A photography student takes some photos in a cobbled street in Fenfleet. Back at the student house he thinks he sees the face of a woman in a deserted house, tells his roommate and together they set off to investigate.. A few days later they are both dead, killed by a faulty gas heater. One of their mothers is not satisfied by this explanation however and asks Liz and Matt (former police officers, now private investigators) to look into it. Aided by Liz's nephew David they too become convinced that something sinister is underway.

I love the books written by Joy Ellis. I've said it before and I'll say it again, her descriptions of the fens are so atmospheric. Her characters are well developed and in this book, the descriptions of the photos taken by the doomed students are wonderful. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe for the ARC.

Young Toby Unsworth is in his final year of a photography course at university. For his last assignment he will be taking pictures between sunset and sunrise - using slow shutter speed.
When the photos are developed, he sees his camera unintentionally picked up something odd, and he tells his roommate. Soon after, his laptop and the photoshoot are stolen. Two days later he and his roommate die of carbon monoxide poisoning.
This is in short a summary of how this mystery starts. Because the pathologist sees no reason for an unnatural death in both cases, the case is closed.

A promising start, but the story quickly gets bogged down because in my opinion too many storylines are thrown out. I found it hard to pick up again and again after another introduction and another different storyline.
It starts with David, friend of Matt & Liz who failed his police exam. He is helping Matt & Liz with their investigation, simultaneously trying to come to terms with this huge disappointment.
Then, a crook with a good heart, Minty, is introduced; he is sure that some 'London- based big shots are moving in and seem to have chosen quiet Fenland as a distribution center for their illicit imports.
A third story line tells the story of Kellie and her younger brother Simon. After the death of their mother, Kellie has become the main caretaker of the family. Sadly, Simon is taken by dottie Aunt Jessie to 'save Simon from the bad man.'
And who is this Anna, who they have to avoid at all costs?
I found the first ten chapters hard to get into, the storylines don't seem connected in any way, and only halfway through the book does the connection between the different storylines become clearer. Patience about the outcome is rewarded in the end, but for me some parts and storylines were a bit slow, focussing too much on unnecessary details. Strange as it may seem, I loved the storylines of Jude, and Kellie and her brother best.
Overall a good mystery, albeit a tad long-winded for my liking.
3 stars

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for this arc. I leave my review voluntarily.

This is the latest in Joy Ellis's Fenland series featuring ex-DCI Matt Ballard and ex-DS Liz Haynes, now private investigators, here hired by the grieving mother of one of 2 dead talented photography students. They become certain that the two young men were murdered, but the question is why. They are joined by Liz's nephew, David, who comes to stay and proves to be a real asset in a damgerous, tortuous and twisted case that has them really wishing they had the resources of the Fenland Constabulary as they begin to feel out of their depth. Local criminals are worried about being pushed out of their established areas of operation by powerful and ruthless forces about whom little is known and the police race against time to find 9 year old asthmatic boy, Simon Burton. This was a great crime read, although I didn't really begin to fully engage for the first third. However, it improved considerably and become a nailbiting and exciting novel that I became fully immersed in. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Another great read in the Matt Ballard series by Joy Ellis, although it can be read as a stand alone. This is book 5 but it's still as fresh as the first encounter with Ballard. A very interesting plot, complete with good characterisation and plenty suspense, means this will appeal to lovers of thrillers. There are two storylines in the thread, Ballard soon realises that they are connected, cleverly woven together by the author. Joy Ellis always delivers an excellent read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Toby is a last year photography student. He’s working on a summer assignment and just needs one more shot to compete it. He found a great location for a night shoot in Fenfleet and conditions are perfect. When he goes back to edit his photos, he notices what he believes is a woman’s face in a window of an old building. Creeped out, he asks his roommate Alex to come check it out with him. A couple days later, Toby and Alex are found dead and carbon monoxide poisoning is to blame.

Alex’s mom doesn’t think their death was an accident though. Private investigators Matt and Liz are hired to find out what really happened. Strangely, Matt’s old contact Minty was given a flash drive with the photo and knows something bad is going on. He also asks Matt to look into the case. With the help of their nephew, David, the search is on for the truth.


Simon is 9 years old. He was staying with his aunt Jessie when he goes missing. His sister Kellie is worried and the police are searching for clues. Is this disappearance somehow connected?

This is my first book by this author. I was pleased with the story and didn’t feel lost since I hadn’t read the other books. I look forward to reading the next one.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to #NetGalley for my advance copy of #TrickOfTheNight by #JoyEllis
This is the fifth book in the Detective Matt Ballard Series and they just keep getting better.
Matt and his wife Liz are retired from the police but now working as private investigators
When two university students are found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning one of the mothers hires them to find out what really happened
Trying to find the answers Matt and Liz quickly realise this is much bigger than they thought.
The book can be read as a standalone but it is such a really great series start at the beginning and enjoy them all. And don’t forget the Nikki Galena Series also by Joy Ellis.
Not to be missed.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Absolutely wonderful read, the quality of the writing is superb, the characters feel so real and the plot is truly engrossing. I just don’t know how Joy Ellis continues to write at this standard, but I’m so glad she does. A truly sublime crime read.

I didn't realise that this was part of a series but it worked well as a stand alone anyway. The writing style was good and it flowed well and I found the characters to be well developed. An enjoyable read.

A young photography student named Toby catches something in one of his night photographs that ends up being the death of him. It appears to be a woman's face in the window of a derelict building that no person should be living in. He asks his roommate, Alex, another photography student, to confirm it's not a trick of the light. Alex agrees, and they decide to revisit the scene of the photograph and investigate. Unfortunately, they are found dead a few days later.

Matt and Liz, our favorite officers turned private investigators, are hired by Alex's mother to look into the boys' deaths. She thinks there's something fishy going on but the local police write her off as a grieving mother who doesn't want to accept the death of her son. Matt and Liz take the case but warn Alex's mother that there may not be anything suspicious about their deaths and she'll have to accept that. It's only because one of Matt's old informants comes to him about a possibly related strange occurrence that he accepted the case. He doesn't believe in coincidences.

Another storyline occurs simultaneously in which a teenager named Kellie is worried because she hasn't heard from her younger brother, Simon, who is staying with their Aunt Jessie. Jessie's known to be flaky and eccentric, so sure, the landline phone may not be connected, And maybe Simon's cell phone battery is out of charge, with the charger misplaced. But she thought this might happen and had provided him with pre-addressed postcards that he could use to keep in touch with her. Their mother passed away a few years back, and Kellie is very protective of Simon now. He knows this, which is why hearing from Simon is a bigger deal than it might seem, even though their father is convinced there's nothing to worry about.

The storylines eventually intersect, and that's when it becomes to clear to Matt and Liz that something very dangerous is happening right under their nose. To ensure the safety of their town, they need to discover the truth about the boys' deaths, before anyone else gets hurt. This is a true Joy Ellis story, very intricately plotted with suspects abounding. The threads connecting the two storylines are seamlessly woven and you won't believe how they come together. Once you start reading, it will be almost impossible to stop.

My first book by Joy Ellis and I really enjoyed it.
She has a genteel way of writing.
That in a current day setting of Murder, turf wars and drug trade wars makes for an excellent read
It is book 5 of a series but I wasn’t aware of that, and it definitely reads well as a standalone story.

I always enjoy Joy Ellis’s novels but I did find this one a. slow burner and it took a while for me to get in to it & I thought it lacked the pace of previous books when Matt & Liz were police officers but as always the characters are intriguing & the descriptions of the fenlands & surrounding areas makes you want to visit (minus the dead bodies of course) I do hope David will be back in future novels as it will be interesting to see how he might progress with his wish to join the police. & I liked the dynamics of how he, Liz & Matt worked together.

Night photography was a love for him, needing just one more for his portfolio
The setting like one from Dickens novels was interesting and captured us. The cobble back streets, a weird building with an ancient door, could they get in to see what Alex had captured. Returning home, finding his door open, and his lap top gone, and now they were dead.
Matt and Liz are now Private Detectives, when a call from a man who found a card in his pocket. A stranger had bump into him. The card was of the back street an artsy stuff, then he saw the headline in newspaper.
Another winner for the author, capturing us from the beginning, and wanting answers of what Alex saw. A good series, readers will enjoy. Given ARC by Net Galley and Joffe for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

Joy Ellis has outdone herself in the latest of the Detective Matt Ballard series.This series just keeps getting better with excellent story lines and interesting new characters added.I found it highly addictive and couldn’t wait to finish it.If you haven’t read any of this series start at the beginning and you will be in for a wonderful treat.

Fantastic! I have been eagerly awaiting the next Matt Ballard book and it was certainly worth waiting for. A story that goes deep into the criminal underworld and kept me reading late into the night. A great read.

Story teller Joy Ellis has done it again another fantastic PD Matt Ballard series book five. In Greenborough Toby Unsworth a photographic student take the perfect photo of the disused place in Fen Fleet, aiming at one filthy window he looked again it has to be a trick of the light a face a mysterious woman where has she come from? what is she doing in there?
This author really knows how to knock her readers, how she does it is very clever and devious of her, but that's what I enjoy there really is never a dull chapter, remarkable details through out this story that hits you. Matt Ballard is one of my favourite characters he brings the Fens to life so much happening, I could keep reading well into the night that's the book it tricks you.
Trick of the Night is a perfect title, I recommend it to all readers, and pretty sure it will become another best seller for this very clever talented lady, simply the best.

This is a strong mystery which builds on existing characters, developing them further. The story itself takes us back to the Fens and Ellis does an amazing job of evoking the atmosphere. There are a few story lines crossing one another here and it is satisfying to have them neatly tied up at the end.

Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, and great detective work! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! It was a little slow building in the beginning but it moved quickly once it got going! I will definitely recommend reading this book! It was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Wow! Joy Ellis supreme story teller at her best! I really enjoyed this. The suspenseful and enthralling chapters kept me up late into the night. This one is slightly different in as much as its more of a mystery concerning the criminal underworld, rather than a police procedural regarding a murder investigation.
The pace builds and develops into a riveting conclusion which came as a surprise to me.