusual plot with a mystery and several twists along the way. Several people are undergoing hyperbaric treatment (the book explains it) for either autism or infertility. During one dive there is an explosion and two are killed and several injured. On investigation a fire was found to have been started near the oxygen supply outside the tank.  Was this the deliberate act of one of the parents? Was the owner negligent in not being at his post? Who owned the cigarettes and match book that were found nearby in a distinctly no smoking area around the tank? This is a legal thriller with parts going back to the time of the explosion (a year before the trial ) and before that to give the scenario from the various differing perspectives. A multi themed book which touches on a whole gamut of emotions in the different characters, each one seemingly having a reason or even a motive for starting the fi

Three women of Liverpool - Helen Forster- Women's historical fiction   This is set in 1941 in the war. Reading this whilst in lockdown made me realise even more how little many people currently appreciate their current situation. Yes we are confined but we don’t have the daily threat of bombing and air raids, falling rubble and shrapnel and having to spend the night in a cold dark place in fear. This is very well written and although not normally a fan of historical fiction this one really engaged me. It's an easy read and an informative one and maybe one many should read to learn about the horrors that went on no so very long ago- many of our parents were children at this time. A story of three women Emma, Gwen and Ellen. Gwen is happily married and very house proud and rather a snob truth be told. Her husband is brother to Emma who is at long last engaged after spending much of life looking after her parents who have recently died. Gwen did nothi

Can You See Her-S.E Lynes -Psychological thriller "What would you do if no-one was watching" Rachel is being questioned by the police after a series of knife attacks having handed herself in. She feels as if she has been almost invisible and that she was passing others and them not noticing her whatever she did. Her children don’t notice her and her husband takes her for granted. We get statements from some of her friends and family who say she has been going through a rather odd time but not to the extent of trying to murder someone. She has been more than aware of recent crime and has been keeping a file with the aim of handing it to her local MP to do something about it. This is an usual read (in a good way) in that the plot is both current and in the past and that much is from Rachels perspective put to the police. She “says” something but not sure if she has actually said it  out loud so we are not sure how much the police are getting. OM

The Perfect Couple - Jackie Kabler- Psychological thriller “ Is she telling them the truth, or are there more secrets and lies in this marriage than meets the eye?” Ooooh!!! A page turning, knee trembling read! Gemma and husband Danny have just moved to Bristol from London. Danny stayed in London for an extra week to finish up work and so Gemma did the main move. In Bristol the police have two murders on their hands. The spooky thing is that the victims look like they could be brothers or even twins, so similar are their characteristics. When Danny doesn’t arrive home after Gemma has been away on a work assignment for a night she thinks it is work and he is pulling an all nighter as he occasionally does. When he doesn’t arrive back after 3 more days after calling around everywhere she can think of she reports him missing. Danny is also an excellent likeness to the two murdered men. What is going on and where is Danny.This is one of those reads so well

Deep dark secrets- Keri Beevis   -Thriller Nell has long had plans to move away from her abusive fiance Caleb. What he doesn’t know is that she inherited a house near her brother's place from an aunt years ago. Having carefully planned the move, Nell makes her break for it. Years before hand  when she was a teenager, she should have been babysitting and her friend Lizzie took her place so that she could see her boyfriend that evening. Lizzie died as a result of a robbery and the perpetrator was never found. Lizzies brother Sam has never forgiven Nell and now sees her return to the house as if without a care in the world. Whilst out walking on the beach Nell finds a dismembered head. Who is the victim and is it linked to the strange noises and movements Nell is seeing and hearing at the house. Has Caleb caught up with her or there something else going on? Oooh!! A read with lots of threads and lots of possibilities of whom the perpetrator is. I like

- Landsliding by Mandy Jameson-   Thriller “ A tense thriller about relationships and long-held secrets that break out with potentially devastating results.” Julia has a son Matty, and they live together after her husband Harry walked out one day never to return. Her close friends are Vicki and Caroline and since she has been on her own their husbands have been helpful if Julia has required a hand with something. Julia then meets Brendan who appears to feel threatened by others and is very protective of Julia and Matty and alienates her from her friends. The story is told from various perspectives from each of the main characters so we understand their thinking and rationale.  It appears Brendan has secrets, something Julia herself has, however Brendans are affecting his demeanour and behaviour. He sends letters to Vicki’s husband and to Julias boss. Caro is determined to find out more as the last thing she wants is her friend in a disastrous rela

Silenced For Good by Alex Coombs “ Detective Hanlon is addicted to violence. She likes the rush, the danger, the losing control…” Detective Hanlon, having been hauled over the coals yet again, has made her way to the islands of Scotland for a holiday to try and sort herself out. She is being investigated by the IOPC and it could be the end of her career. On arrival she sees police vehicles indicating that there has been an incident. She soon discovers that it is the death of one of the staff at the hotel where she is staying. She becomes aware of drug smuggling , possible police involvement in an unofficial capacity, and when there is another body she finds herself on the investigation trail, albeit unofficial herself. Old habits die hard. I enjoyed this, it was that little bit different from normal crime books or an outsider doing the investigating. There are some wonderful descriptions and being a runner, the scenes of endless hills and forest tra