Nicki's book blog

  THE PAINTER by Stewart Giles - Crime It's just after lockdown and DS Jason Smith is bored. As the streets cleared so did the crime rate however his home got busier with his daughter, her boyfriend and their son living with him along with his wife Whitton and their other daughter. Things lookup for Smith when a report comes in of a woman having been killed in her home. When he goes to look, it's rather odd to say the least. She is sitting with a painting in her arms that shows herself in the room she is in and her own blood has been used in parts of it. Who would do this, why and what is the significance of the painting? I adore this series. Stewart has the knack of grabbing the reader from the very beginning and not letting go. Jason has a wry sense of humour about him which eases the tension in a murder investigation and makes for a more light-hearted read. It's twisty, it's clever and it's captivating. My only complaint is that I devour them but don’t want them

  Last Night at Villa Lucia by Simon McCleave-psychological thriller Zoe, her husband Harry and son Charlie have just arrived at Villa Lucia for a holiday, hoping that for once they can all get on with each other. Set in Tuscany, the villa is aimed at the wealthy and is surrounded by beautiful countryside. Cerys owns the villa and currently has her daughter Lowrie staying with her, on the proviso that Cerys doesn't drink, otherwise Nick her ex husband will be taking Lowrie back pronto. Harry has an explosive personality and Zoe suspects that he is having an affair. Nothing is ever right or good enough for him and as a director of a record company he appears to think everything should be done to please him and nothing less. Lucia and her husband Lorenzo are housekeepers, the villa previously having been owned by Lucia’s family. Lorenzo has a past and they are constantly on look out in case someone comes after them- we know not who or why to begin with. Occasional chapters take us ba

  MURDER AT THE HOTEL by Jane Adams- Crime  Rina Martin is attending a murder mystery weekend as part of her old persona where she played a TV detective, thankfully this time she is a guest and not performing. When a body is found for real and one of the actors who was playing the victim is standing over it, her curiosity piques and she is head first in a real life murder mystery. She feels that the actor knows the victim but is not letting on and that he was checking the man really was dead. Her old friend Mac is heading up the police team and Rina is on hand to see and hear things the police may not. Who did this, why, and why bring the body to the hotel in the middle of the mystery weekend? This is a very enjoyable series - this happily stands alone. Rina is a very likeable, well rounded, no nonsense character who is well situated to observe. It’s almost a cozy crime type read as all the guests were together in the hotel and the actors with them, but someone somewhere knows more. A

  THE HARDWICK HEATH KILLER by Michelle Kidd- Crime A body is found potentially looking like a suicide but the first police on site think its possibly something more suspicious. DI Nicki Hardcastle and team discover who the man is but why he was killed and who by is anyone’s guess. There are secondary plots, one where a local landowner is being attacked, possibly against him selling and wanting to develop it and another about Nicki’s long lost brother which adds depth and intrigue and a mystery going forward.  This is part of a series but happily stands alone (I haven't read the others- yet!) with Nicki at the helm. I quickly got into this and loved the twists and turns within a compelling plot. The characters come across very well, and although a new detective to me I found myself liking and respecting Nicki very quickly. The pages turned easily and I’ll most certainly be keeping an eye out for this author in the future. A twisty read I thoroughly enjoyed.  For more reviews please

  Message Deleted by KL Slater- psychological thriller Saffy and Poppy are sisters and quite close. A while ago something happened to Poppy that put Saffy in a complete tailspin and she lost custody of her son Fox who now lives with his father and his girlfriend. Saffy has always been close to Leona since growing up together. Saffy is at an interview when she gets a message from Leona asking for help but not to call or text, which then disappears from her screen, message deleted. Saffy dashes off to find the house empty . A short time later the police turn up at Saffy’s door saying Leona and her family have all gone missing, Saffy possibly being the last person to see them and is hence under suspicion. What on earth is going on and can Saffy still have some time with her son? Oh wow! Once I started this I found myself racing through it- I was so keen to find out what was going on. Its cleverly written engaging the reader and occasional chapter take us back in time to the three main cha

 Cover reveal: The Bookseller by Tim Sullivan Love this series- cant wait until this is published (pub date-16th Jan 2025) A vailable for pre-order now. Cant wait- so love this series. DS Cross is adorable. 10* If I could ---------------- The Bookseller by Tim Sullivan About the books 'George Cross is becoming one of my favourite detectives.' ELLY GRIFFITHS SOMEONE'S ABOUT TO TURN THEIR LAST PAGE... Pre-order the new unmissable case for DS George Cross set in the mysterious (and murderous) world of book-selling... Perfect for fans of MW Craven, Peter James and Joy Ellis, this is the seventh book in the bestselling series, which can be read in any order. Publication Date 16/01/2025 About the author Tim Sullivan is a crime writer, screenwriter and director, whose film credits include Shrek, Flushed Away, Where Angels Fear to Tread and Jack and Sarah. His crime series featuring the socially awkward but brilliantly persistent DS George Cross has topped the book charts and been

  Felicity's War by Jean Fullerton- war saga + **giveaway********** It is 1941 and Fliss lives and works with Giles on the Workers Clarion newspaper and they are engaged to be married. Fliss works as a political reporter. When she returns home early one day she finds him inflagrante delicto with another woman from the paper. She ups sticks and returns home to her parents house- a manse- her father is a man of the cloth. Detective Timothy Wallace has a lot going on in this time of war, but notices Fliss after finding her drunk in the churchyard after she left Giles and took her to the safety of an air raid shelter. Fliss is determined to find work to support herself at the other local papers but ones who uphold her political beliefs. She sees Tim as sitting on the other side of the fence. Despite their differences there is a spark. I enjoyed this, it's a different sort of read for me. There’s lots going on in the organised chaos of war time from differing angles which made for

  Old Girls on Deck by Maddie Please- women’s fiction Jill is retired and has just won a radio competition to go on a cruise. Her husband would rather potter at home so she takes her sister Diana, who’s deceased husband used to be the captain on a cruise liner- so she knows a thing or two about it. When word gets around about Diana’s husband, the women are upgraded and treated like royalty. Despite this they find that the time together brings out more than a suntan. I love Maddie's books, they are always that bit more than a story, they make you think about your own life in many ways. Both Jill and Diana find that being away from the norm makes them think about life and making the most of every opportunity. There are some cracking lines and some that will stay with me- “ the barge of normality sailed without me long ago” and “ I’m lucky to have had something so good that it's hard to say goodbye to”. It's a heart-warming story of life and relationships and moving forward w

  The Teacher by Tim Sullivan- crime DS Cross is back and no one is more pleased than me! If you've not met him before (this is the sixth in the series but does happily stand alone) he’s a rather clever, very different detective. His social skills leave something to be desired and he is usually catered for by his faithful friend only for this case she is off having moved house and there is a new DI with him, someone who has been warned but really doesn't get Cross’s manner at all. George Cross has autism spectrum disorder which he says himself isn't a disadvantage.  In this case a man has been found murdered, a man who apparently caused mayhem in the village in which he lived, complaining to all and sundry. His neighbours who only arrive at the weekend, it being their second home, have tried to take him to court but twice lost through their own stupidity. Could they have finally had enough? I loved having this, there’s something so special about George that I can't he

  Vengeance is Mine by Michael Wood- psychological thriller Dawn has never known her father. Her mother had told her it was a one night stand once she was old enough to understand. When she finally learns the truth after behaviour well out of character from her mother, she is horrified to find out he is about to be released from prison where he was sent following the murder of the daughter of one of her old school teachers. Once the shock settles, Dawn's interest is piqued especially as she is a paralegal and she finds out things are not as clear cut as they first appeared twenty years ago when he was sentenced. Did Dominic really kill Stephanie and can Dawn ever love her father? This plot intrigued me and most certainly kept the pages turning. A new author to me and one I most certainly will be looking out for in the future as this was such a brilliantly entertaining read. I didn't know what or who to believe and found myself sitting on the fence for most of the time- the wri