Nicki's book blog

  THE VIADUCT by Stewart Giles- Crime Oh wow! A darker tale in parts and one I couldn't put down. A young girl has been found beneath a viaduct with a suicide note in her pocket. Her mother insists that its not her handwriting and that she wouldn't commit suicide. On the top of the bridge one of Smith’s team has found what appears to be a circle associated with the darker side of life- black magic. When another girl is found and traces of a previously unknown substance are found at the post mortems, the team know there is something incredibly sinister going on. Who is doing this and why? OMG! I love Stewart’s book and DS Smith but this one takes it to a whole new level. I knew Jason was tenacious and determined but wow, oh wow and every other related superlative. A book where I feel much research has been done and comes through very well. Of loyalty and love, of strength and resoluteness. A book I just have to give my special 5**- those that blow me away and have that something

  Gone by Ruby Speechley-psychological thriller Shay, a sixteen year old boy, has gone missing having sneaked out to a party in the woods. His mother isn't too worried to begin with as he is becoming rather rebellious and stays over at friends quite frequently. When she can't get hold of him she starts to worry which is exacerbated when she finds out a girl has been attacked, unable to speak due to her head injuries at the same rave. Shays hoodie turns up when the police get involved and then a ransom which the family keep to themselves as they have been warned no police. This was a page turner of a read and there were lots of suspects both people and actions. A partner who is new and rather secretive about past parts of his life - can he be trusted? When a son who is into the wrong sort of things and the parents don’t know- has he been led or bribed and why does he owe such an extortionate amount of money? This is a thrilling read and maybe even a cautionary tale, despite bein

  The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden- psychological thriller Millie has a record so has to find work as she can as any background checks would reveal her past. She is working on being a social care worker along with any cleaning jobs she can get. Her last role ended when the little girl she looked after called her Mama rather than the mother due to the time she spent with her. She is now working as a cleaner/housekeeper for Mr Garrick whose wife is supposedly ill. All Millie sees of her are her eyes through a door which if she says anything gets firmly and quickly closed. What is the secret behind Mrs Wendy Garrick and why is there blood on her clothes? When Millie peeks inside something inside of her is called to action. What is going on and can Millie save not only herself but Wendy as well? This is the second in the Housemaid series but stands alone , I hadn’t read the first. It's a book I raced through and thoroughly enjoyed. One where real life got in the way as I j

  THE WRONG WOMAN (Lennox & Wilde #3) by Helen H Durrant- Crime A body is found where the face has almost been obliterated. Someone doesn't want anyone to know who she was as the fingers have also been removed. The strange thing is a tattoo is still clearly obvious so why leave it? Lennox and Wilde have their work cut out to try and find out what is going on. Although number three in a series this does stand alone quite happily (I had only read the first one 3 years ago). Another woman goes missing and an infamous crook is in the mix but there appears to be more to this case than just dodgy money lending and drugs. Why has the woman been killed and who is the perpetrator? I really enjoy Helen’s books. They are an easy read and there’s always a cracking plot line to keep the pages turning with well rounded characters and even a little humour thrown in. There are twists and turns along the way which keeps the pace and the reader ever perplexed as to whom the perpetrator may be. A

  Alice Alone by Amanda Brookfield - women's fiction Set in 1986, Alice lives with her husband Peter. Her last grown child has just flown the nest and Alice is at rather a loss. She has spent all her years looking after the three children and also Peter who struggles to find even the sugar in the kitchen and whom she realises she probably doesn't even like let alone love. Being invited to what she anticipates as rather a dull dinner party she gets her hair dyed. The next morning, she refuses to get out of bed as she usually does to make Peter's breakfast, being fed up with being defined as the wife, the mother- anything but her own self. What transpires awakens Alice and she even surprises herself. I enjoyed this, it's very much a story of the era. For those that perhaps didn’t live through it, yes times were different in lots of ways. Although women worked they were rather under valued at times and in different professions. Misogyny was alive and kicking as were severa

  Maybe It’s About Time by Neil Boss- satire/humorous fiction Oh wow! A book I fell in love with early on and couldn't wait to find out more. The very first of my books of the year Marcus works in the city as a partner in a commercial firm where there is a lot of business speak and company politics- an egocentric world- which he loathes as often it masks the truth for the sake of the company earning its fees. Claire is a single mother of two young children who is struggling managing her finances. Her social worker Gavin is very helpful and so she has someone to turn to and have some adult chat with along with a neighbour who comes over to her to watch a little early evening TV. This begins in early 2020- just before the pandemic and lockdowns hit the world and life changed for many of us. Claire and Marcus meet through Gavin just pre lockdown when Marcus is fed up and Claire is just beginning to poke her nose above the parapet with a little more confidence. This is most definitely

  Every Word Tells a Story by Tom Read Wilson (illustrations by Ian Morris) Oh what a real delight And what a marvellous treat! An illustrated book about words That's really incredibly sweet! Its brilliantly written by Tom And has wonderful pictures galore Of how words were founded Which may make you smile or roar! From Aardvark right through To Zodiac and Zoo Learning for all ages Right through the pages! This really is a book written to quote Tom " with oodles of love" both from the author and the fantastic Ian Morris who has done the marvellous illustrations .. I may no longer be a child but I loved each and every page and learnt something new along the way and most certainly had a smile at the pictures. who knew that salary and sausages have a common denominator in salt?  I can't recommend this highly enough. Its a perfect gift for anyone of any age who is interested in words or reading. For a child or as an excellent coffee table book- something that can be brows

  Fatal Secrets by Anita Waller-Crime DI Matt Foster has the police in his blood as his father was also a serving officer, now retired. Years beforehand his father was at a scene and was shot leaving him in a wheelchair. Since then he and a close friend have been running a PI agency mainly doing the mundane work of divorce and shadowing etc. Matt gets a call from his father asking for help in a faint voice. By the time he gets there it's too late, his father is dead and his partner Jimmy is critically ill. Matt's boss quickly arrives and takes him off the case- Matt responds by resigning, his DS however is loyal and promises to keep him abreast of the situation. He, his friend Steve and Matt's sister Hermia decide to find out for themselves why this terrible tragedy has happened. Could the man who shot their father finally have reappeared to finish what he started? I very quickly got into this. Anita has a wonderful style of writing that quickly engages the reader in the ch

  The Lumberjills by M W Arnold-historical fiction/saga  I often learn things from the books I read. Sometimes the unusual funny facts we can all quote when we think about it and sometimes of real lives and things that went on before our time. I knew of the land army and some of the air force girls but I didn't know about the lumberjills. This and Mick's other series about the girls who flew aircraft when built to their bases, has been a most interesting informative way of picking up knowledge. The lumberjills as the name suggests were women who joined up to help in felling trees, (the women's timber corps) wo od being a much needed resource in war time. Mick has the knack of telling a story and putting facts in without the reader quite realising (if that makes sense?). What a wonderful way to learn history and social history. I know Mick is meticulous about his fact finding and this shines through in each and every one of his books. In this we meet four ladies, each f

  What July Knew by Emily Koch- crime thriller/family drama July is ten years old and lives with her father, stepmother and stepsister. Her own mother died when she was only two. On beginning a school project, she finds a note saying, “she didn't die in a car crash”. This leads July to try and find out more and to add to her list of things she knows about her mother which as yet hasn’t reached twenty. Why the mystery over her mother and is she really dead? This is a very touching story. July is bullied and intimidated by her father who she desperately wants love and attention from. She hence finds life at home rather precarious at times. She is shown love and care by Yaya (her grandmother) and has a sort of a friend in her stepsister, but Sylvie only ever has one person in mind- herself. Brilliantly written this evokes childhood memories and the innocence of youth wonderfully. A book I loved and didn’t want to end. More than one twist which kept the pages turning from this carefull