My Books


I write crime fiction fantasy thrillers and I'd like to tell you a little more about them.

The Floating Witch Mystery 


No one takes school reporter, Veena Vale, seriously when she tries to convince everyone that a curse is behind all the troubles at her beloved island home. Because no one believes magic and curses are real - do they?

Soon it's a battle of wits between Veena and popular island newcomer, Scott - as Veena is convinced Scott is using dangerous mind control magic to cover secret plans to wreck her home. 

What is Scott really up to? And why is he inent on causing trouble? 

Veena cannot answer those questions - yet - and she'll need all her investigative powers to find out, and convince her beloved riverside community they need to band together to fight the forces of dark magic.

This is a brilliant, funny and fast paced adventure story that children will love' – Books for Topics

Veena may have no magic of her own to fight with, but she has her own wits and bravery, and also a cynical cat and a reluctant witch who will stop at nothing to save their precious island.

Can Veena find a way to defeat a sinister sorcerer, discover his true plans and save the island home she loves?

Filled with adventure, friendship, unexpected twists and a sprinkling of magic, The Floating Witch Mystery is an atmospheric fantasty thriller of a precious island community under threat. And a sharp-witted and brave girl who will stop at nothing to get to the truth and save everything she loves, even when no one believes her.


If you'd like to hear the opening chapter of each book - I read them over on my YouTube channel.

The Poisoned Pie Mystery 


Find out what happens when the unluckiest boy in the world meets the greatest magical detective (who might also be a cat).

Oakmoss Hornbeam knows he is very clumsy. In fact he's just escaped certain death (lucky), although that did make him miss the school bus (unlucky).  
 
But for once Oakmoss's luck is in when he bumps into a new friend, a cat who knows a lot about magic, and tells Oakmoss he must be under an ill-wishing spell. 
 
But why?
 
Who on earth would want to harm a slightly undersized, rather unlucky schoolboy?
 
In a world that doesn't believe in magic, Oakmoss finds there are very few advantages to being part of a powerful, magical family. But he and his new friend set out to discover if someone is really out to harm Oakmoss with magic.

The Howling Hag Mystery 

"Blending magical adventure with Golden Age crime mystery, this delightfully atmospheric spin-off from the author of The Last Chance Hotel confirms Thornton's place as one of the most original children's writers around." - Waterstones 


A school plagued by curses. A witch who cannot do magic. 
And one cat who believes she is the world's best magical detective. 
 
When bad things start to happen in Raven Charming's school, rumours build that it must be the local witch. 
 
But Raven belongs to the local family of witches. Does that mean it's her sister, Rookery, who is to blame for all the unpleasant things that are happening? Because Raven cannot do magic . . .
 
Or is someone trying to put all the blame onto Rookery? 
And does that mean there is a new witch in town? 
It all started with The Last Chance Hotel, which introduced the idea of a world where magic exists, but is so rare most folk don't even believe in magic. So what if (I asked myself) you were a sorcerer and no one knew?

Would some magical people be tempted to use their magic in ways they really shouldn't?

And wouldn't tracking down crimes committed using magical be some of the most difficult to solve? Wouldn't that need a magical world with a few stiff rules and some specialist magical investigators for when things go wrong.

There are three book in the Seth Seppi Mystery Stories starting with the award-winning bestseller - and winner of The Times Children's Fiction Competition - The Last Chance Hotel. Seth's best friend is a black cat called Nightshade. As this is a magical world, Nightshade has found a way to give Seth her opinions by talking. She believes she is a great magical detective in her own right and gets the chance to prove her own detective skills in my two latest books.

You can discover my latest book - The Poisoned Pie Mystery - and they are all part of the world of the Elysee Sorcerers, all are about detecting magical crime and there are now five of them!

The Last Chance Hotel (Seth Seppi Mysteries Book 1)


*WINNER* of the 2016 Times Children's Fiction Competition, the 2019 Ealing Children's Book Award, a Waterstone's Book of the Month in 2018, and nominated for the 2019 Carnegie Medal.

"Take a pinch of Agatha Christie, a soupcon of Cinderella, and lashings of Harry Potter-style magic and what do you have . . . a marvellous murder mystery at the creepy Last Chance Hotel" - Pam Norfolk, Lancashire Evening Post

Find out more...


The Bad Luck Lighthouse (Seth Seppi Mysteries Book 2)


'This fantastical story has rich, descriptive text, an interesting cast of magical and non-magical characters and so many plot twists ... one of the best books I have read this year' -
BOOKS FOR TOPICS

The follow-up to the bestselling The Last Chance Hotel!

"With The Last Chance Hotel, Nicki Thornton fused magical fantasy with classic crime; its follow up pushes the envelope even further, with sinister conspiracies and ruthless organisations abounding around a curious lighthouse. Playful yet genuinely creepy, the Seth Seppi Mysteries are fast becoming must haves for any child’s library." - Waterstone's 2019 summer reading recommendations

Find out more...

The Cut Throat Cafe (Seth Seppi Mysteries Book 3)


The third in the Seth Seppi Mystery Series, and launched during a live YouTube event in April 2020, the latest Seth Seppi Mystery takes us deeper in the world of the Elysee Sorcerers...

"I think that this is my favourite book that Nicki has written so far. It is a truly wonderful story with so many unexpected twists and turns. This book is even more misleading than the ones before it but my favourite thing about it are the names, how DOES Nicki think them up (I love the name Tendril Vetch!)

It has so many relatable characters and many more mind-boggling mysteries to solve. Nicki instantly weaves another amazing bookworld filled with atmosphere, adventure and excitement, and a fair amount of soul-searching from Seth as he sometimes looks for easy (and sometimes quite dark) solutions to his problems, steered back on the moral path by his trusty best buddy Nightshade."

Find out more...


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