Nicki's book blog

  The Girl before me by Laura Wolfe psychological thriller Rachel has moved into a new apartment to start her new life with her daughter away from the abusive husband she has filed for divorce against. Her daughter has won a scholarship to a nearby school and the new apartment is only a few blocks away. Rachel soon learns that the previous tenant Annie disappeared without telling anyone which is rather odd. She opens a letter which is from Annie's sister asking Annie to contact her as she is worried not having heard from her. Rachel develops a friendship with several of the residents, some of which are more friendly than others, one in particular is rather odd. Are Rachel and Lily safe in the apartment and what really happened to Annie? I quickly got into this and took to Rachel and her anxiety being in a strange place not knowing whom to trust. A range of characters both good and bad which made me unsure of whom, if any, had anything to do with Annie going missing. A nicely built

  A Tidy Ending- Joanna Cannon - psychological thriller Linda works in a charity shop part time- the rest of the time she spends sorting her house out and tidying after her husband Terry. Occasional chapters take us to Linda in some sort of establishment where things are organized- we don’t quite know what- which gives it an eerie feel. They have not long moved into a different house and post arrives for a Rebecca- catalogues and such like which Linda opens and hence feels she is getting to know the elusive Rebecca. There have been some murders in the town of women and Linda along with her mother both feel that the police need some help from the public. Linda has previously been to the police station thinking she was helping but felt she was too easily dismissed. She wishes that the grass was greener and a little frustrated with her life but appears to know how to do anything to change it. This is cleverly written and draws you in although you don’t really know why as Linda (the nar

  The Watchmaker's Daughter by Dianne Haley-WW II historical novel Valerie lives with her watchmaker father in Switzerland during the war. A neutral country and one who is torn between the two sides but seeing what the Germans are doing and hearing the BBC news leaves many of them forming a resistance group to help where they can to pass on information and sometimes people. Valerie is in love with Phillipe who is in the army. She is helping with the resistance movement and there is news of a traitor- someone who is passing information to the Germans and if found out would be shot. Who in the town would do this and why? I quickly got into this and like Valerie and her loyalty to doing justice. There's a nice tension of anticipation when the resistance are in action- to me showing the skill of a good author. It's an emotive read and one with some wonderful scenic descriptions that put the reader at the heart of the book. I'm sure there is more to come from Valerie and Phi

  The Widow's Husband by Lesley Sanderson psychological thriller Rachel’s husband Tom disappeared almost seven years ago. At the time he had moved in with Heidi whom he had been having an affair with but still saw his two children and had been talking to Rachel. Rachel receives a hand delivered note which she believes is in Tom’s hand writing saying he wants to come back. She isn't sure if this is a prank as everything possible was done to try and find him. It's not long until he can legally be declared dead which would help her financially as she has been struggling since he left. Can Tom still be alive and why choose now to want to come back? I quickly got into this and found it a good premise. There's lots going on especially with the family life not being straight forward which kept the pages turning. A good tension, a few secrets and curveballs here and there to me showing the skills of an excellent author. A page turner of a read I thoroughly enjoyed. For more re

  DEADLY SHORES by Kerry Buchanan - Crime              Detectives Harvey and Birch have had a tip off about a boat being delivered to a nearby dockyard. On seeing what they think is someone around the boat at night, they investigate further and a whole new case is opened up. A local man denies everything but has been caught on CCTV but still denies knowing anything about what is in the rucksack he was seen carrying. When there is a murder things are turning nasty and complicated as even more things begin to appear. What is going on and why?  This is the third in a series but happily stands alone. Set in Belfast there is the beauty of the city and the nearby coast giving a nice variety of settings. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the characters and the twists and turns that kept this moving at a nice pace. Likeable, relatable characters  you can easily take to and a good strong story line make this a highly enjoyable read that keeps the grey matter active.  For more reviews please follow m

  DEAD ON DELIVERY by Steve Parker -Crime This is the first Paterson and Clocks book I have read - there is a series but this happily stands alone (books 1-5 are available as a box set). Wow! What had I let myself in for? A wonderful read with lots of smiles- read on: The pair who don’t play by the rules or at least push them to the very boundaries, are called to an RTA where a bike courier has been hit and killed by a car. What turns out to be even more interesting is the contents of the boxes he was carrying. This leads to an organised crime group and Paterson and Clocks going on surveillance with interaction only known to them. I found myself turning quicker and quicker to see what the seemingly hapless, but clever and calculating pair were up to next.  There is a wonderful camaraderie between the pair. Paterson being more the balanced of them whilst Clocks doesn't care what anyone thinks about him. Some of the repartee are only things they could say to each other but Clocks thr

  Hidden in the Shadows by Imogen Matthews (wartime Holland #2) A different WW2 story inspired by true historical events  this time set in the occupied Netherlands. Wouter is in hiding as all young men are being recruited by the Germans and being forced to work in Germany. Laura is Jewish and hence in hiding herself. They met whilst in the hidden village, deep in the woods but then got separated when it was raided. Chapters alternate between Woulter, Laura and occasionally Else and tell of their survival and hiding, hardships and terror. This is the second book in the series but does stand alone (I hadn't read the first one) as things are well explained. This tells of the network of not only the resistance but those who wouldn't be ground down by oppressors and just wanted to do right by their fellow man offering help, shelter and food to those on the run in fear of their lives. Even some of the recruited Germans were sympathetic, they themselves having had no choice over their