Nicki's book blog

  Stolen Angels (Detective Ellie Reeves Book 5) by Rita Herron- crime A little girl has gone missing- her mother thought she was at school but she never caught the bus. Her mother and father are separated and her father has a new girlfriend who isn't keen on kids, thinking his daughter could come between them. Could they have taken her? Detective Ellie Reeves is alerted and has a few leads to go on- the father is away and not answering. When Ellie discovers that other similar aged children have been taken, one on the same day a year ago, things get more intensive. Could there be a child trafficking ring active in the area and can they get the children home safe? I enjoyed this and found the pages turning easily. Each chapter is quite short which helps move things along at a pace. I took to Ellie and her tenacity for justice.  Although this is book five in the series this happily stands alone (I hadn’t read the others in the series)- there was the very occasional mention of thi...

  West Country Murder- Derek Thompson- Crime (bk 2 Detective Wild) Although the second book in the series, this works well as a standalone (I hadn't read the first one). A body is found at a literary festival locked in a car. The victim has a book signed by one of the guest authors but she doesnt recognise his face. When Detective Wild finds out more about the victim, there is an interesting past and one which involves the author albeit in an innocent way- so why is she lying about not knowing him? Wild by name and a little wild by nature, Craig has a tendency to go off at tangents- which invariably pay off but then he has to confess to his boss, who already doesn't see him in the greatest of lights. I quickly got into this. There is a good pace and likeable characters with a main one who is a cheeky chappy in many ways. There is a good solid, well thought out plot and the pages turn easily. I didn't feel I had lost anything by not reading the first one other than that ther...

  Blood Games by Liz Mistry- Crime ( Standalone novel in the DS Nikki Parekh series) + # GIVEAWAY ************************** DS Nikki Parekh is struggling mentally when a boy is found dead who looks just like her nephew. There have been a series of killings with machetes in the area. Then a son of a friend goes missing and what appears to be his ear is sent through to his mother. A new man is in charge who appears to have his own agenda.Who is behind these attacks and why? There appears to be more than one attacker and now the tactics have changed. What on earth is going on? Family is always paramount and when there are tensions within the community Nikki finds herself pulled betwixt and between. I love this series. There is always a good strong plot line, a fast pace and a warmth of character in Liz’s books- something you can get your teeth into and feel that there is a tenacity to seek out justice amongst a complex case. This time a crime that is part woven in family connection...

  The Couple At The Table- Sophie Hannah-psychological thriller  Jane has been murdered at a resort owned by her father. She was with William, her husband on their honeymoon. Lucy who was married to William is by chance also at the resort with her fiance, the two couples having previously got on well. This is written in two timelines- one atthe time of the murder and the other almost a year on- the murder still not having been solved. Jane had received a mysterious note “ Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours” however on the day of her murder all of he table had been rearranged so that each one had at least 2 others equidistant- and no-one knows who moved them. Jane had a very public outburst before she and William retreated back to their cottage, most of it was aimed at Lucy who remained with all of the others at the dining area. Who could have killed Jane and why? I enjoyed this- there is just that certain something - Sophie has the skill of writing to encapsula...

  The Commandant's Daughter - Catherine Hokin Historical fiction(WW2) Hanni Winter is now a photographer, a love borne from a kindness when she was small. She has changed her name and fled from the father who did such terrible things during the war era. She meets a detective, Freddy,  and works with him as she has an eye for detail and her pictures record the crimes. The crimes being that someone appears to be after SS officers who somehow have escaped Nuremberg and gone back into society. When Hanni discovers that her father is not only alive but has reinvented himself as his own brother, whilst painting her and her “ father” as horrific Nazis she quickly has to think on her feet in order to survive. She can't reveal her past to Freddy as he feels that anyone not doing anything about the criminals of war is as bad as the criminals themselves. Hanni wishes she could give the murderer  a certain name to save her own skin and should he really be caught when he is possibly d...

  THE LIST by Michael Leese- crime thriller  One stunner of a read. When her mother is killed and her daughter kidnapped, Detective Martha Munroe’s  world starts falling apart- until a friend of her father offers help. As most mothers would possibly do she takes the most direct route to find her daughter and lands herself in trouble legally, being blamed for beating up two men thought to have taken her daughter. Her father John Munroe was head of anti-corruption at Scotland yard and had many enemies both inside and outside the force. His old brief and one of his close friends come to Martha to explain a little more about the father who sadly died before she herself joined the police. When Martha is charged it could mean a prison sentence. Someone is out to get her- but why? OMG!! Wow!! I couldn't wait to turn each page, wanting to read ever faster. What a brilliant gripping book. Short chapters keep a very fast pace and a lead character that I liked and empathised with. A...

  Before We Grow Old by Clare Swatman- Literary fiction I've only previously read one of Clare’s books before  (Dear Grace- one of my books of the year) but only a few pages in and I knew this would also be a treasure of a read- and yes I was right. Fran had a neighbour as a child whom she loved and spent all of her time with- Will. Then one day after Will’s mother had died- his father took him and his brother away- to Australia and Fran never had a chance to say goodbye. Twenty five years later someone bumps into her and its Will. He later confesses that he had been looking for her and hopes they can rekindle their friendship and possibly more. Be still my beating heart. Oh my! A love story quite unlike any other. I won’t give anything away but I think someone was peeling onions nearby…. Beautifully written and with that wonderful warmth and depth of character that can only come with such skillful writing and very well thought out plot. Sometimes we need that affirmation i...

  The Last House on the Street- Diane Chamberlain- Women’s literary fiction A stunning read to remember. This is initially set in two time lines. With Ellie we are in 1965. Coloureds ( as they were called then) now have the vote and she is to join the SCOPE programme to help them register as so far there has been little uptake. Her parents won't be keen she knows and to fully be part of the programme she will be expected to live and work in the coloured area of town, staying with a family there. Kayla in 2010 has recently lost her husband Jackson who designed a house for them- which she is just about to move into. Jackson died through an accident in the house and Kayla is now unsure that she wants to go ahead with the move but has little choice as she is currently staying in her fathers house which has also been sold. She gets a visit at work from a woman who appears to know things about her, personal things. This worry Kayla so much she calls the police as the woman appears t...