Nicki's book blog

  The Girl from Berlin by Kate Hewitt Historical fiction A story and history combined in a powerful tale. its 1936 and Liesel watches her parents closely. Her father is a successful businessman but recently he has been a little different, being heard by her to say things she questions. Such as why they should respect Hitler and Liesel should join the Hitler youth and how they act amongst others such as at the opening of the 1936 Berlin Olympic games. Liesel knows that her lessons in “ race science” are not true. Who could think that Jews have horns under their hair and are one step above rats ?(OMG). From the beginning we get to see what life was like and how the young were indoctrinated. Post war and a Captain in the American army is sent to analyse literally tons of questionnaires to see if anyone is still harbouring loyalty to the Nazi's.  He discovers yet more paperwork, but this time it is papers the Nazi's wanted burning. His task is not only to find those hiding...

  Secrets on the Fens - Joy Ellis- Crime DI Nikki Galena, Ds Joseph Easter and the team have a double murder on their hands. A young couple looking like Romeo and Juliet have been found in the woods carefully arranged, one even having a rose in their hand. No-one knows who they are and there is nothing to identify them. Was it a suicide pact or a murder? Things aren’t quite adding up. A nearby estate has been ruled for many years by a gangland family and although they are mainly out of the area these days their legacy lives on. Meanwhile Nikki's mother and her friend are still on the trail of an artist who disappeared many years ago after travelling to the lake district. The two women have a knack for finding things- including trouble and the latest one does not disappoint. I so love these books, they are a wonderful comfortable read. Characters that you easily take to and a plot or two to keep the grey matter active whilst reading a cleverly crafted plot that even makes yo...

  The Girl in the Missing Poster- Barbara Copperthwaite-psychological thriller One to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Stellas twin sister Leila went missing twenty five years ago. Stella is now a dog behaviourist and is putting up posters as it's close to the anniversary as nothing has ever been found about Leila. On encountering a man badly treating his dog she bumps into a man asking if she requires help with the abusive owner. Shortly afterwards she gets a phone call asking if she would like to do a documentary to cover Leilas disappearance and the man turns out to be the interviewer Euan. The documentary goes ahead and Stella starts getting emails and mysterious phone calls who know things that were never revealed. Will she ever find out what really happened that night? I really enjoyed this- I took to Stella early on. She has a tenacity and a well rounded character and being a behaviourist gives her insights into such things as body language etc....

  Murder on the Island- Daisy White -Crime   Chloe has arrived back in Bermuda where she spent her formative years. Her grandmother Dre has recently passed away and left her her estate. This comprises a house and stables with 6 horses amongst other animals . On taking a ride out to get her bearings Chloe stumbles upon a body. When the police arrive she discovers that she was at primary school with the now chief inspector. The stables are on the verge of financial collapse and Chloe is determined to try and make a go of it. When a horse disappears just as she gets a contract things don’t quite add up and she begins making her own investigations here and there. Who is targeting her and why and who has killed the artist? I really enjoyed this- its a cozy crime filled with wonderful descriptions of soft sandy beaches and lots of animals running around- what's not to like? Chloe comes across very well and there is a depth of character whilst nothing too complicated. Think Deat...

  The Chain- Joy Richards- contemporary fiction. Moving house- the nightmare that is. Several people from couples upsizing to an older couple downsizing and ones that have been left on their own are all moving house. We learn of their backgrounds, their tragedies in some cases, their aspirations in others. Stories where life changes on a dime-sometimes for the better, sometimes for the unplanned but that doesn't make it any worse,and maybe even better. Of how someone else’s decision can have a massive impact not only on the chain but on what is strung around that decision. An interesting read. For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/ or follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog ------------------------------- Blurb: What does it take to make a house a home?When four sets of strangers all decide to move, their lives become linked and changed forever.Paul is a young man who is struggling to piece his life back together. Married couple Florenc...

  T he Crew- Andrew Barrett- Crime I love Eddie! He’s that CSI who says it as it is. A spade is a shovel and a whole lot more! Diplomatic he ‘aint and never will be but you know exactly where you stand with Eddie and its not in the spotlight. Eddie is on his last of seven lates when he is given someone to accompany him. Shannon works in HR and has come out for some experience as she would like to join CSI in the future. Eddie is well pleased- not! That's his “office” she is sitting on in the van and he can't operate his bodily functions quite the same when there is someone with him. Their main call out is to a robbery . Nelson is a builder turned burgler when he found a. the pay wasn't what he wanted and b. he could be ars**d with the work. He works with a gang who go up and down the country finding places where access and escape is good and CCTV is low to none. He used to have a girlfriend who worked in admin in the police- her name was Shannon. I won’t say any more...