Nicki's book blog

  Lil's Bus Trip by Judy Leigh Women’s fiction- Sprightly eight two year old Lil is off on an adventure. She is going with a group of locals to northern Europe. She has roped in her daughter Cassie and good friend Maggie who very much needs to get away from her husband Brian who just sits in front of the TV letting her do everything. She almost bottled out thinking he couldn't manage without her. Lil is a character and couldn't let her friend not come. Many many years ago, Lil’s love was Cassie's father who then had to return home to the states following the war. Lil was left wondering what happened to him and hasn't really had a man in her life ever since. The group set out and visit war memorials, cemeteries along with cider makers and everything else along the way. I love Judy’s novels- there is a depth of message amongst so much going on and many smiles. From ghosts and flirting to storytelling, there is the warmth of a group who although very different h

  The Secrets of Latimer house- Jules Wake- Historical fiction WW2 1943: Three women each with a different skill are posted to Latimer House deep in the English countryside. Evelyn Brooke-Edwards - a lieutenant  who thought she would be demoted after an incident with a senior officer but she has excellent technical knowledge. Judith Stern, a German jew is now in the ATS having previously worked in an aircraft factory but hiding her nationality for obvious reasons. Betty Connors, locally born and bred and knows the big house of old is not really sure why her less than speedy or perfect typing skills are required. The three women sign the official secrets act so can't even tell each other what they are doing but each knows they are a key part to the war effort. This was easy to get into- there is quickly a camaraderie amongst the women along with a sense of purpose and fulfilment. Betty and Evelyn soon find that they have similar experiences with bullies and that the men arou

  She’ll Never Tell- Maggie James-psychological suspense Olivia has always been close to her mother and is devastated when two policemen at her door tell her of her mothers demise. The post mortem shows that her mother Sonia had never given birth- something Olivia vehemently denies. She is unable to ask her father as he has had a severe injury leaving him needing twenty four hour care and little speech. Her friend Elena comforts her but says some odd things and before Olivia can find out more Elena abruptly moves away, leaving Olivia with more questions than answers. We then go back to when Olivia was born and the circumstances surrounding it. I won’t say any more so as not to give anything away. Wow!! What a very clever concept and one perfectly executed. As ever with Maggie's books, the characters come alive and I found myself turning ever faster to find out who and what but as I found one part answered, another question is poised. I took to Olivia and her predicament, as

  The Liar Next Door Nicola Marsh- psychological thriller- “Oh what a tangled web we weave…." A small group of mothers each with their own secrets. One sees an ex who now lives across the street, someone she really didn't want to come into her life. Another who has run away from something or someone and wishes to remain invisible to them. Most of this is done from Frankie’s point of view. She is a vlogger and has a secret in her marriage. Alternate chapters give the stories of Frankie in the past and then present day the other main characters. Cleverly written- there is so much subterfuge that I wasn't sure who is the liar in the title and even if there was more than one. Each tells a little without really saying anything other than wanting to hide things from others as doing so would shatter their lives or their families. Twists and turns and then the ending! OMG- once seen it all became clear. Not a book to peek at the end of as allis revealed in the last chapter

  The Madness of Crowds- Louise Penny- Crime thriller When a statistician is giving a lecture at a hall in a village outside Quebec, the last thing the police expect is trouble. However the speaker has a theory about post covid and has been stirring up feelings- social media as ever spreads things even quicker than a virus. The police limit the number of people and everyone is searched so how on earth did firecrackers and a gun get into the hall and having been fired narrowly miss the target- the speaker herself? Chief Inspector Armand Gamache was at the scene- something everyone thought would be a non event which they tried to cancel beforehand to no avail. Three pines village has a distinguished visitor- a nobel peace prize candidater- but Haniya has a very hard side to her as well as the saintly side, having endured much in her short life. This is brilliantly written and a page turner. Much is narrative rather than action but done to keep the reader's interest and the

  The Dark- Emma Haughton- Crime thriller Kate is the new doctor at UNA- United Nations Antarctica station where to go outside freezes immediately. There are strict rules as supplies are limited for things such as water and space amongst other things. Kate had an accident a while ago and is here to try and get away from things- and now on her arrival she is already wondering if she has done the right thing. Her predecessor Jean-Luc died in an accident out on the ice- only as time goes on some think that it wasn't an accident at all- possibly murder. Is someone out to get Kate as when she tries to find out more things go missing and she finds herself rather unpopular amongst the group? Being confined in twenty four hour darkness for several months amongst strangers can be difficult- but when there is maybe something amiss- tensions and suspicions are running even higher. Kate has her own demons and is rather a pill popper- something that began as pain relief after her acciden

  I Let Him In- Jill Childs-psychological thriller Lou is cycling back from her ex-boyfriends Toby’s place after trying to talk to him and them having a row. It's windy and raining and the next thing she knows she has been hit from behind by an unknown vehicle. When the paramedics arrive she is heard to say “ Am I going to jail”. She recovers and is allowed home on crutches due to a broken leg. Her sister Jo suggests that she get some decorating done- it will brighten the place up and also give her some company. The lady from victim support has a contact and so appears Ed on the scene who Lou instantly gets on with. Both have secrets from their past and without saying very much soon find that they relate to each other's situation. I quickly became engrossed in this. There's a tension without really knowing why along with an air of mystery about both Lou and Ed. Lou tells her secret but Ed has always said that he will never speak of his. This is cleverly written to en

Rock Paper Scissors- Alice Feeney -psychological thriller Adam and Amelia despite being married have a rather strange relationship. He suffers from Prosopagnosia which is an inability to recognise faces- even his own so often walks past even his wife. They have taken a weekend away in Scotland to try and repair their marriage but even the journey has been straining. Each year on their anniversary they share gifts relevant to the anniversary according to tradition (paper, linen etc) This is their tenth. Each year Amelia has written Adma a letter- which he never receives- with some truths about their marriage in each one.  On arrival at the isolated  converted chapel they think it is locked having tried the doors. A quick walk around to see if there is another door and getting back to the main doors find they are wide open- and it's not the wind. Both Adam and Amelia have their secrets and schedule of what is to happen on this break- something they won in a raffle. This is a ve