Nicki's book blog

CHRISTMAS ON THE ISLAND (# 6  Liam O'Reilly series) Stewart Giles- Crime It's almost Christmas on Guernsey and the island is getting ready for the festive season. As the yacht club replaces the blown away decorations their Commodore is found dead on his boat with a gun in his hand in what looks like suicide. Trouble is he was well known spouting about his life insurance so surely suicide wouldnt be something he would contemplate? When other “ suicides” are found DI Liam O’Rielly has his hands full and iit’s not the turkey and pudding he was hoping for especially when one is literally on his doorstep. I love this series ( although this would probably stand alone) . It's a wonderful, easy read with a little light hearted well placed humour. Liam has his rough side but you can't help but like him as he would defend you to the hilt (as long as you stayed on the right side of him) and he has that dogged tenacity to see justice done whatever it takes. The pages turn so very

  Death By The Thames- Gretta Mulrooney- Crime Toni is about to leave for her wedding when there is a knock on the door. Her fiance Sam has been found dead, apparently having driven his beloved motorbike and side car into the Thames with a young passenger and has sent Toni a suicide text. Toni doesnt believe this and employs a private eye- Tyrone Swift to find out more as the police appear satisfied with the suicide theory. Toni believes Sam would never be with an underage girl and was looking forward to the wedding- what on earth happened? I quickly got into this, there was just something about it. An air of mystery and the development of a character that grew on me as the pages turned. A tenacity for the truth and  This is one of a series but happily stands alone (I hadn't read any of the others) A complex case with lots of characters that has been cleverly thought out. An interesting in depth read.  For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/

 ************* My top books of 2021****************** These are books that have earned my special 5** award. They all had that something extra, that something special that to me meant they were a real treasure of a read. They are only in the order that I read them, Im not sure I could put one above the other. 1. The Dressmaker of Paris- Georgia Kauffman. A real enchaning read that I didnt want to end. A magical read that touched me beyond words. My first 5** and already I had found one of my books of the year. https://nickibookblog.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-dressmaker-of-paris-georgia.html 2. The Boy, the Mole, The Fox and the Horse-Charlie Mackesy Wow. I was late to the party with this one- and when it found me- boy oh boy was I blown away. One of those you can dip into when you need that certain something that a few words and a picture can evoke. A wistfulness and so clevely put together.  https://nickibookblog.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-boy-mole-fox-and-horse-charlie.html 3. The Summer

  HER PERFECT SECRET by T.J. Brearton-psychological thriller- Oooh!! One to inveigle you into the pages and keep you there.  Many years ago, Emily, a psychotherapist, treated an eight year old boy in conjunction with the police as he had seen his mother kill his father. Wind forward and Emily is expecting her daughter to arrive back from university with yet another boyfriend. The boyfriend looks just like Tom, the young boy, only Joni introduces him as Michael- her fiance.  Emily racks her brains to try and remember any information that might tie in with what Michael is telling them- the trouble is that as he was very much a minor at the time the case notes were sealed. She is worried about her daughter as at the time something didn't quite ring true and when she makes a few calls things could be about to get even worse. This is just the sort of book that I love. Pretty much an instant mystery from the beginning that as the pages turn although some parts are answered the myster

  MURDER ACROSS THE LINES by Janice Frost- Crime       An SC is standing at a crossing when a motor bike climbs the pavements and stabs a girl next to her. Special constable Jane, although voluntary, decides she wants to find out more and do whatever she can. Then her adversary DI Warwick appears and warns her off- they have never really seen eye to eye despite Jane's heroics in the past. Jane is a witness in DI Warwicks drug investigation- she saw the whole thing  and heard the girl's last word “ Nate” who turns out to be a missing boy. Can they find Nate in time before he becomes yet another victim of drug crime?  This is the second in the series (Murder amongst Friends being the first) but would probably stand alone. I really enjoy these- despite the subject matter (this is a crime book after all!) this is a nice easy read and I have really taken to Jane and her tenacity. Di Warwick has her own demons to deal with and hence the frosty knickers type personality. A book th

  Snow Merry Red- Nadya Frank- crime Viola is looking forward to the holidays (in Russia New year is a big thing). What she isn't expecting is to be locked in a basement for a week with no memory of how she got there or who by. She manages to free herself and wants some answers which she hopes she will get at the family new year party. She quickly finds a friend to help her- the friend  being a con artist Zoya. This is well written (a few typos but I read an ARC) and well put together. I love the title- a hint of Christmas but not straightforward- indicative of the read. There are some references which may require a little more explanation for those not familiar with Russian traditions or abbreviations/acronyms. A novella with characters that could possibly be developed into a full length novel to give more background and insight into their personalities.  A good cohesive first novel and a very solid start- well done! For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blo

  A MUMBAI MURDER MYSTERY by Meeti Shroff-Shah- crime This is a wonderfully described read set in India with lots of references to food-I  might just need the recipes- they sound delicious! Radhi is an author and has come home as she is suffering writer's block. Her best friend is expecting and her father is then found dead. The police think it is suicide as he took several tablets but something about the scene doesnt appear quite right to Radhi and she takes it on herself as an outsider to try and find out more about what happened that day. The more she tries to find out the more questions she finds she needs to get answers to. This is a cozy type murder as it revolves around a few families. There are some “ familiar” terms (of endearment) in the asian culture which some may not be familiar with but these are soon learnt with the aid of a kindle. This is a debut novel and is incredibly well written. There is a good plot and although familiar with some asain traditions/cultur