Nicki's book blog

  Fire and Fury for the Tobacco Girls by Lizzie Lane-historical fiction (WW1)  We are back in Bristol during the first world war. Three girls met working for a tobacco company and are now doing their bit to help the war effort. Women are now being asked and allowed to drive ambulances during the raids  and Maisie and Bridget volunteer and some new girls at the factory volunteer as first raiders. The third of the group,Phyllis, is away with the WAAF- she recently lost a baby and believes her unsuitable husband is missing in action, possibly dead. This is the third book in the series and although would stand alone is better read as part of the series (bk 1-The Tobacco girls, bk 2-Dark days for the Tobacco girls). In wartime everyone wants to do their part and some are doing it for themselves. Eddie has been a thorn in many people's sides for a long time but he is powerful and has muscle on his side. When Maisie finds out that he has been blackmarketing jewelry from...

  MURDER NOW AND THEN by Faith Marti n- Crime Hillary is back-yay! Around ten years ago a man was murdered and the case was not resolved. Hillary and her CRT are reopening the case (although murder is never closed until solved officially). The victim appeared to be a law abiding quiet chap who was finishing his degree and looking for work. He had a girlfriend who was rather odd by several accounts and sadly he had reported one of his tutors for inappropriate behaviour however neither of these appeared to be the killer. Only six months ago another DI was sent to a couple of murder scenes where the victims appeared to have been tasered before being hit with an unknown blunt instrument. Meanwhile in CRT Hillary wonders if new chap Gareth, who is ex-military, has more than his own life to worry about. Something is rather amis with calls he is getting and his behaviour. Could there be more going on in the background?  I love this series- a good strong female protagonist, a sens...

  Freecycling for Beginners by Misha M Herwin-Women’s fiction           Freecycle- a site where goods and sometimes services are repurposed. A chair too good to be thrown away, a dress needing to be altered, a good deed needing to be done. A story of people coming together through reusing things and finding help and friendship along the way. Of paying it forward and giving a helping hand, sometimes a kind word is all that's needed. We live in such a disposable society that sometimes we perhaps should stop and think and proffer help where we can, however small the gesture may be , it may make all the difference in the world to someone. Of being kind and being thoughtful and selfless and caring. That realising that there is just more than ourselves in this world. A little kindness and a smile goes a long way. Pay it forward,  you never know when you may need to be the recipient rather than the giver.    An interesting, entertaining read w...

  Her Final Victim- N.J Moss -psychological thriller Jamie is at a nightclub and sees a woman he takes a fancy to. After not touching the drink he bought for her, she takes a call and makes her excuses to leave. Jamie, rather intrigued, follows her to the point of finding her front door unlocked when she has gone through it a few minutes beforehand. When he then explores the house, he finds rather more than he ever expected. Millie has had her sights on Jamie and knows his secret, however she has more than a few of her own. She expertly pops up in front of Jamie and his wife Hazel when he least expects it- at his bosses dinner partly. Just who is hunting and plotting against who? This is a difficult and dark read in some early parts ( and perhaps *trigger warning* for some ) as Millicent had rather a depraved upbringing as part of a cult type group where “no one belongs to anyone but did” and “where nothing was wrong or right it just was”. Occasional chapters take us back to...

  The Man Who Died Twice- Richard Osman cozy crime The Thursday murder club are here again in a wonderful new book. Elizabeth has received a letter from an old friend- however she remembers collecting his body and taking it to the morgue as part of her job many,many moons ago. Ibrahim whilst out is mugged for his phone and badly injured- the group are determined that the culprits will not get away with it or just a rap on the knuckles. Then there is the small matter of £20 million pounds worth of diamonds. Elizabeth has contacts because where she used to work was rather hush hush, say no more. Bogdan can get hold of anything as again he has contacts. When Elizabeth meets Douglas again there is more at stake than friendship. Can the group get back the diamonds without too many people getting killed in the process and give the mugger what he deserves? This is a wonderful read- it’s crazy, it’s fun, brilliant  and well researched. The little things such as how old people tal...

  What She Did-Carla Kovach- psychological thriller Marissa lives in a flat and works as a financial adviser.  She still has nightmares about what happened to her as a child. Alternate chapters take us back to when she lived with her aunt and uncle just after her mother had died, both who abused her. In the present,  she longs to live in the cottage where she lived with her mother but sadly she cant afford it and has to put up with an obstreperous neighbour who is noisy at all hours and goes out of his way to make her life uncomfortable. One day she wakes up with scratches on her arms and a bauble in her hand that she remembers from the past. When she sees that there has been a stabbing at the cottage, she wonders what she could have done in her sleep whilst sleepwalking. It can't have been her can it? She meets a friend via the residents association and through Glen finds some comfort. Her other friend Jasmine is being very cagey about Ben- someone Marissa is workin...

  THE SUPPER CLUB (book 3 in the Smart Woman's Mystery Series) by Victoria Dowd-crime Ursula Smart and her mother Pandora have a tendency for murder to follow them around without them really doing anything other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time- or is that the right time perhaps? This time they are invited to a safari supper which involves going around different houses from the castle they are staying in (Black Towers- note the “s” not the wine!) and there they meet some rather eccentric characters. Ursula quickly finds that there are several who together make the case of Cluedo. Those of a certain age will find several puns and references to things from the post which I couldn't help smiling at. This is  a wonderful cozy crime series and each one works alone. Victoria is a criminal barrister turned crime writer and most certainly has a  sense of not only how to plot a good story but also a wonderful sense of humour ! Larger than life characters,a plo...

  SECONDS TO DIE (Detective Claudia Nunn #2)  by Rebecca Bradley- crime- Detective Inspector Claudia Nunn is running a new team- Complex crimes. One as the name suggests to sort out the more unusual ones.  Not long ago her team caught a serial killer that was thought to also have killed her step mother due to the similar MO and details that were not released- something the killer denies. She receives a picture anonymously in the post and thinks little of it until a crime is reported that is the exact same scene- down to every detail. When more pictures arrive Claudia and her team, which includes her Sergeant Father Dom, do their best to try and find out more before the next person is killed. Dom has his own issues aside from work which he doesn't want to involve Claudia with. Can the team save potential victims before it’s too late? This is the second in the series and works well alone ( I hadn’t read the first) as enough back detail is given to put things straight wi...