A woman being driven out of her home due to attacks on her property. A relationship on the rocks after a child’s death. A change in career direction for two retired police officers.
This is the first of Joy Ellis’ Matt Ballard series that I have read. I was expecting a police thriller but The Dying Light has multiple layers and is more of a psychological thriller due to its focus on the mental health and relationship breakdown of Matt’s friends Will and Kate.
Matt has retired along with his partner Liz and they are starting out on a private detective venture. They offer to help their neighbour Emilia whose garden has been trashed and offensive graffiti painted on her walls. Meanwhile, they also try to help Will deal with a difficult emotional period and the book has further grief in store for him.
The mental breakdown of Kate is uncomfortable to read yet feels very realistic. I wasn’t sure if the creepy and sinister events and setting were hinting at a supernatural element to the plot. The criminal element to the plot was quite subtle and the investigation took second place to the tense relationships and emotional concerns of the main characters. This made the tone of the narrative very different to the other books that I have read by Joy Ellis (highlighted in list below).
Wow, what an ending! The final pages had my heart breaking and my jaw dropping: completely unexpected but no spoilers from me!
The Dying Light is the third in the Matt Ballard series and I would like to catch up with the previous books to see him in action as a police officer.
THE DYING LIGHT a totally enthralling psychological thriller with a stunning ending (Detective Matt Ballard Book 3)
From multiple #1 best-selling author Joy Ellis, comes a psychological thriller that will have you glued from first page to last.
WHISPER FEN HOLDS DARK SECRETS
As the mists roll over the fens and enigmatic lights twinkle in the distance, only the locals know their way along the hidden paths through the mysterious watery terrain of one of England’s most beautiful and sometimes dangerous places.
Detective Matt Ballard may have retired but there’s still plenty going on the fens to keep him busy.
Someone trashes an old lady’s garden and daubs her isolated cottage with hateful graffiti. Emilia Swain seems to be totally harmless, so why is she being targeted?
Matt’s best friend Will and his wife Kate moved to Holland House to put their past behind them. But Kate’s mental state is deteriorating and she’s obsessed with the tragic history of the house and an old doll she finds in the garden.
And why is Kate suddenly friends with a loner who haunts the fens?
Has the dreadful past come back to haunt the present owners?
Former detectives Matt and Liz want to help their friends and neighbours. But how can you help people who don’t want to be helped?
DISCOVER A TOTALLY ENTHRALLING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER FROM JOY ELLIS
What readers are saying about JOY ELLIS
“The suspense starts on Page 1 and continues through the twists and turns until the very surprising ending.” Linda Strong
“OMG, this book was fantastic I absolutely loved it. I was gripped from the first page but as the tension and suspense mounted throughout the book it just got better and better and that ending, well just WOW!” Dawn Jones
“I absolutely loved it.” Viv
“Will keep you guessing until the end of the book.” Barbara
“What a book!!!” Sian
“I was so engrossed I sat up way too late to finish it in one sitting.” Elaine
The Setting
England’s rural fenland is a strange place, with its never-ending fields, winding tracks, and long straight droves (the old livestock routes) that lead to nowhere. The lonely lanes are flanked either side by deep drainage ditches and are, for a good part of the year, filled with tall, whispering reeds. Closer to the Wash, high seabanks form a barrier between river and marsh, and the richly fertile soil of the drained land. But when the mists come down, as they so often do, perspective is destroyed and all sense of direction lost, and then the fens become a rather frightening place of mystery and danger. Somewhere that you do not want to be at night.
ALSO BY JOY ELLIS
THE BEST-SELLING NIKKI GALENA SERIES
Book 1: CRIME ON THE FENS
Book 2: SHADOW OVER THE FENS
Book 3: HUNTED ON THE FENS
Book 4: KILLER ON THE FENS
Book 5: STALKER ON THE FENS
Book 6: CAPTIVE ON THE FENS
Book 7: BURIED ON THE FENS
Book 8: THIEVES ON THE FENS
Book 9: FIRE ON THE FENS
Book 10: DARKNESS ON THE FENS
DETECTIVE MATT BALLARD
Book 1: BEWARE THE PAST
Book 2: FIVE BLOODY HEARTS
Book 3: THE DYING LIGHT
JOY ELLIS
UK #1 BEST SELLER WITH THEIR LOST DAUGHTERS, DARKNESS ON THE FENS, THE FOURTH FRIEND, BEWARE THE PAST, FIRE ON THE FENS, AND THE GUILTY ONES
OVER 2 MILLION BOOKS SOLD!
“I was born in Kent but spent most of my working life in London and Surrey. I was an apprentice florist to Constance Spry Ltd, a prestigious Mayfair shop that throughout the sixties and seventies teemed with both royalty and ‘real’ celebrities. What an eye-opener for a working-class kid from the Garden of England! I swore then, probably whilst I was scrubbing the floor or making the tea, that I would have a shop of my own one day. It took until the early eighties, but I did it. Sadly the recession wiped us out, and I embarked on a series of weird and wonderful jobs; the last one being a bookshop manager. Surrounded by books all day, getting to order whatever you liked, and being paid for it! Oh bliss!
And now I live in a village in the Lincolnshire Fens with my partner, Jacqueline, a highly decorated retired police officer, and our four barking mad Springer spaniels. If I do get any spare time, which is rare these days, my one relaxation is painting, especially using soft pastels. We have been here for twenty years now and although I’ll never be a true ‘Yeller Belly’, a native born to this county, I have adopted it as my own. I love the mists, the big skies and the endless waterways. All my books are set here on the Fens, and why not? The location is perfect for murder!”
Jackman and Evans are still haunted by the murderer that got away, Alistair Ashcroft. Now he is back, taunting them again while they investigate a series of seemingly unrelated burglaries and a murder.
This is the 6th book in the Jackman and Evan series and the second that I have read (the first being book 5 The Stolen Boys). The Patient Man in the title describes Alistair as well as Jackman: both of them have waitied patiently for the conclusion of their battle of brains and strength of personality.
The police team are all brilliantly written, each with a personal life that feels believable so they appear to have greater depth than many book characters. Ashcroft’s determination to damage the team and his cruel distruction of Kevin Stoner is brutally good as the plot unfolds. Once again, pathologist Rory steals every scene he is in and the humour of his discussion about the perfect murder lends a moment of lightness to the book in contrast to the fast paced action that preceeds and follows it. The peripheral characters are also written to be realistic with human complexities.
I would love to see this series made for TV and Joy Ellis’ writing has the comfortable and confident style that would make it perfect for a Sunday night murder series. I don’t know about the origins of Ashcroft’s enmity with Jackman and Evans but it really doesn’t matter because The Patient Man works well as a stand alone novel despite the obvious continuation of the plotline (book 5 had a smattering of references to previous events too) but the focus is firmly on the current case and Ashcroft’s involvement.
Overall, The Patient Man was a great read and I would recommend all of Joy’s books as I love her Nikki Galena series too!
THE PATIENT MAN a gripping crime thriller full of stunning twists (JACKMAN & EVANS Book 6)
From #1 best-selling author Joy Ellis, a totally absorbing mystery full of stunning twists and turns. Discover the author who’s sold over two million books globally.
A MYSTERY WHICH WILL CAPTIVATE YOU FROM START TILL THE DRAMATIC ENDING
JACKMAN AND EVANS’ MOST DANGEROUS ENEMY IS BACK TO FINISH THINGS OFF
The domestic bliss of Detective Inspector Rowan Jackman of Fenland Constabulary doesn’t last long. His nemesis, serial killer Alistair Ashcroft, is back in town and ready to tidy up unfinished business.
Ashcroft sends a sinister text to DS Marie Evans. His opening move in what will prove to be a lethal game of cat-and-mouse. Yet for all his taunts, where is he? In a county crawling with police on the lookout for him, Ashcroft is nowhere to be found.
EVERYONE JACKMAN CARES ABOUT IS IN DANGER
Alongside the hunt for Ashcroft, normal police work must continue. The separate thefts of guns, six pigs, a thoroughbred stallion and some oil lead Jackman’s crew to the notorious Lorimer family, ruled over on their farm by the fearsome matriarch Rachel.
Meanwhile, a seemingly routine break-in at the home of gun-club owner Kenneth Harcourt quickly becomes more complicated when the man long held responsible for having killed Harcourt’s young daughter in a hit-and-run is shot dead in a carpark — by a sniper.
A killer is on the loose in the quiet streets of Saltern-le-Fen and he isn’t going to stop at claiming one life. But why is he focusing on young Kevin, so close to promotion to detective?
A LETHAL GAME WITH A VERY PATIENT MAN
And the sniper, like Ashcroft, takes to taunting the police: they’ll never catch him, they need to respect him, they shouldn’t be side-tracked looking for their old adversary.
In a stunning conclusion, Jackman and Evans race against time to catch the sniper and track down their deadly adversary.
Full of twists and turns, this is a crime thriller that will keep you turning the pages until the shocking ending. Set in the atmospheric Lincolnshire Fens whose towns and isolated villages hide many dark secrets.
CAN THEY FINALLY STOP ALISTAIR ASHCROFT?
What readers are saying about Joy Ellis
“Another breathtaking thriller from Joy.” Carole
“Great read from start to finish.” Nerys
“Just a wonderful enjoyable read.” Nicki
“A hugely compelling police procedural, with twists and turns that raise tension and suspense.” Paromjit
“All the twists and turns kept me reading.” Viv
“Another great book from Ms Ellis.” Barbara
Perfect for fans of Rachel Abbott, Sarah A. Denzil, Robert Bryndza, Mel Sherratt, Angela Marsons, Colin Dexter, or Ruth Rendell.
THE DETECTIVES
DI Jackman leads the investigation. He is extremely smart and has a knack for bringing out the best in his diverse team. DS Marie Evans is haunted by the loss of her husband in a motorbike accident. She is fiercely loyal to her friends and colleagues.
JOY ELLIS
UK #1 BEST SELLER WITH THEIR LOST DAUGHTERS, DARKNESS ON THE FENS, THE FOURTH FRIEND, BEWARE THE PAST, FIRE ON THE FENS, AND THE GUILTY ONES
OVER 2 MILLION BOOKS SOLD!
“I was born in Kent but spent most of my working life in London and Surrey. I was an apprentice florist to Constance Spry Ltd, a prestigious Mayfair shop that throughout the sixties and seventies teemed with both royalty and ‘real’ celebrities. What an eye-opener for a working-class kid from the Garden of England! I swore then, probably whilst I was scrubbing the floor or making the tea, that I would have a shop of my own one day. It took until the early eighties, but I did it. Sadly the recession wiped us out, and I embarked on a series of weird and wonderful jobs; the last one being a bookshop manager. Surrounded by books all day, getting to order whatever you liked, and being paid for it! Oh bliss!
And now I live in a village in the Lincolnshire Fens with my partner, Jacqueline, a highly decorated retired police officer, and our four barking mad Springer spaniels. If I do get any spare time, which is rare these days, my one relaxation is painting, especially using soft pastels. We have been here for twenty years now and although I’ll never be a true ‘Yeller Belly’, a native born to this county, I have adopted it as my own. I love the mists, the big skies and the endless waterways. All my books are set here on the Fens, and why not? The location is perfect for murder!”
This is the 4th Tara Thorpe book from author Clare Chase. Previously a journalist and now a police officer, Tara and her colleagues are called in to investigate the murder of Cambridge student Julie.
The victim’s personal and political background must be investigated for potential motives for her death. During the investigation, police discover another body but it is not immediately clear if this is another murder, accidental death or suicide.
This book has lots of background to the police officers especially the relationship between Tara and Blake. I think it would work as a standalone novel because the case is contained and resolved within its pages but I feel like I benefitted from understanding the development of the police team through the previous books.
The murder itself is not described graphically at any point and the focus of the book is upon the police investigation and the potential motives of the characters. The author’s choice of setting in Cambridge is reminiscent of Colin Dexter’s Morse series so it feels familiar yet unique.
Murder in the Fens sets up the next book and I can’t wait to read it and find out what happens next between Tara and Blake, plus I’m wondering what will happen with the news uncovered by disgraced former police officer Patrick…
Read my review of the third Clare Chase book featuring Tara Thorpe: Death Comes To Call
When the body of twenty-year-old Julie Cooper is found – her pockets stuffed full of wilting flowers – in an iron-age hill fort on the edge of the fens, Detective Tara Thorpe and her team are called in to investigate. The evidence points to an illicit affair gone wrong… but is there more to the story?
As always at the Cambridge Constabulary, the case turns personal. Detective Blake is exhausted after the arrival of a new baby with wayward wife Babette, and Tara is keen to put as much distance between herself and Blake as she can – both at the station and on the hunt for the killer. Charming rookie officer Jez is the perfect distraction… but is he a little too good to be true?
Then Tara makes a startling breakthrough when she finds an unsettling family heirloom hidden in the late victim’s bedroom – a golden statue of a sinister-looking cat with emerald eyes. As she traces its origins, Tara begins to realise that Julie’s murder is no one-off crime, but a sinister plot with its roots in a terrible secret that was covered up decades earlier.
An unputdownable page-turner, perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Agatha Christie and Joy Ellis. Can be read as a standalone.
The Tara Thorpe Mystery Series:
Book 1 – Murder on the Marshes
Book 2 – Death on the River
Book 3 – Death Comes to Call
Book 4 – Murder in the Fens
Author Bio:
Clare Chase writes women sleuth mysteries and recently signed a three-book deal with Bookouture for a new crime series set in Cambridge. The opening book, Murder on the Marshes, is available for pre-order and will publish in July 2018. The mystery follows investigative journalist Tara Thorpe as she teams up with Detective Garstin Blake to solve the murder of a young female professor at Cambridge University. The case takes them through the dark underbelly of Cambridge and in to the murky fens that surround the centuries-old city. The second and third books in the series are scheduled for publication in late 2018/early 2019.
After graduating from London University with a degree in English Literature, Clare moved to Cambridge and has lived there ever since. She’s fascinated by the city’s contrasts and contradictions, which feed into her writing. She’s worked in diverse settings – from the 800-year-old University to one of the local prisons – and lived everywhere from the house of a Lord to a slug-infested flat. The terrace she now occupies, with her husband and teenage children, presents a good happy medium.
As well as writing, Clare loves family time, art and architecture, cooking, and of course, reading other people’s books.
Clare’s debut novel, You Think You Know Me, was shortlisted for the Novelicious Undiscovered Award 2012, and an EPIC award in 2015. It was also chosen as a debut of the month by Lovereading.
Family: lots of wider family events including a christening for my cousin’s son, and my niece and nephew stayed over for 2 nights during half term. We had a family photo shoot with Mum and Dad and all their grandchildren which was lovely (here are my three looking almost angelic)
Work: completely unexpectedly, I now have 7 jobs! The school where I invigilate exams needed a temporary food technician so I have been enjoying a new experience! Two days after that, one of the schools where I clerk asked me to do some admin office work as I did for them last summer. Busy, busy me!
Days out: oh dear. Apart from the trip to Fleet for the photos and to Chinnor for the christening, we haven’t really been anywhere Our weekends have been spent catching up with chores and doing the kids’ homework!
Books: I managed to equal last month’s total! Click on any of the book covers to read my review:
Food: no experiments or new recipes (except for my winter veg soup which I actually made before Christmas) but I have made my chickpea dhal again as I was craving it.
Our weekends have been spent catching up with chores and doing the kids’ homework!
