Nicki's book blog

  An Invitation to Murder-Normal Russell - Crime ( Originally published as Tongued with Fire.) Lord Renfield is short of cash as ever but is determined to hang on to the family estate. His plan along with his domineering wife is to marry their daughter off to a wealthy American who is interested in the English aristocracy. An old book has been found by a villager relating to the house and village and the bookseller finds a letter within it which may cast a shadow on the Renfields' hold on their inheritance. When the bookseller is found dead, suspicion is cast but could this be a lucky break for the titled family? A story of murder and doubt with lots of twists and turns. This reminded me of a “Miss Marple” type scenario where all the characters know one another in a small village type setting and there are lots of backstories and history adding to the suspense. An entertaining read to keep the grey matter very active.  For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookb...

  Angel's Final Problem? by Roger Silverwood- Crime DI Angel has rather a problem on his hands. He has been accused of not only a robbery but also of a murder and the evidence firmly puts him in the frame. Despite those around him knowing he would never do such things, when forensics have irrefutable confirmation of his presence along with items found, Angel is put on suspension. He decides doing nothing is not an issue and probably only going to compound the matter so decides to go maverick and do his own investigation with no warrent card or badge. Can he not only get himself out of this rather large hole but also track down the real culprits? I really enjoyed this. Angel is rather an old school type of chap- (anyone younger would have taken pictures of the diary with their phone and sent them on) but old school works in this case. He is a likeable rogue with whom what you see is what you get- take him as you find him type person who calls a spade a shovel. I whizzed through...

  The Genesis Enquiry- Olly Jarvis- Legal thriller/mystery & crime   “What a treat it is to read Olly Jarvis’s THE GENESIS INQUIRY: a compulsively readable crime and legal thriller that pulls off the trick of being both satisfyingly traditional and supremely up to the minute. In the attractive, cussed and charismatic person of lawyer Ella Blake Jarvis has created a hero that we can hope to see again. A real winner.”- Stephen Fry Wow! A book to quickly become absorbed in and take you along for the ride. Ella Blake ran away from her life when she lost a case three years ago. She has been living in a campervan up and around Lindisfarne away from it all. Her daughter Lizzie is at Cambridge and has had little contact with her. Ella is a QC and good at what she does, or at least did. An old friend contacts her about finding a missing person, not just anyone, a polymath from Cambridge and Ella sees this as not only a chance to rejoin the human race but also to reach out t...

  T h e Perfect D aughter by Alex Stone -psychological thriller Jess and her mother are being interviewed after Adam, Jess’s boyfriend's car, has been found over a cliff and no sign of Adam. Jess had met Adam, a plumber, when she called him out for a repair. Jess’s mother Abigail is controlling and domineering to the point of coercive control, telling Jess all her life things such as “ what you want doesn’t matter” and blaming her for her father leaving many years ago. Jess isn't allowed to mention her father “ as then others will want to know what happened and what you did”. Jess was close to her father and only knows that the marriage was unhappy- something she blames herself for despite her being a child at the time. Alternate chapters are “now” and “ then” when Jess and Adam met and how their relationship was affected by Abigail. Yes this type of person really does exist and whilst this is fiction, controlling narcissistic personalities like this can control thei...

  Circle of Betrayal by Ruth O’Neill psychological thriller Lena and Sean are expecting their first child when Lena feels that something is amiss- as if someone is following her. At her work as a school teacher she has to discipline a pupil in an exam for cheating and he threatens to get her back. Taking a couple of days leave to get over this she then receives a strange package with a doll and a chilling message which she hurriedly throws away. When later on she tells Sean about it there is nothing in the dustbin, it's as if she has imagined it. Sean meanwhile has a secret, something he hasn't told Lena or anyone in his current life. It's something he tried to get away from for many years but now he can do little about it. He has a plan, more than one woman and is determined not to let anything get in his way. This is a page turning read and one I enjoyed. Lena was likeable and my one only very small criticism is that I thought Ethan was rather easily dissuaded - perha...

    Shadow Pursuit - Alistair Birch - political /crime thriller          Kellie and Sam both have siblings that have gone missing, Kellie having just seen her sister bundled into an unknown vehicle. Eva has a new boss and has been seconded to MI5 for a case of possible people trafficking. When she meets up with her, very shortly afterwards she is killed and it appears Eva is also a target. Fortunately she manages to get away. James is Sam’s brother and having been captured has now escaped, little knowing every move is being tracked. A body has been found possibly infected with a toxin- something that was found in several cadavers earlier. Is there a biological toxin being spread and if so the team needs to get onto the source pronto?  Kellie and Sam track some clues across London to try and find their siblings after finding some anomalies on a map in James’ flat. A clever premise and some complex characters with a plot to keep the grey matter ...

  Fear on the Fens- Joy Ellis- Crime DI Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter are back with a rather strange and intriguing case. Some youngsters set fire to an arbour and destroyed a tree. A day or so later the ringleader is found burnt to death in a wheelbarrow over the tree stump. Twenty years ago a family was torn apart by a father who killed their gardener and then killed himself. Shortly afterwards the younger brother despite being only thirteen, upped sticks and left home- to where no one knows. Now his brother has heard from him and is worried about his mental health and that he could be a danger to others as half the time he lives in his own fantasy world- something Nikki can’t quite get her head around.  Another cracker of a read from Joy with characters that you can't help but like. A good solid interesting plot and one of a very different nature in more ways than one. A brilliantly entertaining read. I so love this series- I always know that within a few pages I w...

  The Girl on the Platform- by Ellie Midwood Historical fiction WW2 Based on a true story, we begin in the early 1930’s in Berlin. Hitler is now in charge and his powers and forces are ever gathering strength. His propaganda machine is beginning to spew its way into the minds of the population- the non Jewish one. Libby had moved to Berlin to escape from her very traditional family and is now working at MGM in the publicity department. After losing a friend to supposed suicide (something that at the time was common and then other forces were found to be involved) she meets Harro and there is a spark. They later learn that they have a common connection- one that the powers that be would not have approved of. As they get ever nearer to certain warfare and the propaganda machine is ever busier, they find that they could be effective against the powers that be whilst simultaneously working with them. They distribute leaflets and listen to “ illegal “ radio confirming the lies th...