Killer on the Fens - Joy Ellis

Killer on the Fens by Joy Ellis

First Paragraph(s):

Detective Inspector Nikki Galena's face was a mask of concentration as she accelerated her powerful car along the dangerous fenland lanes.  Long shadows were forming as the evening drew in, and she was grateful that she'd actually paid attention during her advanced driving course.
     This was the second time in a week that she had received a call from the nursing home about her father's failing health.  'Wicked bloody disease!' Nikki cursed as she eased the car around a deceptively sharp bend.  The Alzheimer's had stolen most of his once astute brain years ago, but now he was in what the home called 'end stage,' and although she had been told this could go on for a long time, her gut feeling said otherwise.

My Thoughts:

I think I've said more than once that I'm really enjoying reading and listening to Joy Ellis' series featuring DI Nikki Galena.  Killer on the Fens is the 4th of these and, once again, it's narrated by Henrietta Meire.  This book finds Nikki speeding off to her father's care home because his condition has deteriorated.  He has Alzheimer's and Nikki has been losing him bit by bit.  He tells her to 'find Eve'.  Nikki has no idea who he is talking about, but promises to try to fulfill his wish.  A task with lots of complications.  Nikki thinks she knows everything about her father's life, but, of course, she does not.

Adding to the story of 'finding Eve', Killer on the Fens includes a historical airfield and what might be hidden there.  Also, DS Joseph Easter's daughter, Tamsin, has agreed to visit him and Joseph is eager to mend the 'less-than-wonderful' relationship he and Tamsin have shared since she was a little girl.  And then there are the bodies - lots and lots of bodies.  That's all I'll say about the plot.  I liked this one very much and am getting so involved in the lives of all the characters.  I love a complex plot, but I also like to feel connected to the characters in a long-running crime series.  Joy Ellis has managed that very aptly.  The next book is Stalker on the Fens and I imagine you'll be seeing that one on my reading list sooner rather than later.  This series is recommended.

Blurb:

DI Nikki Galena faces a personal challenge which will stretch her to the limit. She must fulfill her father’s dying wish and discover who the mysterious Eve is. Meanwhile a dead drug dealer is found on an abandoned airfield that the locals say is haunted. The trail of both mysteries will lead to the most shocking discovery of Nikki’s career and put her whole team in mortal danger.

Shadow Over the Fens - Joy Ellis

Shadow Over the Fens by Joy Ellis

First Paragraph(s):

As Detective Inspector Nikki Galena locked the door of her Fenland home, a shiver of anticipation coursed through her.  She gazed across the wide expanse of remote marsh, took a deep savouring breath of the fresh salty air and smiled.  It felt good to be back where she belonged.
     Across Cloud Fen she could see the mist clearing, and a green gold morning slowly waking up the salt marsh with its bright clear light.  She stepped into the garden and wondered what this new dawn would bring with it, apart from the arrival of her new sergeant.  Her smile widened.  She had been waiting for this moment for a while and it was something she both welcomed and dreaded.

My Thoughts:

Shadow Over the Fens is the second book in Joy Ellis' series featuring DI Nikki Galena and her talented colleague, DS Joseph Easter.  I listened to this one ably narrated by Henrietta Meire.  In the first book, the author set up the characters of Nikki and Joseph and we saw how well they worked together.  After an exciting ending, I was happy to see that these two would once again be fighting crime in the Fens.  We have learned that Nikki has some dark spots within her, but in this book we get to explore a part of Joseph's past as a soldier in Special Forces.  I liked the way the author related the tale - a good police procedural.  I guessed who might be behind all the murders, but I completely enjoyed the investigation.  And as there are several more books in the series, well, I'm trying to keep myself from a binge read of all of them.  We'll see if I'm successful.  The third book is called Hunted On the Fens and I can see it appearing on my Kindle in the near future. 

Blurb:

Detective Nikki Galena’s friend and neighbour meets a tragic end but there’s more to his death than meets the eye . . .

And someone terrible from DS Joseph Easter’s past is back . . .

A man is found executed on a piece of wasteland in Greenborough town.

The cold-blooded murder triggers terrible memories for DS Joseph Easter. Just when things seemed to be going well for DS Easter, he realises that the nightmare is coming back, threatening his career, his sanity, and maybe his life.

In a breath-taking conclusion even Nikki begins to doubt DS Easter as he faces a race against time to save someone very close to him.

Fire on the Fens - Joy Ellis

Fire on the Fens by Joy Ellis

First Paragraph(s):

'Not much left of that lot, is there?' Denny said.  The young firefighter stood with one of the big hoses draped over his shoulder to clear the water remaining inside it.
     Josh, one of his crewmates, nodded at the massive piles of smouldering charred wood.  'Farmer reckons that's a couple of thousand pounds worth of pallets there, nothing but ash now.'  He looked at a car standing just beyond the fire appliances.  'He's here again.  Third time this week.'
     Denny glanced across to the tall man staring at the scene of the fire.  'Is this what happens when you retire from the fire service?  You spend your days chasing blue lights?'
     'He's one of the best fire investigators you'll ever meet, I'll have you know.  In his day, John Carson solved some of the country's most complex arson cases.  Why he's trailing us around these bored yobs' attempts at arson beats me.'

My Thoughts:

Fire on the Fens is the 9th and latest book in this great series.  Did I love it?  Yes, indeed I did.  In between reading this one and my previous review here, I read Captive on the Fens,  Buried on the Fens, and Thieves on the Fens.  I'm not going to write individual reviews for those 3 books, but know that they are worth your time as well.  DI Nikki Galena, DS Joseph Easter, and other members of the team have lots happening in their lives, both personal and professional.  There are losses.  There are additions to the team.  Happy times and sad times.  Each book updates us in that regard, gives an interesting crime to solve, and also imparts some interesting angle of research that Joy Ellis shares.  She has another series that begins with The Murderer's Son and features another crime-solving team.  I'm planning on trying it soon in order to meet DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans.  Perhaps that will keep me content until we next get to see Nikki and Joseph.  This series is very much recommended.   

Blurb:

The fens are burning and Detective Nikki Galena faces a cat-and-mouse battle with a killer.

Someone is lighting fires. First they target homes and businesses, but then a body is found at one of the crime scenes.

More fires are lit. And at each one a single person dies. But the victims have led spotless lives and apparently there’s no connection between them.

Meanwhile, the town is facing a very peculiar threat from a group of sinister Satanists led by a charismatic businessman.

Who is burning with anger, and can Nikki stop them before anyone else dies?

Crime on the Fens - Joy Ellis

Crime on the Fens by Joy Ellis

First Paragraph(s):

A night wind blew along the narrow alleyway, bringing with it the smell of ozone and red diesel.  Nikki Galena leaned back against the rough brickwork of the derelict warehouse and wondered how many other women of thirty-six would feel quite so comfortable in such unpleasant surroundings.  The backstreets that skirted the docks were no place for a lone female at any time of day, but after midnight they were a definite no-go area.  Nikki smiled in the darkness.  Right now there was nowhere else she would rather be.

My Thoughts:

This is the first book in a series featuring DI Nikki Galena, DS Joseph Easter, and a team of 'misfits'.  Their location is the Fens of Lincolnshire.  I listened to this book on audio and the narrator (great job!) was Henrietta Meire.  I remember reading some reviews of this series on one of my blogging friends' sites, but cannot recall who enjoyed the books.  Is it you?  Let me know.  I liked this story very much.  Nikki is a complicated person who is waging a war on drugs - not alone, but with the reluctant cooperation for her methods from some of her colleagues.  She's gotten to the point where no one wants to work with her.  Enter Joseph Easter - 'Holy Joe' - or maybe not so holy.  These two characters really click - with each other and with this reader.  And each brings out the best in the other one, in a manner of speaking.  The crimes presented are varied and the pace is relentless.  I'm all set to move on to #2 very soon.  Happily, there are at least 8 books in the series so far! 

Blurb:

THE DETECTIVE DI Nikki Galena: A police detective with nothing left to lose, she’s seen a girl die in her arms, and her daughter will never leave the hospital again. She’s got tough on the criminals she believes did this to her. Too tough. And now she’s been given one final warning: make it work with her new sergeant, DS Joseph Easter, or she’s out.

HER PARTNER DS Joseph Easter is the handsome squeaky-clean new member of the team. But his nickname “Holy Joe” belies his former life as a soldier. He has an estranged daughter who blames him for everything that went wrong with their family.

THEIR ADVERSARY is a ruthless man who holds DI Galena responsible for his terrible disfigurement.

The town is being terrorised by gangs of violent thugs, all wearing identical hideous masks. Then a talented young female student goes missing on the marsh and Nikki and Joseph find themselves joining forces with a master criminal in their efforts to save her. They need to look behind the masks, but when they do, they find something more sinister and deadly than they ever expected . . .

THE SETTING The Lincolnshire Fens: great open skies brood over marshes, farmland, and nature reserves. It is not easy terrain for the Fenland Constabulary to police, due to the distances between some of the remote Fen villages, the dangerous and often misty lanes, and the poor telephone coverage. There are still villages where the oldest residents have never set foot outside their own farmland and a visit to the nearest town is a major event. But it has a strange airy beauty to it, and above it all are the biggest skies you’ve ever seen.

Stalker on the Fens - Joy Ellis

Stalker on the Fens by Joy Ellis

First Paragraph(s):

'Another bloody dead end!!'
     Detective Inspector Nikki Galena slammed the car door and glared back at the peeling paintwork of the shabby, terraced house.  'Did you see their faces?  Their body language?'
     Detective Sergeant Joseph Easter slipped his notebook back into his pocket and turned the key in the ignition.  'I didn't have to.  The atmosphere was thick enough to choke on.  But you could hardly blame them.  That bastard isn't just threatening them, he's targeting their families as well.  Think how you'd feel if something happened to one of your loved ones and you thought you could have prevented it?  I totally understand why they don't want to talk to us.'

My Thoughts:

I know I've been moving through this series at a fairly fast clip lately.  Stalker on the Fens is the fifth book  and, as usual, is full of action and crime solving.  I enjoy listening to these an audio and Henrietta Meire does a great job with the narration.  Several ongoing threads are nicely tied up before the end of the book and more new characters are introduced.  We'll see if they stick around.  There is quite a lot of info regarding alternative medicine as Nikki's friend, Helen, is involved in that.  And mandalas - which I know very little about.  I like how the author turns her research eye to different topics and includes them in the general story.  As I said, I'm a big fan of Nikki and Joseph and look forward to reading the next - Captive on the Fens.

Blurb:

DI Nikki Galena’s close friend Helen Brook is involved in a serious accident where she is trapped in a collapsed cellar. After her hard-won recovery, Helen is still getting flashbacks to a man she says was down there with her and who confessed to a murder. But no trace of this man can be found.

Then Helen tells Nikki that someone is watching her. But is all this in her friend’s imagination and part of her post-traumatic stress?

And why is Stephen Cox back in town? He’s the villain who tore Nikki’s life apart and he seems to have returned to wreak more chaos. Before long the whole town is on the verge of hysteria and her friend’s fear will lead Nikki and Joseph on a very dangerous trail.

Hunted on the Fens - Joy Ellis

Hunted on the Fens by Joy Ellis

First Paragraph(s):

DS Joseph Easter's eyes snapped open.  Instantly he was wide awake and experiencing a rush of automatic reactions left over from his years as a special ops soldier.
     His ears strained for sounds that shouldn't be there.  He sniffed the air for unexpected smells and his eyes systematically checked the moonlit bedroom.  When he was certain that he was still alone, he noted the time on his backlit radio alarm and forced himself to relax.  It would appear that old habits died hard.

My Thoughts:

I've really been enjoying this DI Nikki Galena series.  Hunted on the Fens is the 3rd book and it was quite suspenseful.  Nikki has recently suffered a loss and as she returns to work, she has her hands full.  Her team is trying to solve a difficult case, but soon they find themselves targeted individually.  One ends up in the hospital, one has a fire, one has bank accounts emptied, and it seems the perpetrator is not even close to being through with them.  A quick read that kept me engrossed - definitely looking forward to what's next for Nikki Galena, Joseph Easter, and the characters that are becoming familiar and dear. 

Blurb:

DI Nikki Galena faces her toughest challenge yet. Can she save her team and herself from a cruel and determined adversary who will stop at nothing to harm Nikki and her colleagues? First she must work out who wants revenge against her or one of her detectives.  And what is the connection between the series of attacks on the police and the mystery of a woman found dead in a seemingly impregnable locked room?