Nicki's book blog

  The Bridesmaid by Nina Manning-psychological thriller  Sacha’s parents are housekeeper and head gardener to Josphine who lives in a large house with 50 acres of ground. Her father gets on very well with Jospehine and she invites Sacha to come and meet her granddaughter Caitlin as they are the same age. A close bond is formed and although Sacha is very aware of the difference in privilege the girls are best friends. Years later and it's the approach to Caitlin's wedding to Chuck whom she and her family have known for many years since they were children. Sacha is organising much of the wedding and on a hen trip to Greece wants to tell Caitlin a secret she has been keeping for too long. Caitlin's mother holds something over Sacha- we know not what. A tale of the past determining the future and of secrets and lies. An interesting read of a woman who has always had exactly as she wanted and didn't want to hear or see anything negative and told her friends so. Of a l...

  Both of you- Adele Parks- general fiction/ mystery/thriller Leigh had almost given up hope of finding a partner or having a family so a chance encounter with Mark and his two young sons led to marriage and Leigh being happier than she ever could have expected. When she leaves for work Monday to Thursday as normal and there is no communication as normal, Mark to begin with isnt suspicious as they had  a bit of a spat and thought she was sulking. When Thursday came around and still no Leigh, he had to report her as missing. Kai lives with her Dutch husband Daan and leads a luxurious lifestyle not too far away from Leigh. She spends some of the week away looking after her elderely mother. Both women have very suddenly disappeared. Are the two cases connected ? We get chapters from a woman who is being held captive not quite knowing why or how she was taken and most importantly who. She gets occasional typed notes pushed through the door. A read where one minute you like th...

  The Summer Seekers- Sarah Morgan-Contemporary fiction One of my top reads of 2021. Kathleen is eighty and wants to do Route 66 across America. Her daughter Liza is aghast at this and would rather she think about sheltered accommodation. Martha is living back at home after an acrimonious divorce and the little confidence she did have has now very much been shelved , not assisted by her mother who not only thinks that the sun shines out of Martha's sister but that Martha always makes bad choices- bourne out now by her lack of job and marriage. The two meet up after Kathleen advertises for a driver- something Martha can do but again is very unsure about. The result is a symbiotic relationship where each is good for the other once they get to know one another. I loved this early on- there is something about Kathleen for all her foibles that you can't help but take to. A woman who has seen life and hindsight being that wonderful thing that it is can pass on her advice rath...

The Secretary by Catherine Hokin - Historical fiction A fascinating, very interesting read. Magda works in a factory as a secretary. This is pre-war Germany. When she is picked to be the Boss’s P.A- the position she has always coveted she is thrilled. What she’s not so thrilled about is to see the lapel pin Walther wears. Forward to the 1970’ss and Nina, Magda’s granddaughter finds a drawing of a house which when Magda sees it she visibly pales. Magda and her family are now in East Germany. Those of us old enough remember the wall (the “ Anti faschist barrier”) coming down but perhaps few realised or remember quite what life was like for those on the other side. The late 1980’s is not that far back. East Germany (officially the GDR- the German Democratic Republic) a part of the eastern bloc existed from 1949 to 1990 and was a Dictatorship/ Socialist state. Food was short and shops ran by the government who tried to substitute products when they weren't available. Alternate...

  The Autumn Tree- Tony Forder- Crime “ When dark desires have no limitations, anything is fair game.” D.I Bliss at his finest. The body of a young woman has been found in Cambridgeshire which is off Jimmy’s patch. He is called in and an NCA person is also there which arouses his suspicions. Jimmy has been temporarily downgraded to DS after an issue on another case and the men he meets at the body are suspicious of his motives as a business card of his with his writing on the back was found in what looks like the girl's belongings. One of Jimmy’s previous cases was of trafficking young women and he and his team saved some from certain death being trapped in a container. Could this latest victim be a link to further organised crime? This is the 8th Bliss book and would stand alone although some nuances may be missed if the others haven’t been read- which I highly recommend- all 5* from me- who doesn't love a bit of Bliss? There is a depth, an almost intimacy of knowing Bl...

  The Nurse- J.A Corrigan-psychological thriller “ When you hear her story, will you believe her?” Rose is in prison having admitted to murder. She apparently killed someone on the ward she was working on as a nurse although her family still think this unlikely. Theo is a true crime author and wants to tell Rose’s story. He is down on his luck and needs a good story to sort himself out. He interviews Rose and her mother and he is struck by something not quite right. Chapters vary from Rose being at medical school where she was originally training as a doctor to present day and Theo investigating. Theo finds that Rose had a relationship years before with the father of the man she apparently killed and that her mother indirectly worked for him at the private hospital he ran. As Rose tells her story things twist and turn and I was totally drawn in. One to set your mind racing and one to ponder. Of the past and misfortune, of deceiving and believing. A clever. very well thought ...

  CRIME IN THE KITCHEN by Catherine Moloney- Crime         A teacher is found dead in her kitchen when her friend goes in to feed her cat. Jayne Padgett had recently been on a TV programme to find her birth mother as she was adopted. With finding the mother she also found two half sisters who it appears were not best pleased to find another sibling. Detective Markham and Noakes are likeable down to earth investigators who yet again have the school as the focus. (this is part of a series- book 12-  but happily stands alone- I hadn't read the others- that said I guess some background to some of the main characters would appeal more if the others had been read). When the killer strikes again, they have their work cut out, but who is targeting the women and why? An interesting read of a village here everyone knows everyone else- but not everything about them as some secrets are well kept. Of an un-pc detective who can bring out of people details others...

  Lost Property - Helen Paris- General fiction Dot works at TFL lost property office and has done so for more years than she can care to remember. They keep things for 3 months and get more than most would imagine through their doors. Who loses an artificial leg, a grandfather clock and various bits of ephemera? The other part of her life was caring for her mother who is now in a home and Dot lives in her apartment having moved in when her mother needed help. Mr Appleby has been to the lost property office a few times looking for his wifes bag which has not yet appeared. Dot feels for him and tells him that it's still early days and could still be handed in, when in reality she knows that there is little hope of it arriving after all this time. When the bag arrives, Dot makes it her mission to return it and meanwhile her own life changes. I loved reading this- it came with a smile and a little side of poignant at times. Dot is although quiet, in her own way a larger than life ...