Nicki's book blog

  The Bride by John Nicholl- psychological thriller This tells the story of Daisy , written in the first person, beginning with how she met her husband James and what happened when they came back from their honeymoon and he disappeared without trace. We know she is incarcerated as she is writing this but not her whole story until it slowly unfolds as she tells it. They stopped at a services for a break on the way home and James went to get some air to relieve a headache whilst Daisy went to the loo and got coffee. She waited and waited and no James. Where has he gone and why? I found myself quickly engrossed in this. There’s a clever tension and intrigue even though the first part begins as a story of domesticity whilst the reader knows there is just something more. It's brilliantly written to give that sense of “what on earth has happened” which kept the pages turning and I didn’t want to put it down. There’s only a few characters which made me think about the who’s and why’s an

The Couple Across The Street by Anita Waller-crime /suspense thriller Back in Sept 2022, Grace had not long lost her husband John to cancer. She is at the point of wanting to be herself and shedding being in his shadow. Her daughters Sara and Grace however haven’t yet reached this point.  Grace’s best friend Vicky has just walked out on her husband, having been the victim of his fists. The first chapter begins in 2003 by someone sitting by a child's hospital bed, both him and his mother having been involved in a road traffic accident. We then alternate between Grace now and a man called Jed wanting to find his father. There is intrigue and twists with both Grace and Vicky and Jed’s search. I loved this. It’s an easy read of domestic drama, a down to earth story that you just know there is something more in the mix as there’s a building tension. All the main characters are very likeable. Anita has a way with words and a wonderful flowing style that made me want to keep turning the

  The Evil Within By Alistair Birch Who attacked Emily Clay, out alone on a cold winter’s night back in 1966? Why is Mary Fortune hiding away? In 1980s Oxfordshire, Chancery School teacher Mr Daley’s unorthodox methods cause uproar, as childhood friends and fourth-graders Stuart Lockwood and Paul Winters soon discover. Their friendship will be tested; their future shaped through bullying, treachery, and lies. -------------------------- Purchase link:  The Evil Within eBook : Birch, Alistair : Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store Author:  Alistair Birch is a thriller writer and occasional poet. His first psychological thriller The Evil Within is out in June 2023 with action thrillers, Shadow Pursuit and Shadow Play being re-released in the coming months. He is currently working on a new wartime thriller. Outside of storytelling, his poems range from rather silly to tackling deeper mental health challenges. He frequently runs around his home town and occasionally steps up to do the odd half or ful

  It All Started With You- Debbie Howells- women’s fiction Frankie has had a series of disasters both in her personal life and in work much to the angst of her friend Honey. When Honeys wedding flowers don’t make an appearance Frankie steps up and so begins an idea which turns into reality with Honeys help of a wedding flower shop. Frankie makes changes to her life and starts running and in doing so literally runs into Lulubelle and her young son Cosmo. Small chats exchange snippets and Frankie finds out that Cosmo has leukaemia and Frankie does what she can to support Lulubelle, realising in the process what the most important things in life are.  I really enjoyed this, it's a life affirming read and how sometimes it's the smallest gesture that can change someone's day for the better if we are willing to reach out a hand. There’s drama, and a little romance and lots of smiles along the way. Of life's ups and downs and when life throws you lemons add gin! (or make lemon

  The Flatmate by Gemma Rogers-psychological thriller Ria has taken 5 months off from work after her friend died. They both worked for the same advertising agency and were at a conference when Livvy was found dead - purportedly from drugs- something they both vehemently shied away from. On her return to the agency flat Ria finds she has company in the form of Amanda who started working there in her absence and appears to have ingratiated herself to those around her. Ria is getting strange phone calls from what sounds like Livvy and then some black roses arrive for her which really spooks her. Something appears off about Amanda- there’s too much convenience about her. Who killed Livvy as Ria is sure that it was deliberate and are they also after Ria? Is Amanda who she really says she is or is she somehow involved? I enjoyed this- there is quickly a tension about it which I like in psychological thrillers- something to engage the reader early on and pique their interest. There's chao

  The Stepson by Diane Saxon - psychological thriller Lorraine gets a very early morning call from her mother- a rather strange one- something about Lorraine's brother. Lorraine, to her knowledge, doesn't have a brother but vaguely remembers an argument between her parents mentioning a boy when she was young. Her own young daughter has mentioned seeing her (now deceased) grandfather through the fence at her school, something Lorraine puts down to imagination. On arriving at her mothers house, she is nowhere to be found and her things are still in place. Lorraine thinks this out of character and reports it to the police who don’t take her seriously. Where is her mother and what did her last strange words really mean? This very quickly draws the reader in- there’s a tension from the start. Lorraine comes across as a sensible, well rounded person who I took to and liked. There are several timelines each chapter clearly marked which works well and I didn't find this at all conf

  A BLOODSTAINED COAT by Stephen Williams- crime ( book 2 Detectives Raine & Hume series)  Raine works in the shadows. She is ex- police and is hired for different jobs, this time she finds herself in a rather seedy club where it looks like women are being literally sold. DI Mary Hume has a body case- one found at the bottom of a lift shaft on a building site but further investigation proves it wasn't an accident. The man's coat has the blood of several others on it. Meanwhile there are two girls chained up in a cellar, the other side is a large cage where dogs patrol. Who has killed the man and why, and what on earth is happening with the girls? This is quite a complex case (but easy for the reader to follow as the differing parts are chapter separated so easy to tell the who’s and why’s). A gritty, cleverly thought out, rather dark at times story line showing a (hopefully not based on fact) depraved fights and the things some will do in order to make money from others.( T

  Flood of Sorrow by JR Sinclair- Crime DI Joseph Stone Book 2 When a body is found by a boat carried away in a flood it looks like it has been there a while. DI Joseph Stone and team are called out and to his horror he recognises a trainer found near the body as one belonging to a missing student a few years before- one his boss and adversary quickly closed the case on due to little evidence. When another rowing student goes missing on the morning she is going home for good having bailed out of Oxford life altogether, things take a more urgent turn. Is the coach who is known for being a bully, taking things several steps further or is there someone else lurking in the shadows? I love this series- they do stand happily alone but why miss out on another fantastic read? There's a warmth of character about Joseph and a sense of appropriate humour. I had to laugh when “ an officer can smell a doughnut at a hundred paces or possibly a mile if the wind is in the right direction” ! It'

The Watchers by John Reid (DCI Burt series but stands alone)- crime  A Bank of England official has gone missing. A man who is a third of a password to release gold bullion in a few days. Could this be a heist? DCI Burt and team are only involved as a friend of his took him along to interview someone at the bank and he found things rather odd. No evidence, just that gut feeling that police get when something is amiss. Meanwhile someone is trying to plot the perfect murder in order to get rid of someone standing in their way of making money- a minister objecting to planning. Steve Burt is spread thinly and the powers that be want eyes on the murder but the bank issue is getting larger and larger. Can they sort out both crimes and get the gold before it's too late as well as to whom the murderer is? I really enjoy this series. It's well written and keeps the reader engaged with likeable characters and excellent plot twists. The new DC is a character that made me smile and I felt

  Engaged in Danger By Barbara Venkataraman- cozy crime. (Jamie Quinn book #4 but does stand alone) I love this series- it's a light, wonderful, easy read with a smile or two along the way. Jamie is an attorney mostly in family law. I say mostly as things have a habit of finding her which puts her attorney and detective skills to the test. This time her neighbours are wanting to find out more about the air crash which killed their daughter and son in law. Jamie's Boyfriend Kip is off on a trip to Australia for three months and her best friend Grace has got back together with an old flame- someone Jamie doesnt trust in the least. When a potential client comes in wanting to sort out a divorce but has been to too many other attorneys who wouldn't take the case due to whom her husband is, Jamie wonders if her and Grace can possibly work this together as Grace works for a large company.  A tale of investigation and a clever plot. One that begins with one thing and then there is

  The World Outside My Window by Clare Swatman-women’s fiction Laura was once attacked not far from her home and although she and her husband have now moved house, Laura hasn't stepped outside the door as she is too afraid. She relies on her husband Jim and her friend Debbie who lives several miles away. One evening Jim, who works away several days at a time, doesn't come home and the police won’t do anything for 48 hours. Debbie provides some support by phone but finally Laura realises that she may just have to step outside to find out what has happened to him. Between Laura and Debbie they make a plan to ask the neighbours on the close, several of whom spoke to Jim regularly and see if they can piece together anything about where he could be. The first step is to get Laura through her own door. I really enjoy Clare’s books. There’s a special something about them- a warmth and depth of character and plots that quickly draw the reader in. There is also that “ je ne sais quois” 

  Murder in Lovers Lane By Daniel Sellers - crime Lola has got herself a personal trainer deciding to get fit after her personal life took a bit of a turn. Whilst running they see a misplaced car in a park with its doors wide open but no-one around. On further inspection they find a couple bound together and the man has been shot, the woman unconscious. Lola is a DCI and would like to take the case but there are politics going on and she has to fight for it. Who would want the couple dead and why leave them like this in full view? This is the second in the Lola Harris series and happily stands alone (I hadn’t read the first one). This is also a new author to me and one I shall certainly look out for in the future. It's a wonderful easy read where the pages turned effortlessly and I quickly took to Lola and her determination and tenacity in getting to the truth. It’s a story where things are not as straightforward as they first might seem which sets the scene for some background wh

  The Interpreter by Brooke Robinson -psychological thriller Revelle is a multi language interpreter who although works freelance does most of her work for a company who provide interpreters for the courts and police and this has become her area of expertise. Revelle learnt her languages as a result of her mother constantly moving with her work around different countries.  She has recently applied to adopt a young boy, Elliott, who is currently with her having previously been in several foster homes after he was taken away from his parents following substance abuse.  There are interspersed sections where we get dialogue from someone, we know not who, describing scenes they find themselves in and there is a mention of a person that is yet not featured, as if  someone or somewhere in the past. OMG! A book where the tension was palpable, I almost felt nervous, I was so on the edge of my seat!I quickly found myself liking this- even in the early chapters where we get a feel for Revelle an