Nicki's book blog

  The Perfect Teacher by Kelly Golden- psychological thriller Frankie's daughter Jenna hasn’t come home from school, however she is 16 and more than capable of sorting herself out. Other than to her helicopter mother who still calls her “ her baby”. On investigating further Frankie finds out that the school has hired her arch nemesis from when she was at school, someone the whole family steered away from. Frankie is now convinced that Georgia Smith has a hand in Jenna’s disappearance, putting into action what she threatened years ago. Alternate chapters take the reader Now, After and Before written from differing perspectives-on differing timelines. Sounds confusing but it really isn't, it's easy to follow. “After” is someone in prison, we are not quite sure who or why until later in the book and “Now” being mostly from Frankie's perspective. This gives an interesting POV which varies and kept me hooked right the way through. The chapters are short and snappy and there

  Murder on the Train by Faith Martin- Crime Ex DI Hillary Greene is off on a much longed for holiday. A trip to Hay on Wye to promote the book she has just written. She is staying at a pub and meets other people there who suggest a trip on a steam train. Whilst on the train a guest is murdered. Hillary is on holiday, can she help without interfering in the case? Oh boy! No one was more pleased than me when I saw that there was a new Hillary Greene book. They are such entertaining reads and I can't help but smile at Puff the tragic wagon (if you know, you know) and more. There’s a warmth between the pages and a wonderfully crafted plot with twists and turns to engage the reader right the way through. Hillary is a wily woman and has the experience to see more than is on the surface of people. A wonderfully entertaining read, I can’t wait for more. For more reviews please follow me on Twitter (X) or Threads @nickisbookblog ---------------------------------------------------------- MU

  The Disappearance of Peter Markham By Donna Morfett- crime   Wow! A debut novel that grabbed me from the outset and didn’t let go. Peter Markham is a prominent and well known figure in Dunstable where he lives happily with his wife and family. When he goes missing it’s well out of character and DI Cora Snitton and her team have little to go on to begin with. However Cora finds a photo at his house with a passage that doesn’t seem quite right. Who would take Peter and could the squeaky clean facade be hiding something more? I loved this from the start and found myself turning more and more. It's an easy read which keeps the pages turning and I quickly liked Cora- there was just something special about her. Perhaps her determination and tenacity for justice, whilst dealing with her own shortcomings in a very professional way. I would like to think that this could be the start of a series as I feel there is more to Cora and her team to come. A well thought out, cleverly plotted nov

  T he Blood Promise by Liz Mistry- Crime This is the first in a new series from Liz, based around two detectives- DC’s Solanki and McQueen. They have recently been paired up since one was demoted from being a DS and lucky not to have lost her job. Queenie loves knitting and eating and Jazzy (Solanki) is finding this is taking some getting used to but quickly finds she likes just something about her new partner. Jazzy is getting visits from a hooded stranger leaving her birthday cards which is freaking her out but there’s nothing to really go on. When they get called to the strangest birthday party murder she wonders if the two could be connected in some strange way.  I really enjoyed this, there's humour in the newly acquired camaraderie between Jazzy and Queenie which lightens the story. The main crime is gruesome and dark so this is a great balance and there is one heck of a lead up to the ending. Jazzy has her own backstory as does Queenie which they eventually share which for

  Think Twice by Harlan Coben - Crime A classic Harlan Coben novel with a twisty plot. This is one of a series- number 12 in the Myron Bolitar series- but happily stands alone- I hadn’t read the others. Myron had been to a funeral of a former client and friend, Greg, a while back but when there is a murder and his deceased friend's DNA is found at the crime scene things take on a different turn. As he starts to look into this, more murders with a similar MO crop up. Is Greg still alive or is someone using his profile to confuse the investigation? This is a gritty, classic Harlan Coban read where the reader is led astray more than once. It's a complex plot, well written and thought out. I wouldn't expect anything less from an author of Harlan’s calibre. I wish I'd started at the beginning of the series as I feel there is so much more to know about Myron and Win- the one who often saves the day. An investigative thriller in every sense of the word. Another classic from th

  The Perfect Fiance by TJ Brearton -psychological thriller Julie comes home early from a work conference to find her fiance Colton in bed with another woman. As she yells and tells them to get out some men break into the house and take her and Colton hostage, bundling them into the back of a van. She thinks she recognises one of the men however Colton apparently doesn't know who she is. They are taken to a cabin in the back of beyond and more things begin to fall in place about who the kidnappers are. But what do they want with Julie and why? This is an interesting premise well executed and a read where things move on at a pace.The reader is plunged into the drama right from the very beginning. I felt for Julie and her predicament. A good psychological thrill of a read, one to keep the reader between the pages right the way through.  For more reviews please follow me on Twitter (X) or Threads @nickisbookblog ----------------------------------------------------------

  Janet Jackson Superhost by Rebecca Papworth- humorous women's fiction Janet Jackson runs Lavander cottage, her AirBnb to bring in some much needed extra cash. She has her sister Mitzi and partner Carl living with her, usually rent free as they are always skint, as well as her daughter Chloe who is at college. Janet wants to become a superhost which involves getting the guests to leave 4 or 5* reviews. When they often trash the place a review is the last thing on their minds. Janet's life is full of drama whether it’s from relatives, guests or neighbours or even Janet’s own flagging love life there is never a dull moment. Janet also loves to cook which is her go-to for stress so there are plenty of mentions of a cake or pie or two. This is a wonderful series (but would happily stand alone) to bring a smile to any reader. I couldn't help but grin (and wince) at some of the guests and their antics and chaos they leave behind. Janet has the patience of Job (I know this is fi

  Price to Pay by Dave Sivers-Crime DCI Lizzie Archer has just about stopped looking over her shoulder after an incident that left her wounded and is rebuilding her life. Her ex finds her and wants to get back together however Lizzie is now very happily married. One of her team, Dan, has a shadow of a murder still hanging over him. The perpetrator was incarcerated as was his accomplice but there are other murders which may or may not be attributed to them. Lizzie receives a threat from a well known crime family as she helped put away one of them, who was killed in prison. When there is a murder close to home, her nightmare gets worse as she and husband Dominic are under suspicion. Who is doing this and why? I quickly got into this and liked Lizzie and her fierce determination and tenacity in the face of adversity. Its a very well written police procedural which puts the reader right in the heart of things. This is a multi-angled read as there are two crime lines to be dealt with - Lizz

  You Don't Have to Be Mad to Work Here- A Psychiatrist’s Life by Benji Waterhouse This is a wonderful read for anyone interested in either medicine or the life of a Dr. Although aimed at anyone, a little knowledge of medicine or the NHS is useful for reading  this, if only to understand some of the gallows type humour (which is explained- it's a little like those at crime scenes - when faced with trauma day in and day out, humour often relieves the  stress) . This tells of the life of a registrar in psychiatry, a doctor of the mind. As Benji explains, not an easy thing to do, as unlike broken limbs there  isn't always an obvious solution. There are umpteen stories about his patients and explanations as to the whys and wherefores of psychiatry which makes for a very interesting, entertaining read. Some are very sad stories but interspersed with humour. Sadly it's hard not to smile at some of the antics until the reader realises that these things do happen and people rea

  Old Girls Behaving Badly by Kate Galley- women’s fiction/mystery Gina has had enough. Her husband of forty years is off “finding himself” and wants a divorce and hence they are having to sell the house- not great when one of his ideas was to equity release a while ago. She sees an advert for being a companion to an elderly lady just for a week but may lead to a more permanent position, which interests her. When she meets Dorothy they get on well and she gets the job, however it appears Dorothy has another job for Gina, one that wasn't mentioned in the interview- to find out if the wedding host stole a picture from Dorothy’s husband that led to his death. Is Gina in over her head or can she play sleuth without being detected? I really enjoyed this from the off and would love it to be a series. It's a light-hearted read with a smile and a cozy type crime/mystery with lots more thrown in. It’s about being true to yourself and that at any age your light can still burn very brigh

  Gone not forgotten by Mark Newman- crime ‘Where shadows hide secrets, one woman seeks redemption, another craves revenge.’ A gritty, raw edged tale of life on the streets and a woman doing the best to get away from a life she never chose.  This tells of Gracie who is a young mother caught up in drug running. She gets away from one partner and finds a life she likes with Luke, however it's never that easy to get away and her past catches up with her, not helped by a corrupt undercover policeman, Carter. Gracie and Luke are determined to protect their children and themselves but when a gun is held to your head wanting information, it’s not that straightforward. Can they get away and even survive? This is a read quite unlike anything I've read- in a good way. I had to get my head around the street language but once I did it gave that mettlesome feel that puts the reader right amongst the action with the characters. I liked Gracie, she came across as one determined, loyal and pro

  Becoming Ted by Matt Cain- Literary Fiction Oh wow! One of my books of the year. A read I loved from the start and didn’t want it to end. Ted has just split up from his husband Giles, much to Ted’s surprise. He found pictures of Giles with another man on his phone in more than friendly positions. Ted has been with Giles for a long time and it was his first proper relationship. He works at his parents company and shop- Ainsworth’s ice cream, which he has never dared to tell them he doesn't love as much as them and he doesn't even like ice cream. Slowly Ted realises his life isn't what he thought it would be and splitting from Giles just might encourage him to follow his dream of becoming a drag queen. Egged on by his best friend Denise he tries out heels and more. On the way he discovers more about himself than he ever thought possible. Who is the real Ted and is his dream just that? Oh be still my beating heart. I loved Ted so much I wanted to give him a hug. This is a r