I think this has to be the best book that I've read by Joy Ellis. A very clever plot with a creepy storyline. It felt quite supernatural in places, The Fen certainly had many secrets but would it ever give them up?!! this has to be the best book that I've read by Joy Ellis. A very clever plot with a creepy storyline. It felt quite supernatural in places, The Fen certainly had many secrets but would it ever give them up?!!

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Joffe Books for the electronic copy.

I really do love this author's series of books set on the Fens in Lincolnshire.  The atmosphere she captures is both magical and menacing amidst the marshes, dykes and mists - fantastic.

Matt Ballard, ex-detective and his partner Liz Haynes, ex-sergeant, have left the police force and started their own detective agency.  Their friends - ex-detective Will Stonebridge and his wife Kate have moved to Holland House on Whisper Fen, a few miles from Matt and Liz.  They are both trying to come to terms with the tragedy of losing their child but even though she's working through her beautiful fairy illustrations for a children's book, Kate's mental health is deteriorating and Will is at his wit's end.
Will approaches Matt & Liz to discuss some strange happenings on the Fen:  their neighbour, German-born Emilia Swain, a widow, is being targeted by someone - graffiti has been daubed on her house and her beautiful garden has been trashed.  Will has also noticed lights on the marsh and in the estuary at night but doesn't understand what they are, and, Gerald Grove, an academic who walks the marshes at odd times and to whom Will has taken a dislike, seems intent on befriending Kate, who also takes herself off for lonely walks along the dykes.

Kate becomes obsessed with the tragic history of Holland House - all of which concerns lost children.  Matt & Liz do their best to both keep an eye on Emilia's cottage and support their friends, with diminishing success.

Then Will is hit with a family tragedy which moves the story into a whole new direction until all the strands come together in such an unexpected and surprising conclusion.  This book captures you and just won't let go.  So well-written.

I do hope we'll have more of Matt and Liz's adventures.

I really enjoyed this book and will give it a huge thumbs up.  With a great story line and excellent main characters - I would highly recommend this book.

Wow! This book had me on the edge of my seat from the get go!  I love a spooky dark suspenseful story. Quite a gothic feel.  I could not put this book down as I needed to know what was happening.  This is the third Detective Matt Ballard psychological thriller about Matt’s close friends Will and Kate and the horror the find themselves in, once they buy and move into their dream home on the Whispering Fens.

Brilliant book with a jaw dropping finale. Joy Ellis just gets better and better . This thriller bubbles along with an underlying menace threaded through. I couldn’t quite see where it was going as it twisted and turned ,the only slight criticism being the fairly abrupt wrapping up of the crime.. Gave a frightening insight into the harrowing family grief from mental illness.

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 seties 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.
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.

Joy Ellis once again sets her crime fiction in the atmospheric Fens with its haunting landscape, folklore and eeriness that lends the story with its focus on mental health a chilling tone,  Former DCI Matt Ballard and ex-Sergeant Liz, who cannot return to the police force after the devastating injuries, are now operating as Private Investigators.  Matt's ex-colleague and best friend Will Stonebridge and his traumatised wife, Kate, have relocated to Whisper Fen and a house with a tragic history, Holland House.  Kate has appeared to be getting better, but her fragile mental health begins to deteriorate considerably as she gets obsessed with the history of their home and a doll she discovers and begins to get closer to a recent incomer, Gerald Grove, something that is a matter of concern for Will.  Will finds help and support from Matt, as Matt and Liz look into what is happening to an elderly widow, Emilia Swain, living in a isolated cottage.  She is being targeted with vandalism and hateful graffiti..  The chilling narrative documents in some detail Kate's mental state, and the storylines begin to connect.  Many thanks to Joffe Books for an ARC..

DCI Matt Ballard has now retired from the police after several harrowing cases nearly finished him off. He and his partner, former sergeant Liz Haynes who was left with life threatening injuries after book one and never returned to work, have set up as private detectives, meaning that we get another brilliant story involving the pair. They have just had a successful outcome to their first case and have the luxury of being able to pick their jobs as they choose. They receive a call from a close friend and former colleague Will Stonebridge, also invalided out of the police by an injury. He lives out at Whisper Fen and several strange recent events are worrying him. An elderly neighbour's cat has been killed and her garden vandalised. A widow of German descent, she knows of no enemies but it looks like someone hates her or wants her out of her cottage. In addition Will has seen strange lights on the fens at night and a man called Gerald Grove has moved into the area who Will has a bad feeling about. There are problems at home too. They lost a new baby and his wife Kate nearly died herself giving birth to that child, leaving her unable to conceive again. A successful and very talented children's book illustrator, she went through months of therapy and finally seemed to be getting her life with Will back on track. Sadly just lately she seems to be descending into darkness again, obsessed with their new house on the fens and plunging herself into its history. She has taken to roaming the fens and has made friends with Grove. Matt and Liz offer to get involved in looking into the harassment of the lady and to see what they can turn up on Grove. As Kate's behaviour spirals out of control and Will has even more heartache to contend with, Matt and Liz spend their time split between detection and providing support to their friends. Things turn very grim for everyone as the cases collide and bad weather moves in, producing a frantic life or death situation. This is a real chiller with far more to it than merely being a great detective story. Definitely there is an element of how a person's surroundings can affect them, and what better place for that than the misty and mysterious fens, with their dark tales of lantern men and will o' the wisps claiming the lives of the lost. Holland House is ripe for ghostly tales and macabre rumours, due to its sad history and the whole story is beautifully constructed with very well drawn characters that immediately take on a life of their own. It was also great to see former colleagues and characters such as DC Bryn Owen and Professor Sam Page making an appearance. Matt and Liz are put through the wringer possibly more now than even in their police careers, tackling a baffling case and supporting their friends through a terrible time. Kate's story is harrowing in places and incredibly well portrayed. There is plenty of action towards the end, and the book has a fantastic ending full of surprises and shocks. Highly recommended (I couldn't put it down) and I sincerely hope we get more of Matt and Liz in their new roles (please!). 5*

Joy Ellis at her best. Matt Ballard and his partner, Liz Haynes enjoying there new roles as PI’s having successfully completed their first case get involved in a personal investigation and a new case for a client. Despite the dark happenings on their part of the Fens from many years ago, which seems to have a grave effect on their personal friends. The solving of one mystery led to the solution of the second case. But still left a few problems for their friends to get over.

The Dying Light by Joy Ellis is the third book in the DCI Matt Ballard series. Any book of Joy's never lets me down! She is an exceptionally brilliant writer and again this story smashes it out of the park, yet again! 
 Matt has now retired, with Liz his partner and enjoying his quiet life in the Lincolnshire fens while setting up their own Detective Agency. His mate, again, former DCI Will Stonebridge is in a neighbouring fen and rings Matt, he needs advice. A neighbour is being threatened, and experiencing unpleasant events.There are also strange things happening in the night. Then Will's wife Kate is changing, her mental state is diminishing. The relationship between Will and Kate is deteriorating along with his wife's mental health.
 The story is skilfully weaved with many differing threads and Joy has managed to evolve it with plenty of twists and turns right to the end! Again, Joy has created a story that had me reading just one more page before I made tea, or went to bed, with and amazing, unexpected ending.
 I must thank Joffe Books, Netgalley and Jill Burkinshaw for the book to take part in the blog tour for the amazing Joy Ellis.

Joy Ellis tells a great story and this doesn’t disappoint.  Really interesting characters suck you in right from the start and I found myself powering through this just to see how it turned out.  Then I went back and read it again to see what I had missed!

I was so excited when I heard there was a new Matt Ballard book coming out! I loved the first two and I was eager to see how Joy Ellis would carry on Matt’s story. Don’t worry if you haven’t read any of the other novels (you should because they’re really good) as it’s easily read as a standalone.

The Dying Light is something a bit different from Joy Ellis’ usual police procedurals but it’s just as enjoyable.

I love Matt and Liz, they’re such a sweet and loving couple and even though they’re now both retired they still use their time as private detectives to help other people. The addition of former colleague Will’s POV made it even better. 

I got a slightly creepy feeling during the novel, Whisper Fen makes an ethereal backdrop to the story. 

The ending was jaw dropping. I’m still thinking about it as I’m writing this review and honestly, it’s one of the most fraught and emotional I think Joy Ellis has ever written.

I will warn you that mental health is one of the main themes in the story which may be triggering for some people although Joy Ellis does handle this with sensitivity.

I did wish the plot had been streamlined a little more, there were a couple of times I got a little confused at the beginning. 

The Dying Light is a complex, emotional and atmospheric read that will really stick with you after you’ve read it.

I am a huge fan of Joy Ellis but this one seemed a bit off for me.  I loved the haunting atmosphere of the fens featured in this story which was unfortunately more alluring than the plot.  The sequences from Matt and Liz's points of view were much more tolerable than those from Will and Kate's.  There is more action with Matt and Liz, as they are investigating a neighbor whose property is being vandalized.  No longer on the police force, they are both establishing themselves as private detectives and this is a typical low-key investigation for them.  They want to help this poor widow who lives alone and has only her property and prized garden to care for, which is now in jeopardy.  

Matt is also worried for his friend, Will, whose wife Kate is becoming obsessed with the history of their new house.  They suffered a tragedy in their past that clearly still affects her, and the horrific rumors regarding their property certainly do not help.  She becomes more moody and withdrawn everyday and constantly pushes away all offers of help and support from Will and his friends.  Even though it's obvious that she needs professional help, she was not a sympathetic character to me.  And it was quite frustrating that Will kept enabling Kate and not pushing her to get help.  Most of their story arc consisted of her lashing out at him, Will apologizing and getting frustrated, and then Will telling himself he loves her and won't force her to do anything.  One or two instances would have been enough, but so many pages were taken up by Kate and her behavior.  It was bleak and depressing and you want to just smack Will to go on and do something so we don't have to keep reading the same thing over and over.

I understand mental health is a sensitive issue and I believe the author wanted to portray the reality of living with someone suffering, but Kate needed much more help quite earlier than she received it.  For me, it interfered with the pacing of the rest of the story and leaves the book less like a mystery and more like a memoir of someone detailing their partner's mental deterioration.    I would still recommend this book, but the reader should know what they're getting into.  It's not typical of this series, and I hope the next installment returns to more of the classic whodunit that first drew me to these books.

A good story with twists and turns as I've come to expect from Joy Ellis. Matt Ballard is no longer a policeman and has started as a private investigator with his ex-sergeant and lover Liz Haynes. There is a lot going on in their area of the fens, none of it good. A very sad time for them and neighbours.

Loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book.  This review is voluntary,  honest and my own opinion.

Yet another fantastic book from Joy Ellis. At first I must admit I thought it was a bit slow going but the depth of the characters and the storyline soon changed my mind, and the ending made me cry.
How on earth Joy gets all the characters to intertwine with such different stories amazes me. The only thing was perhaps too many people in the book made it slightly hard to keep track of them all. 
Looking forward to the next book already.
Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe for the ARC copy of this book.

Another excellent book by Joy Ellis, having read all her previous books.     This one is set in the Fens and features Matt Bollard, a retired detective, and his wife Kate and also their friends, former detectives Matt and Liz.   I could not put this book down, and kept me enthralled from the first chapter.  I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery.

Joy Ellis paints with a rich palette. She has a great eye for detail, conveying the ephemera of daily life on a Lincolnshire Fen, whilst still leaving one wanting to know what happens next.
There is the dark suspense of novels like Susan Hill's The Woman in Black, written in an unhurried style, making each moment that more compelling.
I don't know why it has taken me so long to discover the work of Joy Ellis. She's so damned good!

Matt Ballard #3

Matt Ballard and Liz Haynes have both retired from the police force for differing reasons. They decide to become private investigators. Tbeir old friend and collegue, Will and his wife, Kate have just bought an old house close to Matt and Liz. But Will is worried about his wife's behaviour. Will also ask a Matt and Liz to help his neighbour, Emilia who's having problems with vandalism. 

Joy Ellis knows how to draw a reader in and hold their attention. The pace is steady and the story is a little bit different to what she normally writes. Matt and Liz have their hands full with all the action that's been packed into this book. This is an intriguing read with lots of twists. The tension builds with each turn of the page. This book could be read as a standalone but it's always best, if you can, to read a series in the order they were written in. 

I would like to thank NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author Joy Ellis for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Former detectives Matt and Liz have both resigned their posts and now run a Private Investigator business.

Having successfully closed their first case, they are more than ready when their good friend Retired Detective Matt Ballard asks for help. He and his wife, Kate, recently moved after the loss of the child she was carrying. She's never fully recovered, even after spending some time in a psychiatric hospital for a short time.

Now she's become obsessed with the tragic history of their house and an old doll she finds buried in her garden. Has the horrific past come back to haunt the present owners?  And who is the strange man she sees but never talks about?

They've also been tapped to see if they can help an elderly neighbor. Someone has trashed her garden and paints abhorrent graffiti on here cottage. She's old, she's well liked.. so who is targeting her?

Matt and Liz have their hands full in the action-packed crime fiction mystery. It's well written with nuances of the paranormal. The characters are deftly drawn. The plot is tightly woven and drew me in from the very first. Twists and turns lead to a very unexpected ending. Although 3rd in the series, it is easily read as a stand alone.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books . Books 'n All Book Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of THE DYING LIGHT. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I was so excited when I heard Joy Ellis had written another book in the Matt Ballard series and I wasn't disappointed.

I have to start with the characters because this is a unique story with several damaged characters trying to find a way forwards all linked together by several events.

We met Matt and Liz in Beware the Past where Liz was left severely brain damaged and Matt emotionally drained.  Liz is on a long slow road to recovery but some of the damage is permanent she will never work in the Police Force again.  Matt retired to help support Liz and the pair are now doing private investigative work.

Kate had a breakdown after a tragic loss and is recovered but still fragile.  Her husband, Will damaged his arm while on Police work and is now retired on medical grounds.  They buy Holland House for a bargain price and Kate focuses all her energy on restoring the house back to its former glory.

Emilia is an elderly lady living alone after her husband died.  She lives near Holland House but her cottage is very remote.  She is a harmless old lady who puts all her effort into keeping her house and garden in tip top condition.  However, someone is targeting her they kill her cat and play some other pranks.  In a normal situation it would be put down to teenagers but doubtful they would go to the effort of travelling into the depths of beyond to have their fun.

Will asks Liz and Matt to help find out who is behind the actions and that brings them into contact with Kate who is acting very strangely.

As the story develops we are treated to several strands of investigation and get to know other characters who play a part in this gripping story.  Laura and Sam also make an appearance and Sam plays a bigger part towards the end.

This is an absolutely gripping book unlike anything i have read before it has the ability to keep the adrenaline pumping and the brain cells whirring as we take a roller coaster ride full of twists, turns, red herrings and mind blowing shocks.  And the ending .... Well WOW just WOW

5 golden stars from me